Ernest S. Underwood
I admit it; I don’t like snakes. I realize that there some people who have snakes as pets. I tend to look at them with a critical eye, thinking that they may be a little crazy. I don’t visit with them in their home. I pretty much subscribe to the old adage that the only good snake is a dead snake.
There is an interesting and rather frightening incident about snakes in the Book of Numbers. The people of Israel were in the wilderness, and, as usual, they were murmuring and complaining against Moses. They cried, “Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” (Num. 21:5). The very next verse states, “And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.”
The Book of Hebrews tell us that “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27). I know that I must one day die, but please, don’t let me die by snake bite. There are a few cobras in our general area here in India. The last time I was here, the students killed a couple of them. At least, they told me that they were cobras. Behead me, shoot me, let me die in my sleep or in some terrible crash of some kind, but not by being bitten by a venomous (fiery) snake!
As the people began to die, the cry went up to Moses, “We have sinned…pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” (Num. 21:7). Here, we see in these people the old story of man wanting to tell God how to “fix” the problem they are experiencing. Notice their words, “Remove the serpents.” This reminds us of Naaman who wanted a cure for his leprosy, and he wanted it to be done his way. His “I thought” (2 Kings 5:11) has about the same sound and attitude of the Israelites and their “take away the serpents from us.”
The Lord had a different way, a way that would cure the snakebite, but that would put the responsibility of the cure for snakebite on the individual who had been bitten. Read with me, “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live ’” (Num. 21:8). We learn in verse nine that Moses made the thing, put it up on a pole, and when one was bitten and then looked upon the brass serpent on the pole, he lived. Let us ask some questions and make some observations.
1. Did the person who was bitten have to personally look at the snake on the pole? Why couldn’t he or she just say, “I believe that there is a snake on a pole, but I also believe that one snake on a pole is just as good as another, so I will just devise my own brass serpent and put it on a pole and God will cure me anyway”? Or, “I know that the pole with the serpent is there, but if I look on it, I will void the grace of God in providing me a cure.” Sound familiar?
2. Another might say, “As long as I believe that the pole with the snake on it is there, that is all I have to do. After all, if I truly believe it is there for my cure, then I will be saved from death by snakebite.” However, the exact words of the Lord were “…and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks on it, shall live.”
3. There was no direction from the Lord for anyone to say, “Say the ‘bitten by a snake prayer.’” Why do men, when they are in some kind of distress, whether bitten by a fiery serpent, have some kind of health problem or come to the realization that they are lost in sin, seek their own way or the way of some man’s doctrine, creed or opinion rather than to seek God’s way and, then, follow it? God’s way is always right regardless of the problem or the circumstance. The person today who is lost in sin is not told to “look on the snake” or “Say the sinner’s prayer.” (Whatever that is. There is certainly no scriptural authority for it anywhere.)
Neither is he told to “go wash in the Jordan” seven times. This person is told to hear the Gospel, believe it, repent of sins, confess one’s faith in Jesus Christ and be baptized (immersed in water) for the remission of sins. Having done these things, then, he is commanded to be faithful to the Lord Whom he has confessed and into Whom he has been baptized. When one accomplishes these things from the heart, it may scripturally be stated that he has “looked upon the snake” in that he has obeyed the commands of God as did those who looked upon the one in the wilderness. Those Israelites were cured, and the obedient today will have forgiveness of sins.
Jesus stated, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:14-15). Will you look upon Him and obey His commands for the salvation that you need, and that you earnestly desire?
