HERE is a Bible picture of the gospel story, which no one can fail to understand. May he who reads run, and flee to Jesus for life and healing; nay, if he cannot flee, may he look—" Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth."
On Israel's way to Canaan, Israel-like, the people murmured against God. "And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died” (Num. 21:66And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:6)). But Israel felt their sin: “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee," said they to Moses. In answer to the prayer of Moses, the Lord said to him, " 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 " (ver. 8). And who of us is not bitten? Nay, who has not spoken against the Lord, and is not under the sentence due to sin-death? There is not one reader of this page who has not sinned, not one who is exempt from the consequences of sin, and the judgment of God against him is death.
Look upon our picture. Moses points us to the serpent of brass which he has set upon a pole. “Look and live, look and live," he seems to be crying, and his open hand invites all to life so freely offered.
“Look and live," those upon the mound, bearing the stricken man close up to the serpent of brass seem to be saying. They point to it, and they plead not to God for mercy, for mercy is brought to them by God, but to the sin-stricken sufferer to look and live. And behind them comes a mother with her child in her arms, and she is saying to her dying child, “Look and live."
Look to Jesus, look and live. For "as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life " (John 3:14, 1514And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14‑15)).
See, arranged at the foot of the mound, a group of people. Some stretch their willing hands towards the brazen serpent; but observe more carefully, there are three fiery serpents near them. But in vain do they seek to strike those who look. This is good and true. The old serpent, the devil, shall never, no never, wound to death anyone who looks to Jesus. Some in this group are more sorely smitten than others, some are young, some old, but whoever we are, whatever we are, Jesus will save everyone who looks to Him smitten and dying for sinners, bearing their judgment upon the cross. Come, old, come, young, look and live, look and live!
Oh, we know well what He signified, what He meant, when He spoke of being lifted up. The cross, the nails, the shame, the sin-bearing, were all before His gracious heart. And His cross, His wounds, draw us to Himself. Look and live! Look and live!
Observe the group at the right hand side of the picture. One fights the serpent and looks not at the serpent of brass ; one weeps, and prays, and hides her face with her hands, and looks not at the serpent of brass ; but one lifts both hands and both eyes thereto, and already life has entered her whole being ; she seems to be crying aloud, " Hallelujah! Praise the Lord."
Ah! how many are now fighting their sins, and fighting in vain. It is of no use. You will never win the day—you will perish. And how many are praying, and lamenting, and breaking their hearts over sin's bitter memories. You will never be saved by prayers or tears: you will perish thus. Look and live, and the serpent shall fall of from you. You shall be more than conquerors through Jesus, who loved us.
The left hand side of the picture is dark and sad. Fear has filled those two. See the two serpents hastening towards them! Their backs are towards the serpent of brass. They are in the darkness of their own shadows. They will perish. There is no hope for one in Israel, save in the serpent of brass. Death and dismay are their portion who turn their back to the divine remedy. Alas, how many are there in our day and to our knowledge who, though they hear the words “Look and live," turn their backs upon the cross of Christ, and thus give themselves over to the power of sin and the serpent.
A little more and the serpent will triumph, as is the case with those two, who, in the picture, lie dead with the serpent upon them!
The figure in the foreground is full of praise. The old man and his child have looked. "And it came to pass that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."
“Any man”! Gracious breadth of mercy. “Any man"—words of individual cheer addressed to us by Jesus Himself. “If any man enter in, he shall be saved." (John 10:99I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture. (John 10:9).) “If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink." (John 7:3737In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. (John 7:37).)
Look and live-look and live.