A Scripture Alphabet

From: Messages of God's Love: 1928

"M"

“MOSES made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived." Num. 21:9⁹And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (Numbers 21:9).

When the children of Israel were journeying through the wilderness, they often became discouraged and dissatisfied because they did not have all the good things to eat that they had had in the land of Egypt. Instead of being thankful to the Lord because He had delivered them from their cruel taskmasters and the hard work in Egypt, they were complaining about the difficulties of the journey. Often the Lord had to punish them because they rebelled against Him.

At one time, when they spoke against God and against Moses, "the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, and much people died."

Then the people were sorry for what they had done, and went to Moses and confessed their sin. So Moses prayed for the people, and the Lord told him to make a fiery serpent and put it on the top of a pole where all the people could see it. When any one was bitten by a serpent, if he looked at the serpent of brass on the pole, he was healed and did not die,—as our verse today tells us.

Dear children, was not this an easy way to be healed? They did not have to swallow any medicine; they did not have to put any medicine or salve on the bites, or wrap them up with bandages. They did not have to do anything but look,— look at the serpent on the pole.

Now listen to two verses that were written nearly 1500 years later;

"And 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).

You see, dear reader, that the bite of the serpent was a type of sin, and the serpent on the pole was a type of Christ. The Israelite bitten by the serpent was cured by looking at the serpent on the pole. The sinner is saved by looking to Christ on the cross for forgiveness.

There is nothing you can do to put away your sin. All your trying can never save you. Isaiah 45:2²I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: (Isaiah 45:2)2 Says,

"Look unto Me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth. For I am God and there is none else."

God has made the way of salvation so simple that none need be lost. Do not neglect His wonderful offer of love and grace. As one of our hymns says,—

"There is life in a look at the crucified One,

There is life at this moment for thee,

Then look, sinner, look unto Him and be saved,

Unto Him who was nailed to the tree."

You will find the story of the serpent on the pole in Numbers 21: 4 to 9, and can read it for yourselves.

Messages of God’s Love 8/5/1928

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