WHEN the children of Israel were near the end of their wilderness journey, after almost forty years of God's care and mercy in guiding them through its dangers, they committed a great sin; they spake against God and against Moses: "Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?" (Num. 21:55And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. (Numbers 21:5).)
There is one lesson our dear young friends who love God will surely learn as they pass on through life—that the heart of man is desperately wicked. We should almost think that Israel would have learned by experience not to speak against God, after nearly forty years of His care. But said God, "They do always err in their heart, for they have not known My ways." Now, as you are beginning life, do not forget to watch God's ways. Consider how He deals with you in your wilderness pathway; store up in your memory the different dealings of God with you, either as a child at home, or as a boy or girl at school. Do not err in your heart because you do not know His ways.
Well, these children of Israel said, "There is no bread, neither is there any water." As for there being no bread, they could not say "there is no manna," since each morning God spread it around their tents; but they said of it, "our soul loatheth this light bread." They had grown weary of its taste,
“Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died."
God visited their sin upon them, and Israel cried for mercy. Then it was God bade Moses make a fiery serpent of brass, and set it on a pole, so that whosoever amongst all Israel was bitten might look to the serpent of brass and live. “And it came to pass that, if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived."
This event, which happened so near the close of Israel's wilderness journey, was that which the Lord Jesus used in order to picture to us the way of life for sinners perishing in their sins. As we read His words, as given in the third chapter of the gospel by John, we hear what He said before He preached the words which Matthew, Mark, and Luke record.
Those evangelists teach us how our Lord proclaimed the coming of the kingdom of God, and God's love for the poor, and His liberty for the oppressed. John tells us of the Lord speaking of His death, whereby we who believe on Him live.
“Whosoever," says the gracious Lord! Whosoever! Do you think Nicodemus understood this word? He could understand how it was that whosoever among all Israel looked to the serpent of brass lived, for Israel was God's chosen nation. I wonder whether he understood the Lord's great words of God's love to the world. It was not Israel only that God so loved that He gave His only begotten Son, Had that been so, we should not dare to write these words, and but very, very few of our young friends would care to read them. I do not say none would care to do so, for it was only the other day a young Jewess was telling us how the Lord Jesus had died for her, and how He had saved her from her sins. But we who are sinners of the Gentiles should have not one hope for mercy were it not for God's great word—whosoever.
"Whosoever" means Jew or Gentile, everybody, anybody, old or young, good or bad, either the high and noble, or the poor and the base. Yes! thank God for His word-whosoever. It is God's own gracious word for us all. And not only is this word God's, but it is also Jesus Christ's, His Son's word. God so loved the world that He gave His Son.
Jesus came to save us, and He set Himself to accomplish the work of salvation, and whosoever believes on Him has life eternal.
Did you ever think of our Lord thus speaking to Nicodemus, explaining to him how He was to be lifted up, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness? As the days of His life on earth passed by, the Lord had His being lifted up constantly before Him. Many did not believe who He was before His cross: still the gracious Saviour died that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Many at this moment do not believe on Him; but still, for all, the fullness of this gracious word stands as He, said it.
Let me turn to you, dear young friend, who have not yet believed on the Lord Jesus to the saving of your soul. Unless you believe you cannot be saved. There was only one way of life and salvation from death for the Israelites who were bitten—the brazen serpent, and looking upon it. Though the serpent was lifted up, though the sun shone brightly upon it, though hundreds of others might have looked and been healed, still unless the bitten man or child looked for himself there could be neither life nor salvation.
Two things would be required in order to make people bitten by the fiery serpent look to the serpent of brass. One, the belief that they were bitten; the other belief, that what God said about looking was true. And so it is this very day. Some do not look to Jesus crucified for sinners, because they do not believe they are lost and ready to perish; others feel they are sinners, but do not believe what God says about His Son dying for sinners.
Now, let us learn a little lesson from our picture. Some of the bitten people are looking—some are not. Some seem to prefer to die than to look. A mother is holding up her little child that it may look, and some point others to the serpent of brass, as if to persuade them to look. But do you know who must look in order to live? The person who is bitten.
So it is with you. Your friends cannot look for you. If you had to find anything by looking for it, your own eyes would have to search for it. No one else could look in your stead. So it is with the look of faith. You yourself must believe on the Lord Jesus; you must believe what God tells you concerning sin—yes, your sin, and the needs be for His Son to die to put away your sins. We can only point you to Jesus; we can only entreat you to look unto Him and be saved; more than this we cannot do.
Now our Lord has died, and is risen again. He has suffered; He has been lifted up. All those sorrows of His are passed, and it is His joy to welcome every one who comes to Him, and this brings us back to the beginning of our little talk with you: He is the Manna, the Bread from heaven, for all His people. May each one find more and more joy in Him, and find Him fresh to their hearts every day of this wilderness journey!