Look Upon It

“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.” (Nu 21:8 AV)

A cursory reading of this passage might give the impression all Israel had to do was have a passing glance at a brazen serpent on the top of a rod that they be freed from the threat of death brought upon by the bite of a real serpent.  God sent poisonous serpents among the people because they complained about a lack of variety in their diet.  They were ungrateful for the manna God had sent.  So, the LORD sent poisonous snakes among them to punish them for their ingratitude.  What does it mean to look upon this serpent?  Was it a mere glance?   There were thousands who had to look upon this serpent to avoid death.  Did they all line up single file and merely make eye contact?  Was it more than that?  The word means to stare.  It means to look and consider.  It does not mean to look at something as though it be mere fact or inconsequential.  To look upon this brazen serpent meant to look upon it and contemplate.  It meant they had to look upon this serpent and internalize their part in the condition of which they created.  What a picture of the need for reflection and repentance for salvation.

John gives us the meaning of this miracle.  “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.” (Joh 3:14-15 AV) The sinner who comes to Christ must understand the offering of Calvary’s cross was and is the sinner’s fault.  He must see his part in the vicarious offering of Christ.  He must internalize it.  He must feel the conviction of sin and shame for what he has done, understanding our Savior hung on that Cross for something he has done.  This is what is missing in today’s salvation presentation.  Salvation is often seen more like a free ticket to heaven than it is seen as a reconciliation between the Creator and His creation.  For the Israelite to be free from the consequences of his sin, which was the bite of death, was to look upon what his sin caused.  He must look upon the consequences that he himself owned, think upon it, admit that he was at fault, and accept by faith this identification would heal him of pending early death.

As a parent, we often require our sons or daughters to consider what it is that they have done.  “Just look at the mess you’ve made.”  “Who wrote on the wall?  Come here and look at the destruction you’ve caused.  Do you realize what it will take to get that off?”  As a father discovers a dent in the family car, he requires his young adult driver to come out, look at the damage, and explain how it happened.  It is one thing to admit guilt when we are far removed from the consequences of our actions.  But to stare right at it and admit our fault makes the confession all the more genuine.  We have got to see not only the fault but also the result.  If true repentance is our goal, then we have got to look upon that which we have done.  It isn’t enough to admit it was wrong.  It isn’t enough to own up to it.  We have got to feel it.  We have got to see the ripple effect of our actions and realize the choice caused far more damage than we realized.  In short, we have got to own it.  We have got to stare at the mess we have made and understand just how deeply destructive it was.  Then and only then can true remorse which results in lasting repentance come.  Look at the mess you’ve made!  It is your mess.  You caused it.  It is time to own it and seek God’s forgiveness lest the full force of what you have done fall upon thee!