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Numbers 21 gives another insight into the wilderness experience of the children of Israel. "Fiery serpents" came among the complaining nation and began to inflict poisonous bites upon them. When Moses cried out to the Lord, he was instructed to make a brass serpent upon a pole and erect it in the vision of the suffering people. God then promised that, "Everyone who looks (upon the serpent) shall live." Hundreds of years later, Jesus used this brass image on a pole to speak of his upcoming death on a cross, saying, "As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lefted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life." (John 3:14-15, NKJV) Clearly, the snakebite of death will be miraculously detoxified in our systems if we fix our eyes upon the cross--the suffering servant who removed our sin like a bad dream. He--the spotless Son of God--became that serpent on our behalf, though our minds cannot fathom it, and made available deliverance from the poison for all who LOOK!
What happens when we LOOK at Jesus' death on the cross? Do we shed a tear of remorse regarding the pain he suffered and feel a sentimental obligation to somehow pay him back? Or is it deeper? Surely there is a deeper "LOOKING" that brings soul-healing and spiritual life. Beyond just the physical aspects of the crucifixion, horrible though they were, there was an age-climaxing spiritual event taking place that left no aspect of reality untouched! Focusing our attention on the cross and really seeing the implications of what Jesus has done for us is like making a quantum leap into another universe! Really daring to peer into the significance of the cross opens a worm-hole through space-time and lands us in the eternal. The cross did more than wash away guilt--it reconnected us with a Creator who intended swirling, powerful involvement with the men he made. The cross opened up heaven's possibilities, not just for achievement and success, but for a lifelong dance with GOD--the source and end of all that is worthwhile.
Every day is bursting with possibilities of God's involvement in human life. He is perfection and justice, but he also burns with passion and fire. He understands humor and joy and play. He actually LIKES the men he created in his image and longs to talk with them. He does not constantly correct like an overbearing parent, but RELATES on a level deeper than any human can! And the cross opened the way to all that.
So when the phrase "Look and live," is lifted out of the Numbers 21 story, please don't think it is just a bumper sticker or refrigerator magnet. Looking is a lifelong gaze that will intoxicate us again and again and LIVING is so much more than just breathing and even having basic needs met. LOOK and LIVE is a description of the Christian life--largely yet untapped--made available but waiting to be accessed by anyone who dares fix their eyes beyond what meets the eye.
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