No matter what God did for His people when He brought them out of the land of Egypt, they complained. They were upset because the path to the Promise Land was more difficult than expected and was a longer route than what they would have chosen for themselves. They were sick of mana and quail, which the Lord provided supernaturally! And, they even were frustrated that God didn’t offer water promptly. Literally, every step of the way, they complain. Instead of being grateful and focusing on the incredible things God did for them, they fixed their attention on what they weren’t getting. Eventually, God’s patience with them grew thin. He became angry because they refused to trust Him by faith.

This is what the Bible says in Numbers 21:4b-5 NIV,

“The people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!”

Because God’s people were frustrated, full of fear and under pressure, they began to look through an inaccurate lens. They said they were going to die and that there was no bread or water. It was inaccurate. God was always keeping His end of the bargain and was successfully leading them toward the Promise Land, providing for their needs each step of the way. Was it uncomfortable? Yes. God was testing them to see what was in their hearts – to see if they would be willing to trust Him by faith instead of by sight.

Because they continued to distrust God and constantly complain against Him, He sent poisonous snakes to bite them. Many died. The Israelites then cried out to God for His intervention, and this is what God did:

“The Lord said to Moses, ‘Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.’ So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived” (Numbers 21:8-9 NIV).

God was tired of their sin, so he sent snakes as a way to bring judgment against His people. Yet, God in His great mercy told Moses to make a bronze snake and hoist it up on a pole so that anyone who looked at it in faith would be healed of the poisonous snake bites. It was that simple. They didn’t have to jump through a bunch of hoops for God to touch them; they merely had to look at the bronze serpent on a pole so they wouldn’t die. I can image some had a difficult time believing that this child-like gesture could actually make them well. But all who did were healed!

The whole story was a foreshadowing of what Christ did on the cross for all humanity. We have all been bitten by the poison of sin, and all stand guilty before a holy God. We have all complained, been ungrateful and gone our own independent way from God’s righteous standard. And we deserve judgment and death (spiritual separation from God for all eternity). But God, in His great mercy, provided a way for us to be made right with God – to be forgiven of sin and healed from its venomous bite. The Bible says,

“And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert [on a pole], so must the Son of Man be lifted up [on the cross], in order that everyone who believes in Him [who cleaves to Him, trusts Him, and relies on Him] may not perish, but have eternal life and [actually] live forever” (John 3:14-15 AMPC)!

Christ was lifted up on a wooden cross for our transgressions so that all who would look upon Him in faith would have their sin forgiven and would pass from death to life.

That’s good news for you and me. No matter how many mistakes you’ve made or what you’ve done to deserve separation from God, when you look upon Christ and believe in Him, your past, present and future sins have been paid for in full! God no longer counts your iniquity against you. The Bible says,

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life” (John 3:16 NIV).

And in Ephesians 1:7 AMPC, the Apostle Paul states,

“In Him we have redemption (deliverance and salvation) through His blood, the remission (forgiveness) of our offenses (shortcomings and trespasses), in accordance with the riches and the generosity of His gracious favor…”

In Christ, we have been justified. If you are struggling with whether or not you are right with God, simply look upon Jesus. His death and resurrection are enough to put you in right standing with God once and for all. It’s not based on your performance; it’s based on Christ’s finished work. The sting of sin has been fully met in Christ. So, when you look upon Christ by faith, you are entirely forgiven!

Pause and think about this for a moment: You are forgiven!

And not only does God want you to understand that you are made right with Him, but He wants to help bring healing and wholeness to every area of your life. This has been true for me in my relationship with Christ. As I learned to look upon Jesus and cooperate with the Holy Spirit, God healed my relationships with family members, friends and coworkers that had been damaged. He also helped me see myself the way He sees me and brought revelation and understanding regarding my God-given purpose. He even began helping me overcome addictions and strongholds in my thinking. God has radically transformed my life and the process still continues to this day!

That’s what God has in store for you, too. As you look up at Him, He sees your faith and trust in Him, and He will go to work in your life as only He can. Miracles will begin to happen, strongholds will break, relationships that were once dead will come back to life and God’s healing power will transform every area of your life for the better.

May Christ do exceedingly, abundantly and far beyond what you can ask, think, dream or imagine as you look upon Him. In the mighty name of Jesus, amen.