NIGERIA: LOOK UNTO JESUS AND LIVE

 ANCHOR OF LIFE DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE For MONDAY, 29TH MAY, 2023.

TOPIC: NIGERIA: LOOK UNTO JESUS AND LIVE

MEMORIZE:  “So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” Numbers 21:6-9.

SCRIPTURE READING: Numbers 21:6-9.

“Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: "Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread." So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you; pray to the LORD that He take away the serpents from us." So Moses prayed for the people. Then the LORD said to Moses, "Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.” 

EXPOSITION:

The sentence, “Look unto Him and live” came up when the children of Israel were at the risk of death, they complained about God and about Moses and his leadership by calling God’s gift of Manna “horrible”. In the midst of this rebellion, God sent a plague of venomous snakes unto them as punishment. The punishment was so severe that they cannot bear it, so they cry unto God for mercy. In response, God gave them remedy which was a bronze serpent on a pole, that whoever that look unto it shall live.

God is always compassionate. In time of Moses, it was the bronze serpent that was lifted up for the people to look upon in order to receive their deliverance and healing. In our time, God has done it again by giving us His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, who was hung on the cross that whoever that look unto him shall live. For more clarification, we shall compare salvation through the bronze serpent and salvation though Jesus Christ on the cross to see how they are related. Old Testament is the symbol while New Testament is the fulfillment of the prophecies and all symbols.

The serpent itself was a symbol of sin; Jesus also was made sin for us that we may be made free from sin (2 Cor. 5:21).

The serpent was lifted up on a pole; Christ was lifted on the cross (John 3:14-15)

Those who were bitten by the serpent received healing by looking on the bronze serpent; everyone that wants to be free from the venom of sin must look unto Jesus – Matthew 8:17; 1 Peter 2:24.

As the Israelites who looked on the serpent continue to live; so those who truly look unto Christ shall live eternally – John 3:14-15.

God provided no other remedy for Israelites at that time; so Christ is the only remedy to be free from sin – Acts 3:16; 4:12; Romans 10:9-10.

As Israelites had to have faith in the bronze serpent as the remedy for their sin and sickness, so men of today must have faith in Jesus for their sins and sickness to be taking away – Ephesians 2:2:8-9.

As the serpent on the pole brought peace and reconciliation with God, so Christ on the cross brought peace and reconciliation with Him. – Colossians 1:20-21.

As confession of sin and prayer were necessary for Israelites to receive the benefit of the bronze serpent’s remedy, so they are necessary to obtain the benefit of Christ and the cross.

Our God is not wicked that He will punish man when he has not offended Him. It was sin that the children of Israel committed that led them into that horrible experience of theirs. Likewise in our present days, it is those sinful characters that are leading us into all sorts of different kinds of problems that we are facing today. Some of these characters include:

i. Stubbornness – Exodus 4:14.

ii. Idolatry – Exodus 32:7-14; Isaiah 63:3; Jer. 7:18.

iii. Murmuring  - Numbers 11:1, 10.

iv. Pride – Numbers 12:9

v. Self-will – Numbers 22:22

vi. Adultery – Numbers 25:3-4; Psalm 106:28-29.

vii. Rebellion – Numbers 32:20, 24.

viii. Wickedness – Jeremiah 44:3-6; Ezekiel  8:17; Psalm 7:11.

ix. Backsliding – 2 Kings 22:17; 2 Chronicles 34:25; Isaiah 1:4.

x. Speaking evil against God and his servant – Num. 21:5.

xi. Lack of gratitude.

When you find yourself in this kind of situation, what do you do to get yourself out of it?

i. You must first acknowledge your sin – Numbers 21:7.

ii. Repentance – Acts 2:38.

iii. Humble yourself – 2 Chronicles 7:14.

iv. Accept Jesus as your Lord and personal Saviour.

v. Prayer – Numbers 21:7.

vi. Follow the instruction.

In Numbers 21:7, the people said to Moses, please pray to God that he will take away the snake; and the Lord say unto Moses, make thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole, and it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten when he look upon it shall live.” There prayer was that God will take away the serpent but God did not take away the serpent; He only gave them remedy. What does that mean to us today? Many of us were injured, wounded, tormented and oppressed by the witches and familiar spirits and we have been praying that God should destroy them. The bitter truth is that, there is no amount of prayer that will completely wipe out the witches from the surface of the earth, because they also are instruments in the hand of God which bring His people back to Him whenever they go astray, but He gave us a remedy; the remedy is Jesus Christ look unto him and live.

As executive power is changing hand in the Federal Republic of Nigeria today, God is ready to give us what we desire: the good of the land. But we must know this: As deadly as the venom of serpents was in those days, that they cannot survive it without God’s provision for their deliverance so is the venom of sin in the life of a Christian (or nation); the longer the poison of sin remains in you, the damages it causes to your life. Therefore look unto Jesus upon the cross for your total freedom from sin and its power. As Nigeria, and individuals, Let us look unto Him and so we can live. Remain Blessed.

PRAYER POINT: Lord, let your resurrection draw me closer to you in unbroken relationship[ with you in Jesus name.

DAILY BIBLE READING IN A YEAR –  Psalms 9-12.