Why the Long Journey Around Edom
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The Brazen Serpent a Type of the Saviour
The lifting up of the brazen serpent was to teach Israel an important
lesson. They could not save themselves from the poison in their
wounds. God alone was able to heal. Yet they were required to show
their faith in the provision He had made. They must look in order to
live. By looking upon the serpent their faith was shown. They knew
that there was no virtue in the serpent itself, but it was a symbol of
Christ.
Heretofore many had brought offerings to God and felt that so
doing made ample atonement for their sins. The Lord would now
teach them that their sacrifices had no more power than the serpent of
brass, but were to lead their minds to Christ, the great sin offering.
“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness,” even so was
the Son of man “lifted up: that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have eternal life.”
John 3:14, 15
. All who have lived
upon earth have felt the deadly sting of “that old serpent, called the
devil, and Satan.”
Revelation 12:9
. The fatal effects of sin can be
removed only by the provision that God has made. The Israelites
saved their lives because they believed God’s word and trusted in the
means provided for their recovery. So the sinner may look to Christ,
and live. He receives pardon through faith in the atoning sacrifice.
Christ has power and virtue to heal the repenting sinner.
While the sinner cannot save himself, he still has something to do
to secure salvation. “Him that cometh to Me,” says Christ, “I will in
no wise cast out.”
John 6:37
. We must come to Him; and when we
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repent, we must believe that He accepts and pardons us. Faith is the
gift of God, but the power to exercise it is ours. Faith is the hand by
which the soul takes hold upon the divine offers of grace and mercy.
Many have cherished the idea that they could do something to make
themselves worthy. They have not looked away from self, believing
that Jesus is an all-sufficient Saviour. We must not think that our own
merits will save us. Christ is our only hope of salvation.
When we see our sinfulness, we should not fear that we have no
Saviour or that He has no thoughts of mercy toward us. At this very
time He is inviting us to come to Him and be saved.
Many of the Israelites saw no help in the remedy which Heaven
had appointed. They knew that without divine aid their own fate