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, he lived.

Num. 21:8-9 NIV

May vision affect death and life?

People were bitten by venomous serpents that the Eternal had sent to the camp because of their speaking ill of the manna. Murmuring and lack of gratitude unleashes all kinds of dangers in our lives. Evil spirits have access to a person who speaks ill of the gifts that the Eternal gives in his kindness.

When the people acknowledged their sin, the Eternal showed Moshe how to survive when being bitten by a snake. The secret to recovery was to look carefully at a copper serpent that was hung from a pole. By watching it attentively they received life. Their vision saved them from death.

This teaches us that what is before our eyes has a great influence upon our future. What we see is of great importance. What comes in through the physical and spiritual eyes has the potential of killing us or giving us life.

When the woman saw that the forbidden tree was good, she took from its fruit and she died. When the people saw the copper serpent they received life. How important to set one's vision upon something that brings life and not death!

In John 3:14-16 it's written: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. "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.” (NIV)

All men have been damaged by the poison of sin and are on their way to death and destruction. The only solution for their survival is that they fix their eyes on a miracle and set their faith in HaShem through this miracle. The Hebrew word translated as "pole", "standard" is nes – נס – which means, pole, miracle, sign. Yeshua's death was both a miracle and a sign. The Son of Man had to be raised in the same way than the bronze serpent. The Torah has made known to us in what way the Son of Man had to die to save the people of Israel and the whole world from sin and eternal death.

Yeshua is the only final solution for men - Jews and non Jews. Without him, nobody escapes from eternal death. The one who looks carefully with his spiritual eyes at his atoning death will be eternally saved.

Blessed be the Eternal for the one who became sin so that we could become the righteousness of the Almighty in him !!

Ketriel