So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. Numbers 21:9
There was a time in my life when the faith I practiced was simply a belief in my head. I knew God existed. I believed in Christ and the resurrection. When it came to my daily decision making though, I simply followed me, doing what I wanted. This led to the disaster of my addiction, during which God began to teach me an authentic faith. To get there, I had to realize that I am my greatest life problem and that following my way is a catastrophe. To be rescued from the disaster of me, I had to look to God, following him instead of self. In doing so, he saved me from myself. Faith then, isn’t just a belief that God exists, while doing my own thing. Rather, faith means believing and basing my life decisions on that belief. If I desire to be saved from myself, then daily, I must turn my eyes towards God, following him, instead of me. In doing so, I am daily saved from myself.
This is the lesson of today’s passage, which vividly describes a saving faith. In the story, the Israelites once again complained to Moses about their circumstances – Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food (Numbers 21:5). For their faithlessness, God once again disciplined his people, this time with poisonous snakes. After many were bitten and died, the people repented, begging for salvation. God commanded Moses to craft a bronze serpent, placing it on a pole to lift up before the people. Whenever anyone was bitten, they simply needed to look to the serpent, and they would be saved. Following their way led them to misery and pain. In their misery and pain, all they had to do was turn their eyes towards the serpent on the pole, and they would be saved.
This is faith – Turning our eyes to God, following him instead of self. Our way is disaster. God’s way is life. It’s natural for all of us to follow our way. When we become sick of the misery of our way though, we must turn to God, keeping our eyes on him, making our feet follow. Often, we simply believe God exists without really seeing our need for him. That’s an incomplete faith. When we recognize that we are our own greatest life problem, we must turn our eyes to God, following him, allowing him to save us from ourselves.