I needed to hear
this today-- actually I need to hear it every day. It's not that I have not read these words
before, but you know how easy it is to read something many times and miss the
point every time? Well, it happens to
all of us for different reasons and in different contexts. Nicodemus is wrestling with his own skewed frame
of reference, one that would not let him release his preconceived notions about
God and righteousness. Jesus is painting
a mental masterpiece that he hopes will jar him out of his intransigence.
In my case-- today,
I needed to see the picture of hundreds of people: men, women, and children,
dying in the desert, the result of an uninvited serpent's bite. Yes, I know the people opened the door to the
slithery invasion when they complained for the umpteenth time about God, Moses,
and their plight. We are all a
hard-headed hoard of humanity. But the
point is that they were dying-- their bodies were literally shutting down due
to deadly venom that had been introduced into their systems by a foreign
enemy. They could not suck the venom out
of their veins. They would have if they
could have. I can relate. Most people don't look forward to death,
especially a slow, painful, and agonizing death over which we have no control.
Many died, unnecessarily;
due to the viper's venom before the news came that there was a serpent on a
stick in the middle of the camp. God
told Moses that if the smitten souls looked at the brazen serpent they would
not die as a result of the venom. How
did they react to the news when they heard it?
I can imagine some wondered how, and pondered the viability of such a
plan-- they died. Others perhaps didn't
see the point, after all, it did sound kind of far-fetched-- they died
too. The only ones saved were the ones
who believed that this simple act of looking to the very cause of their sad
state and in an act of desperate faith declared that it no longer had power
over them. Why? Because
THE LORD had turned the curse into a blessing, thus they were saved from the consequences
of the venomous bite! How awesome is
that? My curse is transformed into a
blessing, because of a divine declaration.
I must believe it. I must look
up. I must look into the face of the
enemy and believe that he no longer has power over me. The venom in my veins is transferred on to
the hanging serpent. Wow! The table is set for what comes next.
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