I recently watched a powerful video. While holding his newborn baby in NICU a father sung praises to Jesus. The baby miraculously raised his little hand as His daddy sang. I imagine the baby was moved by God’s spirit when his daddy looked to Jesus as he praised!

     We find a Biblical account in the book of Numbers chapter twenty one where God instructed his people to look upon a pole. The Israelites accused God of bringing them out of Egypt to die in the wilderness. They complained because they were dissatisfied with manna desiring bread and water instead. The Lord sent fiery serpents to bite them and many died! God’s people came to Moses acknowledging their sin asking him to pray to the Lord. They wanted rid of the deadly serpents.

    Instead of answering prayer by taking away the venomous snakes God instructed Moses to make a fiery serpent and place it upon a pole. Once bitten those who looked upon it lived. The Israelites were suffering the consequences of sin and had one source of salvation from the serpent’s bite.

     In the beginning Eve was effected by a serpent’s poisonous lies. Enticed to eat God’s forbidden fruit she gave to her husband Adam who ate also. Now all humanity has been affected by Satan who left his mark of sin upon our soul since the fall of Adam. Sins poisonous bite brings eternal death and punishment from which we need saving.

     Two thousand years ago Jesus gave His life as the supreme sacrifice to save us from sin. If we choose to look upon His suffering, repent of our sins, and believe we will be saved. We’ll pass from death to everlasting life!

     Like the bitten Israelites we must look up to live. Once we’ve looked upon Jesus and received the Holy Spirit, we will live eternally. The relief of salvation from eternal death will prompt praise. Like the newborn baby in Neonatal ICU, let’s lift our hands in praise to the one who was lifted upon the cross to purchase our salvation!

And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.

John 12:32