LOOK! AND YE SHALL LIVE

Isaiah 45:22 — Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

ALL the ends of the earth are commanded to look unto God that they might be saved. We do not understand, “by the ends of the earth,” the prophet, to mean any limited bounds of the created earth upon which we live; but, men, women and children; mankind, the human race. And that, of every nation and tongue from North, South, East, and West; of every age and century. From the beginning of creation in Paradise to the end of the world. To every human being, then, God sends forth His command to LOOK unto Him for salvation. And why? God lays before man this firm and positive reason, “because I am God, and there is none else, beside Me.” He is Omnipotent, all powerful, having all might and power in heaven and upon earth. He made the earth, and created man upon it. So our life depends entirely upon God; for, He, has all power and right thereof as our Maker. Therefore He, also has full and perfect right to command sinful man to LOOK only to Him, and none other, for salvation.

But, experience has proven that man by nature will neither look, nor rely or trust in God for either temporal or spiritual things. So depraved is our souls state by nature that we worship idol gods of our own hands. Idol, SELF, is such a god in whom we trust and put all our confidence. That cursed I this, and I that. Thereby manifesting by our thoughts, words, and deeds that we will not have God command or rule over us. We want none of His laws to govern us.

Yes, in general, the bulk of mankind complains that God’s commands are grievous and burdensome. They think that Omnipotence exceeds His rights by thus requiring them to keep His commandments and do His statutes. Yet, the end of these are love, peace, joy and happiness to all those that turn unto Him and LOOK for salvation in Him. Man frets, and fumes, and is discouraged because of the way. He has bread every day; water to quench his thirst, houses to lodge in, harvest blessings provided; but, because he has not such an over abundance as he would like, he is dissatisfied, grumbles and murmurs, and rebels against his superiors and God. Will our God of Providence, as well as of Grace, permit man to go on in such sinful ways? See the answer in Israel’s case, as recorded in Numbers 21:4-9.

Why, was Israel so discouraged because of the way? God had furnished them with all things NECESSARY to keep them alive in the wilderness so many years. He protected them from their enemies. At this Mt. Hor, on the borders of the promised land of Canaan, He delivered up the Canaanites and utterly destroyed them. Yet when they must compass the land of Edom, instead of going straight on through Edom, they become grieved and much discouraged. They spake against God and Moses; saying, “Why did you bring us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.” What base ingratitude they showed to God in this complaint and distrust of Omnipotence who had preserved them so marvelously.

They brought God’s wrath upon themselves, in so doing, in the form of fiery serpents. These serpents had never harmed them before in all their wilderness journeys because God protected them against those subtle enemies with their deadly poisonous sting. But now, God sends them upon Israel so that many die thereby. Cannot God do likewise today? Cannot He command serpents or any other creeping thing to destroy nation upon nation for their base ingratitude to Him, for our sinful rebellions against Him? He is the same God today, oh that we might learn to know Him as Israel did.

For, when He so afflicted them, they confessed their sin and guilt to Moses and requested him to pray unto God to remove the fiery serpents from them. God is dealing today with each person individually as He did to Israel as a nation. Teaching us that He is Omnipotent indeed, but this does not save nor redeem our soul. Our pathway through this life is as a wilderness journey through which all men are passing on toward the shores of eternity. And for man to enter the promised land of Canaan, beyond this life; namely, Heaven, he must know God also as JEHOVAH, the covenant God; who has a covenant with all His own people Israel. He remembers His covenant with the spiritual seed of Abraham which He has established with them and which He will keep and fulfil unto them by the Ensign thereunto appointed.

God’s method thereto is always by first bringing sinful man to feel and realize his sins and iniquities to be the cause of his corrupt state in heart, soul, mind and body. Man is bitten by the deadly poisonous red dragon, the fiery serpent, the devil, which sting is sin. All men lie prostrate upon the ground of sin, dying every moment of their life. Dreadful, most horrible disease is sin. This must be realized within our bosom to our own condemnation, and from that depth, the cry must rise unto (Moses), Jesus Christ, the spokesman between God and man. He must intercede for such sinners unto God.

As Moses interceded for Israel, God answered his request, (and used Moses as His instrument in healing those that were bitten), by commanding him to make a brasen serpent, and to put it upon a pole. But, they had to LOOK upon it, in order to live. So you can readily perceive that the brasen serpent had no power to heal, but, that it was in the act of LOOKING.

What a splendid remedy to heal the body and the soul of man. God divinely instituted the brasen serpent to be set upon a pole, in the midst of wicked Israel, whom He was delighted to bring from Egypt to Canaan literally, as a proto type of that, peculiar spiritual seed of Abraham with whom He has covenanted in their head Christ Jesus; to bring them to the heavenly Canaan above, after preparing them therefore in this wilderness life. And so the brasen serpent set upon a pole, is a figure of the ENSIGN or BANNER, (which the word pole, signifies), for Christ crucified stands for an ensign of the people. Isa. 11:10. As the brasen serpent was lifted up; so was Christ. As a serpent bit Israel; so a serpent must also be used to effect a cure. Likewise, sin committed in the flesh; Christ must take upon Him the likeness of sinful flesh, and be crucified in order to effect the cure. Rom. 8:3.

LOOK then, upon that ENSIGN, Christ Jesus, the Saviour. Israel had to look or die. So too, man must LOOK upon Jesus as He was crucified upon Calvary. There, He was triumphant over the red dragon, satan, who has bitten man, leaving a deadly wound and incurable, except, through the blood of the Lamb. Alone by FAITH in Him can sin bitten man be healed to everlasting life.

Man can only behold Christ crucified, by faith. But, has he that power in himself? Nay, it is the gift of God. How then can he attain thereunto? Alone by Christ who is the Author and Finisher of our faith. And by virtue of Christ’s covenant engagements with God, the sinner receives this Precious Faith in his soul, by the quickening operations of the Holy Spirit, whereby he LOOKS upon Jesus, and LIVES.

Sinner, can you neglect so great a salvation? Jesus confirms this truth in John 3:14 and 15, for, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even SO must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.” Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! O turn ye, turn ye, unto the Lord your God. Thou hast sinned against Him. True penitence of heart to beg mercy of Him, is what you lack. Cry to him for a broken heart and contrite spirit. Conviction of sin is your need. He alone is able to give it to you. Your sins are as a gulf between God and thy soul. Jesus only is the divinely instituted Way unto reconciliation. Ask, cry to Him, that He might grant you a supplicating spirit. And may the ever gracious God of all the earth bless thee with faith to look unto Him.

Hungering and thirsting souls, are you fainthearted and discouraged because of the way. Is it not going so prosperously as thou didst expect in the beginning? O, “look unto ME,” says Jesus, “I am God;” not merely Omnipotent but also Jehovah, a covenant keeping God. Do you lack this blessed knowledge of God? Oh see Him upon Calvary, nailed there by thy sins. You have caused His blood to be shed. Do you know of any of those precious covenant engagements which He has made with the Father on your behalf Look unto Him who has begun that work in your soul. And He will surely finish it. May the blessed Spirit take of His and give it to you that ye may grow and increase in the knowledge of Jesus Christ, the Head of the Covenant.

Beloved in Christ Jesus! Art thou loathing this light bread? Thy sins are the cause thereto. Is your soul secretly discouraged! Oh remember, what He has promised; shall He fail? “I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain: I the Lord speak in righteousness;” Look away from self, the wilderness, desire not to go directly through Edom to at once enjoy the promised land. But beg for mercy at thy Redeemers hand, for patience and submission to compass the land of Edom through the few remaining years of thy pilgrimage as strangers.

Call upon Him to draw thine affections wholly unto Himself that you may follow on under His guiding hand. May the blessed Spirit quicken your heart to behold and in faith look unto Jesus the author and finisher of that, Precious gift of God, faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. Heb. 12:2. Where He is preparing a mansion for you to dwell in forevermore.

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