Topic: Look And Live [DCLM Daily Manna 22 December 2019 Daily Devotional by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi]

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Text: Numbers 21:1-9

1 And when king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies; then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

2 And Israel vowed a vow unto the LORD, and said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3 And the LORD hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

4 And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

5 And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6 And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7 Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8 And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9 And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Key Verse: “And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live” – (Numbers 21:8).

MESSAGE:

Often, the solution to life’s problems is not found in some esoteric mountain top, or hidden in the depth of the oceans. It demands no great adventure or sacrifice, but a simple expression of confidence and trust in God, as the children of Israel discovered in the wilderness.

Also Read: Open Heaven 22 December 2019 – Divine Protection

In their journey to the Promised Land, the Israelites met with a fierce opponent in King Arad, the Canaanite, who fought and captured some of them. The people then vowed to God that if He granted them victory against Arad, they would destroy all his cities. The Lord granted their petition, and they continued in their journey. Not long after, they were forced by the hostility of the Edomites to take a long and treacherous route to avoid trouble.

But the people were discouraged and began complaining and murmuring against Moses. God heard their complaint and in turn, sent poisonous serpents which bit and killed many of them. But they quickly came to their senses and pleaded with Moses for help. The Lord gave him the antidote to their problem: set up a serpent of brass on pole, so that anyone that looked at it lived. It was a clear pointer to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who would die on the cross to take away the sins of the world.

We must be careful, for with every victory in life, a temptation lurks in the corner. And we must never yield to the lure of complaining against God, as it only serves to show that we are weak of spirit, disobedient and ungrateful to God for His past miracles in our lives. And where in a moment of mindlessness we stray from God, we must quickly retrace our steps, and look upon Jesus Christ for forgiveness, pardon and cleansing.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY: When we look at the invisible Christ, we see the incredible work of God.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Malachi 1-4

DCLM Daily Manna was written by Pastor William Folorunso Kumuyi; is the founder and General Superintendent of the Deeper Life Bible Church situated at KM 42 on the busy Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, Nigeria.