Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” Numbers 21:8

I remember watching Steve Irwin catching some of the world’s most venomous snakes on his program. He grabbed a black mamba by the tell, held it out as far away from him as possible, with legs spread wide, and saying to the snake, “You’re okay…You’re okay. You’re a real beauty!”
I don’t have ophidiophobia – a fear of snakes, but I thought he was crazy!
Most people have some type of fear of these slithering reptiles and kill any that wander too close, including some beneficial ones.
Their motto is the only good snake is a dead one.

Imagine that your sin brought venomous snakes to your door.
Would you continue to sin?
This is what happened to Israel when they spoke against God and Moses.
Realizing their sin, they confessed and sought God’s forgiveness.
A bronze snake was fashioned and placed on a pole. If bitten by one of the real snakes all a person had to do was look at the bronze snake on the pole and live.
I wonder how refused to look and still died.

Jesus said, “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.” John 3:14-15
You are bitten by sin and will die because of sin.
All you need to do to live is confess your sin and look to the Son of Man (Jesus) lifted up on the cross.

And I wonder how many will refuse to look and die in sin.