The story of the bronze serpent is found in Numbers 21:4-9. The Israelites were journeying through the wilderness after being freed from slavery in Egypt. Along the way, they became impatient and spoke against God and Moses. As punishment, God sent venomous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. The people confessed their sin and asked Moses to intercede for them. God told Moses to make a bronze serpent and put it up on a pole. Anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze serpent and be healed.
At first glance, this story seems odd. Why would God choose a bronze snake, an object associated with evil, to bring healing to His people? And why have the people look at the snake to be healed, rather than just healing them directly? As with many things in the Bible, there are deeper meanings and connections going on here.
One of the key themes is the irony of the bronze serpent as a symbol. The snakes were sent by God as judgment for Israel’s sin. The common association of snakes with evil made the bronze serpent a reminder of their sin. By looking up to the symbol of their judgment, the people were demonstrating their faith in God to transform evil into good and judgment into salvation. Their humble faith in God’s mercy is what saved them, not the bronze serpent itself.
In a similar way, Christ bore our sin and judgment on the cross. Though Christ was perfect, He was made to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). As we look to Christ in faith, we can be healed from sin’s deadly bite. Just as the serpent was lifted up on a pole, Jesus said He would be “lifted up” on the cross (John 3:14). Anyone who looks on Him in faith will be saved.
Some key parallels between the bronze serpent and Christ on the cross include:
- The serpent was made of bronze, a metal associated with judgment and sacrifice. Christ bore God’s judgment on our behalf.
- The serpent was lifted up on a pole. Jesus was lifted up on the cross.
- The people had to purposefully look at the serpent. We must look to Christ in faith.
- The serpent had no power in itself, but God used it as a means of healing from deadly snakebites. The cross had no power, but God used Christ’s sacrifice on it to save us from the fatal consequences of sin.
This typological parallel helps explain why God would use a bronze serpent to heal His people. As a symbol, it foreshadowed Christ taking the judgment for sin upon Himself on the cross. God transformed an object associated with evil and judgment into an instrument of salvation. That is what He did ultimately through Christ on the cross.
Some key lessons we can take away from this unusual healing method include:
- God can use unexpected and even contradictory means to accomplish His purposes.
- God is able to transform symbols of evil and judgment into sources of mercy and life.
- Looking to God in humility and faith is what saves us, more so than the methods or symbols themselves.
- This story is an example of God’s grace and the healing that comes through trusting in Him.
- It points us to Christ as the ultimate source of salvation from the deadly consequences of sin.
In summary, God used a bronze serpent lifted up on a pole to heal His people physically to foreshadow how Christ, bearing our sin and judgment, would be lifted up on the cross to heal us spiritually. It required an act of faith for the people to look to the symbol of their judgment for healing. That symbol pointed to Christ, and it is only through faith in Christ’s atoning work on the cross that we find forgiveness and salvation from sin. The bronze serpent reveals God’s amazing grace in transforming judgment into salvation for all who humbly look to Him in faith.
The story appears in Numbers 21:4-9:
They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.
This story takes place during Israel’s 40 years of wandering in the wilderness after the exodus from Egypt. God was leading them to the Promised Land, but it was a time of hardship and testing. TheirJourney was difficult and they frequently complained. After one of their complaints against God, poisonous snakes began biting and killing the people. This got their attention, and they confessed their sin of speaking against God. They cried out for mercy. In His grace, God provided a way of healing through having Moses make a bronze serpent and lift it up for the people to gaze upon. All who looked to the bronze serpent in faith were healed.
The bible explains the imagery and meaning behind this unusual object of healing in John 3:14-15:
Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.
Jesus referred back to this story in Numbers to explain the purpose of His coming death on the cross. He would be “lifted up” on the cross like the serpent on the pole so that those who look to Him in faith can find spiritual healing and salvation.
Paul also refers to the medical symbolism in 2 Corinthians 5:21:
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Though Jesus was sinless, He took on our sin during His crucifixion so that we could take on His righteousness. Jesus became like the bronze serpent – made to represent sin though sinless, so that those who look to Him can be healed.
So in summary, while a snake usually represents evil, sin, and deadly danger, God transformed this symbol into an instrument of healing and salvation by associating it with the lifting up of Christ on the cross for the forgiveness of sins. The snake on the pole represented judgement and death, which Jesus took into Himself so that those who look to Him in faith can have eternal life.
Now let’s explore some key reasons why God may have chosen a bronze serpent to bring healing and be a symbol of salvation for the Israelites:
It reminded the Israelites of their sin
Snakes were associated with the wilderness and judgment. When the Israelites spoke against God, venomous snakes came among them. So when God called Moses to make a bronze snake, it reminded the people that their sin brought judgement. The snakes were a consequence of their unbelief and rebellion. The bronze serpent confronted them with the reality of their sin.
It required an act of faith to look to it
The bronze serpent had no power or magic in itself – it was simply a statue on a pole. For healing to come, the people had to make an intentional choice to look up to it in faith, trusting in God’s power and His word to Moses. God often uses means that require faith in order for us to be part of the healing process.
It pointed to God’s power over evil
The Israelites knew snakes as dangerous, venomous creatures. But God transformed the symbol of a snake, representing judgment and death, into an instrument of healing and life. This foreshadowed Christ’s work on the cross, taking on our sin and judgment so that those who look to Him in faith can be healed of sin’s deadly bite.
It displayed God’s mercy
The people acknowledged that they deserved judgment for their sin of speaking against God. They knew that the snakes and deaths were rightly deserved consequences. Yet when they confessed their sins and asked for mercy, God graciously provided this unusual way of healing through gazing on the bronze serpent. This displayed that God was ready to forgive and show compassion, not merely condemn.
It showed God’s power to turn evil into good
The bronze serpent represented an inversion of expectations. Something known for evil and death was transformed into an agent of healing and life when God directed its making and assigned this meaning to it. In the cross of Christ, the most evil act of killing the Son of God resulted in the greatest good of redemption for the world.
It foreshadowed Christ’s work on the cross
As mentioned earlier, Jesus said clearly that He would be “lifted up” on the cross like the serpent on the pole (John 3:14). On the cross, the perfect Son of God was made to be sin for us (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus took our sin and judgment so that those who look to Him in faith can have salvation. The bronze serpent pointed forward to this incredible act of redemption.
So in summary, the bronze serpent was a meaningful symbol through which God brought healing and salvation to His people. It confronted them with their sin, required an act of faith, displayed God’s mercy and power to overcome evil, and pointed ahead to the redemptive work of Christ in taking the consequences of sin upon Himself on the cross for all who look to Him in faith.
Additional Meaning and Significance
Beyond the explanations explored above, scholars and theologians have proposed some additional layers of meaning and significance for the bronze serpent:
Foreshadowing the Messiah
Some see the bronze serpent as an example of a “messianic symbol” – something that foreshadows the coming of the Messiah. Jesus explicitly associated Himself with the serpent when He said He would be “lifted up” (John 3:14). The serpent pointed to Him as the one who would defeat the powers of evil and provide salvation.
A healing ritual
Looking to the bronze serpent may have served as a type of healing ritual for the people. Symbolic actions, especially when combined with faith, can carry spiritual power. Gazing at the serpent was an act of obedient faith that released God’s healing into their lives.
A lesson in moral cause and effect
Some Jewish teachers saw the serpent as illustrating that sin inevitably leads to suffering. The snakes were a direct consequence of their rebellious words. It showed moral cause and effect – their choice led to punishment until they turned back to God.
A reversal of Moses’ staff
Moses’ staff was previously turned into a snake that consumed Pharaoh’s staff-snakes (Exodus 7:8-12). Now that staff of deliverance becomes a snake that brings harm, showing that God’s power can bring salvation or judgement.
Prefiguring Christ’s crucifixion
Since Christ compared Himself to the serpent (John 3:14), and Christ was “lifted up” on the cross, some see the pole as a precursor to the cross. The serpent on a pole prefigures Christ on the cross.
The bronze serpent’s destruction
Later in Israel’s history, the bronze serpent was destroyed. This was because people began worshiping it as an idol (2 Kings 18:4). This shows that our faith should be in God alone. Signs and symbols have no power in themselves but only point to the one who can truly save – Jesus Christ.
While we cannot be certain of all the meaning and significance the original audience saw in this event, the biblical record shows that God used the bronze serpent to test and increase Israel’s faith, confront them with sin, and point them to His mercy. Most importantly, it prepared them to one day look to the cross of Christ for spiritual salvation. The serpent on the pole powerfully symbolized the hope of redemption we have in Jesus.
In conclusion, the story of the bronze serpent’s use to heal and save the Israelites is a beautiful example of God’s grace and His ingenious ways of drawing His people to Himself. The snake on a pole confronted them with their sin, called for faith, and pointed to mercy and salvation through Christ. Though a strange healing method at first glance, it served as a meaningful symbol of God’s work to overcome evil with good and provide forgiveness and eternal life to all who look to the lift Savior.