Articles
Saved by a Snake
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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." So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. (Num. 21:8-9)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up. (Jn. 3:14)
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Humanity and snakes have a frightful history together, starting in the Garden of Eden. That history plays a role here. The story of the bronze serpent in the wilderness is, at first glance, quite peculiar. But ponder the underlying elements and a remarkable metaphor emerges.
When the people began to complain (again!) about their sorry lot in life, God sent a sign of His displeasure in the form of an invasion of fiery serpents (Num. 21:5-6). The people quickly learned their lesson, and begged forgiveness (v. 7). God could have simply withdrawn the punishment, which He has done on other occasions. But here He employed a more interactive solution. He had Moses erect this bronze serpent as a talisman for healing: look on the bronze serpent, and live.
The imagery in this account is rich. God’s solution took the very form of the problem He was addressing: a snake. It was a snake that got humanity in trouble in the beginning; now it was a snake that provided salvation. Years later, Jesus used this snake as a foreshadowing of His own role as a healer of wounded souls. God "made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us" (2 Cor. 5:21).
Why did God not remove the serpents from among the people? For the same reason He does not banish sin from our lives. Instead, He provides a means of forgiveness. Like the Israelites, no matter how hard we may try to avoid the sting of sin, sometimes it still "bites" us. When it does, we have a source of healing--the sacrifice of Christ--if we are willing to avail ourselves of it.
One final detail. Centuries later, in the days of King Hezekiah, the bronze serpent was still around. The people were worshiping it as an idol, even though the original purpose for the relic had long since passed (2 Kgs. 18:4). If we are not careful, we can turn God's provisions for our salvation into empty idols devoid of their original meaning. The cross of Christ, for example, is a powerful image of God's love. But it can easily become a meaningless relic hanging in our living room or around our neck. The power is in God, not His tools; we must respect that distinction.
There is a curious satisfaction in knowing that God can use evil as a weapon against itself. What an amazing God we serve!
--David
