“Moses made a serpent of bronze and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived.” Numbers 21:5-9 (NLT)
While Jesus was dying on the cross, the sin of every man, woman and child was placed on Him. When that happened, the Father left Him.
The innocent Son of God was covered in our filth; Holy God turned away. Jesus could not want to be there.
But He stayed.
The horror of suffering and death was laid on our Substitute. That was the requirement to offer salvation to you and me.
This was the remedy caused by the fall recorded in Genesis 3:15. The Serpent would sting the heel of Jesus, but Jesus would crush him…to death…forever.
And with that here is our study for today. Please be patient if you know the story. Context is provided for those who may not know.
Even if you have never read the Bible, you know the story of Moses. Most people are familiar with parts of it, but the account in Numbers chapter 21 can be mystifying without the Holy Spirit’s help and a little research.
God, through Moses, freed the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt. Every step of the way, God provided for their needs. When they were trapped between the Red Sea and the approaching Egyptian army, God opened the sea, and they crossed on dry land. Exodus 14:21-22
As they traveled on toward the promised land, God fed them the food of angels (manna) Psalm 78:25.
Even when God punished the Hebrews for their unbelief (they wandered in the wilderness for forty years), their clothes and shoes never wore out Deuteronomy 29:5.
God provided so perfectly for the people. Never satisfied, they continually murmured against Moses as their God-appointed leader, and most notably, they complained against God.
Because the people continued to complain and were sinful, God caused poisonous snakes to begin to bite them. Many of them died. The stubborn, hard-hearted people finally acknowledged their sinful hearts. They went to Moses, and he prayed for them.
Why would God do that? Why?
Keep reading. You will understand.
“Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!”
Numbers 21:8
Wait. Were you expecting an image of Moses’ bronze staff with the serpent wrapped around it? The people didn’t know it at the time, but in the distance of centuries, a bronze serpent became a wooden cross with our Savior pierced by the Serpent (our sin).
There is a Fountain filled with blood
Drawn from Emmanuel’s veins.
And sinners plunged beneath that flood.
Lose all their guilty stains.
And as Moses lifted up the bronze snake on a pole in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, John 3:14
The rod symbolized Jesus (the Word). By obeying God and looking at the bronze serpent, the people showed repentance and faith. It was hard to believe this was the solution to their terrifying problem, but those who obeyed were saved. They acknowledged their sinfulness and their need for a Savior to bear their sins.
Jesus didn’t just take away their sin or ours. That would not have been a solution. Something had to be done with sin.
“…so, the Son of Man must be lifted up,”
“…so that everyone who believes in him will have eternal life.“
John 3:15 (NLT)
And God through Jesus made a way for you and me.
For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin, so that we could be made right with God through Christ.
2 Corinthians 5:21 (NLT)
That is why true believers cannot continue to indulge in sin without experiencing sorrow. Look at the cross of Jesus. See your sins placed on Him. Accept His righteousness, which no one deserves. And live.
Read the passage below. I would like to challenge each of you to find a quiet place. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you. Try reading out loud. I believe it will mean even more to you as you take it in.
1 John 1:5-10
Share the Good News in your world!
Isaiah 52:7
New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Getting the Seed out of the basket and into hungry hearts. Matthew 13 