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 KJV
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
John 3:14-15 KJV
In most cases of Scripture, the serpent is generally used to represent the devil, the great dragon called satan, Revelation 12:9, Genesis 3:1, however we see here that Jesus compares himself with the serpent. At first glance this may seem like blasphemy of the highest order and may even confuse many but lets take a closer look.
In speaking to Nicodemus in John 3:14-15, Christ was foretelling His death upon the cross and comparing it to the brazen serpent which Moses made in the wilderness. The idea of Christ being lifted up and crucified on the cross is seen here as a type of banner or standard or flag, that is lifted up. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up” Christ said.
After coming out of Egypt and brought into the wilderness, the children of Israel, quickly looked back to the pleasures of sinful Egypt, as did Lot’s wife to Sodom, and began to complain and murmur against God and against Moses. As a result, God allowed fiery, venomous serpents to come upon them and to bite them and those that were bitten quickly began to die of the poisonous venom. However, in realising their ungratefulness and their sin, they confessed their sin to God and cried out “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord” Numbers 21:7. Because of God’s mercy and long suffering nature, He heard their prayers and commanded Moses to build a serpent of brass and set it upon a pole, that whosoever should look upon it shall live.
Now it isn’t to say that in looking upon a pole with a snake upon it had the power to take away the effects of the poison, but it was in looking by FAITH, believing in God’s Word and His power to heal from the effects of the venom, that they would be saved.
Likewise, we all have been bitten by the old serpent called the devil and satan and have been infected by the venom of SIN. We all, as a result, have been condemned to death like the Israelites in the wilderness, for “all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” says Paul, Romans 3:23. Again he says, “now all these things happened unto them [the Israelites] for ensamples (examples), and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come,” 1 Corinthians 10:11.
Therefore, God gave us His Son, Jesus Christ, as the only acceptable sacrifice for our sins, the only real antidote for the venom as it were. He came as the Son of Man, and suffered as we suffer, was afflicted with temptation as we are afflicted, “For in that He Himself, hath suffered being tempted, He is able to help those who are tempted”, Hebrews 2:18.
As the serpent is used to represent satan and his sinful nature, so did Christ become sin for us. He took our sins upon Him and went faithfully to the Cross, lifted up as the serpent in the wilderness was lifted up before the children of Israel. “For He [God] hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him” 2 Corinthians 5:21.
The serpent which was lifted up on the pole, directly foreshadows Christ, the Sinless One, who bore our sins, and was lifted up upon the Cross of Calvary and says Christ “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
Christ was lifted up for you and for me. It is by His sacrifice upon the cross that our sins are forgiven and our slates made clean. We have all been bitten by the fiery serpent called the devil and have been infected with the deadly venom of sin. Therefore, lift up your heads and look to the Cross; look to Jesus as He has been crucified for your sins and for mine, believe in His power to cleanse you from all sin through His death, the death that we rightfully deserve, and the promise is, we shall not perish but have eternal life.
Look & Live!
Loud Cry Compendium
Loud Cry Compendium 