“So, Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.” Numbers 21:9
The Lord’s people must not be grumblers, complainers, and whiners! Back in the Old Testament times, Israel had been given their freedom from slavery in the land of Egypt. They had been given food straight from heaven. They had been given protection from their enemies. They had been given every provision they needed…and yet the people grumbled. They complained about everything, and Yahweh grew weary of it. In fact, He grew so weary of it, that He sent “fiery serpents” to bite the people. (Ever seen a fiery serpent? Ever been bit by one? Naw, me either, but they sound horrible!) And the snakes were horrible! So much so that the people repented quickly and pleaded for mercy, and Yahweh sent mercy. He had Moses make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.
This Old Testament passage is what is called a “Type” of Christ. It’s a fore-shadowing of the Lord Jesus. Jesus refers to this Old Testament passage a couple of times as He not only signifies the manner of death by which He would die, such as in John 12:32, 33 “And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, I will draw all men unto myself. But this he said, signifying by what manner of death he should die.” But He also refers to it as how man would live and be saved, freed from the “bite” of sin and death, such as in John 3:14, 15 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.”
The apostle John told us why he documented Jesus’ words and actions so closely in his book. He said “These have been written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing you may have life in His name.”
This is the purpose of John’s Gospel and should be the purpose of every faithful, true church and every Christian ministry.
-Pastor Craig