THE SNAKE THAT HEALS? Numbers 21

The story, too, too familiar in its description of the people of Israel, encompasses a mere 6 verses.  But these 6 verses aren’t all God has to say on the subject!  Prepare yourself for the unraveling of one of God’s mysteries!

The people of Israel have continued their trek through the desert, drawing ever closer to the land of promise – but they’re still not satisfied!

Numbers 21, verse 4:  “They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom (the Edomites, descendants of Esau, and therefore “brothers” of Israel, had refused to let them travel through their land).  

BUT (Get ready for it!) 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 desert?  There is no bread!  There is no water!  And we detest this miserable food!’  (Yep, that would be the manna the Lord has been providing for 40 years!).

They seem never to learn, even when the Lord lets them have it.  Ever been there?

Verse 6 and following: 

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.

A pause, please, and maybe a drum roll.  This is such a monumental moment that we can’t rush right by.  Did you see it???  The people have confessed their sin and admitted that they didn’t JUST sin against Moses, they sinned against God!  Wow!  Maybe they HAVE learned something!

Next scene.  God's abundant grace.

Then 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, he lived.”

Maybe you’re thinking, that’s weird.  Back when the Israelites had just left Egypt and Moses was on the mountain receiving God’s law, the Israelites made a golden calf.  God heard the ruckus down below and sent Moses back down the mountain to confront the people.  And God dealt harshly with them there so that many lost their lives that day.

So, isn’t this bronze snake the same thing?  Good question.  No, it isn’t.  

First of all this is GOD’S idea.  Telling people to look at the snake IN WORSHIP, so that they might live would never be something God would do.   He describes Himself as a jealous god who will not tolerate the worship of other “gods” of man’s making.   He even made it a commandment. As a matter of fact He was giving that commandment to Moses at the same time the people were breaking it by worshiping the golden calf!  It’s called, the FIRST commandment and it says this:

Exodus 20:2-6  “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.  You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make for yourself an idol in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below.  You shall not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God.”

Telling His people to WORSHIP a bronze snake is inconsistent with God’s character.

So, what IS the deal about the snake then?  If it isn’t an article of worship, then what was the point of it?  Why didn’t the Lord just remove the snakes as the people asked Moses to pray?  Why didn’t He just speak a word and heal everyone who had been bitten?  Ah, good questions!  But we’re not going to find those answers here in Numbers 21.

I once heard a Bible teacher say that the Bible is its own commentary.  In other words, one passage in the Bible often explains or adds understanding to another passage.   So, in order to understand why this account is in here and what the deal WAS with that bronze snake, we need to go over to the New Testament book of John and something Jesus said to have this mystery solved.

One more thing before we get there.  Another great thing I’ve heard is this:  “The New (Testament) is concealed in the Old (Testament); and the Old (Testament) is revealed in the New(Testament).”

The truth, once concealed in this Old Testament account of the bronze snake, has now been revealed, in the words of Jesus in the New Testament.  The people of Israel didn’t see it then, but we can see it now!

John’s gospel, chapter 3.  Jesus is approached at night by one of the Pharisees, a man named Nicodemus, wanting to know more about Him.  The fact that Nicodemus addresses Jesus as “Rabbi” and one who “comes from God” indicates that he has some understanding of Jesus’ identity.  He supports this by adding, “no one could perform the miraculous signs you are doing if God were not with him.”  

So far, Nicodemus is right on target!  Jesus certainly could be called, “Rabbi”, or teacher, for that is what he is.  And he nailed it as well when he described Jesus as one who “comes from God” because of the miracles He’s done.   But it’s not what he KNOWS that prompts Nicodemus to come to Jesus at night when he’s less likely to be seen by his peers.   It’s what he doesn’t know, but suspects.  What Nicodemus really wants to know is this:  Is Jesus Israel’s long awaited Messiah, the One God promised would save His people?  

Jesus doesn’t make it easy for him.  Over in chapter 4 of John’s gospel, Jesus will engage in conversation with a Samaritan woman and say straight out that He IS the Messiah, but not to this man, well versed in the Scriptures who should have recognized Him already!  What Jesus does do is get Nicodemus to think about what he already knows and let the truth speak for itself.

Jesus tells Nicodemus of his need to be born again if he wants to understand kingdom things.  Nicodemus, still not getting it, thinks only in terms of a physical rebirth – clearly an impossibility.

Jesus goes on to explain the importance of a spiritual cleansing from sin and a new birth, not by water as man’s first birth is, but by the Holy Spirit.  

When an incredulous Nicodemus still says, “How can this be?”, Jesus reminds him of this very passage from Numbers 21, a passage this Pharisee would know well.

In verse 14, Jesus says:  “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man (a name Jesus often used to refer to Himself) must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.”

Ah, do you see it now?  The bronze snake was a reference to Jesus!  Who knew?  No one back in Nicodemus’ day – so Jesus explains – commenting on what had been concealed in that Old Testament passage to reveal its New Testament meaning.  Makes me wonder what is going on in the mind of Nicodemus!  I can see him scratching his head now!

Want to know what Nicodemus at that moment still didn’t?  Here’s how the two passages relate to each other.

Just as the Israelites were healed from the sickness caused by their snake bites by looking at the snake on the pole, all, whether in Nicodemus’ day or our own, can be saved from the sickness of sin by looking to Jesus who was lifted up to die on the cross.

It wasn’t the snake that healed the people.  It was their belief that GOD could heal them when they looked at it.  Their belief was demonstrated by their obedience to God’s instructions.  

In the same way, it isn’t just wearing the cross, or bowing before the cross, or revering the cross that heals us from sin.  It’s looking to Jesus and His death for us on the cross that heals us.  

In my “Life Application Bible”, there is a little chart that summarizes the Old and New Testament passages and might help us see the implications:

Israelites                 
                                                    

Bitten by snakes                                                          

Little initial pain, then intense suffering                   

Physical death from snakes’ poison                            

Bronze snake lifted up in the desert                          

Looking to snake spared one’s life                           
 
Christians 

Bitten by sin 
Little initial pain, then intense suffering
Spiritual death from sin's poison
Jesus lifted up on the cross
Looking to Jesus saves from eternal death

Cool, huh?

So, we’ve ALL been bitten by sin, there’s no escaping it!  We’ve inherited those sin “genes” from Adam.  What to do, what to do???  

There is a cure!  Jesus is it!  Looking to Him and believing that His death makes my life possible is all that’s required.

I think that when Jesus died on the cross Nicodemus just might have put two and two together - and rejoiced!

Don’t you LOVE it when mysteries are solved!