The bronze snake and salvation! One study of Christology is regarding the image of the Bronze Snake and the representation of salvation through Christ which was a preview that took place in the Old Testament with Moses.  This study is based on Numbers 21:4-8, and this event is significant because we can extract a lesson from an instance of the Israelite’s travels and learn about a preview of Christ’s cross as a means of salvation.

The Bronze Snake

Numbers 21:4-8 reads

4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea,[a] to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; 5 they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!” 6 Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. 7 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. 8 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.”

Here we see two things happening:

Discontent and Complaining.

In this one instance, we understand that the Israelites whom God led out of Egypt began to revolt against Him.  They were not content and they found every reason to complain and to bicker.  This is a lesson to us that we must be content and accept the blessings that God has given us.  When we do not appreciate what God has given us, we are essentially dictating to God what He must do, rather what is in His discretion.  God gave them manna and quail to show that He will provide for them, daily

In Exodus 16:4 we see the following:

Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

Bread was associated with life and sustenance. We see this in the Lord’s Prayer when the Lord speaks about asking for the daily bread, and in the Lord’s Supper/Communion.  The bread is compared to His body that will be broken for us and it’s His body that will give us life.

The Bronze Snake & Salvation

The Lord punished the Israelites for their disgruntlement.  He sent venomous snakes and the only salvation from these snakes was a pole that had a bronze snake.  Moses made a bronze snake and the Lord instructed him to put it on the pole. Anyone who looked at it would be saved.  In regard to this event, Jesus provides the reason as to why God chose the pole and bronze snake.

In John 3:14-15 Jesus says:

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”

Therefore, this was a comparison or preview of what was to come.  This bronze snake on a pole served as an example of how we would look at Christ’s cross and be saved for the actions that would take place on Golgotha.

Jesus is our Salvation

In continuing with the Gospel of John chapter 3, we can see in the verses spanning from 16-21 it says:

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

Next we see in Ephesians 2:1-10 Paul stating the following:

2 As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, 2 in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. 3 All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh[a] and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath. 4 But because of his great love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, 5 made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions—it is by grace you have been saved. 6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus, 7 in order that in the coming ages he might show the incomparable riches of his grace, expressed in his kindness to us in Christ Jesus. 8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Conclusion

As was the bronze snake on the pole, so was Christ on the cross.  He is our salvation and all those that look to Him for salvation and believe in their hearts and confess that He is Lord, will be saved.  AMEN