The Bronze Serpent is one piece of Old Testament imagery we have absolutely no doubt about.  No lesser authority than Jesus Himself said it pointed to His work on the cross:  “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” (John 3:14-15).

So the main point of the image is as clear as it is compelling.  God’s people were dying as a result of their sin, their rebellion against God (Numbers 21:5).  They were justly condemned to death (Numbers 21:6), but if they would look up to a bronze serpent, they would live (Numbers 21:9).  In the same way, all any of us need to do to be saved is to look to Jesus, trusting His perfect sacrifice offered for us on the cross.

But did you ever wonder why God chose an image of a serpent to be the symbol of salvation?  After all, the serpents were the ones killing the people.  So, how ironic that the bronze serpent, which should have been a reminder of death, ended up being an image of life instead.

But the cross is also an image of death, isn’t it?  It points to the death of Christ, but it also points to our own death.  For in order for us to receive the salvation Jesus offers, we must confess that we deserve nothing less than the death of the cross.  Moreover, coming to Christ always involves our dying too – dying to sin, dying to self, so that we might be raised to newness of life in Him, a life of laying down our lives for others.

What did Jesus say?  “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit. Whoever loves his life loses it, and whoever hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves me, he must follow me; and where I am, there will my servant be also” (John 12:24-26).

Will we look to Christ for salvation?  Will we follow Him – to the cross?

Numbers 21:4-9 (ESV)

⁴ From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. ⁵ And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” ⁶ Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. ⁷ And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. ⁸ And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” ⁹ 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.