Expert: Thurman C. Petty, Jr. - 11/12/2009

Question
Greetings and God bless you.

How is looking at the snake on a pole not different from worshiping a graven image?  That the Lord commanded Moses to make the bronze snake, I can accept, but I struggle with how this is different that the idol worship that the Lord detests.  I am missing something here, can you help clarify it for me?

Many thanks!  Jeff

Answer
Dear Jeff,

Jesus gave us a hint as to the reason for the snake on the pole:

John 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:
John 3:15  That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

The snake on the pole actually was a type—a symbol—of Jesus! How can that be? I thought the snake was a symbol of Satan. Yes, it is (Rev. 12:9).

But in this instance, it represents Jesus. Paul helps explain it:

2 Cor 5:21  For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.

When Jesus went to the cross He literally carried our sins in His body (1 Pet. 2:24). So the One who had never sinned, carried our sins upon the cross.

The snake was a representation of the enemy—the snakes that were killing the people. By looking at this representation the people were healed. This was not worship, but a recognition that by following God’s command—to look at the snake—they would be healed.

Jesus, on the cross, was a literal carrier of our sins, and by looking to Him we can be healed of our sins. That’s why the cross is so important to Christians. It’s a symbol of what Jesus did. He died to free us from sin. And yet He rose again and now ministers for us by applying His saving grace to us before the Father.

(Actually, by the time of Hezekiah, many Jews had begun to worship the bronze snake, which they called “Nehushtan.” So Hezekiah had it destroyed. 2 Kings 18:4)

Look to Jesus, who bore our sins on the cross to heal us from the sting of the real serpent, Satan.

Thurman C. Petty, Jr.
pettypress@gmail.com
www.PettyPress.com (I’ve posted 18 e-books, 42 Bible Study Guides, and much more)