The brass serpent represented Christ

 

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

Numbers 21:4-9

And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

 

[5] And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

 

[6] And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

 

[7] Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.

 

And Moses prayed for the people.

 

[8] And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

 

[9] And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

Jesus was going to be a sacrifice for our sins.

 

He knew He was going to take upon Himself the judgment of God on our behalf.

 

He knew He was going to be raised on a cross at His crucifixion.

He told Nicodemus that as Moses raised the serpent on a pole in the wilderness, for the healing and forgiveness of a people who had rebelled against God, He was going to be raised on a pole for a similar reason.

In the wilderness, when Israel had provoked God by murmuring and chiding with Moses, God sent them fiery serpents that bit them, and many people died under divine judgment.

When they cried to God, and Moses prayed for them, God told Moses to mould a serpent of brass and put it on a raised pole.

 

Whoever was bitten and looked at the serpent on the raised pole, would survive the snake bite.

The serpents that bit Israel represented sin and its effect.

 

It was the serpent that introduced sin in the Garden of Eden.

 

It was the serpent that caused death.

 

When the serpent was judged, it was told it would go on its belly.

 

The serpent on its belly represents sin that is already judged.

The serpent on the pole represented sin that is judged.

 

Because it was of brass, it meant that it was judged by God.

 

Brass represents divine judgment.

 

Time fails me to go into the details of this.

Israel was told to look at the raised serpent when they were bitten.

 

When they saw it, they knew that their sin was already judged and they got healed immediately, by accepting a finished work.

Jesus was represented by the serpent.

 

The pole represented the cross.

The serpent was hung for a compound reason; a reason that they had sinned, and were sick thereby.

 

And they looked, and asked forgiveness and healing.

 

Whoever looked and believed was forgiven and made whole.

 

It was for their forgiveness and healing.

 

Jesus was wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities, and by His stripes we were healed.

2 Corinthians 5:21 says: 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.

Jesus was made sin for us.

 

He was hung as sin on the cross. He was so high no one could miss Him.

He said in John 12:32 if He would be lifted up from the earth, He would draw all men unto Him.

 

As Moses lifted up the brass serpent.

 

Jesus was raised, for our salvation and healing.

 

You can look and live, as those people looked at the brass serpent and lived.

The serpent was lifted up so that when a person was bitten, he could look away from the wound and pain.

 

You cannot look at your symptoms at the same time as you look away to the solution.

If you chose to look at your wound, you forfeited looking at the solution.

 

If you looked at the solution, you ignored the wound and pain, and you got healed.

Jesus was raised so high above every power and principality, above every ruler of darkness, that you cannot miss Him.

Look and Live!

 

Trust Maanda is a legal practitioner and a partner at Maunga Maanda And Associates. He writes in his personal capacity. He can be contacted on +263772432646.