The Serpent
Use these materials to go deeper into this message on your own, or with your small group.
Series Overview
Scripture Passage Handout
Sermon Questions
Good morning Chapel family. I want to say congratulations to Leah Daniels on her baptism today—such an exciting day for Leah and Cory and their family. We really appreciate them and everything they bring to The Chapel. So we celebrate this moment with them.
So welcome to the fifth Sunday of Lent, which means Easter is two weeks from today. We’re basing our Lent series on something Jesus said. It’s in Luke 24—two guys are walking down the road on the night of Easter Sunday, and this unknown guy (who’s actually Jesus in disguise) comes up and says, “Hey—what are you guys talking about?” And they say, “We’re talking about Jesus. Don’t tell us you’ve never heard of him! He was this great prophet, and we were hoping he was the Messiah—but last Friday the Romans killed him. And this morning we heard these crazy reports about the tomb being empty and some women said they saw angels. We have no idea what’s going on.”
And Jesus says: How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory? And these two travelers are thinking, “Who is this guy?” And then it says: And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself. I don’t think there’s a moment in the entire Bible that I would rather have been present, more than this. Can you imagine Jesus leading you in Bible study? Opening up the Hebrew Scriptures, and showing you how those familiar stories that happened hundreds of years BC are actually talking about him? I would be furiously taking notes—“Wait—Jesus—say that part again…”
So in this Lent series, we’re trying to do the same thing Jesus did that day: we’re looking at some very familiar Old Testament stories, and we’re asking, “What does this teach me about Jesus and the cross, and how should I respond to that?”
So today we come to a really strange event. In fact, the first point in my sermon today is called “A Strange Event.” Because it’s highly unusual. But the thing that it’s describing is not unusual at all. Because it talks about the fact that when we sin, there are consequences. Not always right away—sometimes sin is fun for a while. But when we continue in a state of rebellion against God, we are violating our design—so eventually there are consequences, and those can be painful. Probably some of you are feeling that pain right now. And so here’s the question: when your sin has brought you pain, how do you deal with that? How do you use that pain as an opportunity to grow? Because you can. And that’s what today’s passage is all about.
So, let’s read the Scripture—I told you it’s strange, right? Okay—we’re going to be in Numbers chapter 21, starting in verse 4. Let’s hear the Word of God…
4 They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, 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.” 9 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, they lived. This is the Word of the Lord.
So—let’s break this down into three points. Point number one: A Strange Event. Just a little context: the book of Numbers describes what happened to the people of Israel between their escape from Egypt and their entrance into the Promised Land. Now: that journey wasn’t that far—it should have only taken about eleven days. But because of the people’s lack of faith and lack of courage, God said, “I’m going to sentence you to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness, until this generation dies out. So it’s actually going to be your children who get to enter the land.” That’s what the book of Numbers is about.
So when we enter the story today, they’re at the very end of that forty year period. Aaron has just died. They are within sight of the Promised Land. All they have to do is pass through a country called Edom, and they’ll be at their destination. But in Numbers chapter 20 the King of Edom says, “You may not pass through my country.” So just when they though the journey was done, they have to backtrack and go around Edom. It’s kind of like when you’re driving on the highway, and you miss your exit—you know that sinking feeling?—and the GPS says “recalculating,” and it adds 30 minutes onto your trip, and you’re blaming the GPS, or you’re blaming your wife for distracting you—because you thought you were almost there, and now you’re not. It’s kind of like that, but a thousand times worse, because they’d been out there for 40 years, and this was getting really old. And because of all that, the people slip into…
Sin. And that sin takes the form of complaining. Look at verse 4: …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!” Now, the reality was, they did have water—otherwise they wouldn’t be alive. In fact, God had provided water for them in miraculous ways. And it’s true they didn’t have literal bread, because they were surviving on this miraculous substance called “manna,” which was nutritious and apparently tasted pretty good, but after 40 years it was getting monotonous. So they complained, bitterly, against Moses—but more importantly, against God. They knew that God was providing for them, and they were saying, “God, what you’re providing is not enough. It’s not good enough.”
Have you ever been in a group of complaining people? What happens when you’re surrounded by complainers, in person or online? You spur each other on, don’t you? You embolden one another. And the complaining just builds and gets more angry. And that’s what was happening. They were frustrated with Moses; they were doubting God and angry with God. And just like the previous generation, they let their feelings be known. They didn’t hold back. And that sin of faithless complaining brought…
Consequences. Like sin always does. Verse 6: Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. Can you imagine the panic that must have broken out in that camp? Just the terror of that experience? Is anybody here afraid of snakes? Just put up your hand if you’re afraid of snakes. I’m not really afraid of snakes, but I have a healthy respect for them. When I was in middle school, my older brother had a 5-foot boa constrictor in a glass tank in our basement. His name was Clyde (the snake, not my brother). And about once every two weeks, he would go to the pet store and buy two little white mice. Live mice. And all the kids in the neighborhood would come to our house and watch what was about to happen. He would release the mice in the cage, and we had a front-row seat to the circle of life. I’m telling you, it was the greatest show in town. Because these
innocent little mice would walk around this strange new place, sniffing and exploring. And Clyde would just sit there. Nothing moved except his eyes. And when the mouse would come close to Clyde’s head, all the kids would tense up. And then the mouse would walk on, and we all exhaled. Sometimes that would go on for about 30 minutes. Until finally…*BAM*!—Clyde would strike. And every kid in our basement would jump, while Clyde squeezed—because that’s what boa constrictors do—and prepared to swallow his prey.
So I have a healthy respect for the lighting-fast speed and power of snakes. But boa constrictors aren’t even poisonous snakes. These were venomous snakes, deadly snakes. This was a terrifying experience. And the obvious question, to quote the great theologian Indiana Jones, “Snakes—why did it have to be snakes?” Remember that scene? But isn’t that what you’re wondering? If God wanted to bring consequences for sin, why snakes? Why not tarantulas, or an earthquake, or anything else? Why did it have to be snakes?
Well it’s interesting that when Indiana Jones says those words, he’s looking into an ancient tomb—does anybody remember where? In Cairo, Egypt. And in ancient Egypt, snakes were a big deal. The hieroglyphics carved on the walls of caves often featured snakes. The Pharaoh of Egypt wore a ceremonial headdress—anyone know what’s featured on top of that headdress? A snake—a cobra. In the Old Testament prophets, Pharaoh is often compared to a great sea serpent. So it’s really clear that snakes are symbolic of Egypt.
So what’s going on here? Well, when you look at the grumbling of the Israelites, all through the 40 years in the wilderness, what’s the common theme in their complaining? We hate it out here; there’s not enough water or food; why did you bring us out here to die; we should have never left…where? Egypt! Life was better back in Egypt!
And in bringing these snakes—which symbolize Egypt—God was saying, “Okay—you want to go back to Egypt? You want to go back to snakeland? Let me give you a little reminder of what life was like back there. Let me remind you of the pain and the poison and the death of living as slaves in Egypt.”
It was a harsh lesson to learn, and God’s lessons aren’t always that extreme. But in one way or another, sin always brings consequences, and they’re usually painful, because God needs to get our attention. C.S. Lewis said, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our consciences, but shouts in our pains. It is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” In your life—right now—if you are experiencing pain, it could be that God is using it to get your attention, because you’re heading in the wrong direction—you’re violating your design—and he wants to get you to a better place. That was God’s purpose with the Israelites, and it worked! Because it led to…
Healing. Verse 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. They got the message! They confessed their sin; they asked Moses to pray for them. That’s a good sign. It showed that that there was still hope for them. So Moses prays, but God answers the prayer in a really unusual way. He doesn’t remove the snakes. Instead, he instructs Moses to make a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. And he says everyone who’s been bitten, if they look at that bronze snake on a pole, they’ll be healed. And once again, everyone is wondering, why? We understand why he sent snakes as judgment, but why does healing come from looking at a snake on a pole?
Well, in the ancient world, putting something up on a pole, or in a tree, had a very definite meaning. Several times in the Old Testament, when Israel conquers an enemy nation, and they put the enemy king to death, what do they do with his body? They hang it on a tree. Why? Because it symbolizes
defeat and shame and judgment. And then there’s this principle in the book of Deuteronomy—look at Deuteronomy 21, verse 22: 22 If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23a you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under (what does it say?) …God’s curse. Being hung from a pole means that you are cursed by God.
So by putting a snake—which represents Egypt—on top of this pole, and requiring the people to look at it, here’s what God was basically saying, “You complain about your life, and you dream of going back to Egypt, because you think it would be so much better there. Can’t you see that Egypt is under my curse, and life in Egypt was a cursed life of slavery! In order to move forward, you have to see that. Look directly at that reality, and you’ll be healed.” And sure enough, all the snake-bitten people who looked at the bronze serpent survived. So healing came from looking at the cursed serpent on the pole.
Truly a strange event, and I’m sure that story was told for generations to come. But as the years went by, the legend of that day took on a life of its own. And the people started to view the actual bronze snake on the pole in a way that God never intended. Which leads to point number 2…
A Common Mistake. This is going to be a quick point, before we get on to the ultimate meaning of this passage. But this is an important detour to make. The Bible actually never mentions the serpent on the pole again until several hundred years later. In 2 Kings 18, it’s talking about the reign of a king in Jerusalem named Hezekiah. So look what it says in 2 Kings 18, starting in verse 3: 3 He did what was right in the eyes of the LORD, just as his father David had done. 4 He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) Did you catch that? See, the besetting sin of Israel—the sin that they just kept falling back into—was idolatry. Worshiping idols, like the pagan nations around them. So they had held on to the pole with the bronze snake, and at some point, they started worshiping it. They burned incense to the snake on the pole. The mighty Nehushtan. So this righteous king, Hezekiah, recognized how wrong that was, and he destroyed it.
See, here’s what had happened. God had used this physical object to teach a spiritual lesson. But the people chose to turn the physical object into a god. And that is such a common mistake. In Romans 1 it says people like to worship created things, rather than the Creator. For example, God says, “Look at the sun and the stars—they declare my glory! Let them point you to me!” But some people choose to worship the sun and the stars. Humans have always had this tendency—instead of allowing physical objects to lead us to God, we have a tendency to worship the physical objects themselves. The Bible calls that idolatry, and it’s so destructive. And that’s why good King Hezekiah destroyed the snake on the pole. So this is a warning against worshiping anything that’s not God. We always need that warning.
But here’s the question: why is this story ultimately in the Bible? I mean, God used the bronze serpent back in the wilderness to heal the snake-bitten people—so we learn about the faithfulness of God to his people. That’s important to know. We’re reminded of the danger of idolatry—that’s an important reminder. And that’s probably all we would ever say about this passage, except for one thing: Jesus talked about it. Did you know that? That Jesus talked about the snake on the pole story? And what Jesus said about this event is of course the most important thing of all. So—last point:
A Perfect Fulfillment. In John chapter 3, Jesus gets a visit from a man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus is a Pharisee—which means he’s an elite religious leader in the Jewish faith. But he’s also restless.
He’s spiritually dissatisfied, and he’s heard all about this upstart rabbi named Jesus. So he goes at night, under the cover of darkness, to see Jesus. Jesus tells him, “If you want to see the kingdom of God, you have to be born again.” Nicodemus is confused by that, so Jesus keeps explaining.
And a little later in the conversation, Jesus says this—John 3:13…13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man. (Jesus often referred to himself as the “Son of Man).. But then look what he says next—verse 14: 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.” 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. Did you realize the verse right before John 3:16 was the snake-on-the-pole verse? Who knew, right? So why in the world does Jesus bring up that at a time like this?
Well, first of all, he knew that Nicodemus was very familiar with that story. Pharisees knew the Hebrew Scriptures like the back of their hands—in fact, some Pharisees had the entire Old Testament memorized. So Jesus knew that Nicodemus knew all about the snake on the pole. But why choose that Old Testament story? And the answer is: because it perfectly describes how Nicodemus could get the new birth that he needed. Jesus says, “Just as Moses lifted up the snake…the Son of Man must be lifted up…” What does it mean that Jesus is going to be “lifted up”? Look with me at John 12:32—this is Jesus speaking: 32 And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” 33 He said this to show the kind of death he was going to die. When Jesus talks about being lifted up, he’s talking about being raised into the air on a cross.
So think about that: as he’s talking to Nicodemus, he looks ahead to his death on the cross. And here’s what he’s saying: just like people who’d been bitten by snakes were physically healed just by looking in faith at the serpent on the pole, in the same way, people who’ve been bitten by sin (and that includes you, Nicodemus) can be spiritually healed just by looking in faith to me, when I hang from the cross. Guys, the story of the serpent on the pole is ultimately the story of Jesus on the cross. Just look to him in faith, and you will live.
And maybe you’re thinking, “Okay, I get that. But to compare Jesus to a snake—I’m struggling with that.” Anybody struggling with that? Like, I can understand a lamb on a pole, but aren’t snakes symbols of Satan and sin? How could you compare Jesus to sin? That’s a great question.
Look with me at 2 Corinthians 5:21…God made him who had no sin (who’s that? It’s Jesus). God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. See, on the cross, Jesus became sin for us. He so completely absorbed the depravity of humankind that he became sin. And that’s what the serpent represents. Jesus didn’t become Satan—of course not! But he identified himself completely with our sin, and he was put to death in our place. Jen Wilkin, the Bible teacher, said it like this: “On the cross, Christ was conformed to the image of the serpent, so that we could be conformed to the image of Christ.” Oh, that is powerful. Praise him for that.
Let’s look at one more passage. Remember what it said in Deuteronomy about anyone who hangs on a pole? They are…what? Cursed. So look with me at Galatians 3:13. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.” So on the cross, Jesus received the curse that we deserve, so we could receive a blessing. The story of the serpent on the pole is ultimately the story of Jesus on the cross. He became sin for us; he was cursed in our place. So look to him in faith, and you will live.
Charles Spurgeon was a powerful gospel preacher in England in the 1800s. And his conversion happened when he was a young man—he attended a little Chapel, and there was a substitute preacher that day. And he preached on a verse in Isaiah 45 that says, “Look unto me and be saved, all the ends of the earth.” So here’s what the preacher said that day:
My dear friends, this is a simple text indeed. If you want to be saved, look. It’s not moving your foot or your finger; just look. Now, a man need not go to college just to look. You may be a big fool; you can look. A man need not be worth a thousand pounds a year; you can look. Anyone can look! A child can look! And that’s what the text says: look unto me. Oh, many of you are looking to yourselves! No use looking there—you’ll never find comfort in yourselves.
And then, he turned to Spurgeon and said, “Young man, you look very miserable. And you will always be miserable in life and miserable in death if you do not obey my text.” At that point, Spurgeon said, “There and then, the cloud was gone. The darkness was rolled away, and at that moment I saw the sun, and I could have risen that moment and sung with the most enthusiastic of them of the precious blood of Christ.”
Listen, if you are not a believer in Christ, you need to know you’ve been bitten by the serpent. It’s called sin, and the venom is all through your body. And eventually, it will kill you. So I urge you to look to Christ on the cross, and you will live. Just look in faith. You don’t have to understand everything; just that you’re a sinner and Christ is the Savior. Look to him. It’s the most important decision you can make in your life.
And then one last thing. If you are a Christian already—if you’ve looked to Christ for your salvation, maybe years ago, this passage is still speaking to you. Because just like the Israelites, don’t we have a habit of complaining and grumbling against God? Don’t we have a tendency to look back at Egypt—at our old life, and start thinking, “Man, life was more fun back then! Maybe I shouldn’t have left that old life!” Don’t we have those same tendencies? We wrestle with sin just like they did, and sometimes that sin brings painful consequences. So what do we do?
Look to Jesus. Look to the one who was lifted up on the cross, and remember what he did for you.
Hebrews 12:1—listen to this: 1b And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, 2a fixing our eyes on Jesus (isn’t that what the Israelites did? They had to fix their eyes on the bronze serpent—that was the cure)…so fix your eyes on Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. See, he’s not just the author of faith, who gets you saved in the first place; he’s the finisher of faith, who gets you through to the promised land.
So here’s the deal: no matter what you’re struggling with in life, the answer is to look to Jesus.
If you’ve been looking back over your shoulder at Egypt, fix your eyes on Jesus.
If you’ve been complaining and living in self-pity, fix your eyes on Jesus. It’s hard to feel sorry for yourself when you think about Jesus on the cross.
If you’re getting impatient about where God is leading you, and when are you ever going to get there, fix your eyes on Jesus.
No matter what you’re struggling with, the answer is always to fix your eyes on Jesus. Because the poison of sin is strong, but Jesus is stronger. He was conformed to the image of the serpent, so you could be conformed to his beautiful image. He was cursed in your place so you could be blessed.
So no matter where you are or what’s happening, look to him, and you will live.