Jesus in the Old Testament 021: 
Jesus and the Bronze Serpent

Numbers 21:4-9

Thesis: God’s people live in a cycle of sin, punishment, repentance, and mercy. In some sense, every iteration of this cycle points to the work of Christ to stand between the wrath of God and His people.  In the case of the Bronze Serpent, Jesus Himself points to the parallel for us.  The wrath of God, looking to the mercy of God by faith, and receiving life instead of death are all signposts looking toward the work of Christ on our behalf. 

1. Nutshell (w/kids)
1. Tell the story.
2. How do you think this points to Jesus?
3. Ready John 3:14-16.
4. Discuss similarities with the children.

2. Deeper:
1. The pattern of the exodus generation:
1. Whine and complain about something, insulting Moses’ or God’s character along the way.
2. God’s anger breaks out in some way.  Some people die.
3. The people repent.
4. Moses and/or Aaron intercede.
5. God ceases his punishment of them.
2. This pattern first begins in Exodus 15 with bitter water.  It cycles throughout the exodus journey and right up into the time of Judges.  It could be argued that it continues even today.
3. 21:4-6: The current grumbling.
1. Usually, the grumbling is due to food or water.  This time, a U-turn in the route adds to their frustration.
2. “This worthless food.” Manna and Quail have kept them going for nearly two years now.  They are healthy and able to hike long distances every day. 
3. Notice that it was specifically targeted at both their God and His anointed.  Not general frustration, but pointed slander of God’s goodness and Moses’ fidelity.
4. The anger of God
1. Interestingly, God deals with the grumbling and complaining Israelites very differently before the law vs after the law.
2. Hebrew Words describing Anger, Wrath, Vengeance, Fury, appears in the OT a total of 658 times. 

a)     499 times, God is the subject of the verb, so humans have anger or wrath 159 times.

b)     Of the 499, God’s anger is against his people 448 times, so he is angry with pagans 51 times. Interestingly, 48 of those 51 times, he is angry with Pagans because they mistreat his covenant people.

c)      Of the 448 times, his anger is discussed after giving the law in Exodus 19 all but 3 of those times.

d)     It is discussed abstractly twice.  It is applied to Moses once before the law.

e)     So of 499 times God is angry, 445 times it is directed at His people after the law. 89.17%

3. The law brings wrath (I know I’m splicing passages closely, stick with me).

a)     Deut 28:1-6, 15-19.  The law carries with it blessings and cursing.  Before/outside of the law, these consequences are not realized.

b)     Rom 4:15 Where there is no law, there is no wrath.

c)      Rom 5:12-14 Not that people are sinless before the law.  They still sin and still die, but there is a sense in which they do not fall under the full weight of the wrath of God.

d)     Rom 7:7-11 Sin was there, but it was a general curse over me, producing physical death until I “knew better,” then the law itself aroused me to transgress it, earning wrath.

4. Specifically, in the wilderness narrative we’re currently in, compare:

a)     Exodus 15:15-27 with Psalm 106:32, which references the second water grumbling in Num 20:24

b)     Exodus 16 with Numb 11:4-25.  The first time, there is no wrath.  The second time, there is.

c)      Ex 16:23-30, “Don’t try to collect Manna on the Sabbath.  There won’t be any.”  Ex 20:8.  “If you break the Sabbath, you’ll die.”  Num 15:32-36.  A Sabbath-breaker is executed.

5. God is holding his people to a higher standard of behavior after the covenant is enacted.
4. This specific example of God’s Anger: 21:6
1. “Fiery Serpents”

a)     Serpent: Nachash.  31 times in OT.  The regular word for snake or serpent.

b)     Fiery: Saraph. “Burning”  7 times in OT.  Three times as an adjective for serpents, as here.  Twice as an adjective for other objects that are burning or on fire, and twice as an adjectival noun, “burning ones,” an angelic rank.

c)      Isa 40:29, “flying fiery serpent.” References an Egyptian and Mesopotamian serpent god “Wadjet,” the spiritual guide of Pharaoh.

d)     In this area of the world, various venomous serpents existed.  Several cause a burning sensation and death with a bite.  Probably a carpet viper, which was widely recorded as causing lots of fatalities in this part of the world in diverse historical accounts.

2. People start dying immediately. No warning. Compare with:

a)     Num 16:35

b)     Num 16:45-47

c)      Lev 10:2

3. God has already laid out the terms of blessing and cursing.  When you transgress it, there is no “are you sure”?
5. The repentance of the people. 21:7
1. Repentance based on a desire to avoid punishment.
2. “Pray to the Lord” for us/me occurs 15 in OT, mostly in Ex-Num.  Pharaoh and the Israelites understand that repentance needs to be mediated. 
3. This is willful sin.  They cannot just go to a sacrifice.  They need mercy.
6. The giving of mercy. 21:8-9
1. He does not take away the serpents. 
2. The physical consequences of sin remain.  It doesn't become a joyful moment.
3. An exercise of faith, looking to the serpent, brings salvation.
4. Absolutely no physical, natural, explanation for the miraculous healing of those who chose to look at the serpent.
7. Christ Connection:
1. John 3:14-16.
2. The serpent is lifted up as a type of the work of Christ.  There is no natural connection between Christ’s crucifixion and my salvation. It is an act of faith to look upon him.
8. Why a copper/bronze snake on a pole?
1. It’s the metal associated with atonement: Ex 27:1-8.
2. It’s ugly. 

a)     Snakes can inspire all kinds of negative emotions, but nobody cuddles with them.  This was not something that people would enjoy looking at

b)     Isa 53:2-3.  Jesus was not comely or handsome, and his disfigurement for us in his sacrifice is “like one from whom men hide their faces.”

3. Uncleanness:

a)     Lev 11:42.  Snakes are unclean, and anyone who touches their bodies are unclean. Jews kept away from snakes.

b)     Isa 53:3

c)      John 10:25-28

d)     Rom 11:11-15

4. People who are executed and their bodies displayed by hanging are “under a curse.” 

a)     God declared this in Deut 21:23 so that Jesus could bear this curse on our behalf

b)     Gal 3:13

5. It reminded people of the fall.

a)     Genesis 3:1, 14-15

b)     The curse to the serpent includes the promise of the Messiah.  This is another reminder of that coming hope.

10. When symbols become idols: 2Kings 18:1-8
1. Hezekiah embarked on a campaign of removing idolatry from Israel.
2. Common targets: Altars to Baal, High places, Asherah poles.
3. Uncommon target: The bronze serpent. (vs 4)

a)     They had begun worshipping it.

b)     They named it “The bronze thing.” Nehushtan.

4. The Jews had forgotten that the object had been meant to point back to the curse and therefore forward, in faith, to their messiah. 
5. They had put their faith in the thing, instead of the God that the thing was meant to point to.
6. This tendency is why God never wanted to be represented by a carved image (Ex 20:4).
7. Have we done that in any way?

a)     I go to church, so I’m okay.

b)     I was raised in a Christian home, was raised in the church, etc.

c)      I give money to the church.

d)     I serve some way in the church.

8. We cannot forget that all these things that point to our savior are not, in fact, our savior.  Are we good looking to Him and Him alone?

Discussion Questions:

1.       Have you ever complained to the Lord about something in your life about which you should have trusted Him?

2.      What has God done in your life that gives you the confidence to trust him in hard situations?

3.      Why do you think God gave the miraculous healing after looking at the bronze serpent instead of just taking the snakes away?

4.      Is there anything you’re trusting in to save you from your sins other than simple faith in Jesus Christ?