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?  

Jesus in the Old Testament 011: Jesus and the Plagues of Egypt

Jesus in the Old Testament 011:
Jesus and the Plagues of Egypt

Thesis: One of Jesus’ roles within the Godhead has always been to “Make Him Known” (John 1:18).  Scripture also tells us that Jesus has been exalted above all other spiritual powers (Eph 1:20-23) and that all of His enemies will be put under his feet (Col 2:15). Obviously, Jesus is most readily thought of as redeemer (1Jn 4:14).  All of these roles and realities are clearly demonstrated in the story of the Plagues.

1. Nutshell with Kids (<5 min)
1. Who can tell me what happened in the story of the Exodus from Egypt? (Guide as needed)
2. John 14:9 Jesus says that whoever has seen Him has seen God.  His job is to show people who God is.  How do you think he was doing that in the plagues of Egypt?
3. Phil 2:9-11 says that Jesus will be King over everything, even over angels and demons.  How do you think he was doing this in the plagues of Egypt?
4. Lastly, John 3:16 says that Jesus saves anyone who trusts in Him.  How do you think He was doing this in the plagues of Egypt?
5. Jesus is always working, and He has been revealing, reigning, and redeeming from the very beginning, even before He was a baby in Bethlehem.

2. Deeper with Adults
1. Revealing: To Make Him Known
1. John 1:18.  It is one of the main responsibilities of Jesus, the second person of the Godhead, to make known the invisible God.
2. Exodus 5:1-3 That Pharaoh and Egypt will know that “I am the Lord.” 

a)    Pharaoh begins, as we all do, in a state of not knowing who God is. 

b)    Ignorance and pride combine and result in a posture of disobedience.

c)    In one sense, all of the plagues of Egypt can be seen as an answer to this question: Who is the Lord?

(1)  Ex 7:1-5, 17

(2)  Ex 14:4, 18

3. That Israel may know that I am the LORD (Yahweh)

a)    Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years (Ex 12:40) and had wandered from their faith so that they did not know the God that their fathers had served (Ex 3:13-15)

b)    Ex 4:27-31 Initially, when Moses shows up and demonstrates the signs that God had given him, they rejoice and worship.

c)    Ex 5:21-23 Their faith was shallow.

d)    Ex 6:1-9

(1)  Israel had “known” God as El-Shaddai, the mighty God.  Power and Strength had been exhibited all around them. 

(2)  They had “not known” God as Yahweh, the covenant keeper.

(a)  Covenants made (Gen 12, 15, etc.), but not yet fulfilled.

(b)  In Ex 3, God’s introduction by His covenant name was not a revelation of a new word to speak in reference to Him.  It was a new way to experience God.

(3)  Cognitive vs experiential knowledge.

(4)  Notice, as we have seen before, that the revelation of God is simultaneously one of rescue and judgment (vs 6; 7:4)

e)    Ex 10:2 God reminds Moses why this is happening: for generational knowledge that God is Yahweh, the covenant-keeper.

f)     Ex 13:11-16 God institutes the sacrifice of the firstborn as a memorial offering, pointing back to the Passover so that generations with know that he is Yahweh, the covenant-keeper.

g)    Ex 13:17-18 The people left Egypt armed, presumably part of the plunder they took from Egypt.  Yet, while they were physically capable of war, they did not yet trust God enough.  Their swords were ready, but their faith was not.

h)    Ex 14:30-31 Not until they see Egyptian corpses floating in the water and their own dry bodies on the other side of the Red Sea does Israel have real faith in God.

2. Reigning: To be exalted over all other gods
1. Jesus is to be exalted over all other spiritual powers or would-be gods.

a)    Eph 1:20-23 “rule, authority, power and dominion” are thought to be ranks of angelic or demonic beings.

b)    Phil 2:9-11 Don’t read too quickly.  Spiritual beings are also in view here. 

c)    Psalm 110:1 This is immediately applied to political enemies of Israel, but it is ultimately about those spiritual enemies in demonic rebellion.

d)    Col 2:15 The destruction of the demonic powers was ultimately and permanently wrought in the work of Christ on the cross, which publically and permanently humiliated them.

2. Ex 12:12 Each of the plagues is not only meant to be part of the judgment of Egypt and Pharaoh for their unbelief and mistreatment of the Hebrews.  They are direct assaults upon false gods, demons, which the Egyptians were worshipping.

a)    The Nile into blood (7:14-25)

(1)  Hapi, the god of the Nile.

(2)  Aaron stabbed the heart of their god, and he bled.

(3)  Magicians can imitate, so it doesn’t impact Pharaoh too greatly.  More of an annoyance.

b)    Frogs (8:1-15).

(1)  Heket, the god of fertility.  Frog head.

(2)  Perhaps initially, the overabundance of frogs was seen as a blessing of fertility, but then they all died at the hand of God and the land stank (vs 13-14).

(3)  Again, magicians imitate it.

c)    Gnats (8:16-19)

(1)  Geb, the god of the earth.

(2)  Aaron strikes the earth (beats on Geb), and the dust, which signifies his presence, becomes gnats.  He has gone from a blessing to a curse.

(3)  Magicians cannot imitate this (vs 18-19).

d)    Flies (8:20-32)

(1)  Kepri, the god of creation, and rebirth.  Head of a fly.

(2)  Rather than giving new birth and refreshment, the land was “ruined” by the flies (vs 24).

e)    Death of livestock (9:1-7)

(1)  Hathor, the goddess of love. Head of a cow.

(2)  Rather than a sign of divine love, the death of all livestock is a sign of the anger of God against the gods of Egypt.

f)     Boils (9:8-12)

(1)  Isis, goddess of medicine and peace.

(2)  Besides lice, which are maddening but not harmful, this is the first assault against the bodies of the Egyptians, and Isis cannot save them.

(3)  Magicians cannot be in the presence of Pharaoh if ill, so they leave.

g)    Hail (9:13-35)

(1)  Nut, the goddess of the sky

(2)  The rain was seen as a blessing from the gods.  Now, death comes from above.

(3)  Fire and hail in large amounts.

(a)  Obviously miraculous.  The whole story is.  This doesn’t naturally happen on the earth.

(b)  Methane Clathrate, a matrix of frozen water molecules trapping methane gas.  Burning ice.

                                                                                                    (i)        Exists in space, where temperatures are very low, on asteroids. 

                                                                                                   (ii)        Makes up a large portion of comets.

                                                                                                  (iii)        Comet breaking up upon entering earth’s atmosphere above Egypt?  Still a miracle of timing and projectile management. 

                                                                                                 (iv)        Right when Moses said it would happen.

                                                                                                  (v)        Nothing lands in Goshen.

(4)  Fish and Cattle are already dead.  Now, Barley (minor food crop) and flax (textiles) are decimated.

h)    Locusts (10:1-20)

(1)  Seth, the god of Chaos and disorder

(2)  When crop calamities strike, blame Seth.  Sacrifice to him, and he’ll stop.  It doesn’t stop this time.

(3)  All the wheat, vegetables, and fruit on the trees.  Food crisis.

i)      Darkness (10:21-29)

(1)  Ra, the sun god. The greatest of the gods of Egypt.

(2)  Darkness for three days that was intense and in some way palpable.

(3)  Not a problem with the sun or a solar eclipse. 

(a)  Goshen had light (vs 23)

(b)  Eclipses last minutes or an hour.  This lasted three days.

j)      Death of the firstborn (12:29-42)

(1)  Pharaoh was believed to be divine.  In fact, he was seen as the son of Ra.

(2)  The “son of god” cannot protect his own.  Unlike the real Son of God, who will not lose any from his hand (Jn 10:28).

k)    The pursuit into the Red Sea (15:1-31).

(1)  Montu, the god of war.

(2)  Egypt had a famously powerful army.  Pharaoh trusted in this last god to pursue and reclaim the Hebrew slaves.

(3)  In the end, they all die.

l)      When it is all over, the children of Israel acknowledge that the Lord is God over all and worship him (15:30-16:21), which prefigures the ultimate exaltation and worship of all creation before the Son (Phil 2:9-11; Rev 5:13).

3. Redeeming: To Prepare for God a people for His own worship
1. Titus 2:11-14

a)    Jesus (God and Savior) who gave himself to make us a people.

b)    All freely given through grace.

c)    Resulting in good works and worship.

2. 1Pe 2:9-11

a)    God has called a people to himself and has made them a people, although they are not ethnically just one people.

b)    We are chosen and holy (set apart), not found at random or without Divine action.

3. Rom 11

a)    Israel’s original national election still stands (vs 29)

b)    For now, though, few believe in Jesus as Messiah (vs 5)

c)    This is the age of the church, which is mostly a gentile organization (vs 25).

d)    There will come a time when all of Israel repents and is saved (vs 23-24)

4. Rev 5:8-10; 7:9-12

a)    The assembled church in heaven after the rapture.

b)    Made up of all nations and tribes

c)    Worshipping Jesus

d)    Waiting for the millennium to reign with Him.

5. From the beginning, God intended to bless all the nations through Abraham (Gen 12:3; 14:3; 18:18; 22:18; Gen 26:4)
6. In Ch. 5 and 6 of Exodus, there is no sense that this activity is meant to save any Egyptians.  However….

a)    8:18, Magicians acknowledge the power of God first.

b)    9:13-21

(1)  God slowly increased the intensity of the plagues over time, at least in part, to give some Egyptians time to repent and glorify and obey God. 

(2)  Some of Pharaoh’s servants heed the warning and are spared the effects of the seventh plague.

c)    10:7 Some of Pharaoh’s servants are bold enough to declare the power of God to Pharaoh’s face and encourage him to yield to the God of Israel.

d)    12:37-38 When they finally leave, a “multitude” of Egyptians and other non-Jews go with them. God has already begun the work that will culminate in Rev 7.

e)    12:43-49 Gentiles who “graft themselves in” to Israel may participate as if they were Hebrews.  Rom 11 foreshadowed.

4. Jesus has been at work from the beginning of creation Revealing, Reigning, and Redeeming.  His work is ongoing through us. 

Group Discussion Questions: Use these questions to help us in our prayer time in a few minutes. Remember/write down the answers for later.

1. Jesus has always been revealing God to the world.
1. Are you looking to Him to learn who God is?
2. What has He shown you recently?
3. What questions do you have about God?
2. Jesus has always been defeating the enemies of God.
1. Are you trusting him to defeat your enemies, or do you try to fight for yourself?
2. What has He already defeated that you can praise Him about?
3. Is there something you need to ask Him to defeat in your life right now?
3. Jesus has always been redeeming the lost and building His people.
1. Have you trusted Him to save you and add you to His Kingdom?
2. If so, are you being used by Him to draw others to become “His people”?
3. Who can we pray for, specifically, and ask Jesus to add to “His people”?