The Serpent in the Wilderness & The Cross of Christ

The Israelites’ Discouragement in the Wilderness

But look at verse four, it said then, "'Children of Israel, they journeyed from Mount Hor "'by the way of the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. "'And the soul of the people "'became very discouraged on the way.'".

This would have been theologian, you compare scripture with scripture, you get the idea that this was probably the hottest time of the year. They have to walk through this wilderness. And I don't know about you, but when I'm making a long journey and I have to, let's say I take a wrong turn and I have to drive an extra hour because of it, nothing gets me more than that.

Yeah, there's something about that that just, yeah, it's frustrating. But this is what they're doing. They could have made a straight shot through the land of Edom, but the Edomites wouldn't allow them to go through, so then they had to go all the way around.

And again, that has to be really, really hard. Look at verse five. Here's their reaction.

What do they do?

Same old thing they always seem to do. They grumble and they complain against who?

Yeah.

I mean, I don't blame them for being a little upset, but you don't grumble against, why don't you learn? Why don't you learn you don't grumble against God and his man Moses, but that's what they do. Look at what they say in verse five.

Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? How many times have we read this? For there is no food and no water and our soul loathes this worthless bread. You know what the bread represents?

Yeah, the manna. In the New Testament, Jesus is the bread from heaven. This is symbolic for their contempt for Christ. And of course, when Jesus came 1 ,500 years later, what did they do? They crucified him.

Fiery Serpents as Judgment for Sin

So this is a very serious matter. They are showing contempt for God. And because of this, verse six, the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people and many of the people of Israel died.

Okay, fiery serpents. Does anyone have anything different in a different translation?

Are they all fiery?

Poisonous.

Poisonous, okay. Yeah, okay. So I was looking at commentators and what they say. What does it mean a fiery serpent? Two views on this. One is either the bites caused great heat and inflammation. Most commentators seem to think that the bites,.

That's what it's talking about.

It felt like fire after getting bit. That may be true. I tend to think it's actually a reference to their color because God says, make a fiery serpent. And what does Moses do? He takes bronze and he makes a serpent out of bronze.

So I personally think it's a reference to their color, but that's neither here nor there, I suppose. Unfortunately though, the people, they don't recognize their sin until they're punished. This is the same pattern over and over again.

They should have known better, but they don't admit or confess their sin until God sends this judgment. But because God is merciful, what does he do? He always leaves a way out. God always provides a way.

Larry.

But how often do I, or we repent because we got caught as opposed to truly feeling sorry?

Yeah, you say, well, if you're really sorry,.

You won't do it again.

But if you only respond after something's happened or you get caught, then you're gonna end up like the Israelites in that same cycle and you're just gonna get beat up.

And beat up and beat up again.

There's always consequences to sin or of the sin. And sometimes we have to live with the consequences.

Right.

Even after we did repent.

The Bronze Serpent as a Picture of the Gospel

But you can be forgiven, you can be saved, and this is what this is a picture of. So this is one of, if not the, but it's certainly one of the most powerful pictures of the gospel and the cross of Christ anywhere in the Old Testament.

So here you have this sinful people, an undeserving people crying out to God for mercy, and God provides for them in the most unexpected of ways with this serpent on a pole. In the New Testament, what is the gospel called?

We talk about this a lot. To the Jews, it's a stumbling block. To the Greeks, it's foolishness. Looking up at a bronze serpent, a metal serpent on a pole for healing, this doesn't make any sense, does it?

And by the way, the medical symbol, the symbol for medicine and healing is what? I was on my way here following an ambulance. In the back window, the medical symbol is a pole with a snake wrapped around it.

Now, they say it's not based on this story, but I disagree.

You know, the story, as we read it, it really shows God's compassion and love for these people. He has to endure a lot. He has to endure a lot with these people because they're always putting him to the test.

Absolutely.

And as centuries go on, they get worse and worse and worse, and yet he never, ever forsakes them.

Right.

Sets them aside, but he never forsakes them.

Yeah, and this story, without the New Testament explanation, it's bizarre. You know, and for Jews who don't accept Jesus as the Messiah and they don't accept the New Testament, stories like this are just weird.

It doesn't make sense. It's like when God told Abraham to sacrifice his son. Like the Old Testament, honestly, it doesn't make a whole lot of sense without the New Testament, and we're gonna see that in a moment.

But how can, okay, it said this is a picture of the gospel. The serpent represents Jesus. Well, that's contrary to what you would think because you would think the serpent, I mean, who's called the serpent?

That serpent of old is who? Satan. Satan or the devil. So this is a picture of Satan. How can it be a picture of Jesus? So this would have been a stumbling block, I think, to the Jews, but here's the thing.

For the Israelites who had faith, they heard God's word. Just look at the serpent and you'll live. They had faith, and because they had faith, they were saved. Look at verses eight and nine. And the Lord said to Moses, make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.

So Moses made a bronze serpent and put it on a pole, and so it was. If a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived. So how can the serpent be a picture of Jesus? Because when Jesus was on the cross, he became a curse.

He became sin on the cross. Second Corinthians 5 .21 says that he made him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in him. So that's the message, look and live.

And all who looked at the bronze serpent were saved, not based on their works, but based on their faith in what God had said. And so it is today that all who believe in Christ and look to Christ, placing their faith in him, they shall live.

As Jesus said in John 3, 14 and 15, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Lord, forgive us in the times where we fail, and we all fail every day.

In the story of the serpent in the wilderness, it's clear the serpent is a picture of Christ. Well, who are we in this scenario? We are the ones grumbling. We are the ones in need of salvation. And I just thank you so much that Christ came into the world and did not give us what we deserve, but he gave us grace, mercy, and everlasting life.

Lord, help us to be thankful each and every day for this, and give us opportunities to share this message of grace with others. We're thankful for this church. We're thankful for you and your leading and your Holy Spirit within us.

We pray all these things in Jesus' name, amen.