Look and Live: The Bronze Serpent and the Cross of Christ
Look and Live: The Bronze Serpent and the Cross of Christ A Camp in Crisis The wilderness journey in Numbers 21 tells one of the most dramatic stories in the Bible. The people of Israel were tired, discouraged, and angry as they wandered through the desert. They complained against God and Moses, saying they hated the manna from heaven and feared they would die in the wilderness. In response, God allowed venomous serpents to enter the camp. Their bites brought burning pain and death. Everywhere, families were crying, people were collapsing, and the nation realized their sin had led to judgment. The poison spread quickly, and there was no cure. A Strange Cure The people begged Moses to pray for deliverance, and God gave him an unusual instruction: "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." (Numbers 21:8, NKJV) Moses fashioned a bronze serpent and lifted it high on a pole wh...