Unlocking the Mystery: The Serpent in The Wilderness

A serpent lifted up on a pole. What an unusual sight! It is a sign that speaks to us today. Preacher Peter Gregoric unpacks the significance of this mysterious sight.

The serpent in the wilderness is a picture of Christ and his salvation made possible for sinners by his death on the cross.

Jesus said, as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternal life, for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish,but have everlasting life.

The Lord Jesus likens his death to Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. He said, and I if I be lifted up from the earth I will draw all men unto me. This he said to signify what death he should die.

In Numbers chapter 21 we read the story of Moses lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. The Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people and much people of Israel died. The people had to deal with the consequences of sin. Sin causes pain and heartache. Much people of Israel died - that's also a spiritual picture of sin and death.

Moses prayed for the people and the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole and it shall come to pass it every one that is bitten when you looketh upon it shall live.
It’s interesting how the Lord uses the picture of a snake - something representing the devil or something sinful or evil. It's showing how Jesus became sin for us who knew no sin. He took on that sin.

Christ also hath once suffered for sins; the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God being put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit. It’s like he became a snake upon the pole.
To look upon the serpent was the one way for them to be saved - to look at that serpent - which is a picture of Christ. That was the plan of salvation - just to look upon that serpent.

We must look to Jesus as our saviour. We have his promise that when we look we'll live. We read, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith. Isaiah 45:2 says, Look unto me and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth, for I am God and there is none else.

John 5:24, Jesus said, Verily, verily, I say unto you he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life.

Later we see, when King Hezekiah became king, he took the brazen serpent and he ended up destroying it because the children of Israel had begun using the serpent as idolatry - it had become an idolatrous image. This was not God's intention. God does not want us to worship objects or make over much of symbols and signs, because we can miss the whole point. What mattters is what this mysterious sight signifies. The message behind the symbol. The mystery of the serpent on the pole is that we can be saved by looking at our Saviour in faith, and trusting his gracious salvation that he has effected. The Lord wants us to see the spiritual significance of this symbol, and to place our trust in the Saviour for our salvation.

As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness even so must the son of man be lifted up that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.