The Verses Preceding the Most Famous Verse in the Bible
‘Moses and the Brazen Serpent’ by Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641).
Take a look at this account from the beginning of the Bible. For context, the Israelites were journeying to their new homeland around 1500 BC.
‘the people became impatient on [their journey]. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live.’ Numbers 21:4-9 (emphasis added).
Grumbling and complaining, the people didn’t trust in their God despite him having met their needs thus far (see Numbers 20:1-13). Therefore, the Lord sent serpents among them to punish and discipline them.
This caused them to do a 180 on their rebellious ways. The Lord then provided a cure for those bitten in which they had to look at a bronze serpent on a pole to live. So, what’s with this bronze serpent?
‘Moses and the Brazen Serpent’ by Anthony Van Dyck (1599-1641).
In John’s Gospel, Jesus references this passage.
‘“Truly I say to you… as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man [Jesus] be lifted up.”’ John 3:11, 14.
Jesus says that what he’s going to do will be like what the bronze serpent did for the people. Jesus goes on to explain in the next verse what his lifting up will result in: ‘that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.’
John 3:15.
Just as the people of Israel demonstrated their trust in the Lord and his cure by looking at the serpent which gave them life, so those who look to Jesus will have eternal life. In the next verse, Jesus goes on to deliver the most famous verse in the Bible: ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ John 3:16.
While some would claim God was cruel in allowing the serpents to take some of the people’s lives, I think this tells us instead about God’s holy character. He’s a righteous God. He cannot tolerate wrongdoing and so wrongdoers must be punished for justice to be met.
Consider this, if a judge let a person go free because he felt being nice that day despite the person taking someone else’s life, that judge would not be acting justly (R. Comfort. 'Hell’s Best Kept Secret').
So it is also with God having to deal with our wrongdoings. We have rebelled against him by shutting him out of our lives and we have committed thousands of wrongdoings against our fellow neighbour.
However, God so loved the world that he does not want us to have to face our deserved punishments. Therefore, Jesus elsewhere says his being lifted up on the cross is the way for him ‘to give his life a ransom for many’ Mark 10:45.
As well as his just nature, this also demonstrates God’s love that he has for us.
Jesus is our bronze serpent if we look to him.
Nathan is in his final year studying Classics (Greek & Latin). He’s from Swansea but has a mild Welsh accent. If you have any questions you would like to ask him, whether it’s about the article, Christianity, or what to do if you are planning a journey to South Wales, he would love for you to email him (rees.nathan2@sky.com).
