The Bronze Serpent

During the long years of wandering in the wilderness, the children of Israel again grew impatient and spoke against God and Moses. This time, their complaining brought a deadly consequence that only God’s mercy could cure.

The People Complain Again

The Israelites had been traveling around the land of Edom, taking the long route because the Edomites had refused to let them pass through their territory. The journey was difficult, and the people’s hearts became discouraged because of the way.

As they sat around their campfires in the evening, complaints began to spread through the camp like wildfire.

“Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness?” they grumbled to Moses and Aaron. “For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread!”

They were speaking of the manna that God had faithfully provided every morning for nearly forty years. The bread from heaven that had sustained them through all their journeys was now being called “worthless” by ungrateful hearts.

Mothers complained as they prepared the manna for their families. “I’m tired of this same food every day,” they said. “In Egypt we had variety - fish, cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic. Here we have nothing but this light bread that satisfies nothing!”

Young men joined in the complaints: “Moses promised us a land flowing with milk and honey, but all we’ve found is sand and rocks. We’re going to die in this wilderness, and for what?”

Even the children began to turn up their noses at the manna, influenced by their parents’ attitudes. The gift that had once caused them to sing praises to God now seemed boring and insufficient.

God’s Judgment: Fiery Serpents

So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

The serpents appeared suddenly throughout the camp. They were called “fiery” because their bite caused a burning sensation that spread through the victim’s body like fire. The venom was deadly, and there was no natural cure.

Panic spread through the camp as people discovered these dangerous snakes among their tents and belongings. Children screamed as they saw the serpents slithering between the tent ropes. Parents frantically searched their living areas to protect their families.

The bite of these serpents was terrible to behold. The poison caused the victim’s body to swell and burn with fever. Those who were bitten writhed in agony, their skin turning strange colors as the venom spread through their systems.

As the hours passed, many who had been bitten began to die. The camp that had been filled with complaints was now filled with weeping and wailing as families lost their loved ones to the serpents’ deadly bite.

The People Repent

Therefore 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.”

The same people who had been complaining about Moses just days before now came to him with humble hearts. They finally understood that their words against God and His appointed leader had brought this judgment upon them.

An elder of the people, whose own son had been bitten, approached Moses with tears in his eyes. “Moses, we have been fools. We complained about the bread that God gave us to keep us alive. We spoke against the Lord who delivered us from Egypt and has provided for us all these years.”

A mother whose daughter was dying from a serpent bite fell at Moses’ feet. “Please, Moses, we know we have sinned. We complained about God’s provision and questioned His goodness. Pray to the Lord for us! Ask Him to take away these serpents before we all die!”

The people had learned a hard lesson about the danger of complaining against God. They saw clearly now that the manna was not worthless bread, but precious provision from heaven. They understood that Moses was not their enemy, but God’s chosen leader who had their best interests at heart.

Moses Prays for the People

So Moses prayed for the people, just as he had done so many times before when they had sinned and faced God’s judgment.

Moses didn’t remind the people of their foolishness. He didn’t say, “I told you so,” or refuse to help them because they had spoken against him. Instead, with the heart of a true shepherd, he immediately went to God on their behalf.

Standing before the tabernacle, Moses lifted his hands to heaven and cried out to the Lord for mercy on his people. Despite their constant complaints and rebellion, he loved them and couldn’t bear to see them suffer and die.

God’s Amazing Solution

Then 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.”

What a strange command! God told Moses to make a bronze serpent that looked exactly like the ones that were killing the people, and to put it up on a pole where everyone could see it.

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.

Moses worked carefully to craft the bronze serpent. Using the metalworking skills he had learned in Egypt, he shaped the bronze into the form of a serpent. When it was finished, he mounted it on a tall pole that could be seen from every part of the camp.

The Simple Act of Faith

Word spread quickly through the camp: “Anyone who has been bitten by a serpent can be healed! All you have to do is look at the bronze serpent that Moses has put on the pole!”

At first, some people found it hard to believe that something so simple could save their lives. A young man who had been bitten asked, “Just look at it? That’s all? There’s no medicine to take, no sacrifice to offer, no difficult task to perform?”

“Just look,” Moses assured him. “God said that everyone who looks at the bronze serpent will live.”

Some who were dying from serpent bites had to be carried to where they could see the pole. Family members lifted up their loved ones and turned their faces toward the bronze serpent.

Every single person who looked at the bronze serpent was instantly healed. The burning sensation left their bodies, the swelling went down, and they were completely restored to health. It didn’t matter how serious their condition was or how long they had been bitten - one look at God’s provision brought complete healing.

Some Refused to Look

Sadly, some people were too proud to believe that such a simple act could save them. They preferred to try their own remedies or simply refused to look because the solution seemed too easy.

A wealthy merchant who had been bitten said, “This is foolishness. I’m not going to look at some bronze snake on a stick. There must be a better way.” He died because he would not humble himself to look.

Others thought they could wait and see if they would get better on their own. They delayed looking at the bronze serpent until it was too late, and they died because of their procrastination.

But everyone who looked in faith was healed completely and immediately.

A Picture of Greater Salvation

The bronze serpent became a permanent reminder to the Israelites of God’s mercy and the power of faith. For many years afterward, when someone in the camp was discouraged or doubting God’s goodness, others would point to the bronze serpent and say, “Remember how God provided healing when we were dying from the serpents’ bite.”

The bronze serpent also pointed forward to an even greater salvation that would come. Many centuries later, Jesus would tell a teacher named Nicodemus, “And 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.”

Just as looking at the bronze serpent brought physical healing to those dying from snake bites, looking to Jesus in faith brings spiritual healing to those dying from the poison of sin.

Lessons from the Bronze Serpent

The story of the bronze serpent taught the Israelites several important truths:

Complaining against God is dangerous. Their words brought deadly consequences, showing that God takes seriously how His people speak about Him and His provision.

God’s mercy is greater than His judgment. Even when the people deserved punishment, God provided a way of healing and salvation.

Salvation comes through faith, not works. The people didn’t have to do anything difficult or pay any price. They simply had to look in faith at what God provided.

God’s ways are often different from human ways. Using a bronze serpent to heal serpent bites seemed strange, but God’s wisdom is higher than human wisdom.

Delayed obedience can be fatal. Those who hesitated to look at the bronze serpent died, while those who looked immediately were healed.

From that day forward, whenever the Israelites faced difficulties in the wilderness, they remembered the bronze serpent and the lesson it taught: God always provides a way of salvation for those who will humble themselves and trust in His provision.