And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a poisonous serpent, and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live.” So Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it upon a pole, and whenever a serpent bit someone, that person would look at the serpent of bronze and live. – Numbers 21:8-9
Why would God command Moses to set on a pole a poisonous serpent?
In Numbers 21, God sent serpents to punish the Israelites for their lack of faith and frequent nagging. Now in the twist of events, for them to live from the bites and venoms of the snakes, they were instructed to look at a bronze image of a creature that was killing hundreds of them, the irony!
This story displays God’s absolute sovereignty because He is in control, and everything is under Him, for no creature is not subject to His power. So do not be like the Israelites in those days who repeatedly tested His patience, complained, and doubted His mercy and grace. That day, a serpent of bronze was elevated for the salvation of desperate and dying people, but two thousand years ago, God sent His only begotten son to be sacrificed and lifted for the salvation of all. Our savior Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross so “that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life (John 3:14-15).”
