Not surprisingly, the account begins with the Hebrews complaining against God and Moses (vs. 5). They are once again hungry and thirsty, and accuse God of bringing them out into the wilderness only to die there. They even speak bitterly against the gift of daily manna that He has been providing them.
As a consequence, God sent snakes out among the people. Many were bitten and died (vs. 6). These serpents are described in the scriptures as literally "fiery" which some translations render as "poisonous."
When the people realize their sin, they plead with Moses to pray for their deliverance (vs. 7). Moses obliges them, once again bringing their latest plight before the Lord. God's direction this time, however, is a bit surprising: "Make a poisonous [i.e. fiery] serpent, and set it on a pole; and everyone who is bitten shall look at it and live" (vs. 8). Moses complies, and the people are indeed saved (vs. 9).
There. I'm sure that answers everyone's questions and we all understand this perfectly now. Next?
...
Well, okay. Maybe you still have some questions about this. I know that I do.
Chief among them are: how is this not a violation of the Second Commandment to make no graven images? If a golden calf was wrong, why is a bronze serpent permissible? And isn't it just creepy to make an image of a snake (the symbol of Satan) and hoist it up on a pole?
I guess this will be one of the questions that I ask in heaven, because I have not found a satisfying answer through my research on earth.
But it is a very interesting thing to trace the bronze serpent throughout scripture. This is not the last time that we hear of it. Sure enough, it does become a stumbling block to the people as they eventually turn to worshiping it.
II Kings 18:4 tells us about good King Hezekiah's destruction of the snake: "He removed the high places, broke down the pillars, and cut down the sacred pole. He broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, for until those days the people of Israel had made offerings to it; it was called Nehushtan."
Once again, creepy. Sounds like a bad idea that turned into a fiasco of idolatry. Yet, there was still something originally redeeming about the snake, so much so that Jesus turned to it as an example of His own work of salvation! In the John 3 conversation with Nicodemus, sandwiched between the ultra-famous teachings of being "born again" and God's love for the world recounted in John 3:16, Jesus makes a direct reference to this obscure passage of the Book of Numbers: "And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life" (John 3:14-15).
While I wouldn't have never made the connection myself, Jesus apparently sees the bronze snake as a fore-runner of His own spiritual mission of deliverance for a sin-sick and dying world. What Moses did in the wilderness was an analogy that would be fulfilled with Christ upon the cross! Then the words of Jesus from John 12:32 would be fulfilled: "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself."
It just goes to show that you never know what kind of lessons might be found among snakes on a plain!
P.S. Some speculate this story from Numbers 21 is the origin for the medical symbol of a snake wrapped around a staff. After researching this, I cannot confirm or deny it, but it sure sounds interesting - and plausible to me! Two visual examples of the "Rod of Asclepius" are included below...
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