Most people know the story of Moses lifting up the bronze serpent in the wilderness, but have you ever wondered why God chose a serpent of all things? In Numbers 21, the Israelites were complaining again, and God sent fiery serpents to bite them. People were dying. But instead of just taking the snakes away, God told Moses to make a brass serpent, put it on a pole, and lift it up. Anyone who looked at it would be healed.
That’s a strange solution, isn’t it? A serpent is the very thing that was killing them. Why would God use it as the cure? And why did Jesus later compare this event to Himself in John 3:14?
Victory Symbols and the Serpent on a Pole
In the ancient world, when a king won a battle, he would often set up a serpent on a pole as a victory symbol. It was a sign that his gods had given him dominion over the land and its creatures. Egyptian pharaohs used snake imagery to show their power, and Canaanite kings would sometimes display a bronze serpent after a victory. To the people of that time, a lifted-up serpent wasn’t just a random choice—it was a sign of triumph.
So when God told Moses to lift up a serpent, He was doing more than just providing a cure. He was making a statement: “I am victorious over this judgment. I have power over sin, over death, and over the very thing that is destroying you.”
The Israelites had sinned, they deserved the judgment, but God was showing them that healing would come by faith, not by works. They didn’t have to fight off the snakes or find an antidote—just look and live.
That’s exactly what Jesus said about Himself. “And 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” (John 3:14-15).
Why a Serpent?
If God wanted to use a symbol of healing, why not a lamb? Why not a dove? Why use the one creature that represents sin, deception, and death?
This is where the power of the story comes in. From the very beginning, the serpent has been tied to the curse. In Genesis 3, Satan came as a serpent to deceive Eve, bringing sin and death into the world. Throughout the Bible, serpents are a picture of evil and judgment. But now, God takes the very thing that represents sin and uses it as the means of salvation.
This is a perfect picture of what Jesus did. On the cross, Jesus became sin for us.
• 2 Corinthians 5:21 – “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”
• Galatians 3:13 – “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us…”
Jesus didn’t just take our sin—He became sin. He was lifted up, just like that serpent, so that anyone who looks to Him in faith can be saved. Just like the Israelites, we don’t have to work for it. We don’t have to fight to undo our sin. We just have to look and live.
The Cross: The Ultimate Victory Symbol
What seemed like defeat—the serpent, the cross—was actually the ultimate victory. When Jesus hung on that cross, the world thought He was cursed, defeated, and broken. But God was making a statement: “This is the triumph over sin. This is the way to life.”
Satan thought he had won in the Garden of Eden, but on the cross, Jesus turned the curse on its head. He took what was meant for evil and made it the means of salvation. The very symbol of judgment became the source of healing.
Look and Live
The Israelites had a choice. They could keep trying to survive on their own, or they could look at that bronze serpent and be healed. We have the same choice today.
Jesus was lifted up for us. We don’t have to work our way to heaven, fix ourselves, or pay for our own sin. We just have to look to Christ. It’s that simple.
In the wilderness, those who refused to look at the serpent died. Today, those who refuse to look to Jesus for salvation will face eternal death. But for those who turn their heart to Him, the victory has already been won. Look and live.
