Serpent in the Wilderness
Bourdon, Sébastien - Moses and the Brazen Serpent - 1653-1654.
What wildernesses and death does our sinful rebellion bring us? How are we rescued and saved from our sin?
Our sin and rebellion against God can lead us through dry and perilous wildernesses in our lives. The judgement bite of the enemy, the serpent, can bring us death because of our sin and rebellion.
When the Israelites complained, rebelled, and sinned against God, having just been freed from slavery in Egypt, God sent fiery serpents to strike them with death and judgement in their wilderness wandering.
The book of Numbers tells us, “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 21:8-9, ESV).
The same curse of sin’s judgement, the serpent on a pole, gave salvation and life to the ones who, by faith, looked upon it.
When Jesus was speaking with Nicodemus in John’s Gospel account, he said, “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, ESV).
The cross of Jesus is the serpent pole in this wilderness wandering of this life. On the cross, Jesus took on the curse of our sin, our judgement, and our death upon himself. Jesus became the curse so that we can live. When we look upon Jesus, we are saved and we live. When we look upon Jesus, we see our punishment upon him so that we can live free.
May we look at Jesus and believe in him so that we may have eternal life.
A Collect for Endurance: “Almighty God, whose most dear Son went not up to joy but first he suffered pain, and entered not into glory before he was crucified: Mercifully grant that we, walking in the way of the Cross, may find it none other than the way of life and peace; through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).
Bourdon, Sébastien - Moses and the Brazen Serpent - 1653-1654.
