The Brass Serpent: A Precursor to Christ’s Redemption
THE BRASS SERPENT ON THE POLE Numbers chapter 21
The fiery serpents were venomous snakes that lived in the desert and wilderness. Some wonder why God told Moses to place a serpent on a pole, since the serpent is often seen as a symbol of evil and Satan (see Gen. 3:1; Isa. 27:1; Rev. 20:2), and had caused death to many who were bitten. Christ speaks of the brass serpent when He says, “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). Though He was perfect and without sin in His birth, life, and ministry, the sins of all humanity were placed on Him, much like the scapegoat bearing Israel’s sins on the Day of Atonement. The serpent’s image thus became a symbol of the ultimate sin offering being lifted up. Just as the fiery serpents brought death, unrepentant sin brings death to the soul. Only the cross can undo the serpent’s bite and restore life to those who look to Christ.
Two questions arise in this comparison:
- If gold symbolizes divinity, and the brass serpent represented Christ, why was it made of brass instead of gold?
- First, brass symbolizes humanity, and Christ became flesh, taking on humanity to redeem mankind (see John 1:14)—hence the use of brass.
- If the lamb is Christ’s symbol of redemption, why was a serpent placed on the pole instead of a lamb?
- Secondly, the serpent symbolizes sin, and Christ took on the sins of all humanity before His crucifixion. He served as a substitute, carrying our sins to the cross. “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” (2 Cor. 5:21). We read, “Blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took it out of the way, nailing it to his cross…” (Col. 2:14).
Since brass symbolizes humanity and the serpent symbolizes sin, the serpent on the pole represents the sin of humanity, which Christ overcame and redeemed once and for all at the cross. Refer to the chart below.
| The Brass Serpent | The Power of Jesus’ death on the cross |
|---|---|
| The people complained against God. (Num. 21:5) And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. | The world was under sin and death (Rom 5:12) Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: |
| Fiery serpents bit the people (Num. 21:6) And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. | The serpent introduced sin (Gen. 3:1-13) |
| Those bitten died (Num. 21:6) And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. | Sin brought death (Rom. 3:23) For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God; |
| Moses made a brass serpent (Num. 21:8-9) And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. | Christ in human form bore our sins (1 Pet. 2:24) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. |
| Moses used a pole (Num. 21:8-9) And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. | Christ died on a tree (1 Pet. 2:24) Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. |
| Those looking to the brass serpent were healed (Num. 21:9) And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. | Those who believe in Christ are saved (Mark 16:16) He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. |
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