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Gospel
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Did you
know
what
this is?
A pole or staff with two
intertwined snakes and two
wings at the top, has become
a well-recognized insignia of
the medical profession.
The caduceus
Did you know that thousands of years ago, Moses was
instructed by God to make a similar emblem that
symbolized God’s healing to the people of Israel?
The children of Israel repeatedly
grumbled against God and Moses.
God responded by sending “fiery
serpents” among them (Num. 21:6),
probably poisonous vipers whose bites
caused intense fever, thirst, swelling,
and eventually death.
Let’s read the Word of God.
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.
Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.
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.
Let’s see what we can learn
from this.
The snakes may also have been “fiery” in terms of their appearance. One very poisonous species in the region has brightly colored red spots and wavy stripes, and is greatly
feared by the Arabs even today.
The Israelites acknowledged their sin
and cried out for mercy and
deliverance (Num. 21:7).
In response, the LORD told Moses to
fashion a fiery serpent on a pole,
which would provide a means of
healing (Num. 21:8).
A bronze serpent was cast, which
would have given off a fiery
appearance in the sunlight, making a
highly visible standard for the people to see.
All that they
had to do, in
order to live,
was look at
the Brazen
Serpent. And
they lived.
Jesus refers to the bronze serpent in his conversation with Nicodemus.
The Lord said that He would have to be “lifted up” just as
the bronze serpent was in order to bring eternal life to
those who believe in Him. (John 3:14,15)
Jesus was referring to His crucifixion
The Israelites, if they wanted to live, had to turn to the only means that God had provided for deliverance.
To fail or refuse to do that was a choice for death.
To fail or refuse to turn toward Jesus and place faith in His finished work of salvation is to choose death—eternal death.
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.
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only
begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should
not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3.14-16)