{"id":56840,"date":"2019-05-22T11:46:14","date_gmt":"2019-05-22T08:46:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/?p=56840"},"modified":"2025-09-26T13:46:20","modified_gmt":"2025-09-26T10:46:20","slug":"56840","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/wingulamashahidi.org\/en\/2019\/05\/22\/56840\/","title":{"rendered":"NEHUSHTANI (THE BRONZE SERPENT)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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God commanded Moses to make a bronze serpent and set it on a pole so that anyone bitten by a snake could look at it and be healed immediately.<\/p>\n

Numbers 21:8-9 (NIV)<\/strong> states:
\n\u201cThe Lord said to Moses, \u2018Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.\u2019 So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

This event occurred during the Israelites\u2019 journey in the wilderness, a time marked by their repeated rebellion and God\u2019s judgment (cf. Numbers 21:4-7). The bronze serpent served as a visible symbol of God\u2019s mercy and healing<\/strong>\u2014a tangible sign pointing to divine salvation through faith. The serpent\u2019s image itself held no inherent power; rather, it functioned as a means of grace<\/strong>, requiring the faith of the one who looked upon it.<\/p>\n

However, over time, the Israelites misunderstood the purpose of the bronze serpent. Instead of seeing it as a temporary sign pointing to God\u2019s power and mercy, they began to idolize<\/strong> it, believing the object itself had healing power. This is clear from their practice of burning incense to the bronze serpent.<\/p>\n

Centuries later, King Hezekiah took a decisive stand against this idolatry:<\/p>\n

2 Kings 18:4-5 (NIV)<\/strong>:
\n\u201cHe removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Asherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. (It was called Nehushtan.) Hezekiah trusted in the Lord, the God of Israel. There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

The name Nehushtan<\/em> was a derogatory term that highlighted how the bronze serpent had become a false god in the eyes of the people. Hezekiah\u2019s reforms emphasized the centrality of worshiping the living God alone<\/strong> and the rejection of idolatry.<\/p>\n

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Theological Reflection: The Bronze Serpent as a Type of Christ<\/h3>\n

The bronze serpent is a powerful Old Testament type<\/strong> (foreshadowing) of Christ\u2019s crucifixion. Jesus Himself draws this comparison:<\/p>\n

John 3:14-15 (NIV)<\/strong>:
\n\u201cJust as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

Here, Jesus reveals that just as the Israelites were healed by looking at the lifted serpent, so we are spiritually healed and saved by looking to Him lifted on the cross. The serpent, a symbol of judgment and death (cf. Genesis 3), paradoxically becomes a symbol of healing and life when lifted up\u2014mirroring Christ\u2019s sacrifice, which takes away sin and brings eternal life.<\/p>\n

The real power was never in the serpent itself<\/strong>, but in God\u2019s gracious provision through faith. This highlights a key biblical principle: faith in God\u2019s means of salvation is what brings healing and deliverance, not the physical object itself<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

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Modern Misapplications: Idolatry in Christian Practice<\/h3>\n

Unfortunately, many today repeat the same mistake the Israelites made by attributing spiritual power to objects or rituals<\/strong> rather than to God Himself. For example:<\/p>\n