Numbers 21
The Israelites press on toward the Promised Land in Numbers 21, as is detailed in verses 10-20. The people set out, and then they camp. They set out, then they camp. And they set out some more, then they camped some more. As you read through the entire chapter, I hope you recognize how God is making good on His promise to drive out the inhabitants of the Promised Land so that the Israelites can settle safely in Canaan. Specifically, we read of Arad falling at the hands of God’s people (v. 3), the Amorites being defeated by Israel (vv. 24-25), and the people of Bashan experiencing loss of life and land in battle (v. 35). All of this, by the way, not due to Israel’s strength or might, but because they trusted in God’s ability to deliver their enemies into their hands.
I want us to go back to verses 4-9 for the remainder of our time together, as there are some really important takeaways for us in the present. Read on with me:
From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” Then the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD and against you. Pray to the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. And the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery [bronze] 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 (vv. 4-9; emphasis added).
Recall, the Edomites would not let Israel pass through their territory (Numbers 20), so God’s people were presumably weary after a longer trek than anticipated. In their tired, weakened, and vulnerable state, they grow impatient and speak out against God’s character. Particularly, they question His ability to provide and protect them, then declare that what He has provided was miserable and insubstantial.[i] Yikes. However, lest we become proud and haughty, consider your response if you found yourself in a similar situation. How long would you be willing to hold on to a promise from God after years of wandering and not seeing much visible progress toward His assurances being fulfilled?
God, in His righteous anger, disciplines His children, sending poisonous snakes among the people that kill many (v. 6). Recognizing the error of their ways, the people acknowledge their sin and plead with Moses (the intercessor) to be delivered from the hand of God’s judgment. God makes provisions for the Israelites to be saved, if only they would look at the serpent that Moses lifted up on the pole. The people, in their desperation, look to the bronze serpent and are healed. From this passage, note that the people could not do anything to save themselves, but rather, trust in the only method by which God specified.
This certainly seems like an odd means by which one could be saved from their affliction, but Jesus clears up any confusion as to its interpretation: “And 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). We saw in Genesis 3 how a serpent represented evil. And we will see that imagery again in Revelation 12:9. So, could the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 really represent Jesus? David Guzik clarifies that “bronze is a metal associated with judgment in the Bible because bronze must be made by passing through the ‘fires’ of judgment. So, a bronze serpent does speak of evil; but evil having been judged—just as Jesus, who knew no sin, became sin for us on the cross, and our sin was judged in Jesus. A bronze serpent is a picture of evil judged and dealt with.”[ii]
Here and now, God says to all mankind, “Turn to me and be saved, all the ends of the earth! For I am God, and there is no other” (Isaiah 45:22). Jesus reminds us, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Although mentioned many times in previous pages, it bears repeating. Just like the Israelites were unable to save themselves from God’s judgment in chapter 21, there’s nothing we can do to be saved from our sin. Only by looking to the One who was lifted high on a pole and bore our iniquities can we receive eternal, abundant life in the holy presence of God Almighty. To be sure, Jesus “was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his wounds we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5). Praise God from whom all blessings flow!
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Journal responses to the following prompts:
· How long would you be willing to hold on to a promise from God after years of wandering and not seeing much visible progress toward His assurances being fulfilled?
· If you were bitten by one of the fiery serpents described in Numbers 21, would you be more likely to first look for medicine to cure your ailment or simply look up at the bronze snake on a pole?
[i] qᵉlôqêl. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved May 15, 2026, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h7052/esv/wlc/0-1/
[ii] Study Guide for Numbers 21. (n.d.). Blue Letter Bible. Retrieved May 15, 2026, from https://www.blueletterbible.org/comm/guzik_david/study-guide/numbers/numbers-21.cfm