After ancient Israel had refused to enter the Promised Land and were wandering in the desert, a strange incident happened.  The people complained against God, which was not unusual, prompting God to send poisonous serpents among them as punishment.  The strange thing was that God then instructed Moses to make a serpent and set it on a pole for people to look if they were bitten, so that they might live.

What is the significance of this?  Why set anything on a pole?  And why of all things choose a serpent?  Let’s investigate and see what the Bible reveals. 

But first, here is the short account in the book of Numbers.

Num 21:4  Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way.
Num 21:5  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 our soul loathes this worthless bread.”
Num 21:6  So the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.
Num 21:7  Therefore 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.
Num 21:8  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.”
Num 21:9  So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

The Hebrew word translated “fiery” is saraph, which means “burning”.  It is used to describe a poisonous serpent because of the burning effect of poison.

This passage can be understood by putting together several pertinent Scriptures. 

Note that the people sinned in speaking against God and Moses.  God then sent poisonous serpents among the people which bit and killed many of them.  This is a depiction of Romans 6:23.

Rom 6:23  For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The result of sin is death.  God vividly depicted this by sending poisonous snakes to do the job.  It is clear then that the poisonous snakes represent sin because they caused death – like sin causes death.

Scripture is also clear that Jesus Christ bore our sins on the cross.

Isa 53:6  All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

Isa 53:11  He shall see the labor of His soul, and be satisfied. By His knowledge My righteous Servant shall justify many, For He shall bear their iniquities.
Isa 53:12  Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.

Heb 9:28  so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. …

1Pe 2:24  who Himself [Jesus Christ] bore our sins in His own body on the tree, …

Conclusion

The significance this incident of Moses lifting up a serpent now becomes apparent.

Moses lifting up a serpent (representing sin) on a pole is a picture of Jesus being lifted up bearing our sins on the cross.  This is what Jesus meant when He referred to this incident in the gospel of John.

Joh 3:14  And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
Joh 3:15  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.

The ancient Israelites who looked on the serpent on the pole and lived is a picture of us looking to Jesus that we should not perish but have eternal life.