{"id":3094,"date":"2013-06-14T08:28:58","date_gmt":"2013-06-14T15:28:58","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/?p=3094"},"modified":"2014-08-23T15:36:26","modified_gmt":"2014-08-23T22:36:26","slug":"the-serpent-on-a-pole","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hoshanarabbah.org\/blog\/2013\/06\/14\/the-serpent-on-a-pole\/","title":{"rendered":"The Serpent on a Pole, Yeshua and Us"},"content":{"rendered":"

Numbers 21:4\u20139, Fiery serpent<\/i>.<\/strong> The fiery serpents were a righteous judgment Elohim brought upon Israel for murmuring and unbelief. Israel had \u201csharpened their tongues like a serpent\u201d (Ps 140:3) and \u201ctheir throat [was] an open sepulcher; with their tongues have \u2026 used deceit; the poison of asps [was] under their lips\u201d (Rom 3:13). All this was directed at Elohim and Moses. They reaped what they had sown. Elohim loosed fiery serpents upon the Israelites to bite and sting to death the unbelieving murmurers.<\/p>\n

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The wilderness Elohim led them through was full of fiery serpents and scorpions (Deut 8:15), yet this is the only account in the Torah of these creatures ever attacking Israel. YHVH had protected them to this point and just this once he pulled back his hand of providential protection and grace allowing them to experience the due recompense of their sinful actions. How often has our merciful Father withheld the just desserts of our faithless, rebellious and abominable action against him and gracefully protected us from the full consequences of our sin? If we fail to hear his soft voice of correction he will deal more harshly with us until our attention is gained (Ps 32:8\u20139). All he has to do is withdraw his hand of protection that restrains the judgments we all deserve and the \u201cfiery serpents\u201d will likewise attack us. What happened to Ananias and Sapphira in the book of Acts is an example of this (Acts 5:1\u201311). Job experienced a similar situation as well.<\/p>\n

Israel\u2019s Murmuring.<\/strong> Israel complained for lack of food and water. In unbelief they concluded and confessed (literally prophesied upon themselves a curse) that they would die in the wilderness. Elohim gave them the fulfillment of their faithless delusions\u2014serpents to sting them and leave them physiologically in a parched and burning condition. (The poison of these snakes actually leaves the victim burning with a fiery pain in his body and a desperately dry and thirsty condition [See Adam Clarke\u2019s Commentary<\/i>, vol. 1, p. 684]). This occurred with the quail also. They complained with their mouths and lusted for meat and Elohim gave them so much quail that it \u201ccame out of their nostrils\u201d (Num 11:20). Many were struck dead in judgment. What is the lesson of this story? That for which we lust or that which we fear will come upon us, for Elohim allows those very things to rise up, attack us and judge us. Why? So that the false gods of our hearts will be exposed and we will, as a result, see the error of our ways, repent and turn back to obedient faith to the one true Elohim. Few understand this method of operation of Elohim, but the Scriptures reveals this as one of the ways he deals with his people to help them to grow up spiritually.<\/p>\n

Salvation<\/strong>. <\/b>Israel repented and received salvation from the sting of death by looking upward toward the brass or bronze (bronze representing judgment) serpent on the pole. Of course, no less than Yeshua himself reveals to us that this serpent is a pictures himself dying on the tree as a sin offering and source of our salvation (John 3:14 and 12:32).<\/p>\n

The Jewish sages admit that the serpent did not heal the afflicted Israelites, but looking upward unto heaven granted them salvation and healing. (See Wisdom<\/i> 16:4\u201312)<\/p>\n

Parallels between the bronze serpent and Yeshua:<\/strong><\/p>\n