The Bronze Serpent

Near the end of the forty years in the wilderness, Israel sets out from Mount Hor to go around the land of Edom. Along the way, the people lose patience and speak against God and against Moses: “there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.” It is the manna, the bread from heaven, that they despise like this! So the LORD sends fiery serpents among them; their bites kill many people in Israel. The people admit, “We have sinned,” and Moses prays for them. God does not take away the serpents, but gives an astonishing remedy: “Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole.” Moses makes a bronze serpent; anyone who is bitten and looks at it lives. A simple look of faith is enough. The rest of the chapter tells of Israel’s victories over Sihon, king of the Amorites, and Og, king of Bashan.