CHRIST: THE TYPOLOGICAL BRAZEN SERPENT IN NUMBERS

CHRIST: THE TYPOLOGICAL BRAZEN SERPENT IN NUMBERS:

And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (Numbers 21:8, 9)

Friends, we are still delving into the womb of biblical history to discover the revelations that the the author's of the book of the Bible concerning our Lord Jesus Christ. We are now in the book of Numbers and in it we see Him as the symbolic brazen serpent.

Actually, God has a sense of humour. In Genesis, what did Satan use to deceive man? The serpent, of course. Now, in this Numbers what is God using to deliver men? The brazen serpent, you would concur. Obviously, God did that deliberately to demonstrate to Satan that he has supreme wisdom and ability to beat him at his own games. Meanwhile, we are to look at this subject from three points:

1. THE ANALOGICAL SERPENT IN NUMBERS: And the LORD said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. (Num.21:8).

The serpent in this book of Numbers was analogical, symbolic and emblematic. As a matter of fact, common reasoning would reveal to us that it would take something from the Almighty God for a molten brazen serpent to bring about the kind of deliverance that those people of Israel enjoyed. Obviously, God was preparing them for the real Deliverer who would, not only deliver them from the serpent, but deliver the entire mankind from the torment of the Old Serpent (Satan).

2. THE ACTUAL SAVIOUR IN THE NEW TESTAMENT: And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14, 15).

Jesus Christ, that we are celebrating today, came into the world as a Saviour to all sinners who have been under the tormenting and tyrannical sway of Satan and sinful habits. He came to provide a panacea to the sin malady that has ravaged the entire human race. And, like the symbolic serpent, it is only those that look up to Him for salvation that will be saved. This was further enunciated prophetically by Isaiah, the Prophet, many years before Christ was born in Isaiah 45:22,“ Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else”. Christ is the only Saviour that humankind has. He died to set us all free and free indeed.

3. HIS AMAZING SACRIFICE FOR OUR NEW CREATION: For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. But as many as received him, to them gave the power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. (John 3:16; 1:12, 13).

Our transformation into new creatures was the principal object that Christ had when He died a sacrificial death at the cross. He wants to save us from all sins and transform us into new creatures and characters. And that is greater than mere religion. It is much more glorious than moralistic lifestyle that will not amount to anything before God. It is the appropriation of Christ’s sacrifice by faith after voluntary repentance from all sins that makes us new creatures.May God help you to do that today in Jesus name.Amen.

Source: Chidiebere Dennis Owah