Did you

know

what

this is?

A pole or staff with two

intertwined snakes and two

wings at the top, has become

a well-recognized insignia of

the medical profession.

The caduceus

Did you know that thousands of years ago, Moses was

instructed by God to make a similar emblem that

symbolized God’s healing to the people of Israel?

The children of Israel repeatedly

grumbled against God and Moses.

God responded by sending “fiery

serpents” among them (Num. 21:6),

probably poisonous vipers whose bites

caused intense fever, thirst, swelling,

and eventually death.

Let’s read the Word of God.

And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

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.

Let’s see what we can learn

from this.

The snakes may also have been “fiery” in terms of their appearance. One very poisonous species in the region has brightly colored red spots and wavy stripes, and is greatly

feared by the Arabs even today.

The Israelites acknowledged their sin

and cried out for mercy and

deliverance (Num. 21:7).

In response, the LORD told Moses to

fashion a fiery serpent on a pole,

which would provide a means of

healing (Num. 21:8).

A bronze serpent was cast, which

would have given off a fiery

appearance in the sunlight, making a

highly visible standard for the people to see.

All that they

had to do, in

order to live,

was look at

the Brazen

Serpent. And

they lived.

Jesus refers to the bronze serpent in his conversation with Nicodemus.

The Lord said that He would have to be “lifted up” just as

the bronze serpent was in order to bring eternal life to

those who believe in Him. (John 3:14,15)

Jesus was referring to His crucifixion

The Israelites, if they wanted to live, had to turn to the only means that God had provided for deliverance.

To fail or refuse to do that was a choice for death.

To fail or refuse to turn toward Jesus and place faith in His finished work of salvation is to choose death—eternal death.

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.

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. (John 3.14-16)