Bronze Serpent

The Bronze Serpent was cast by Moses on the LORD's command after venomous snakes had been sent among the grumbling Israelites in the wilderness. Mounted on a pole, it became a means of healing: anyone bitten who turned and looked at it lived. Centuries later king Hezekiah broke it into pieces because the people had begun to burn incense to it as an idol, calling it Nehushtan. Jesus Himself drew on this image in His night-time conversation with Nicodemus: 'As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him may have eternal life.' The bronze serpent thus stands as one of the clearest Old Testament types of the cross — a sign of judgment turned into a means of life for all who simply look in faith.