When Israel left Mt. Hor they went around the land of Edom. The people became very discouraged, and spoke against God and Moses. The complained of no water or food. In response, God sent serpents among the people, and many died from the poisonous bites. The people then came to Moses, repentant for their complaining and sin. They asked him to pray to God for their deliverance. So Moses prayed. When he prayed, the Lord gave him instructions to make a serpent from bronze and place it on a pole. When those bitten looked upon the serpent, they would be healed. Moses did as God commanded, and the people who looked on it were healed.
After this event, the people moved on and camped in Oboth. They then journeyed on the Ije Abarim, east of Moab, toward the sunrise (the East). Then they moved on to the Valley of Zered and then to the other side of the Arnon, on the border between the Moabites and the Amorites. From there they went the beer, then Mattanah, then Nahaliel, then Bamoth, to the top of Pisgah.
The story of the Bronze Serpent is one of the most recognizable stories of the Old Testament. It is one of the few times that a physical object (other than the articles of the tabernacle) was used for a spiritual purpose (healing). There is no further reference to the bronze serpent until 2 Kings 18, when Hezekiah broke it in pieces, along with other items that had led to idolatrous worship. The most common symbolism associated with the bronze serpent, however, is the idea that it is a type or shadow of Christ on the cross. The people were dying, as sinners are dying today without salvation. However, when the serpent was raised (a representation of the very serpents that were killing the people), it was a symbol of how one day a man (Jesus, man among men) would be raised up on a pole. When the people looked upon the serpent, they lived, just as, when people today look upon Christ in faith, they live.
Look upon Jesus today and live!
Devoted To You 