The Paradox of Nehushtan

There are many paradoxes in the Bible. We quote such phrases as “Whoever finds their life will lose it” (Mt 10:32); “The greatest among you will be your servant (Mt 23:11); and “When I am weak then I am strong” (2Co 12:10) as paradoxical statements. I think God has them there for people to dig out their meaning so they can understand what God is truly trying to say. There are also event paradoxes. One of these is the snake on a pole that Moses raised for the people to look upon who had been bitten by poisonous snakes. Hezekiah called this serpent Nehushtan.

This event is referenced only three times in the Bible:

1. Numbers – poisonous snakes were sent as a punishment for Israel’s rebellion.

2. 2 Kings – King Hezekiah destroys the snake on a pole (he called it Nehushtan).

3. John – Jesus references the snake on a pole when he told Nicodemus about his crucifixion that would occur.

What is the significance of Nehushtan? Let’s look at this further.

As stated, the first usage is found in the book of Numbers:

“They [the children of Israel] traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!’’

“Then the LORD sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, “We sinned when we spoke against the LORD and against you. Pray that the LORD will take the snakes away from us.” So, Moses prayed for the people.

“The LORD said to Moses, “Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.” So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, they lived” (Nu 21:4-9).

When did this event occur? The Children of Israel had made it to Kadesh Barnea, the closest point to the Promised Land they had achieved so far. They were here for about 38 years (although some believe God led them to other places during this time) until all those above 20 years of age died out because of their unbelief that God could lead them into Canaan victorious no matter the size of their enemy. Ten of the spies Moses had sent into Canaan did not support Joshua and Caleb who stated that despite the size of the men they met during their scouting mission, God would be with them and help Israel defeat them. The people believed the ten rather than the two and rebelled against Moses, and, ultimately, against God. God deemed that the current generation would die out before Israel as a nation could enter their Promised Land (Nu 14:22-23).

So when God told Moses it was time for them to move, it was the children and grandchildren of those who first arrived here who heard this announcement. When God told them to move, Moses asked the king of Edom to let them pass through their land, but he refused to have them enter the territory of Edom. Because Edom, a country descending from Esau (the brother of Jacob (Israel)), was their ancestry uncle, God said they could not harm any of the Edomites. Therefore, Moses had the people travel back toward the Red Sea so they could travel around the land of Edom.

This angered many of the people and they began to complain. They had been waiting for this command for 38 years. Now, they evidently felt they were going back into more hardships rather than progressing toward their goal. While we could possibly understand their frustration, their complaint was actually false and blasphemous. What did they say that was so severe?

There are two main parts to their complaint. The first part of their complaint was, “There is no bread! There is no water!” This complaint was an exaggeration. When people get mad and angry, this is what they resort to even without thinking about it. They exaggerate their condition and make it sound worse than it really is. If they had really thought about what they were saying, they would have realized this is not a true statement because God had supplied their needs before. They were complaining rather than asking God for what they desired.

Their history was replete with miracles God had done for them, or rather, their parents and grandparents. God had made bitter water fresh for their parents and grandparents (Ex 15:23-25); God had provided quail for their parents and grandparents to eat (Ex 16:13); God had provided water for their parents and grandparents to drink (Ex 17:1-7). They could have asked again rather than complain. Yet, these were miracles of their parents and grandparents. Maybe they didn’t believe God would do the same for them.

Are we not the same? We read of all these miracles in the Bible and yet don’t believe God will do the same for us. He tells us he is a God who never changes (Ml 3:6). Perhaps we have some self-exploring to do as well.

What they were really saying was that they wished they were back in Egypt because they were fed there. Yet, how they quickly forgot about all the hardships. These were people who had never lived in Egypt. They had only heard what their parents had said. Perhaps their parents told them of their desires for what was good back in Egypt and did not focus on all the hardships that God delivered them from. They were now speaking foolishly because there is no way they would want all the hardships their parents had to endure just to get a meal.

Their second major complaint was, “We detest this miserable food!’’ Maybe what they really meant was that they desired variety. Would God have granted that if they had asked? But rather than ask, they complained—again. And complained vehemently. This was even more egregious than the first complaint. Why? Because it was blasphemous.

The manna God provided for them was prophetic and represented the one who would come from heaven and supply all needs – Jesus Christ, himself. Manna brought life to the Israelites just as Christ would bring life to all those who follow him. This is what Jesus told those to whom he ministered. After he fed them, they asked for a sign and compared what Jesus did for them to what Moses had done for the children of Israel in the wilderness.

Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world.” “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread.”

Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.” (Jn 6:32-35)

The punishment for their rebellion was that God sent poisonous snakes.

Next time, we’ll look at this further.

____________

Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens