Jesus Compares His Crucifixion to Nehushtan.

We now come to the third usage of Nehushtan: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him” (Jn 3:14-15).

Now, let’s do a comparison between Nehushtan and Christ’s crucifixion.

First, what was God’s wrath directed toward in each situation? His wrath was against the Israelites rebellion in the wilderness. His wrath was against the sin of all mankind when Christ was on the cross.

Second, what was the instrument God used to absolve his wrath in each situation? He used the poisonous snakes as a means of absolving his wrath for the Israelites in the wilderness. He used the sacrifice of Christ, his sinless son, as a means of absolving his wrath against us.

Third, what was the method required for healing in each situation? Faith was needed for the Israelites in the wilderness to be healed from their snakebite wounds and death. Also, faith is needed for us to be released from our doom of a second (or spiritual) death.

Fourth, who received God’s healing in each situation? For each, it was an individual act. Only those of the Israelites who looked up at the snake on the pole were healed. They had to obey God and face their sin. No one could do it for anyone else, no matter how much they may have loved them or wanted them to look. Everyone had to do that for themselves. The same is true for us today. Accepting Christ’s act of paying for our sins on the cross is an individual decision. No one can do it for you.

If these complaining Israelites had only known how close they were to reaching their Promised Land, they might have held their criticism. They were less than two years away from entering the land they had waited for for almost forty years. They let their frustration get the better of them rather than remembering God’s promises to them. Yet are we not similar in that we do the same? Sometimes we miss out on God’s blessing because we become impatient rather than relying upon His faithfulness.

The Israelites had selective remembrance of what happened to their parents. So, how had God responded to these Israelites’ parents when they refused to enter the Promised Land 38 years prior? God responded to the peoples’ rebellion upon the spies returning from Canaan and Moses pleading for them: “The LORD replied, ‘I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it’” (Nu 14:20-23).

What were these ten times and how did God respond to their rebellion? Six times God was merciful with the Israelites’ rebellion:

1. Israel became trapped between Pharaoh’s army and the Red Sea. The people complained that Moses had led them out of bondage to just have them destroyed. God was merciful and helped them by parting the water so they could travel through the Red Sea on dry ground (Ex 14:10-31).

2. Water at Marah was bitter and undrinkable, so the people complained even though days earlier God had saved them from destruction by the hand of Pharaoh. God instructed Moses what to do to make the water sweet and drinkable (Ex 15:22-25).

3. Israelites were hungry in Wilderness of Sin and God sent quails and manna to feed them (Ex 16:1-18).

4. Some Israelites left manna until morning going against what God commanded, and God had the manna spoil (Ex 16:19-20).

5. Some Israelites looked to gather manna on the Sabbath against what God commanded, and God reprimanded them (Ex 16:27-29).

6. No water at Rephidim and God provided water from the Rock (Ex 17:1-7).

God then started imposing national judgment:

7. People made and worshipped a golden calf. 3000 Israelites were slain by the sword (Ex 32:1-27).

8. Israelites complained at Taberah. God had many Israelites burned by fire from the Lord (Nu 11:1-3).

9. Israelites complained about not having meat to eat at Kibroth-Hattaavah. God sent quail but then also a plague (Nu 11:4-6; 31-34).

10. Most Israelites believed the bad report of the 10 spies saying the Promised Land couldn’t be conquered, and God said that those above the age of 20 would not enter the Promised Land (Nu 13:1-33; 14:1-45).

If we look at the location where each of these rebellions occurred, the first six occurred before they reached Mt. Sinai and the others were after they reached Sinai. It seems God was merciful with their rebellion and explained things to them before their encounter with Him at Mt. Sinai. Yet, after their encounter with Him, he started instituting judgment for their rebellion (sin). They were now his people, his ambassadors (Ex 19:6), and they needed to learn to act accordingly.

It seems even after 38 years of having to wait to get to Canaan, their Promised Land, lessons were not learned. God had provided everything for them for 38 years, but they were not grateful. It was not this generation who had been in Egypt, yet they still vocalized the same complaints their fathers and mothers had voiced. Rather than learning from their present, they clung to what they had heard about earthly satisfaction of their past, ignoring the hardships that occurred when they had what they were longing for. They, unfortunately, did not focus on the supernatural blessings God had provided to their fathers and mothers, as well as to themselves. They took for granted their current blessings and took those as normal, mundane. Yet do we not do the same? We focus on what is the here and now rather than the supernatural blessings of now and a guaranteed future of even more blessings to come.

I think the plague of poisonous snakes was the first individual salvation God provided to the Israelites once they had been judged. Therefore, this is a very appropriate one for Jesus to relate to Nicodemus about his crucifixion as our response to him is also an individual act.

We’ll explore this further next time. I hope you join me.

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Visit Books & Words to Inspire by Randy C. Dockens