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I Kngs 18:4 He removed the high places, and brake the images, and cut down the groves, and brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: and he called it Nehushtan.
Hezekiah was a king in Judah, who brought about great reforms, as we read about in our verse. He brought the people back to the worship of their God in the prescribed manner as they were suppose to worship him. All the idolatrous things he removed or discarded. In including the bronze serpent Moses had made, Hezekiah called it, a thing of brass, no longer of any value. Back in Numbers 21 the people were complaining to Moses about their conditions in the wilderness.
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. Num 21:5
God took issue with them
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Vs 6
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. Vs 7
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. Vs 8
So 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. Vs 9
As we can see the brass serpent was for a specific time and a specific purpose. When Hezekiah found it, it had become something the people had set up as an idol, but was no longer needed, it had served its purpose. In reality it was a symbol that pointed to Christ on the cross, as Jesus himself alluded to saying, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Jhn 3:14. What did he mean?
First lets examine what it was for. When the people who had sinned and were inflicted by the sting of the scorpion it meant death. A picture of the sting of death due to our sin. Paul says in
I Cor 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. When the law is broken by anyone, the law requires the penalty of death. When the people in the wilderness looked upon the brass serpent, they lived. So it is when we discover we are sinners, for all have sinned, and we look at the cross where Jesus died for our sins, looking in faith, we are forgiven and we are spared the penalty of death, its sting has no power over us. Paul says to the Corinthians O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? I Cor 15:55
Now let us see what the serpent was made of. It was made of brass, and it was on a pole lifted high enough for all to see. The analogy is as Jesus said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: In In scripture, brass is the symbol for judgment. So the sin of the people was being judged in the brass serpent. But why is this like Jesus on the cross? We think of a serpent as a symbol of sin or Satan, that old serpent the devil. Now Jesus was the sinless Son of God, so how could this be analogous to the serpent on the pole? Paul says
II Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. As Jesus hung on the cross, he had all of our sin laid upon him, which is why he cried, “my God my God why has thou forsaken me”. He was forsaken by God, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Heb 2:9
But now is Christ risen and his sacrifice is past. The results are carried forward to all generations. So if we had the actual cross upon which he was crucified, it would just be a wooden cross. As the serpent of brass had been rendered useless as time has passed and was no longer needed, yet the people had made an idol out of it, so might people do today if they had the actual cross upon which Christ died. It is for this reason we do not have it, nor ever will. Man tends to make idols out of “religious” articles. That is why John says I Jhn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Notice he is speaking to the church, believers! Why would he say that? Because the Holy Spirit prompted him to, for God knows what man will do. I believe it is for this reason the ark of the covenant has not been found, and the same reason the Ark Noah built will not be recovered, men will make an idol out of it.
Jesus dictated a letter by his apostle John to the church of Thyatira Rev 2:18-29. Many Bible scholars say the Church of Thyatira, in church history it represents Romanism; taking us into the dark ages from about 590 AD to around 1517AD sometimes referred to as the “Church in idolatry” a careful reading of Jesus letter to them gives us clues to why Bible scholars believe this. When we look at the Catholic church today we see statues of “Saints”, we see statues of Joseph, Mary, and we see the crucifix, with a figure of Christ on it. What would Hezekiah, John, or any of the disciples say is they saw these things? Nehushtan: thing of Brass, no longer of any value. This is why God instructed his people Israel, upon coming out of Egypt, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Ex 20:4 His people had been surrounded by graven images of the gods of Egypt, and he would not have them think of God in the same way. Why? Because the Bible says no man has seen God at any time. Gods people of all eras were to have faith in the invisible God, not represented by an image from the mind of man. And he will not have his people bow down to an image or likeness of anything.
Now men will argue, it just helps us “remember” or be a reminder of God. But we just learned this is not what God wants for his people. It is then Nehushtan: thing of Brass, no longer of any value.
Pt 1
Hezekiah was a king in Judah, who brought about great reforms, as we read about in our verse. He brought the people back to the worship of their God in the prescribed manner as they were suppose to worship him. All the idolatrous things he removed or discarded. In including the bronze serpent Moses had made, Hezekiah called it, a thing of brass, no longer of any value. Back in Numbers 21 the people were complaining to Moses about their conditions in the wilderness.
And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread. Num 21:5
God took issue with them
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Vs 6
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. Vs 7
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. Vs 8
So 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. Vs 9
As we can see the brass serpent was for a specific time and a specific purpose. When Hezekiah found it, it had become something the people had set up as an idol, but was no longer needed, it had served its purpose. In reality it was a symbol that pointed to Christ on the cross, as Jesus himself alluded to saying, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: Jhn 3:14. What did he mean?
First lets examine what it was for. When the people who had sinned and were inflicted by the sting of the scorpion it meant death. A picture of the sting of death due to our sin. Paul says in
I Cor 15:56 The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. When the law is broken by anyone, the law requires the penalty of death. When the people in the wilderness looked upon the brass serpent, they lived. So it is when we discover we are sinners, for all have sinned, and we look at the cross where Jesus died for our sins, looking in faith, we are forgiven and we are spared the penalty of death, its sting has no power over us. Paul says to the Corinthians O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? I Cor 15:55
Now let us see what the serpent was made of. It was made of brass, and it was on a pole lifted high enough for all to see. The analogy is as Jesus said, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: In In scripture, brass is the symbol for judgment. So the sin of the people was being judged in the brass serpent. But why is this like Jesus on the cross? We think of a serpent as a symbol of sin or Satan, that old serpent the devil. Now Jesus was the sinless Son of God, so how could this be analogous to the serpent on the pole? Paul says
II Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. As Jesus hung on the cross, he had all of our sin laid upon him, which is why he cried, “my God my God why has thou forsaken me”. He was forsaken by God, that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. Heb 2:9
But now is Christ risen and his sacrifice is past. The results are carried forward to all generations. So if we had the actual cross upon which he was crucified, it would just be a wooden cross. As the serpent of brass had been rendered useless as time has passed and was no longer needed, yet the people had made an idol out of it, so might people do today if they had the actual cross upon which Christ died. It is for this reason we do not have it, nor ever will. Man tends to make idols out of “religious” articles. That is why John says I Jhn 5:21 Little children, keep yourselves from idols. Amen. Notice he is speaking to the church, believers! Why would he say that? Because the Holy Spirit prompted him to, for God knows what man will do. I believe it is for this reason the ark of the covenant has not been found, and the same reason the Ark Noah built will not be recovered, men will make an idol out of it.
Jesus dictated a letter by his apostle John to the church of Thyatira Rev 2:18-29. Many Bible scholars say the Church of Thyatira, in church history it represents Romanism; taking us into the dark ages from about 590 AD to around 1517AD sometimes referred to as the “Church in idolatry” a careful reading of Jesus letter to them gives us clues to why Bible scholars believe this. When we look at the Catholic church today we see statues of “Saints”, we see statues of Joseph, Mary, and we see the crucifix, with a figure of Christ on it. What would Hezekiah, John, or any of the disciples say is they saw these things? Nehushtan: thing of Brass, no longer of any value. This is why God instructed his people Israel, upon coming out of Egypt, Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: Ex 20:4 His people had been surrounded by graven images of the gods of Egypt, and he would not have them think of God in the same way. Why? Because the Bible says no man has seen God at any time. Gods people of all eras were to have faith in the invisible God, not represented by an image from the mind of man. And he will not have his people bow down to an image or likeness of anything.
Now men will argue, it just helps us “remember” or be a reminder of God. But we just learned this is not what God wants for his people. It is then Nehushtan: thing of Brass, no longer of any value.
Pt 1