Serpent on the Pole

Most of you are aware that the medical system in America is represented by a symbol of a serpent on a pole. Why would an entire medical empire use a serpent on a pole as a logo?

The answer is the original founders of the United States of America were God-fearing, Jesus-believing Christians. They understood that although there was a place for medical science, without the help of God, there would be no healing. The story of the serpent on the pole is actually taken from the Bible. We are going to look into this story today and learn some important truths that will help us receive our healing.

Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by the Way of the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom; and the soul of the people became very discouraged on the way. And the people spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and our soul loathes this worthless bread.” So the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many of the people of Israel died.

Numbers 21:4-6 NKJV

Every one of us has to guard against discouragement on our journey of serving the Lord. If we allow ourselves to stay discontented, it will ultimately lead to complaining. The Lord is never pleased with complaining. Complaining is doubt and unbelief. Faith is what pleases God. If we really believed what the Bible said, we would be full of joy, knowing that our condition was changing. Sometimes symptoms of disease and pain linger, and when they do, we must guard our attitude even more. The result of the Israelites complaining was that fiery serpents began to bite the people, and many died.

Something worth noting is that Isaac Leeser’s translation says, “The Lord let loose fiery serpents.” There’s a big difference between “sending” and “letting loose.”

The Israelites were in a wilderness full of snakes. The miracle was not that the snakes started biting them, but that three million people were living there not having been bitten until then. God had supernaturally protected them until their doubt and unbelief opened this door to the devil to attack them.

Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you; pray to the Lord that He take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent, and set it on a pole; and it shall be that everyone who is bitten, when he looks at it, shall live.” So Moses made a bronze serpent, and put it on a pole; and so it was, if a serpent had bitten anyone, when he looked at the bronze serpent, he lived.

Numbers 21:7-9 NKJV

You may be wondering how on earth could a person be healed and live by looking at a serpent on a pole? The answer is that the serpent is a type of Jesus, and the brass is a type of sin. Hanging on a pole is a type of Jesus hanging on the cross as our substitute for sin. When the children of Israel looked ahead to what Jesus would do, they were forgiven and healed. God did not turn anyone away. Everyone was given the same opportunity, but it was conditional:

1.     Stop looking at the serpents.

2.     Start looking at the serpent on the pole.

We could say that God offered them life and health for a look! God didn’t tell them to take a quick glance and head for home.

According to the Amplified Classic translation, Numbers 21:9 says:

And Moses made a serpent of bronze and put it on a pole, and if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked to the serpent of bronze [attentively, expectantly, with a steady and absorbing gaze], he lived. 

In the same way, we have been given the answer for sin, sickness, and disease. Our answer is we must keep our eyes on Jesus, and we do that by keeping our attention on His Word.

Proverbs 4:20-22 says,

My son, give attention to my words;

Incline your ear to my sayings.

Do not let them depart from your eyes;

Keep them in the midst of your heart;

For they are life to those who find them,

And health to all their flesh.

God’s Word is medicine to all our flesh, but it must be taken according to directions.

Here are those directions:

1.     Stop looking at the symptoms (the serpents).

2.     Start looking at the Word of God (the serpent on the pole) attentively, expectantly, and with a steady and absorbing gaze.

We can see that because this method works, our enemy, Satan, will try to distract our gaze any way he can. He wants to get our attention away from the Word of God so that we fail. He may cause the symptoms to get worse before they get better to distract your attention. He may try to get you angry at someone or into unforgiveness to distract you from receiving. 

Where our attention goes is where our faith goes. If our attention is on our symptoms, we will have more faith in our symptoms than in the Word of God. We must keep our gaze upon Jesus—upon His Word—so that His Word penetrates our spirits and produces life and health for us.

Hebrews 12:2 from the Amplified Classic translation says,

Looking away [from all that will distract] to Jesus, Who is the Leader and the Source of our faith [giving the first incentive for our belief] and is also its Finisher [bringing it to maturity and perfection].

As we keep our eyes on Jesus, every symptom of sickness will disappear!

If you're in the Aurora/Naperville area and are looking for a church that teaches the uncompromising Word of God, we invite you to visit Abundant Life Family Church. As a Word and Spirit church, we are committed to helping believers grow in faith, experience the power of God, and walk in His promises. Our services are filled with dynamic worship, Bible-based teaching, and an atmosphere where the Holy Spirit moves. Whether you’re searching for a church home or seeking a deeper relationship with God, we welcome you to join us and be part of a thriving community of faith!