Look and live · the bronze snake and the Son lifted up
A Bible story to tell as a family · Numbers 21:4–9 · ages 5–12 · 10 min
The story
The people of Israel had been walking through the desert for a long time. Now they had to take a huge detour around the land of Edom, because they were not allowed to pass through it. More sand, more rocks, more sun. And the Bible says the people grew very impatient on the way. You know when a trip is long and someone in the back seat asks for the tenth time: are we there yet?
Only they didn’t ask politely. They spoke against God and against Moses: why have you brought us out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread and no water here! And they even called the manna, that gift that fell from heaven every day, miserable food. They were despising God’s own care.
Then something frightening happened: venomous snakes appeared in the camp. Hissss! They bit the people, and many died. Now nobody was complaining about the food; everyone ran to Moses. And out came a sentence that is hard to say, but that opens the door: “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you.” They asked Moses to pray, and Moses prayed for the people.
God answered in a very strange way. He did not make the snakes disappear right away. He told Moses to make a snake and put it high on a pole, so everyone could see it. Moses made a bronze snake, of a metal that shines golden in the sun, and lifted it up in the middle of the camp. The promise was simple: anyone who was bitten and looked at it would live.
Imagine the scene. A person who has been bitten, leg burning, lying in the tent. Someone shouts: look at the pole! They didn’t need to make medicine, or pay anything, or prove they were good. They only had to lift their eyes and trust God’s word. And whoever looked, lived. There was no magic in the metal: it was God keeping his promise.
Many centuries later, one night, a teacher of the law named Nicodemus went to talk with Jesus. And Jesus remembered exactly this story: “Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up.” Son of Man was the way Jesus spoke about himself. He was talking about the cross, where he would be lifted up in front of everyone.
And Jesus went on: “that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life.” Just as the bitten people looked at the snake lifted up, we, wounded by sin, look to Jesus on the cross and trust him. And right after that comes the best-known verse in the Bible: God so loved the world that he gave his Son.
4Then they set out from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, in order to bypass the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient on the journey 5and spoke against God and against Moses: “Why have you led us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? There is no bread or water, and we detest this wretched food!” 6So the LORD sent venomous snakes among the people, and many of the Israelites were bitten and died. 7Then the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned by speaking against the LORD and against you. Intercede with the LORD so He will take the snakes away from us.” So Moses interceded for the people. 8Then the LORD said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who is bitten looks at it, he will live.” 9So Moses made a bronze snake and mounted it on a pole. If anyone who was bitten looked at the bronze snake, he would live.
What the Bible says
- v. 7: the people admit: “We have sinned,” and Moses prays for the people.
- v. 8: God tells Moses to make a snake and put it on a pole: anyone who was bitten and looked at it would live.
- v. 9: Moses makes the bronze snake, and whoever looked at it lived.
What we learn
God’s remedy was not human effort, but a look of trust at what he himself had commanded to be lifted up. The link to Jesus is explicit: in John 3:14–15, Jesus compares the snake Moses lifted up with the Son of Man lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may have eternal life. The Old Testament itself warns against worshiping the object: later the people burned incense to the snake, and King Hezekiah smashed it to pieces (2 Kings 18:4). We look to Jesus, not to symbols.
Questions to talk about
For little ones
- What did Moses put at the top of the pole?
- What did a bitten person need to do to live?
For kids
- Why did looking at the snake save people? Was it the metal or was it God?
- Jesus said he would be lifted up like the snake. Where was Jesus lifted up, and why?
For teens
- Many people think they have to fix themselves before coming near God. What does this story say about that?
For adults
- The people only said “We have sinned” when the pain came. Is there something you need to admit before God today, without waiting for a crisis?
Activity
Look and live: make a snake from an old sock, a string or rolled-up aluminum foil and attach it to the top of a broom handle. Play tag: whoever is caught becomes a bitten statue and can only run again after looking at the lifted snake and saying: I looked and I live! At the end, swap the snake for a paper cross and read John 3:14–15 together.
To memorize: John 3:14
Prayer
Lord Jesus, you were lifted up on the cross to give us life. When sin wounds us, teach us not to hide, but to look to you and trust. Thank you that whoever believes in you has eternal life. In Jesus’ name, amen.