NOTES for Num 21:1-35

Israel’s history is full of examples of how the Israelites’ weak faith led them to defeat, while trust in God led them to victory. Each of us probably knows how true this is for us as well. The bronze serpent became the most vivid symbol of this pattern. Anyone who lifted their eyes toward heaven to look at the serpent was healed of the wounds caused by unbelief. Christ links the standard on which the serpent was raised with his own Cross (Jn 3:14), thereby bearing witness that he is the One in whom the new Israel must trust—the mighty God and Father of the age to come.