The Serpent symbolic of Sin
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The serpent in the garden should be understood symbolically this can be seen from the works of Philo of Alexandria:
And these statements appear to me to be dictated by a philosophy which is symbolical rather than strictly accurate. For no trees of life or of knowledge have ever at any previous time appeared upon the earth, nor is it likely that any will appear hereafter. (Philo of Alexandria On the Creation of the world)
that the aforesaid serpent is the symbol of pleasure, because in the first place he is destitute of feet, and crawls on his belly with his face downwards. In the second place, because he uses lumps of clay for food. Thirdly, because he bears poison in his teeth, by which it is his nature to kill those who are bitten by him. (Philo of Alexandria On the Creation of the world)
serpent--Sense consciousness or the desire of carnal mind for pleasure. He seeks satisfaction through the appetite. By listening to the serpent of sense, man falls to his lowest estate.
The testimony of Truth
It is written in the Law concerning this, when God gave a command to Adam, "From every tree you may eat, but from the tree which is in the midst of Paradise do not eat, for on the day that you eat from it, you will surely die." But the serpent was wiser than all the animals that were in Paradise, and he persuaded Eve, saying, "On the day when you eat from the tree which is in the midst of Paradise, the eyes of your mind will be opened." And Eve obeyed, and she stretched forth her hand; she took from the tree and ate; she also gave to her husband with her. And immediately they knew that they were naked, and they took some fig-leaves (and) put them on as girdles. But God came at the time of evening, walking in the midst of Paradise. When Adam saw him, he hid himself. And he said, "Adam, where are you?" He answered (and) said, "I have come under the fig tree." And at that very moment, God knew that he had eaten from the tree of which he had commanded him, "Do not eat of it." And he said to him, "Who is it who has instructed you?" And Adam answered, "The woman whom you have given me." And the woman said, "It is the serpent who instructed me." And he (God) cursed the serpent, and called him "devil." And he said, "Behold, Adam has become like one of us, knowing evil and good." Then he said, "Let us cast him out of paradise, lest he take from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever." (The Testimony of Truth)
And in one place, Moses writes, "He made the devil a serpent <for> those whom he has in his generation." Also, in the book which is called "Exodus," it is written thus: "He contended against the magicians, when the place was full of serpents according to their wickedness; and the rod which was in the hand of Moses became a serpent, (and) it swallowed the serpents of the magicians."
Again it is written (Nm 21:9), "He made a serpent of bronze (and) hung it upon a pole ...
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... which [...] for the one who will gaze upon this bronze serpent, none will destroy him, and the one who will believe in this bronze serpent will be saved." For this is Christ; those who believed in him have received life. Those who did not believe will die. (The Testimony of Truth)
The "serpent" of the garden of Eden is sense consciousness. It may also be called desire, and pleasure (sin), or the activity of life in an external expression, apart from the Source of life. When the life is lifted to the realization that it is Spirit, it becomes healing, as illustrated by Moses' lifting up the serpent in the wilderness. Those who had been bitten by the fiery serpents (lustful expressions of life) were healed when they looked upon the serpent that was lifted up by Moses at the command of God. They looked up, or perceived the truth about divine life, and their minds and bodies were cleansed
VERSE8
"And Yahweh said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent" — In appearance, this brazen serpent looked like those on the ground, but it lacked their poisonous venom. In Hebrew, the word "serpent" does not appear in this verse, only the word saraph. Saraph sigifies to consume by burning. The verb is frequently used for complete and utter burning (Exod. 12:10; 29:14; Lev. 4:19,21; 8:32 etc.), particularly in sacrifice when the flesh was consumed by fire. Hence the serpent on the pole represented flesh purified, having gone through the fire, where- as the serpents on the ground represented
the flesh in active sin. Yahweh provided a saraph of copper to heal the deadly infection caused by the venom of the fiery
serpents. The Scriptures say of the Lord: "With his stripes we are healed . . . Yah- weh laid on him the iniquity of us all" vIsa. 53:5-6; 2 Cor. 5:21; Rom. 8:3). Flesh puri- fied will conquer the undiscipled world eventually (Isa. 6:6-7), hence the re- ference to the Seraphim in Scripture (Isa. 6:2; Rev. 4:8).
The brazen serpent typed the sacrifice of the Lord, as he declared:"As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up; that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life" (John 3:14-15. See also John 12:32,33). Christ came in "the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. 8:3), but he conquered its power. The brazen serpent on the pole, therefore, represented flesh crucified. It testified to the Israelites that they had to figuratively crucify the flesh if they would be saved
from the death that was even then working through their members (Gal. 5:24).
"And set it upon a pole" — The word is nes. The same word is sometimes used to describe an ensign designed to call the people together (Isa. 11:12). The serpent on the pole, therefore, represented a public exhibition of sin's flesh silenced, conquered and crucified. Paul explained to the Galatian brethren that "Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you" (Gal. 3:1). His words signify that the crucified Lord Jesus had been publicly exhibited or placarded before humanity for the purpose of saving them from their sins. A similar exhibition was provided at this time of crisis in the wilderness.
"And it shall come to pass, that everyone that is bitten" — Those who felt the serpent's bite were invited to view the brazen serpent. This is the first essential to salvation to this day. A person must recognise his need of Christ, must realise that he is death-doomed and sinful, and so understand the urgency of his case, in order to acceptably approach God for salvation. In the wilderness, those who felt the effect of
the venom working through their bodies realised the urgency of their need and
hastened to seek the salvation offered by Yahweh. The same urgency must be instilled into those who are drawn by the Gospel today.
"When he looked upon it shall live" — Those bitten by the serpents were taught
by God's Word to look upon the brazen serpent. They did not dispute what they should do, because they realised that time was critical, and their opportunity to escape death was limited. Immediate obedience to the instructions was imperative if
they were to live. The same urgency remains today. On the day of Pentecost, Peter spake many words making that
point: "With many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation" (Acts 2:40). In effect, he was repeating Moses' appeal.
However, it must be recognised that
there was no magic in the serpent. The efficacy did not come from it, for it was lifeless and unable to help. The efficacy came from within the onlooker who had to exercise faith in the power of Yahweh to save. In the serpent on the pole they saw represented what was required of them: putting to death the desires and deeds of
the flesh; a typical crucifixion of it as the way to life. It was the flesh that was re- sponsible for the faithless murmuring that
had brought the Israelites to the point of
der.th: and it had to be repudiated. Those "bitten" by the serpent had been made conscious of personal sin, and therfore humbled to seek the help of Yahweh through Moses. They realised that they did not conform to the harmlessness of the serpent on the pole, but manifested venom in their tongues like those on the ground. They had "sharpened their tongues like a serpent: adders' poison was under their lips" and they murmured
against Moses and against God (Psa. 140:3). They had to learn to crucify the flesh, to overcome it whilst seeking the forgiveness of Yahweh.
VERSE 9
"And Moses made a serpent of brass and put it upon a pole" — The metal would have had to go through the fire in order to be shaped, and in doing so would have been purified (Num. 31:23; 16:38). This pointed forward to the Lord Jesus of whom it is written: "he learned obedience by the things which he suffered" (Heb. 5:8). The "things he suffered" were elements in his purification. In regard to the serpent in the wilderness, it is questioned as to whether the metal was bronze or copper. Both were known to the ancients. Bronze is an alloy of copper and tin. Bronze utensils have been found at Lachish and at Troy, showing that it was in use in ancient times. It is suggested that such bronze was made directly from a copper ore containing tin long before the two metals were artificially mixed. See The Cambridge Bible. The Hebrew word nechosheth signifies "copper" in Job 28:2, where it is described as a metal smelted directly from the ore.
"And it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass he lived." — Rotherham renders this: "As soon as he directed his look unto the serpent of brass . . ." A deliberate seeking of the serpent was required, not an accidental glance at it as the A.V. rendition might suggest. The Heb- rew word "beheld" is nabat and signifies to scan, to look intently at. One can imagine the long, steady look that would be given by those bitten by the serpents, and who felt "the answer of death in themselves". "Look unto Me, and be ye saved", is the appeal of Yahweh (Isa. 45:22); "Look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of faith" (Heb. 12:2). The eyes of those who would be saved must be earnestly centred upon the Lord, must consider him as revealed in the Word, pondering his character and ways (see John 6:40), "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world", proclaimed John (John 1:29). Israel after the flesh will be compelled to do this at his second coming (Zech. 12:10). This drama in the wilderness taught the new generation of Israelites the need of disciplining self, and of seeking in faith the redemption that they could obtain in Yah- weh. They were clearly shown that the healing power was not in the brazen serpent itself, but in Yahweh Who had ordered the whole process. When the afflicted
Israelites looked at the serpent, they did so in obedience to God and in faith that it
would heal. So with redemption in Christ. Christ is powerless to heal stricken humanity in the absence of a personal faith (Heb. 11:6). The whole process of redemption in Him is Divine, and must be according to God's requirements. It is God motivated, and witnesses to the love of God: "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). That statement is made on the background of reference to the serpent in the wilderness. Love, faith and action are all fused to bring about redemption.
The brazen serpent was preserved until the time of Hezekiah, who destroyed it
because it had become an object of wor- ship, which was idolatry (2 Kings 18:4). This taught that it was not in the type, but in the reality, that the work of redemption is effected. See Paul's comment in 1 Cor. 10:9
