Hezekiah, Part 3
The Brazen Serpent – Nehushtan
Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth: (Deuteronomy 5:8)
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. {Nehushtan: that is, A piece of brass} (2 Kings 18:4) The brazen serpent — what a mystery — since the days of Moses the children of Israel burnt incense to this image. It was approximately 725 years from when Moses had made this brazen serpent to the ascension of king Hezekiah to the throne of Judah. The creation and the application of this serpent was done at the commandment of God because Israel had murmured against God, and against His servant Moses.
And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. (Numbers 21:4)
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. (Numbers 21:5)
And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:6)
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.(Numbers 21:7)
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.(Numbers 21:8)
And 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. (Numbers 21:9)
In judgment against the people, Jehovah had sent venomous serpents among the nation. These were poisonous serpents so that when a man was bitten he would surely die. For the soul that sinneth shall die is the judgment on all men of this world. The ever seeing eye of God sees all, and He the Omniscient One who knows all. Hide Adam, hide where you will, yet God will find you, and reveal your sin. In desperation for their lives, Israel cried unto Moses, and this man of God prayed unto the Lord, and God commanded Moses to make this brazen serpent to remove death from the serpent’s bite. As by one man sin came into the world, and death by sin, so death has passed upon all men for all had been bitten by the fiery serpent. So in the fullness of time God sent forth His Son to remove the fiery serpent, and the sting of death from the serpent’s bite; therefore, if a man has faith in, and of the Son of God, he has everlasting life. For 725 years this serpent had hung around. The children of Israel had burned incense to it. This was not commanded by God; the serpent was given for a specific purpose, and the purpose was to deliver those who had been bitten by the serpent, and had the sentence of death upon them. If they looked to the serpent, they would live. If they turned their backs then they would die. Isn’t it so with man today? He has the opportunity to live in Jesus Christ, or to turn away and die. At the end of this judgment of God, the brazen serpent was to be destroyed; however, the children of Israel kept it, and treated it as a lucky charm. They worshiped it as an object of deity, which was not commanded by God. Thou shalt not make 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 waters beneath the earth: (Deuteronomy 5:8) And so, they were in harm’s way under God’s judgment.
How did the brazen serpent survive for 725 years?
In the days of Joshua, when the children of Israel crossed over the Jordan, someone had to carry the brazen serpent hidden from the view of Joshua into the new land. As the serpent had removed the curse of death from them, now they were putting themselves under the judgment of God by preserving this artifact. It had escaped from the view of Joshua and was now in the land of promise. I’m sure that it gathered a following, for only with a great following could it had survived all those years. Remember that in the days of Hezekiah, it was found in the house of God, in the holy place. The Levites had been sent by Hezekiah to cleanse the house of the Lord. When they found this brazen serpent, this find was so great that the Holy Spirit made reference to the brazen serpent, He specifically said ‘that Moses had made.’ The phraseology in this verse 4 of 2 Kings 18 leaves no doubt that this was that exact serpent that Moses had made — not a copy, but the actual serpent image. The words for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it: until this day clarifies its ancient origin. So, what now, Hezekiah? You have 725 years of tradition facing you, and you have a decision to make. Which way will you go? Thanks be to God, for a godly mother who raised this king to know the word of God. He took the brazen serpent and called it Nehushtan, a piece of brass. The Bible specifies that it was Hezekiah who broke the brazen serpent in pieces. I would like to think that he ground that old serpent to dust with all the other idolatrous items taken out of the house of God, and they were all cast into the brook Kidron. And the priests went into the inner part of the house of the LORD, to cleanse it, and brought out all the uncleanness that they found in the temple of the LORD into the court of the house of the LORD. And the Levites took it, to carry it out abroad into the brook Kidron. (2 Chronicles 29:16)
It was in the inner part of the house of the Lord that this serpent of brass was found. What a history, Moses had made this serpent of brass to save the people of Israel from the serpent’s bite, yet someone with a character of Achan hid the serpent, started the serpent cult, and burnt incense to it. Think of the ages that this cult existed throughout the days of Joshua, and through the days of Gideon and Samuel, and through the days of David and Solomon, one king after another, the cult grew, and finally the Levites embraced it, as part of the service of God. It passed through Asa’s kingdom, Jehoshaphat, and Uzziah’s kingdom; even into the days of Jehoiada, the godly priest, it was still reverenced, and now finally after 725 years of national recognition and worship a 25-year-old king destroys it. I can hear the arguments and dissent echoing in the ears of Hezekiah, ‘we have worshiped this brazen serpent for over 725 years, it was made by Moses, a man of God, and he made it by the commandment of the Lord, our fathers burned incense to it, and worshiped it all these years, surely what harm can this be, isn’t it also used to teach the children the things of God, let’s not forget the children.’ Now, Hezekiah, how do you make your decision? A godly mother had taught him the Word of God, he could recite the psalms, and the proverbs of Solomon, and I am sure many other scriptures were anchored to the door of his heart. He looked upon the brazen serpent and he correctly called it Nehushtan, a piece of brass. To him, the only value it possessed was its weight in brass. What other words came forth when he said Nehushtan? Don’t you remember when the Ark of the Covenant was taken into captivity by the Philistine, and the glory of the Lord had departed, when the dying wife of Phinehas called her son Ichabod. And his daughter in law, Phinehas’ wife, was with child, near to be delivered: and when she heard the tidings that the ark of God was taken, and that her father in law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and travailed; for her pains came upon her. (1 Samuel 4:19) And about the time of her death the women that stood by her said unto her, Fear not; for thou hast born a son. But she answered not, neither did she regard it. ( 1 Samuel 4:20) And she named the child Ichabod, saying, The glory is departed from Israel: because the ark of God was taken, and because of her father in law and her husband. {Ichabod: that is, Where is the glory? or, There is no glory} (1 Samuel 4:21)
The glory had departed, and the Ark of the Covenant was in captivity; well actually the Philistines were in captivity to the Ark of the Covenant, but the Hebrews did not know this, for His glory had departed from them. Would this not be an opportunity to bring out the brazen serpent, yet there is nothing recorded at this point by the Holy Spirit of God. The Spirit of God waits till the days of Hezekiah, and then uses Hezekiah to bring forth the judgment against this serpent of brass. Notice that the people are not brought into this judgment. God is using Hezekiah not only to bring forth His truth, but to minister grace to the people of Israel. Let the good Lord pardon His people echoes from Hezekiah’s heart and let us judge this serpent of brass for what it is, Nehushtan, a piece of brass.
We move forward to John’s gospel, chapter 3. . .
Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. (John 3:11)
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? (John 3:12)
And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. (John 3:13)
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: (John 3:14)
That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15)
The Lord Jesus reveals His Deity in verse 11 when speaking to Nicodemus, He refers to Father, Son and Holy Ghost as ‘we.’ First, He declares ‘we speak,’ this is the authority of the Godhead. And it is He, the Lord Jesus, who upholds all things by the word of His power. Then He declares, ‘we do know,’ this is the Omniscience of all three members of the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Lastly, He states, ‘we have seen,’ all that man has done, and all that man is comes under the all-seeing eye of God. This was directed to Nicodemus, who was a master of Israel, notice the Lord’s word ‘master of Israel,’ verse 10. Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? (John 3:10) The Lord includes the 12 sons of Israel, the whole nation, He does not use the word ‘Jews,’ for He is dealing with a higher truth, His own Deity. In relation to His Father and the Holy Spirit this was to declare that He was, in fact, the God of Israel standing before Nicodemus. Could Christ not see the glazed look in the eyes of Nicodemus, or the very thoughts of this Jewish scholar. Then, with authority, the Lord said to Nicodemus, If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?
Then in verse 13, And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven, the Lord reveals 3 more wonders to Nicodemus: 1, the Lord Jesus came down from heaven, He was sent of the Father.
But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, (Galatians 4:4) To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. (Galatians 4:5)
Then 2 — He would ascend back to heaven. Jesus saith unto her, Mary. She turned herself, and saith unto him, Rabboni; which is to say, Master. (John 20:16) Jesus saith unto her, Touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God. (John 20:17)
And then 3 — the Lord reveals to Nicodemus that while He was speaking to him, He was Omnipresent with the Father. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him. (John 1:18)
All this was leading to verse 14 and the brazen serpent. Nicodemus, being a master in Israel, knew the record of the serpent that Moses had made. He knew the reason for it, and I am sure that he knew the final destruction of this artifact in the days of Hezekiah. It’s purpose was to give life from death, and after the serpent’s were gone, it was to be destroyed. He knew that it had become a relic of worship, and yet the Lord used it as a reference to His death upon the cross. It was not the serpent itself, but the act of putting the serpent on the pole; in that, He, the Son of God would be lifted up before man, and thus, to remove the curse of death. That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:15)
These 2 verses of 14 and 15 tell the mind of God concerning His Son. The Son must be lifted up to give life, He must die so that I might live, what a wonder of wonders in our Savior the Lord Jesus Christ. He was lifted up on the cross; the cross is a place of death, and it was the will of the Father, that the Son would die for the sin of the world on the cross — once and only once. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation. (Hebrews 9:28)
Many today, as in the days of Hezekiah, worship the cross and burn incense to it, and to the image on it. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. (Hebrews 6:6) He was once crucified; this was the judgment of God upon His Son for the sin of the world. It will never be repeated, or could ever be repeated, for the work of the cross is, as the Lord Jesus said, ‘it is finished.’ But many today do not see the transaction that took place in the counsels of God, they look upon the cross as a repeated place of forgiveness; when in fact, grace is only given once to the individual. Grace is like a protective blanket, garment or covering, once it is given, it is for eternity. Grace comes by faith in the Son of God, and in Him alone, and that for His finished work on the cross. It is not continual, but finished. A cross is not something to wear, it is not something to worship, it is a place of death. By keeping the cross and the image upon it, one is continuing the cult of the brazen serpent, and they are putting the Lord Jesus to an open shame, and count Him unworthy. Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace? (Hebrew 10:29)
It is man’s tradition that men stumble at, they do not possess in their heart and in their souls, the knowledge of the saving grace of God. Through ignorance of Scripture, ungodly men have convinced others that one can be saved many times. When, in fact, salvation is an Omnipotent act of God through the Holy Spirit and His Son, Jesus Christ. Simple mathematics tells you that 1+1=2. Salvation brings the same conclusion, faith and grace equals eternal salvation. (F+G=ES) If the Spirit of God does not witness with your spirit, then you don’t belong to Him, and never have belonged to the Lord Jesus Christ. All the vain questions that are raised today, are raised out of ignorance of the Word of God. It is the Spirit of God and Him alone who leads us into all truth through the Word of God. The worlds’ foolishness is all around us, and the deceptive hand of Satan continues to release his evil doctrines to the children of men. To God the wisdom of this world is foolishness, and He will have no part of their foolish and vain religions.
As I said before, the cross is a place of death. Paul in reference to the cross wrote in Galatians 2:20, I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me. Paul saw the sacrificial death of Christ on the cross as the complete and finished atonement for all his transgressions. He saw himself as dead in Christ. But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world. (Galatians 6:14) The cross is only a place of death; it was the sacrifice of the Son of God that brought forth eternal salvation. It is not the wood that is worthy, nor the shape of the wood; but who was on it over 2000 years ago. There was no other Son of God, as there is no other sacrifice. There is no other name given among man whereby we must be saved then Jesus Christ. This is the miracle of grace.
As in Hezekiah’s day, we are a long way from the cross, it has been over 2000 years — how many brazen serpents are constantly around us? Too many to count. Some of them are open and can be seen of all men, and some are concealed in the secret counsels of men. Nevertheless, they are there, and they are all Nehushtan, a piece if brass. So as Christians, I might clarify, I mean being born of the Spirit of God, redeemed by the blood of Christ, and partakers of the Father’s bosom with Christ whereby we can cry ‘Abba Father,’ we should surround ourselves with the Person of Christ. Let us look within ourselves, not the outward and that which the world sees, but what is deep down in our souls. Let’s go into the sanctuary of our soul and start to clean the holy place. Let’s get rid of all that which defiles the soul, and stands between the soul and God’s righteousness, let us fill the soul with the presence of Christ, and His Word. Let us memorize and sing His word to the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ. Let the Spirit of God have His way with your soul, the door will swing wide open and He will come in, and sup with you. We can only stand in the power of His might when we stand with Christ. The brazen serpent must go, and I say that all tradition is in some way a brazen serpent. Read Revelation 2 and 3 — this is the history of the Church given in prophetic pictures by John. Count all the brazen serpents that God reveals in these churches, although they have not been made by Moses, they have been created by the traditions of men, and therefore they have been a hindrance to the Church of God. In each one of these churches there is an overcomer — as there was a Hezekiah, and there was a Josiah, and there was a Antipas. Finally, my brethren . . .
See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men. (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
Rejoice evermore. (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
Pray without ceasing. (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Quench not the Spirit. (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Despise not prophesyings. (1 Thessalonians 5:20)
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. (1 Thessalonians 5:21)
Abstain from all appearance of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:22)
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Thessalonians 5:23)
Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it. (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
Amen.
© Copyright 2015, Michael Haigh
Article may be used, but not for gain. “Freely ye have received, freely give.”
All Scripture references are from the King James Bible. (KJV)