Quote Originally Posted by allodial View Post
In context: the people were murmuring and speaking ill of God and Moses. The serpents bit them in judgment for PUNISHMENT. The reason they were healed upon looking at the brazen serpent IS BECAUSE OF FAITH--has nothing to do with the serpent representing wisdom. The non-living serpent put to death on the pole would more likely represent something like putting carnal mind or carnality to death or in check rather than wisdom coming from the serpent. The serpent as wisdom is error. The serpent's venom led to death even in the Garden of Eden ... it led to death in the wilderness. What isn't super obvious that serpents venom cause death. Forbidden knowledge is perhaps forbidden because it can be poisonous?



1. LORD says do something.
2. Moses obeys and in faith does it.
3. Moses' faith and obedience has the desired effect.

Seems to me that they are all under Moses' trusteeship. It was ALWAYS FAITH from Abraham through to Jesus Christ. The faith of the high priest can be powerful even when others might lack it.



It was Moses' faith or the faith of the onlooker who believed that looking at the brazen serpent would have that effect if they were told. ALWAYS FAITH. The Serpent was used for JUDGEMENT/DAMNATION not wisdom. God in his providence showed that he had power of recall the judgment (left hand). That is what that arrangement was. If you read the whole story, you'll see it was all about faith from end to end. It was faith rather than KNOWLEDGE or GNOSIS that saved them!

The Brazen serpent was inanimate..so in a sense a 'dead snake' rather than a live one.

For those who don't quite get the point:

1. God said or promised something to Noah.
2. Noah believed it, obeyed, had faith.
3. Noah and others were saved through Noah's faith.

Reiterating:
1. God said or promised something to Moses.
2. Moses believed it, obeyed, had faith.
3. Many were saved through Moses' faith.
Faith is only for the one who does not know.