Episode Details

Episode 260 examines the bronze serpent in Numbers 21 and the apparent conflict with the second commandment, explaining how the image functioned as a God-given symbol — not an idol — and how Israel later misused it.

The episode explores the historical context, the difference between symbol and worship, Hezekiah’s destruction of Nahushtan, and Jesus’ reference in John 3 that the bronze serpent foreshadowed his being lifted up for salvation. It closes with practical lessons about guarding against turning good things into substitutes for God.

References to items discussed and/or used on this podcast may be found at the following:

buymeacoffee.com/lancesmith 

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Website

The Bible Difficulties and Answers Facebook Page

Email Address: bibledifficultiesandanswers@gmail.com 

1. Geisler, Norman L., and Thomas Howe. The Big Book of Bible Difficulties. Baker Books, 1992. Available at: https://a.co/d/7shn4hI 
2. Gill, David L. “Snakes on a Plain: Numbers 21:4-9.” Covenant Theological Seminary paper, November 24, 2010. Available at: https://www.academia.edu/12579792/Snakes_on_a_Plain_Numbers_21_4_9
3. GotQuestions.org. “Why is a bronze serpent used to save the Israelites in Numbers 21:8-9?” https://www.gotquestions.org/bronze-serpent.html
4. JesusPlusNothing.com. “Faith, Idolatry and the Bronze Serpent.” https://jesusplusnothing.com/series/post/Wilderness8Num21
5. ChristOverall.com. “Snakes Alive!? or How Jesus Fulfills Numbers 21.” https://christoverall.com/article/concise/snakes-alive-or-how-jesus-fulfills-numbers-21/
6. Keystone Project. “Lessons from the Bronze Serpent.” https://www.keystoneproject.org/blog/lessons-from-the-bronze-serpent
7. BibleHub. “Why would God command Moses to create a bronze serpent?” https://biblehub.com/q/why_did_god_command_a_bronze_serpent.htm
8. TheTorah.com. “Nehushtan, the Copper Serpent: Its Origins and Fate.” https://www.thetorah.com/article/nehushtan-the-copper-serpent-its-origins-and-fate
9. Awabdy, Mark A. “Snake Iconography, Mythology, and the Meaning of the Bronze Snake Image in Numbers 21:4–9 and 2 Kings 18:4.” The Asbury Journal 77, no. 2 (2022): 217–244. https://place.asburyseminary.edu/asburyjournal/vol77/iss2/5 (PDF available via the site)
10. YouthPastorTheologian.com. “The Bronze Snake and John 3:16… A Lesson in Typology.” https://www.youthpastortheologian.com/blog/the-bronze-snake-and-john-316-a-lesson-in-typology