When God Uses a Serpent: What Moses, Medicine, and the Cross Teach Us About Healing

Christians have long wrestled with the strange moment in Numbers 21 when God instructs Moses to lift up a bronze serpent so that the dying might live (Num. 21:4–9). The serpent, after all, is the Bible’s earliest symbol of deception and rebellion. It slithers into Eden as the embodiment of temptation (Gen. 3:1–5). It becomes shorthand for Satan himself (Rev. 12:9). And yet, in the wilderness, God chooses that very image as the instrument of healing.

At first glance, the story seems to clash with another serpent‑bearing staff familiar to modern eyes: the Rod of Asclepius, the ancient Greek symbol of medicine. Today it adorns hospitals, ambulances, and medical schools. It represents the healing arts, the physician’s vocation, and the Hippocratic tradition.

Two staffs. Two serpents. Two visions of healing.

One emerges from the desert sands of Sinai, the other from the temples of Greek mythology. One is commanded by God, the other by pagan imagination. One is destroyed for becoming an idol; the other is embraced as a global emblem of care.

Yet both raise a deeper question: What does it mean that healing—whether divine or medical—has been symbolized by a creature associated with danger, curse, and death?

The answer leads us straight to the heart of the gospel.

The Serpent of Judgment and Mercy

Numbers 21 is a story of rebellion, consequence, and mercy. The Israelites, weary of wilderness wandering, speak against God and Moses. In response, the Lord sends “fiery serpents” among them, and many die (Num. 21:6). When the people repent, God does not remove the serpents. Instead, He instructs Moses to make a bronze serpent, lift it on a pole, and invite the bitten to look and live (Num. 21:8–9).

The object itself has no power. The healing comes from God. The serpent is a sign—a visible confession of guilt and a visible invitation to mercy.

The paradox is intentional. The people are healed not by avoiding the symbol of their judgment but by confronting it. They must look at the very image of what is killing them. They must acknowledge the consequence of their sin. And in that act of looking, they discover that God’s mercy is greater than their rebellion.

This is not Satan being honored. It is sin being exposed. It is judgment being acknowledged. It is grace being received.

The serpent is not a celebration of evil. It is a proclamation that God can redeem even the most cursed symbol.

The Serpent in Scripture: A Symbol of Both Curse and Confrontation

The serpent appears throughout Scripture as a complex figure:

  • Genesis 3: The serpent deceives Eve, bringing humanity into sin and death.
  • Exodus 7:8–12: Aaron’s staff becomes a serpent before Pharaoh, swallowing the serpents of Egypt’s magicians—a sign of God’s superior power.
  • Deuteronomy 8:15: The wilderness is described as a land of “fiery serpents,” reminding Israel of their dependence on God.
  • Psalm 91:13: The faithful are promised victory over “the serpent” and “the adder.”
  • Luke 10:19: Jesus gives His disciples authority “to tread on serpents,” symbolizing triumph over evil.
  • Revelation 12:9: Satan is called “that ancient serpent,” tying the biblical story together.

The serpent is consistently a symbol of danger, deception, and judgment. Which makes God’s use of it in Numbers 21 all the more striking.

The Serpent of Greek Medicine

Centuries later, Greek mythology developed its own serpent‑staff: the Rod of Asclepius. Asclepius, the god of healing, was said to carry a wooden staff with a single serpent coiled around it. The serpent symbolized renewal, wisdom, and the mysterious balance between life and death. Ancient healing temples—asclepieia—used serpents in their rituals, believing them to possess restorative power.

The Hippocratic Oath, in its earliest form, invokes Asclepius and his serpent-bearing family of healing deities. While modern versions remove the pagan references, the symbol remains. Today, the Rod of Asclepius is the most widely recognized emblem of medicine.

Unlike Moses’ serpent, the Greek serpent was never meant to confront sin or point to divine mercy. It represented human skill, natural healing, and the physician’s craft. It was a symbol of hope rooted in human wisdom rather than divine intervention.

Yet the visual similarity between the two staffs invites comparison. Why do both traditions—biblical and pagan—associate healing with a creature that can kill?

The Shared Symbol and the Divergent Story

The overlap is not accidental. Across cultures, serpents have represented both danger and renewal. They shed their skin. They survive in harsh environments. They evoke fear and fascination. They are creatures of paradox—deadly yet enduring, feared yet revered.

But the meanings diverge sharply.

In Israel’s story:

  • The serpent is a symbol of judgment (Num. 21:6).
  • Healing comes from God, not the object (Num. 21:8).
  • The bronze serpent is destroyed when it becomes an idol (2 Kings 18:4).
  • Its purpose is temporary, prophetic, and fulfilled in Christ.

In Greek tradition:

  • The serpent is a symbol of healing and wisdom.
  • Healing comes from human skill and divine myth.
  • The staff becomes a permanent emblem of medicine.
  • Its purpose is cultural, not theological.

Both use the same creature. But they tell opposite stories about the source of healing and the nature of salvation.

Why Would God Choose a Serpent?

Scripture gives us several clues.

1. God often uses the symbol of the curse to reverse the curse.

This is a divine pattern:

  • The cross—an instrument of execution—becomes the means of salvation (Gal. 3:13).
  • Joseph’s suffering becomes the means of saving his family (Gen. 50:20).
  • Paul’s “thorn” becomes the place where God’s power is perfected (2 Cor. 12:7–10).

God delights in overturning the enemy’s symbols and using them for His glory.

2. The serpent in Numbers represents the consequence of sin, not Satan himself.

The fiery serpents are sent by God as judgment (Num. 21:6).

The bronze serpent is a representation of that judgment (Num. 21:8–9).

The people are healed by acknowledging the consequence of their rebellion and trusting God’s mercy.

3. Jesus Himself interprets the serpent as a prophecy of the cross.

In John 3:14–15, Jesus says:

“As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.” (KJV)

Why compare Himself to a serpent?

Because on the cross, Jesus takes on the appearance of the curse.

Paul says:

  • “He hath made him to be sin for us” (2 Cor. 5:21, KJV).
  • “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law” (Gal. 3:13, KJV).

The serpent fits because Jesus bears the judgment we deserve.

4. The serpent forces us to confront the reality of sin before we receive healing.

Israel had to look at the symbol of their judgment.

We must look at the crucified Christ bearing our judgment.

Healing comes not by ignoring sin but by facing it—and finding mercy.

The Staffs in Our Modern Wilderness

Today, the Rod of Asclepius remains a global symbol of healing. It represents the noble calling of physicians, nurses, and medical professionals who labor to preserve life. Christians can affirm this work as a gift of common grace. Medicine is not opposed to faith; it is one of the ways God heals the world.

But the bronze serpent reminds us that physical healing, while good, is not ultimate. The deepest wounds are not in our bodies but in our souls. The most dangerous poison is not venom but sin. And the most profound healing comes not from human skill but from the One lifted up for our salvation.

The two staffs—Moses’ and Asclepius’—stand as symbols of two kinds of healing:

  • One heals the body.
  • One heals the soul.
  • One is rooted in human wisdom.
  • One is rooted in divine mercy.
  • One treats symptoms.
  • One cures the disease beneath all diseases.

Both have their place. But only one leads to eternal life.

When Symbols Become Idols

There is a sobering footnote to the story of Moses’ serpent. Centuries later, Israel began to worship it. They burned incense to it. They treated the symbol as if it had power in itself. In response, King Hezekiah destroyed it, calling it Nehushtan—“a piece of bronze” (2 Kings 18:4).

The lesson is clear:

Even God‑given symbols can become idols when we trust the sign instead of the Savior.

Modern culture has its own serpent‑staffs—symbols of health, progress, and human achievement. They are good gifts, but they cannot save. They cannot forgive. They cannot heal the wounds of the heart.

Only the One lifted up on the cross can do that.

Looking and Living

The story of the bronze serpent is ultimately a story about Christ. Jesus invites us, like the Israelites, to look and live. To see in His crucifixion the judgment we deserve and the mercy we could never earn. To acknowledge the poison of sin and receive the antidote of grace.

The Rod of Asclepius points to the limits of human healing.

The bronze serpent points to the limitless mercy of God.

The cross fulfills what the serpent foreshadowed.

Two staffs.

Two serpents.

Two visions of healing.

One temporary.

One eternal.

And in the wilderness of our own lives, the invitation remains the same:

Look to the One lifted up.

Look and live.