Nehushtan was a bronze serpent described in the Bible in Numbers 21:4-9. The Israelites were journeying through the wilderness after being delivered from slavery in Egypt. They became impatient and spoke against God and Moses, complaining about the lack of food and water. As punishment, God sent venomous snakes among the people, and many were bitten and died. The people repented and asked Moses to pray to God to take the snakes away. God instructed Moses to make a bronze serpent and mount it on a pole. When anyone who was bitten by a snake looked up at the bronze serpent, they would live.
This bronze serpent remained with the Israelites and eventually became an object of idolatrous worship. Years later, the righteous King Hezekiah instituted religious reforms and destroyed Nehushtan, as it had become an idol that the people burned incense to (2 Kings 18:4). The fact that the bronze serpent was originally made at God’s command did not justify its continued worship once it had been turned into an idol.
There are a few key things to understand about Nehushtan:
- It was made of bronze and mounted on a pole.
- God used it as an instrument of healing and deliverance from snakebites.
- Looking up at it in faith brought healing.
- Over time it became an idol that was worshipped.
- Since it had become an object of idolatry, it was rightfully destroyed.
Nehushtan is also symbolic of Jesus Christ being lifted up on the cross for our deliverance from sin. Just as those who looked to the bronze serpent were healed, those who look to Christ in faith are healed from sin’s deadly bite (John 3:14-15). An object God once used for good purpose was destroyed when turned into an idol; whereas Jesus remains the eternal Son of God, Savior and true object of our worship.
In summary, Nehushtan was originally a God-ordained bronze serpent used to heal snakebites, but later became an idolatrous object rightfully destroyed by King Hezekiah. It symbolically pointed to Christ, the One who takes away the sins of the world.
Some key Bible verses about Nehushtan include:
Numbers 21:4-9 – Tells how God had Moses make a bronze serpent to heal snakebites.
2 Kings 18:4 – Records how King Hezekiah broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because it had become an idol called Nehushtan that the people burned incense to.
John 3:14-15 – Jesus refers to the bronze serpent being lifted up, saying the Son of Man must also be lifted up so that those who believe in Him will have eternal life.
Nehushtan was an object that brought life yet became an idol that led to death. Christ remains the only true source of eternal life. He is superior to any serpent, statue, symbol or object of worship. Through His death on the cross and resurrection from the dead, Jesus alone offers salvation to all who put their faith in Him.
The story of Nehushtan provides a sobering lesson on idolatry. Anything we exalt over God, no matter how beneficial it may seem, will ultimately prove to be a spiritual dead end. Fixing our eyes on Jesus, who bore our sins on the cross, is the only sure way to find forgiveness, meaning, and eternal life.
As an object of healing, Nehushtan foreshadowed God’s power and mercy. The bronze serpent itself had no magical qualities – the people were healed by looking up to it in faith according to God’s word. In the same way, it is not enough to merely admire the cross of Christ – we must look to Him in faith for salvation.
The story of Nehushtan warns us that spiritual artifacts, symbols and relics can easily become idols. Anything that replaces the true worship of God is an idol. Even crosses, if revered as talismans or lucky charms rather than focusing our faith on what Christ accomplished, can become idolatrous.
Nehushtan reminds us that our obedience must remain flexible. When Moses first crafted Nehushtan at God’s command, venerating it would have been obedient. But later, when it had become an idol, destroying it became the obedient course of action. Our loyalty must remain to God above any traditions, relics or symbols.
Though it was destroyed as an idolatrous object, Nehushtan continued to evoke an important symbolic lesson. As Christ Himself said, it foreshadowed His death on the cross and the gift of eternal life offered in His name (John 3:14-15). The bronze serpent elevated on a pole prefigured the Son of God being lifted up for our salvation.
The destruction of the bronze serpent Nehushtan marked a turning point in Israel’s religious history. Prior generations had fallen into comfortable idolatry rationalized by the serpent’s role in their past deliverance. Future generations would need to be vigilant against any meaningless ritual or seemingly benign object that could become an idol and diversion from true worship of God.
As the Bronze Age gave way to the Iron Age, Nehushtan represented an obsolete relic from Israel’s past wandering in the wilderness. Its destruction was symbolic of spiritual progression towards true monotheistic faith and away from syncretistic idolatry. Just as blacksmithing advanced from bronze to iron, so too would Israel’s religion advance to removing idols.
The story of Nehushtan also demonstrates the importance of vigilance against idolatry. The bronze serpent was preserved for 700 years before Josiah recognized it had become an idol that was unfaithful to God. It is easy for us to gradually accommodate idolatrous practices without even noticing. We must frequently re-examine our traditions and symbols to ensure they are aligned with true, biblical worship.
Nehushtan reminds us that our focus should be on the cross of Christ, not relics associated with it. Many Christian traditions revere icons, crosses and artifacts that represent events in Jesus’ passion. But we must remember these items have no power, and can become distractions or idols if we allow them to replace simple devotion to Christ.
The description of Nehushtan as something Moses had made, rather than being crafted by God’s direct action, hints at how it could eventually be misused. Anything made simply by human effort, no matter how spiritual its intent, risks drawing undue attention and veneration to itself rather than glorifying God alone.
King Hezekiah’s willingness to destroy cherished antiquities for the sake of true worship provides a model for prioritizing relationship with God over religious formalities. His bold reforms remind us that obedient faith requires examining and sometimes removing comfortable rituals and relics that may have become spiritually empty.
Some see Nehushtan as a relic of Israel’s idolatrous past, but it can also represent overcoming such sinful inclinations. Just as Moses lifted up the serpent to save lives, Christ was lifted up to heal us from sin’s deathly venom. Nehushtan’s destruction marked a turning point towards true faith.
Nehushtan was revered not for any inherent power, but because of God’s word attached to it. This regularization led to idolatry. We must be careful to avoid “bible idolatry” – granting undue reverence to scripture itself versus the Divine Author’s character and purposes communicated through it.
The problem with Nehushtan was not that people were remembering their history, but that they had imbued an object with spiritual power. Seeing God’s past faithfulness should inspire our present worship and hope, not ritualistic observances. We do well to recall His acts without elevating symbols of them above God Himself.
Those healed by gazing on the bronze serpent were restored to physical life, but still destined to die. Christ uses this symbol to teach that He alone provides eternal life to those who look to Him in faith. Nehushtan offered a temporal cure, but Christ offers spiritual healing and everlasting life to all who believe in Him.
Nehushtan was originally an object of faith when turned towards God, but became an empty relic when treated as an idol. The difference was not in Nehushtan itself, but in the eyes of those who saw it. May our eyes remain fixed on the cross of Christ, where His completed work and full sufficiency are displayed.
The story of Nehushtan provides insight into God’s displeasure with idolatry. A relic originally given by God later incited His wrath when turned into an object of worship. This reveals God’s passion for His own glory and hostility toward anything that seeks to rob Him of it.
As an instrument of deliverance, Nehushtan pointed to God’s mercy. But as an object of veneration, it became a roadblock preventing true worship. God desires to save, but will not tolerate idolatry. Salvation comes by God’s grace through faith in Christ alone.
In directing Moses to craft Nehushtan, God accommodated the Israelites’ limited understanding to provide mercy and reveal His power. But such relics could only ever be temporary means of teaching. Mature faith requires directly worshipping and serving the Lord through obedient relationship, not ritual.
The bronze serpent symbolized both the consequence of sin, through the snakebites, and the provision of salvation, through looking to the lifted-up serpent. Like Adam and Eve’s disobedience, Israel’s sin brought venomous judgment. But God graciously provided a means of rescue from the deadly result.
Nehushtan reveals a repeated biblical pattern of using serpents – symbols of deception and death from Genesis onward – as signs of sin judged and salvation offered. From Moses’ pole to Christ’s cross, God provides healing from sin’s curse by absorbing its bite to give us life.
Idolatry progresses gradually. The Israelites did not immediately worship Nehushtan, but slowly gave undue reverence to the symbol of their deliverance rather than the Deliverer Himself. We must vigilantly remember that God shares His glory with no person or thing.
The destruction of the bronze serpent invites reflection on how to relate to controversial artifacts. Should they be destroyed to avoid idolatry? Preserved to teach discernment? Or repurposed somehow for God’s glory? There are no simple answers, but Christ’s supremacy remains the litmus test.
Nehushtan calls us to honestly evaluate our sacred symbols and rituals. Do they aid worship and align with Scripture? Or have they subtly become spiritual crutches directing faith away from God? Traditions can serve good purposes but also pose dangers.
Moses raising up Nehushtan as a tool of healing foreshadowed Christ’s death bringing salvation. The serpent prefigured the Savior. But when Nehushtan became an idol, it no longer pointed people to God’s mercy. We must be careful our religious symbols lead people to the Source of true life.
The serpent used by God’s directive brought temporal healing to snakebitten Israelites, anticipating Christ’s work bringing eternal healing to sinbitten humanity. When Nehushtan was destroyed, it demonstrated that emblems of God’s grace have worth only insofar as they reveal His character.
Nehushtan was originally an instrument of God’s power and mercy. But when Israel perverted it into an object of worship, it had to be destroyed. We must be vigilant against turning good things meant to direct us to God into ends in themselves. The Giver is greater than every gift.
The story of Nehushtan displays God’s displeasure with idolatry, but also His patience. Hundreds of years passed before He finally commanded its destruction. God gives much time for repentance, but will not indefinitely tolerate rivals to His glory.
Nehushtan’s origins reveal how God blesses those who repent. Its creation followed Israel confessing their sin of speaking against Him and Moses. God is quick to show mercy when His people turn from sin and back to Him.
The fact that righteous King Hezekiah had to destroy Nehushtan indicates how easily religion can accumulate practices and objects that distract from true worship of God. We must regularly re-examine how we “do church” to maintain biblical faithfulness.
