The Brazen Serpent

Most know the story of the children of Israel and the fiery serpents. Fiery serpents were sent to them as punishment and they were commanded to look upon a brazen serpent and they would live. There is a lot more to this story than what appears in Numbers.

What did they do to receive this punishment? They murmured, or complained. They spoke out against God and Moses (Numbers 21: 4-9). They were sick and tired of wandering around in the desert with nothing but manna to eat. For most of us looking back on this, it is hard to believe that the children of Israel could forget all that the Lord had done for them. The Lord miraculously gave them manna to eat and then it wasn't enough. He brought them out of bondage in Egypt and then they wanted to go back. These, along with many other things had the Lord done for them only to have the Israelites turn their backs on Him. People of today (including myself) are often like this. We turn to the Lord during good times and then complain when things get bad. We think, "Why me?" forgetting all that the Lord has done for us in times past. We do this not realizing that He can make those hard times better if we will just turn to Him.

There is some very interesting symbolism found in this story. Throughout this class, I have found that so many stories represent Christ in ways that I had not realized before. This is one of those stories. The Book of Mormon gives us better insight into this story. In Alma 33:18-22 and Helaman 8:13-16, it states that the brazen serpent that Moses lifted up is in similitude to the Savior. In Helaman, it states that just as the serpent was lifted up, so shall Jesus Christ be lifted up on the cross. And just as the Israelites were saved as they looked upon the serpent, so shall we be saved as we look to the Savior with faith that we will be healed.

How does one "look" to Christ for healing? By having faith in His Atonement. By going to Him in reverence and prayer. By reading His word and living it to the best of our ability. How can we be healed? The pains of sins can be washed away. We can be made clean again through the Atonement. I we can receive comfort and healing in times of trial.

There are simple things we can do in the Gospel to heal us. My number one thing would be to read the scriptures. This brings us closer to the Savior and provides great healing during hard times. Prayer, sincere prayer, is also at the top. As we sincerely converse with our Savior and Heavenly Father, we will receive great healing as well. Other things we can do is take the sacrament every week, attend the temple, serve others, and so on.

I would like to end by testifying that I have seen and felt the healing effects of the Atonement in my life. At a time of great trial, when my family was falling apart, I turned to and "looked" to the Savior for comfort and support. And I received it. The wounds that I received through that time have been healed through the Atonement. I know that the Savior loves me and all of us. I know that His Atonement is real and that He can heal us as we look to Him.