God made him who had no sin to be sin

After the Israelites were freed from slavery in Egypt they wandered in the desert for forty years until the generation that lived in Egypt had died and a new generation could enter the promised land.  Only two individuals from the Egypt-generation were allowed to enter the promised land: Joshua and Caleb.  During this time of wandering God provided food in the form of manna and water for the people.  God himself was their supply and provision, yet the people of Israel frequently became impatient and complained.  Here is the story of one such episode:

4 From Mount Hor they set out by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. And the people became impatient on the way. 5 And the people spoke against God and against Moses, “Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no food and no water, and we loathe this worthless food.” 6 Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that many people of Israel died. 7 And the people came to Moses and said, “We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord and against you. Pray to the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us.” So Moses prayed for the people. 8 And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” 9 So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look at the bronze serpent and live. Numbers 21:4-9

My paraphrase of this episode goes like this: Despite all that God had done for them in rescuing them from slavery in Egypt, saving them from the Egyptian army, bringing them through the Red Sea, and providing manna from heaven, the Israelites became impatient and in their complaining they sinned against God.  In His righteous indignation God sent snakes to bite the people so many died.  The people repented and so Moses interceded on their behalf.  God then provided the means to save the people from his punishment for their sins.  Anyone who had been bitten by a poisonous snake simply had to submit to the means God provided and they would be saved.  When I say "simply", I mean it.  All they had to do was look at the bronze serpent lifted high on a pole and they would live.

This story is relevant because it reveals a pattern.  It is a pattern of the gospel--the story of how God works to save His people.  We know this because Jesus says so.  In John 3 Jesus is speaking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus and he uses this story of Moses and the bronze snake to clarify the gospel to Nicodemus:

14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, 15 that whoever believes in him may have eternal life. John 3:14-15

So this story about the Israelites, the bronze snake, and God is a template for the story of us, Jesus, and God and functions as an aid to help us understand how the gospel works.

The first thing to notice is that in their grumbling and complaining the Israelites sinned against God.  Their sin was real and it made God justifiably angry.  The second thing to notice is that God punished them for their sin.  "the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people".  The venomous snakes were not coincidental.  They were punishment.  God sent them.  And God was justified in punishing the people because the people really did sin against Him.  Yet, God of his own discretion decided after Moses' intercession to show mercy to some.  That said, the third thing to notice is that though the people did not deserve mercy, God chose to be merciful by providing a means for rescue.  It's important here to understand the difference between justice and mercy.  Justice is giving someone what they deserve.  Mercy is not giving someone what they deserve.  So at the point someone deserves mercy, mercy ceases to be mercy and becomes justice.  The Israelites did not deserve mercy, they deserved justice, but God showed them mercy.

How did God show them mercy?  God did not simply withdraw the snakes.  His mercy was not preventative.  No, rather than withdraw the snakes and prevent bites He provided a means to rescue people after the venom was in their veins.  He did not save them from the snake bite, he saved them from the consequence of the snake bite which was certain death.  After being bitten they could simply look at the bronze snake Moses lifted on a pole and they would live.

Why lift up a bronze snake on a pole?  God could have told Moses to lift anything so what's special about the snake?  The snakes were the problem and God told Moses to lift the problem on a pole.  But why?  Because God wanted to communicate something to us.  The gospel tells us our sin is the problem.  To defeat sin Christ became sin and He was lifted and nailed to the cross.  2 Corinthians 5:21 says, "God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God." And Galatians 3:13 says, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: 'Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.'"

This story of Moses lifting the snake in the desert is so precious because it is a pointer to Christ defeating sin and death by becoming sin and dying for us.