Moses 가 광야에서 백성들이 하나님을 원망하다 불뱀의 공격을 받았는데, 이때 모세가 놋뱀을 만들어 장대에 매달아 놓았다.
누구든이 그 놋뱀을 바라보면 죽음을 면할 수 있었는데, 그것이 바로 예수 그리스도의 상징이되었다.
그런데 시간이 지나면서 그 놋뱀 자체가 우상이 되었고 그 이름이 바로
Nehushtan 이었다.
히스기야(유다 왕) 시대가 되어서야 히스기야가 이것을 없애버렸다.
3 He did that which was right in Yahweh’s eyes, according to all that David his father had done.
4 He removed the high places, and broke the pillars, and cut down the Asherah . He also broke in pieces the bronze serpent that Moses had made, because in those days the children of Israel burned incense to it; and he called it Nehushtan .
4 They traveled from Mount Hor by the way to the Red Sea, to go around the land of Edom. The soul of the people was very discouraged because of the journey.
5 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 bread, there is no water, and our soul loathes this disgusting food!”
6 Yahweh sent venomous snakes among the people, and they bit the people. Many people of Israel died.
7 The people came to Moses , and said, “We have sinned, because we have spoken against Yahweh and against you. Pray to Yahweh, that he take away the serpents from us.” Moses prayed for the people.
8 Yahweh said to Moses , “Make a venomous snake, and set it on a pole. It shall happen that everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.”
9 Moses made a serpent of bronze, and set it on the pole. If a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived.
14 As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,
15 that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.
16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life.