Psalm 128; Numbers 21:4–9; Hebrews 3:1–6
Monday, March 2
I posted an overview of Union Gospel Mission’s 2026 Lent Devotional February 4 and am including several pieces during this season.
This week’s entry is by Richard Watson, Lead Pastor at Kerrisdale Presbyterian Church in Vancouver.
I’ve always been fascinated by this episode in the wilderness journey of God’s people. After being refused passage through Edom, they were forced to travel through a harsher and more difficult land.
Their impatience and complaints brought snake bites, suffering and death – but their repentance brought healing, as they looked upon the bronze serpent lifted up on a pole.
It’s probably no accident that a similar image appears in ancient Greek mythology – and that the same symbol continues to be used today. The Rod of Asclepius (or Staff of Aesculapius) remains the predominant emblem of medicine and health care.
According to Wikipedia, the staff represents healing through wisdom and compassion, while the serpent symbolizes renewal through the shedding of its skin.
This symbol is now used by nearly a hundred organizations around the world – from medical associations and schools to government ministries and the World Health Organization. The message is similar: look to the healing arts, and you will find help and life.
In many ways, this makes sense. We should look to medical science for help. But even this good gift can become an idol if we forget its limits. Medical science has never claimed to grant the gift of life itself.
The biblical story, by contrast, points to something greater. The bronze serpent was not magical – it was a sign of God’s healing power. When the people began to worship it, King Hezekiah destroyed it (2 Kings 18:4–5), reminding them that their hope must rest not in a symbol, but in God.
Richard Watson
That same challenge remains for us today. As we journey through our own wilderness experiences, we are invited to lift our eyes beyond human power – to the one who was lifted up on a wooden pole, Jesus Christ, who died so that we might live.
Where do I look for healing when I am hurting – to human power, or to the God who gives life?
Heavenly Father, the only true giver and sustainer of life, the one whose living water nourishes the tree of life and provides leaves for the healing of the nations, help us look to You above all else.
Amen.
The full UGM 2026 Lent Devotional can be read here.