The Brazen Serpent and me

The Brazen Serpent and me.

To begin we have to go back to the bible in the Old Testament. Numbers chapter 21.

5 And the people ^aspake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6 And the Lord sent ^afiery ^bserpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7 ¶ Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have ^asinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses ^bprayed for the people.

8 And the Lord said unto Moses, ^aMake thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall ^blive.

9 And Moses made a ^aserpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

When we understand correctly not all the people were bitten, but those who were died. Then Moses, at the instruction of the Lord, made a brass serpent and put it on a pole and lifted up the pole and those who were bitten by the serpents would die if they would not follow Moses’ instruction and just look at the brazen serpent on the pole. According to the Book of Mormon commentary on this there were some who died, because they did not follow the counsel of the prophet. This is a type and shadow of Christ who was lifted up. If we look to him, we will have life eternal.  If we do not look to him, we cannot expect to.

Now let us go forward a few hundred years to a mention of a serpent and a staff. In Greek mythology, the Rod of Asclepius also known as the Staff of Aesculapius  is a serpent-entwined rod wielded by the Greek god Asclepius, a deity associated with healing and medicine. Theories have been proposed about the Greek origin of the symbol and its implications. In modern times, it is the predominant symbol for medicine and health care.

In 1962 I Graduated from Medical school and the snake on a staff became the symbol of my profession.  This symbol is used today to indicate someone within the medical or healing profession. There is another snake and staff symbol that is commonly associated with heling.

It is called the Caduceus.  It was a symbol of the Army Medica Corps. It is often shown with wings.

Now it was not the brass snake on a pole that healed the members of the children of Israel who were bitten by the poisonous flying serpents, but their faith to follow the instructions of a prophet of God.  As Nephi documented it was a simple thing.  All they had to do was look and some were so skeptical that doing a small thing would keep them from dying that they refused to look up and be healed and they died.

Following the prophet can literally save us from dying.  We may not die a physical death, but if we fail to heed the counsel of the prophet, we may find ourselves spiritually very ill and perhaps die spiritually.

We recently had a desolating scourge cover the earth. Counsel from the prophet came.

 The First Presidency has stated: “As appropriate opportunities become available, the Church urges its members, employees, and missionaries to be good global citizens and help quell the [COVID-19] pandemic by safeguarding themselves and others through immunization. Individuals are responsible to make their own decisions about vaccination” (First Presidency Statement, Jan. 19, 2021). Senior and young missionaries are expected to receive this vaccine before beginning their service if it is available in their home areas. Once the vaccine is generally available in all countries to all age groups and risk levels, it will be required before serving an international mission.

There has been a lot of pushback from some members who feel that the church is in error advising vaccinations against this disease. I have been asked to, by some members, tell the first presidency that they are wrong.

I received this email in January 2022.

Dear Brothers and Sisters:

We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic. We want to do all we can to limit the spread of these viruses. We know that protection from the diseases they cause can only be achieved by immunizing a very high percentage of the population.

To limit exposure to these viruses, we urge the use of face masks in public meetings whenever social distancing is not possible. To provide personal protection from such severe infections, we urge individuals to be vaccinated. Available vaccines have proven to be both safe and effective.

We can win this war if everyone will follow the wise and thoughtful recommendations of medical experts and government leaders. Please know of our sincere love and great concern for all of God’s children.

The First Presidency

Russell M. Nelson
Dallin H. Oaks
Henry B. Eyring

 

We have the words of the prophets and the advice of those who carry the emblem of the serpent on a staff. We do not take away anyone’s agency.  They may look to the prophet and live or disregard the counsel and run the risk of dying a physical death or catching COVID and infecting someone who because of their stubborn attitude will die or spend time on a ventilator in the intensive care unit.

 

As for me and my house we will follow the prophet and look to the brazen serpent.