Lost in translation

Numbers 21:8 (Young’s Literal Translation)
8 And Jehovah saith unto Moses, `Make for thee a burning [serpent], and set it on an ensign; and it hath been, every one who is bitten and hath seen it -- he hath lived.

We lose a lot in all of the translations of the Bible. Throughout the years the Word of God has been re-translated into various forms. Some are easy to read and some are written more like a novel. While these translations are interesting, they can leave a lot of the message out! Take, for instance, this verse in Numbers. In most of the Bible’s used in today’s church the word “ensign” is replaced with the word “pole”. What’s the difference? A pole is a long, cylindrical, often slender piece of wood, metal, etc. Where as an ensign is (Biblically speaking) a standard or signal or flag placed on high mountains to point out to the people a place of rendezvous on the irruption of an enemy. Looking further into the definitions we see the word “irruption” which means a breaking or bursting in; a violent incursion or invasion.

Now we can really read what God said to Moses with an understanding of the words He used! “Make for thee a burning serpent, and set it on signal flag high on the mountain where the people can gather together against this violent invasion of the enemy; and it hath been, every one who is bitten and hath seen it (the banner)--he hath lived.”

Make no assumption that when these people went up and looked upon the banner their bites and pain and wounds disappeared. They were still left with the recovery and scarring caused by these snakes, but their lives were saved!

We have all been bitten by the “snake”, that serpent of old, the Devil, who has deceived us and led us to sin. When we gather together against him at the foot of the Cross, we focus our lives on Jesus Christ and His atonement for our sins. Our scars and hurts from the past don’t just cease at that point, but life begins. The Cross, our ensign, gives us life. The Spirit of God and time bring us healing.

So when Jesus spoke in John 3:14 He wasn’t merely predicting His death on the cross, He was explaining what “church” should look like. Sin bites us, it scars us, and it kills us. When sin irrupts in our lives, we need to gather together and turn our attention to Jesus. Since sin is constantly invading, we should be determined to raise the banner of Christ and look to Him for our salvation. We are to focus all of our attention, time, and energy on Him in order to receive life.