Because of the ancient Israelites’ murmuring in the wilderness, the Lord sent venomous serpents to humble the spiritually poisoned. Many people died, and the repentant people turned to their prophet and pled with him to ask the Lord to remove the serpents. God told Moses to make a serpent of brass and elevate it on a pole. The Lord promised that everyone who looked upon the raised serpent would be healed (see Numbers 21:4–9).
The brass serpent was a type. Elder Dallin H. Oaks explained that a type is “a likeness or reminder of something else” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 51; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 37).
Jesus Christ taught that the type raised up in the wilderness testified of Him: “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14–15). Because of their hard hearts and disbelief, many of the Israelites refused to take advantage of the simple manner of healing (see 1 Nephi 17:41). Alma invited everyone to “begin to believe in the Son of God, that he will come to redeem his people, and … atone for their sins” (Alma 33:22; see also Helaman 8:14–15). Alma promised that nourishing this testimony will lighten one’s burdens and lead to everlasting life (see Alma 33:23).