I dont see anything from you here from Genesis that says anything about the cross.
In the wilderness, after Israel was delivered from Egypt, the people became tired and impatient. They spoke against God and against Moses. They complained about the journey, the food, and God’s care, even though He had rescued them with great power. Because of this rebellion, God allowed fiery serpents to come among the people, and many were bitten and died (And the LORD sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Numbers 21:6).
This judgment showed a deep truth. Sin brings death. The serpent was not just an animal. From the beginning, the serpent represents sin, deception, and
rebellion against God
(Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. Genesis 3:1). The people were dying because of their sin, not just because of snake bites.
When the people repented, they came to Moses and confessed their sin. They did not excuse themselves. They admitted they had spoken against God (We have sinned, for we have spoken against the LORD, and against thee; pray unto the LORD, that he take away the serpents from us. Numbers 21:7). Moses prayed for the people, and God provided a way of salvation.
God did not remove the serpents. Instead, He gave a remedy. He told Moses to make a serpent of brass and lift it up on a pole. Anyone who had been bitten could
look at it and live (And the LORD said unto Moses, Make 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 live. Numbers 21:8).
This is very important. The brass serpent looked like the very thing that was killing them. It represented sin and judgment. Yet it had no poison in it. It could not harm anyone. It was lifted up where everyone could see it. The healing did not come from touching it, working for it, or earning it. Healing came by looking in faith and trusting God’s word (And Moses made a serpent 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. Numbers 21:9).
Jesus Himself explained that this event was not just history. It was a prophecy pointing directly to Him. He said, just as the serpent was lifted up, He also would be lifted up (And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up. John 3:14).
The comparison is exact and powerful. Humanity is bitten by sin. Sin spreads death to everyone. No one can heal himself. No one can undo the poison. The cross is God’s remedy.
Jesus, who had no sin, was lifted up on the cross. He became the atonement for sin, carrying the judgment of sin for us. Just as the serpent was lifted up in public view, Jesus was lifted up before all. Just as the people only had to look and live, Jesus says that whoever believes in Him receives eternal life (That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. John 3:15).
Looking at the serpent required faith. Some may have doubted. Some may have thought it was foolish. Some may have tried other remedies. But only one way brought life. In the same way, many stumble at the cross, but it is God’s power to save. (But we preach Christ crucified, unto the Jews a stumblingblock, and unto the Greeks foolishness; But unto them which are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God, and the wisdom of God. 1 Corinthians 1:23–24).
There is also a warning in this story. Later in Israel’s history, the people began to worship the bronze serpent itself. It became an idol, and King Hezekiah had to destroy it (And he brake in pieces the brasen serpent that Moses had made: for unto those days the children of Israel did burn incense to it. 2 Kings 18:4). This shows that symbols save no one. Objects save no one. Only obedience and faith in God save.
The serpent on the pole was never meant to be worshiped. It was meant to point to God’s mercy. In the same way, the cross itself is not magic. It is what happened on the cross, and who was on it, that saves.
Jesus finished the work. The people in the wilderness still had to choose to look. Today, people must choose to believe and follow, and trust Him. The cure has been lifted up for all to see.
And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me (John 12:32).