SNAKE BITE

Did you know that I have been bitten by a snake about a thousand times or more? And guess what? You have too. Bear with me and we will get to the bottom of this bold statement in just a minute. While preparing for this discourse I was amazed at all the scriptures which pertain to snakes, serpents or vipers. Let's now go to the One who gives us power over snakes and all other enemies we face. Almighty God, thank You for not only saving us, forgiving us and dwelling in us, but also for Your divine protection. We give You all the glory and honor for everything. We are nothing, can do nothing and have nothing apart from You. Oh Your love for us is amazing. Help us to love You too. Teach us now sweet Holy Spirit the ways of our Lord. In Jesus name...AMEN.

Of course we all know about how satan entered the serpent in the Garden to trick and tempt Adam and Eve. I guess at that point the snake walked around on legs of some sort before he was cursed. Remember? While God was pronouncing sentence on Adam and Eve, He also said that part of the snake's curse was now to glide on his belly for the rest of time. Just something to think about. The main part here is to start off realizing that most of scripture refers to satan as a snake, serpent or dragon after the Garden episode. But before we go forward from the Garden, let's look at one most important and hopeful detail. Let's read GENESIS 3: 14-15. So the Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and woman and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

Right from the get go, God told us and the serpent (satan) what would happen to him. God always tells us the end at the beginning. So, part of the devil's demise will happen at Calvary. The devil will bruise Jesus but King Jesus will turn around and crush him. In fact the Word tells us that while Jesus was buried in the earth for three days He went to hell and stripped satan of his power over us who believe. Keeping with the culture of the day, I think it went something like this: King Jesus put a chain around satan's neck and dragged him around making a public show of him in front of his colleagues. To make a long story short, satan's final end will be after Jesus's millennial reign, but he sure got a good butt whipping at Calvary.

Can I share a little more about how much bigger God is then the devil? In Luke 10:17-20 we read: The seventy-two returned with joy and said, "Lord, even the demons submit to us in your name." He replied, "I saw satan fall like lightning from heaven. (goodbye dinosaurs) I have given you authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and to overcome all the power of the enemy; nothing will harm you. However, do not rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven." Good news for us. Good news indeed. God is in control and so much bigger then satan and everything else for that matter. And isn't it quite cool that he has no power over us. Can you dance a little jig for that piece of news?

OK, back to the Garden for a few more minutes. In II Corinthians 11:2-4 we read, "I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to Him. But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning,( SNAKE BITE !) your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough." Boy, isn't that exactly where we find ourselves today? We have so too many gospels. Please be careful my fellow brethren, of the enormous amount of 'feel-good' messages which have plagued our society. Where is the gospel which leads us to godly sorrow and repentance? Too often it has been replaced with a message which doesn't want to step on any ones toes for fear of losing membership. SNAKE BITE !

Fast forward from the Garden to the Israelite's wilderness journey. In I Corinthians 10:9-12 we read, "We should not test the Lord, as some of them did-and were killed by snakes. And do not grumble, as some of them did-and were killed by the destroying angel. These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the fulfillment of the ages has come. So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall!" SNAKE BITE ! I have had very brief periods (like a minute or so) where I have found myself thinking, "Boy, I have arrived." But fortunately for me I have many fleshly thorns to deal with so I don't have those thoughts very often. But many do. That ole wily snake (the devil), does continue to tempt us with a relentless assault, especially in the days in which we live. The Word (our sword) has an antidote for all of his crafty ways. We read about one of them in verses 13 of the same chapter. "No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will NOT let you tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. Just like Jesus, we are to speak to that father of lies. And the Word says "..........

Can we talk a little more about the serpents in the wilderness? I find it fascinating for some reason. Here we find the Israelites grumbling and murmuring again about their conditions. SNAKE BITE ! Numbers 21:4-9 says: "They traveled from Mount Hor along the route to the Red Sea, to go around Edom. But the people grew impatient on the way; they spoke against God and against Moses, and said, 'Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the desert? There is no bread! There is no water! And we detest this miserable food!' Then the Lord sent venomous snakes among them; they bit the people and many Israelites died. The people came to Moses and said, 'We sinned when we spoke against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take the snakes away from us.' So Moses prayed for the people. The Lord said to Moses, 'Make a snake and put it up on a pole; anyone who is bitten can look at it and live.' So Moses made a bronze snake and put it up on a pole. Then when anyone was bitten by a snake and looked at the bronze snake, he lived."

But even this solution didn't last long. Let's look at II Kings 18:3-4. He (Hezekiah) did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, just as his father David had done. He removed the high places, smashed the sacred stones and cut down the Astherah poles. He broke into pieces the bronze snake Moses had made, for up to that time the Israelites had been burning incense to it. SNAKE BITE ! Can you believe it? But here is the part which puzzles me. In John 3:14 we see that the serpent on a pole represented Jesus lifted up on the cross at Calvary. I get how looking toward Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, brings us salvation. Just kind of strange why a snake image was put on a pole instead of a cross or something. "Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the desert, so the Son of Man must be lifted up, that everyone who believes in Him may have eternal life." GOOD NEWS INDEED !

God has given us many ways to defend ourselves against all enemies who come against us. We already read how we can always pray for a way out when we are tempted and the Holy Spirit will show us a way out. We can also do what Jesus did and speak the Word to the devil when his lies and temptations come our way. Or we can do what Paul did when he actually was bitten by a viper. We read about that in Acts 28:3-6. "Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, 'This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.' But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god." So, the next time we are tempted, or actually fall into temptation, we can do like Paul. He was looking to the author and finisher of his faith...Christ Jesus. He knew, that he knew, God was on his side so who (or what) could be against him. He SHOOK IT OFF and didn't even pay attention to it.

Let's finish this long discourse (sorry about that) with some real good news. The final demise of satan, the snake of old. Revelation 20:10 says: "And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever." So, my beloved brothers and sisters, when we feel the urge to grumble. When we are tempted to murmur about the conditions God has put us in. When we are tempted in any way to sin against Almighty God, let's do what Paul did. In his heart was the image of Jesus continually high and lifted up. Not only on the cross but now on the right hand of the Father, far above all powers and principalities. Paul knew that Jesus loved him with an undying love. He knew that greater was He who lived in him then he who was in the world. You know what he did? He SHOOK IT OFF ! Amen.