Wednesday Bible Blurb: The Snake I Never Saw 11 6 2024
It was a great weekend as my father took me camping in the hills of Southern California. Campfires, hot dogs cooked over the open fire and hot chocolate for an eight-year-old boy camping with dad is the ultimate in fun. He set up our little tent and after dark and a long day I quickly fell into a deep sleep. When I awoke in the morning, dad had quite the story to tell me. To this day I cringe and at the time I found it hard to believe. Sometime during the early evening, a rattlesnake slipped into the tent with me and curled up near me. Somehow my father was able to remove the poisonous rattlesnake, and I never even knew it was in the tent with me. My father had saved me from evil and I never even knew it. His telling me of the rattlesnake in the tent frightens me to this day.
In His wonderful example of how to pray, Jesus said, “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” (Matt. 6:13 [NKJV]). My father delivered me from the evil snake. How many times has our loving Father delivered us from the evil serpent we know of as the devil? The devil wasted no time in tempting Adam and Eve in the garden. He won that round, but God predicted his eventual crushing defeat at the hands of Jesus (Gen. 3:15b). Satan the devil, the father of lies and deceit has been tempting mankind since that fateful day in the garden.
The Bible tells us much about Satan and how to overcome his efforts to cause us to sin and fall short of the glory of God. Satan is the “prince of the power of the air” (Eph. 2:2). He is the “god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4). Even Jesus tacitly acknowledged Satan had authority to give away the kingdoms of the world (Matt. 4:9). The devil is out there searching for ways to influence us. Sometimes he comes as a roaring lion (I Peter 5:8), sometimes he comes as an angel of light (II Cor. 11:14). Our job is to resist him at all costs! How do we do this?
James, brother of Jesus tells us how to remove Satan form our lives. “Therefore, submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.” (James 4:7a). With all the wiles and deceits of the devil all we have to do is draw close to God and resist the devil and he will flee from us.
Growing up in Southern California I had many opportunities to hike in the desert mountains where the rattlesnakes were abundant. I never once saw a rattlesnake in the desert yet so many of my fellow hiking friends did. The Mojave Desert can reach 120 degrees on a summer day. Hot is not even close to how it felt to be outside hiking across the scorched hills, dodging cactus and being aware of the Mojave Rattlesnake. To NOT find a snake one should simply not go where the snake might be. Shade is rare in the desert and during the day this is where the rattlesnake will cool itself. I stayed away from the shade on my hikes knowing that is where the evil one lurked. In our Chrisitan life we must stay away from the places where the evil one lurks. Sometimes being a Christian can be difficult but think of how safe we are by having our faith in God and not some physical shade.
One can learn how to avoid the evil snake, and one can learn how to avoid the evil serpent called the devil. Paul tells us, “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12). Be aware of our spiritual surroundings as Satan is looking for ways to trap us.
How many times has our father rescued us from the evil one and we never knew? My father rescued me from the snake I never saw, and I never knew it. How often has God saved us without us even knowing He had intervened on our behalf? Resist the devil and his temptations and with our Father’s help we will overcome the evil in this world. Our brother Jesus spoke to us, so that we might have peace. “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.” (John 16:33). Resist the devil! Overcome the world!
