The Way of a Serpent

 

Photo Credit - Sam Sasticum Barnwell

The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. 

Proverbs 30:19

A friend of mine took this picture of a snake. We've seen several snakes this summer. A couple on the road, another on a trail. Our verse says the way of a snake (serpent) on a rock. I got to thinking about a snake we once saw when I was a teen on a trail far up a mountainside. We were in bear country so when we began to encounter an odd smell like a baby diaper, we thought we might be coming on a bear wallow or a den. That's when we spotted a rattlesnake sunning itself on a rock. We had nothing to kill it with except my dad's old army bayonet. The choice was to go back or chop down a sapling and try to kill it. Reasoning that another hiker might encounter the snake as well, Dad decided to kill it. 

At the first blow, the snake attempted to coil and rattle its tail. Dad kept pounding it enough to prevent it from striking until its head was a pulp. Should we continue up the trail or turn back? We turned back thinking there may be more snakes in the area. My brothers took turns carrying the snake on the sapling Dad had used as a weapon. Having watched cowboy movies where they cooked rattlesnake and ate it, we planned our supper. 

Back at camp, we showed it off to Mama and Grandma. The boys took their pocket knives and skinned it. Dad decided we might have ruined the meat with the venom since we pounded the head instead of shooting it like the cowboys did. We abandoned the idea of snake for supper opting for hotdogs. 

Every day is an opportunity to learn. This was a day that we would not soon forget. 

What did we learn about snakes? 

• Snakes like to sun themselves on rocks.
• Snakes smell like dirty diapers (found out after other encounters with snakes).
• Snakes coil to strike.

How did we use prior "knowledge"?

• Snakes can be used for food.
• Snakes can be skinned.
• Snakes can have poisonous venom.

What other things could we have investigated? 

• How do snakes move?
• Where do snakes live?
• Are there different types of snakes?
• Are all snakes poisonous?
• Do all snakes strike?
• What snakes live in our area?

Depending on the age of children you might take the knowledge and apply it to other things like springs, coils, speed, pressure on the coil for distance, and measurement. The possibilities are endless which is what the Lord intends for us to find out about His universe -the endless possibilities. The serpent was also the form Satan took to tempt Eve. So in thinking about "the way of a serpent upon a rock" we might also think about how quiet and innocent it appears but how deadly the strike. 

Eve's encounter with the serpent (snake) appeared innocent at first but how deadly to the entire human race that encounter became. My dad pounding the serpent's head also reminded us that God said

 And I will put enmity

    between you and the woman,

    and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

    and you will strike his heel.

Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

Heavenly Father, we know we have encountered the serpent, Satan because we have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. We confess that Your Son, Jesus, died for our sins. Satan bruised His heal but Jesus crushed Satan's head when He rose from the dead. We know Father, You have provided forgiveness of our sins if we simply ask in faith. You give us eternal life. We thank you, in Jesus's name. Amen. 

The Way of an Eagle

 

There be three things which are too wonderful for me, yea, four which I know not: The way of an eagle in the air; the way of a serpent upon a rock; the way of a ship in the midst of the sea; and the way of a man with a maid. Proverbs 30:18,19

Have you taken children camping? The wide-open spaces are fascinating. This week we saw our grandchildren marvel at the rocks, the trees, the shapes of the clouds, the tiny schools of trout in the stream, and a "hawk" that landed late in the evening in a tree across the way.  Actually, I spotted it first and called the children, ages 8 and 4. Its wing spread must have been close to 3 feet. I felt like we were stepping into our own version of  Owl Moon. Since our grands had never been owling, silence was not part of their hunting technique. The bird flew off again. This time they saw the massive bird in flight. 

Slowly, quietly, we walked up under his new landing space, a large branch in an oak. I whispered, Let's observe the bird." We noticed the orange on his beak and talons. We saw a brown head, wings, and sparse tailfeathers of black, gray, and white. We saw it was not an owl but some sort of "hawk". He swooped down into some Virginia Creeper vines and then back up and away. We couldn't see if he took his prey. 

Back at the campsite, the eight-year-old drew the bird and then correctly painted the various parts. The four-year-old drew the bird several times as if making sketches for further reference. 

The next morning Papa called them to see the "owl". He had watched as a huge bird flew across the drive and landed in the tree above our camper. It seemed the "owl," "hawk" or whatever was back, sitting and watching, before swooping down again and away.  

What did the children learn? Observation skills, bird habits, vocabulary - talons and prey, combining shapes to make a recognizable picture, and probably lots more if I looked at the state standards for their age levels. 

What more could they learn? Bird identification, the lifecycle for this species, food chain, and prey. Older children might investigate flight, create models, and transfer their knowledge to build a mode of air transportation. History of flight.  Protection of endangered species. Speaking of endangered species -

What did we learn? Yes, we learned the bird we observed was a Golden Eagle, once endangered but now on the comeback. 

Our scripture says the man doesn't know the way of an eagle in the air. Neither did the Wright Brothers or DaVinci, but their observations and experiments have brought us into the space age. The Lord expects us to observe and wonder and research all that He has made to give us a better life and to give Him glory. 

Heavenly Father, help us not lose the marvel of a child in observing your Creation but to use it for the furtherance of your kingdom. In Jesus' name. Amen.

Connecting Creation with Truth

 

For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. Matthew 12:40

Let's suppose you and your family were at the beach. You saw a large fish, maybe a dolphin. Maybe a whale. Your children were curious about the type of fish. Maybe they knew the story of Jonah and the whale and were wondering if the fish they saw could swallow a person. Could it swallow them? 

Windows of Learning (1)

 

But ask the animals, and they will teach you,

    or the birds in the sky, and they will tell you;

8 

or speak to the earth, and it will teach you,

    or let the fish in the sea inform you.

9 

Which of all these does not know

    that the hand of the Lord has done this?

Job 12:7-9 (NIV)

I wonder what this boy is thinking. He's mesmerized by God's creation just outside his window. Can you see him in your mind looking back to see if anyone is watching? Then slipping through the window to discover something. Something really cool, forgetting all about the school lessons on his desk that need to be finished before supper. 

Why do we make learning so difficult? Watch, no, observe a child observing a bug, squatting down, focused, momentarily reaching out to touch it. Maybe just with a stick. Maybe prodding it with a finger or a toe. But the child is learning, discovering what God has created to show us about Himself. Will the child learn more from the books and papers on his desk? Can he learn the same material from the things he's discovering outside his window? I truly think he can and this is why. From Genesis chapters 1 and 2 we can observe these things. 

• God created the universe.
• God is in control of the universe.
• God created the universe to tell us about Himself.
• God wants us to learn about His creation.
• God wants us to have dominion over creation--that does not mean controlling but working with creation for our betterment and the creation. 

That little fellow who was observing the bug will likely tell on himself when he comes to supper full of questions about the things he observed. Mom, Dad, or siblings don't have to give him the answers. All that is needed is to point him in the right direction to find those answers with age-appropriate texts, (fiction and/or non-fiction), technology, a visit to a nature center, etc. In the meantime, what will he do? He'll likely collect that bug and draw a picture of it. When he reads about it he may use the text as a mentor text to write about his find. He may measure the length of his captor, count its legs, and observe its wings. He may figure out what it eats. All the while making notes so he can remember this especially cool bug. 

Has he learned anything important? Sure! Check out the standards for education in your state. SC standards can be found here: https://ed.sc.gov/instruction/standards-learning/ Check any grade level, including high school biology, and you will find he has met many of the standards with just this one bug. Check the English, Math, and Writing Standards as well. Maybe the bug has even played a role in history by immigrating to your area from some other part of the world during a particular event. He has integrated learning in all subjects with just one little bug. He has learned things he will never forget, including the memories he made with his parents, siblings, and friends. He won't dump this info as soon as the test is over. Oh, what test? 

If you included the Creation story in your discussions, you have implanted the Word of God in his knowledge, or perhaps the bug is a locust and there are also other Bible stories to go along with his studies.  Education is just outside your window or perhaps in your kitchen or garage or tool shed and it's never boring if we allow God's creation to lead the way. 

Heavenly Father, help us let Your Creation lead the way in teaching our children even the most complicated subjects because You are the ultimate Teacher. In Jesus' name. Amen.