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.