Fall and Expulsion from Garden of Eden. 1509-1510
Michelangelo, Sistine Chapel
"Or perhaps in Slytherin, you'll make your real friends, those cunning folks use any means to achieve their ends." ~the Sorting Hat, Harry Potter
I'll be completely honest - I have no idea why God created snakes. From literally the beginning of mankind He allowed them to be in the Garden. Why, God, why? And ever since then they just harm, scare, annoy and cause us extreme anxiety, plus let's not forget the deception thing that has cursed all of mankind til Jesus came and rescued us. *Disclaimer: this post will justify and promote my fear, contradict science and probably offend a few of you who are in the one percentile and appreciate snakes. Also, I only put cartoon pictures of snakes because they are cuter than the real thing.
Who can trust anything that has no eyelids? Oh yes, they sleep with their eyes open because they cannot blink! EWWWWWW.
In a previous post I wrote about Adrian Monk's list of phobias- snakes being one of them, and he was definitely not wrong - one-third to one-half of the population has a fear of snakes. If only we were all afraid of what I think is the reason God made them so creepy - they represent darkness and rebellion against God.
Think of how subtle snakes are- you're just walking along and then suddenly there's a swoosh in the grass- evidence they've been there. Isn't it like that with our sin? We aren't really looking for it or guarding against it, walking where it lives. We are familiar with their habitats but go there anyway, surprised when we see it.
God's Word speaks strongly about it, commanding us to flee from it:
"Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you." James 4:7
There are those who justify the existence of snakes-something about rodent control blah blah blah. Similarly don't we justify the existence of some rebellion against God with what we've made idols in our lives? When others are trying to promote something besides a godly life, causing division, chasing wealth and notoriety, Paul instructs Timothy (his son in the faith) to run:
"But you, Timothy, are a man of God; so run from all these evil things. Pursue righteousness and a godly life, along with faith, love, perseverance and gentleness." 1 Timothy 6:11
We need to stay out of the long grass where sin hides. Or wear your rubber galoshes so Nagini can't pierce you with its fangs and forked tongue.
"You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right,
then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master." Gen 4:7
God uses the word 'crouch' with sin - implying there's no announcement: "Hey, here I come to tempt you to dishonor God!" Wouldn't that be nice if we saw the flashing light that told us to beware? Instead, the devil is 'crafty' (Gen 3:1-24) and proactive, so we need to put up our defense - putting on the full armor of God (Eph 6:10-18) that He's given us.
There will always be a House of Slytherin. Use the 'Snake-Away' from God. Anticipate and resist with prayer.
✙ Dear Heavenly Father, rebellion against You has always been part of mankind. But You are our loving Father who doesn't force or manipulate us. You gently and kindly draw us into Your Loving arms when we seek You. You don't hide from us, and You are always found. Thank You. Help us to recognize and resist the devil today and equip us with Your body armor. Help us to encourage other believers You have placed on our hearts. Amen.
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