Snakes and Scorpions

Most folks are fascinated with dangerous critters. We all have stories of creepy spiders, slimy lizards, slithering snakes, and stinging scorpions. Horror movies are made about such scary experiences. Our skin crawls. The fight or flight response kicks in. Anxiety soars. We do the get-away dance. But, I noticed something yesterday as I was teaching that was one of those "connection" moments when two Scriptures come together. The first is in Luke 10:19. The second is Luke 11:11-12. In the first Jesus is telling the 72 of the dangers they are facing as they go out into the world. Jesus assures them that He will be with them. He says they will be able to tread on snakes and scorpions without harm. In the second passage Jesus says that a father will not pass out snakes and scorpions when the kids want eggs and fish.

Snakes are notorious within Scripture since Satan chose to present himself as one in the garden. He is the "serpent of old" or dragon who makes war against Jesus and His children. Snakes have always been associated with evil. In their defense all snakes are beneficial to man, yet some are extremely dangerous. Scorpions are less know and less notorious, but one look at one tells you that you do not want to mess with him. There are 1.23 million cases of scorpion bites per year worldwide, with 32,250 deaths reported. Out of the 1500 species of scorpions only about 30 are dangerous, and these especially to children. The troops in Iraq were warned about Saw-Scaled vipers and two kinds of scorpions, Death-Stalkers and Fat-Tailed scorpions. (Could it be we are making that fat-tailed one mad just by calling him fat-tailed? I wonder.)  These snakes and scorpions are associated with the wilderness wanderings of the Jews (Deut.8:15). One place they traveled was called Scorpion Pass (Num.34:4; Josh.15:3). Rehoboam threated to scourged his people with scorpions instead of whips. The son of man of Ezekiel 2:6 is told not to be afraid of briars and scorpions. These scorpions are associated with agony and torture in Rev.9.

So how do our two passages above relate. It is really very simple. Jesus promises his protection from the things that harm us or can do injury to us, like snakes and scorpions which we simply happen upon. We can step on one without noticing before it is too late. For me this is God's providential leading. Do we have a clue how often God saves us from something and we did not even know He did it? Just because we sometimes do fall into harm's way does not detract from the times we are protected unawares. The same is true of the gifts we receive from God's hand. Do we realize how many good gifts He actually gives us? Do we so take for granted the ones we have that we barely acknowledge that these good gifts come down from above? Whether it is God helping us avoid the bad or God giving us the good, we are under the constant care of a loving heavenly Father who empowers and protects. When this is understood we can live here without a constant fear of such things as snakes and scorpions.