Booker, a two-year-old boy, wearing shorts and a short-sleeve shirt, squeezed through the screen door of his grandparent’s home in Colorado. In the morning sunshine he saw some little birds splashing and flapping their wings in the birdbath. The little boy decided to investigate. He walked across the yard to the birdbath that was surrounded by a little garden full of brightly colored flowers.
By standing on his tiptoes, Booker could just get his hands into the water. But try as hard as he could, he couldn't see over the edge to see if any birds were still in the birdbath. Splashing his hands in the water, some of it dribbled over the edge and landed in wet spots on his forehead.
Unknown to Booker and his grandparents, a very unwelcome visitor had come into the backyard. A large rattlesnake had slithered under the fence and had been resting in the grass near the birdbath. In all the years the grandparents had owned the house, they had never had a rattlesnake in their yard before. The poisonous snake, angry at having been disturbed by Booker at the birdbath, was preparing to strike with its deadly bite. The snake had coiled its body and the rattle at the end of its tail started shaking. The snake’s cold, unfeeling eyes fixed on a spot on the boy's bare leg. With lightening quickness, the snake uncoiled his body and sprang towards the boy.
Zoey, a little brown Chihuahua dog owned by Booker’s grandparents, was also in the backyard. Alerted by the snake's rattle, the dog had run over to the boy. Sensing the danger, the dog jumped between the moving body of the snake and the boy. Instead of hitting Booker's leg, the snake’s poisonous fangs struck the little dog in the forehead.
Zoey twisted and flung his head from side to side to throw the snake off. The bite had only lasted a fraction of a second, but in that short time the snake injected its poison. For a few short moments, the little dog barked, nipped, and snarled at the snake. Zoey didn't run away after being bitten; he stood his ground, protecting Booker.
Booker's grandfather heard the disturbance and ran out the back door to see what was wrong. “Oh my!” he cried out with alarm when he saw Zoey with a gash on his forehead, standing between the rattlesnake and the boy.
Quickly, he ran to his grandson and dog and gathered up both of them into his arms and ran back into the house. Frantically he checked Booker to see if the snake had bitten him. When he didn't find any bite marks on him, he turned to help Zoey.
The wound on Zoey’s forehead was beginning to swell into an ugly roundness. The dog's eyes looked glassy, and he was having a hard time standing on his legs. The grandfather knew he had to rush Zoey to a vet if the brave little dog had any chance of surviving. He got the boy and the dog into his car and drove fast to the vet's office.
“Doctor, you have to help Zoey! ... He just saved my grandson's life!” the grandfather blurted out with tears in his eyes. He laid the almost-limp form of the little dog down on the table. The vet saw he had an emergency on his hands and stopped everything else to take care of Zoey. He quickly injected rattlesnake antivenin into the dog and hooked him up to a plasma machine. Then he told the grandfather there was nothing more he could do for the dog and that the chances of him surviving the snakebite were slim.
Do you know the One who came from heaven to stand between man and certain death? His name is the Lord Jesus Christ, and He is the Son of God. Nearly two thousand years ago He gave His life at Calvary to make a way to deliver men from eternal death and judgment that their sins deserve. He died in their place. He was buried, but death couldn't keep Him in the ground, and He rose from the grave.
While He lived on earth, Jesus did many great works such as raising the dead, healing the sick, the lame and the blind, and multiplying a few loaves of bread and some small fishes so that there was enough food to feed thousands. These works were wonderful, but the work He did on the cross was far greater. On the cross He accomplished the work of “REDEMPTION.” To be redeemed is to be completely delivered. By dying on the cross, He made a way for sinners to be delivered from Satan's power and judgment to come. Believers in Christ are completely redeemed, because He died in their place. The price of their redemption was the precious blood of Christ. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold ... but with the precious blood of Christ” (1 Peter 1:18-1918Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 19But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: (1 Peter 1:18‑19)).
Jesus had to die to save us, but that was not the case with Zoey. Once again the little dog proved to be a real fighter. He had a strong will to live and pulled through. A few days later he was back at home, playing like nothing had ever happened. Booker's entire family thought Zoey was such a brave little dog.
Zoey jumped in between the boy and the rattlesnake and saved the boy from a horrible snakebite. At the cross the Lord Jesus gave His life so that sinners who see their need might believe on Him and be saved from the punishment they deserve. If you haven’t as yet, will you believe on the Lord Jesus that you might be saved?
ML-03/09/2008