“Every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents . . . hath been tamed of mankind: but the tongue can no man tame.”
James 3:78
Snakes live in every part of the world except icy areas. Of the nearly three thousand varieties, the longest is a python, which may grow over thirty feet long. An interesting contrast is the thread snake, which is only about as long as your hand. The heaviest of all is the anaconda, which may weigh over five hundred pounds.
Snakes never close their eyes, even at night. This is because they have no eyelids. A thin transparent cover protects their eyes. Something else interesting is that they shed their outside skin several times a year. As they grow larger and their skin becomes too tight, they rub their heads back and forth against something hard until the skin splits open. Then they wiggle out of it from head to tail, turning it inside out and leaving it behind in one complete piece. Coming across one of these snakeskins in the woods might startle you, for it looks so lifelike.
Many snakes make their homes underground, but some hide under piles of dead leaves or in deep grass, and a few others prefer living in trees or in the wetness of swampy places. The Creator has given them extremely flexible bodies, composed of strong ribs almost their entire length, enabling them to move amazingly fast by crawling. When a snake moves, it does not raise its body off the ground; it bends it from side to side.
Many snakes are harmless, but others are poisonous, and some, the boa constrictor for one, can wrap itself around a person and squeeze him to death. This is rare since almost all snakes try to hide from an approaching person.
All snakes are a part of God’s creation and exhibit God-given wisdom in making their way through life. It is in that respect that the Bible tells us, “Be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matthew 10:1616Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16)). This God-given instruction is important for us to follow if we want to stay out of trouble and please a loving Creator who is always watching us.
Our opening Bible verse reminds us that although mankind tames snakes and other creatures, no one can tame his own tongue. So we should always look to the Lord Jesus for help to keep our tongues from evil and our lips from speaking guile (deceit or dishonesty; see 1 Peter 3:1010For he that will love life, and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, and his lips that they speak no guile: (1 Peter 3:10)).
In the next issue we will take a detailed look at a few outstanding snakes.
(to be continued)
ML-06/03/2007