The Wonders of God’s Creation
There are over 2500 species of snakes. About one-tenth of them are poisonous. They range from a ten-inch blind snake to great Anacondas and Pythons in the tropics, thirty to forty feet long, that can swallow a deer or wild pig whole.
A snake would be handicapped without ears, nose, feet, legs, hands or arms, except that God has shown His kindness. In spite of the curse, God has provided them with means of getting along without these aids. In place of ears they have nerves that are sensitive to ground vibrations. Their sense of smell (aided by a flocking tongue) is keen. A change in temperature tells them when something is near, and they can easily locate it even on the darkest night.
They have flexible vertebra (backbone) which enables them to writhe, crawl and coil. Scales on the underpart of their body, overlapping like shingles, provide means of moving over the ground. Each one hooks onto a rough surface, so it can pull itself along. When in a hurry, it presses against rocks, tree trunks, etc., to thrust itself forward.
A snake’s mouth is fitted with hinged jaws, joined with elastic ligaments, so it can open very wide and swallow objects of great size. Eggs are a favorite and by unhinging their jaws they can swallow eggs without breaking them until they are well inside their bodies. Their stomachs also have a special ability to digest shells, bones, feathers, fur, etc.
A snake never stops growing. It increases in size, and when its skin becomes too tight it makes a hole in it by rubbing its snout against a rough stone. Pushing its head through this hole, twisting and wriggling, it peels the old skin back over its tail, shedding it. It does this several times a year.
Snakes do not attack humans unless frightened or provoked. Their main purpose is to find food. The Creator has made them helpful to mankind in their search for food, because they eat rats, gophers, mice, etc. A small snake will be quite content with a good meal every week or ten days. The bigger ones can easily survive on six or seven big dinners a year.
Man, too, displeases God in his behaviour. This is made clear in the Scriptures, which say, “There is none that seeketh after God... there is none that doeth good, no, not one.” Romans 3:11,1211There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. 12They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one. (Romans 3:11‑12). Yet God shows great mercy and kindness to all mankind, as His Word tells us: “Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us, and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.” 1 John 4:1010Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:10). Do you know the joy of having your sins forgiven through faith in His Son?
ML-10/18/1981