by Edward Smith<\/p>\n
My dog, Scout, and I had a sudden encounter with a snake yesterday. We were quietly going through our routine while he was taking care of his business when he suddenly jumped back. I heard a rather distinct rattle and saw a snake aggressively swaying back and forth and flexing its jaw, ready to strike. Scout and I made a hasty retreat, startled and very thankful that the warning had been given.<\/p>\n
I have never been one who likes snakes. I understand that they have an important place in the ecosystem and that of the 34 species in Tennessee, “only four” are venomous. But that is four more than I want to encounter, and just to be safe, I avoid them all.<\/p>\n
So when I read Exodus 4:3, I can identify with Moses.<\/p>\n
“And He said, ‘Cast it<\/em> [the staff] on the ground,’ and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it.<\/em>“<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n
As a wilderness shepherd, I like to think that Moses had a healthy respect for and understanding of serpents. There is no indication that he knew God’s plan when he cast his staff onto the ground, but judging by his reaction, he clearly did not assume that this was a non-venomous breed. I would have shared his exact reaction – if it turned into a footrace, I wonder which of us would have won?<\/p>\n
But if casting the staff down was an act of obedience, what happens next is an incredible act of faith!<\/p>\n
“Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.’<\/em>“<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
The man who had just fled is told to go back and grab the serpent by the tail … and he does<\/strong>!<\/p>\n
Anyone who watches snakes as warily as I do knows that you should grab near the other <\/b>end: control the end that bites! So, I am astonished at the great faith of Moses as he returns to the serpent and grabs it by the tail. God is in control.<\/p>\n
And that is the point. When we respond to God in obedience, we may not be ready for the unexpected challenges that result. We may be overwhelmed and afraid. We may find that our obedience can cost us a job, our family, and our friends. We may be “canceled” for insisting there are only two genders, that marriage is between a man and a woman, and that it is intended to last for life. The struggle may take more effort than we ever anticipated. But with great faith, we can see things through to the end as we deal with the unexpected.<\/p>\n
God will strengthen us to the point that we can do things we never imagined. The challenges of faith make us stronger when we allow this kind of testing to work in our lives (James 1:2-4). The next time a staff was turned into a serpent, Moses held his ground (Exodus 7:10).<\/p>\n
Will I?<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
by Edward Smith My dog, Scout, and I had a sudden encounter with a snake yesterday. We were quietly going through our routine while he was taking care of his business when he suddenly jumped back. I heard a rather distinct rattle and saw a snake aggressively swaying back and forth and flexing its jaw,…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[1126,54],"class_list":["post-35399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-courage","tag-obedience"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":36950,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/did-the-magicians-know-in-advance-what-moses-planned-to-do\/","url_meta":{"origin":35399,"position":0},"title":"Did the magicians know in advance what Moses planned to do?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 28, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: Dear sir, I read the article above.\u00a0I wanted to know why the Egyptian magicians added to the problem of frogs rather than removed them.\u00a0You said they could not remove them, but have given no logical explanation why they could not.\u00a0In regard to the snakes you said and I quote\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":92566,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-proper-explanation-of-john-316\/","url_meta":{"origin":35399,"position":1},"title":"The Proper Explanation of John 3:16","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"December 13, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Carl O. Cooper The fact is, John 3:16, when taken in its proper context, teaches that salvation is by works of obedience when accompanied by proper faith. It's true! This verse, read in its proper context, does not teach \"saved by faith alone.\" In reality, the context of this\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23853,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/were-the-egyptian-magicians-able-to-do-real-miracles\/","url_meta":{"origin":35399,"position":2},"title":"Were the Egyptian magicians able to do real miracles?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 18, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I want to know if the Egyptian magicians did real miracles or did they appear to do so by the means of a tonic to immobilize the snakes? Also did the witch at Endor really summon Samuel or was it an illusion? Answer: It might seem that the Egyptian\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":26104,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/could-stephen-be-making-moses-out-to-be-bigger-than-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":35399,"position":3},"title":"Could Stephen be making Moses out to be bigger than life?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"February 14, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: I know from Acts 7 it is said that Moses knew he was a Hebrew prior to the burning bush event.\u00a0 What is your take on the possibilities that this was based on the Jewish tradition?\u00a0 Acts was written by Paul who was brought up a Pharisee and in\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":61158,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/why-was-god-about-to-kill-moses\/","url_meta":{"origin":35399,"position":4},"title":"Why Was God About To Kill Moses?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 5, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"by Terry W. Benton The text of Exodus 4:24-26 seems oddly placed, but it is a separate paragraph from the rest of the text. Moses has been commissioned to go back to Egypt where the Israelites are and tell Pharaoh to free them. Moses thought of excuse after excuse, which\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":52960,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-progress-of-the-hypocrite\/","url_meta":{"origin":35399,"position":5},"title":"The Progress of the Hypocrite","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"September 7, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"by Matthew W. Bassford The first nine verses of 2 Timothy 3 contain one of the most brutal condemnations of the wicked in the entire New Testament. However, its subject does not appear to be people in the world. 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