Snake

Snakes or serpents have been mysterious to man throughout history. They are known for their smooth, slinky, subtle ways, as well as their venomous attacks on unsuspecting victims. Hailed and honored by some, feared and hated by others, the snake has captured the human imagination since the beginning of time.

In the Garden of Eden, it was the serpent that lured Eve, telling her twisted truths that were nothing more than lies and confusing her about what God hath and hath not said. But apparently, somehow the serpent captivated her and she believed him when he told her she could be as God, knowing good and evil. Beguiled by the snake, she ate the fruit that God told her and Adam not to. Everything changed. Suddenly Adam and Eve were in sin. That snake ruined everything, as was his scheming plan, but not before God had the last word, truth.

Ever since God put Adam and Eve out of the garden, man has had to deal with his fear of snakes. On one extreme, it is feared, despised, used as a symbol of evil and misfortune, but on the other is it revered, given prestige and honor, even used to represent the "wisdom” given to men by “the gods.”

In some cultures snakes have been a symbol of healing. My guess is that it originated with the Hebrews and Moses, for when they were being led through the desert by Moses, (Numbers 21) an incident occurred where the people became impatient, and they were criticizing God and Moses.

The people complained, "Why did you make us leave Egypt-just to let us die in the desert? There's no bread or water, and we can't stand this awful food!" So the LORD sent poisonous snakes among the people. They bit the people, and many of the Israelites died. Then as a remedy, Moses was told by God to put a brass snake on a stick and put it up on a pole, He was told that ll the people who looked upon it would be healed. Moses did as God directed and then all who did look at it were healed.

We read in the New Testament that Jesus remarked one day to his disciples about this event saying, “as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness so the Son of Man must be lifted up.”... from John 3:14.

And for all we know, the serpent on a pole may well have been the model concept As for the Greeks and Romans in their worship of Asclepius,, the Son of Apollo and Coronis, known in their cultures as the god of healing. According to Gerald David Hart, author of a book titled, Asclepius the God of Medicine, it is likely and he notes that many of the Asclepian temple locations in Rome, Athens and Corinth became locations for Christians churches and shrines as paganism died out. The symbol of healing in the medical profession today is still the Rod of Asclepius, a pole with a snake wrapped around it. It is also from Ascelpius that the Hippocratic Oath originated. The Greek philosopher Socrates's last words are said to be a reminder to Crito, to make sacrifice to Asclepius for him.

Worship of and healing of Ascelpius was associated with snakes and snakes can be seen as either good or bad. Interestingly, the snake is associated with the medical profession and the use of drugs, which can be good or bad for like snakes, drugs can be used to help a person, or to harm them.

And isn't it funny, like the serpent on the pole to cure the snake bite, many vaccines used even today in the medical profession are made from the very virus that causes the illness.

Snakes, you either love em or you hate em, they can be good or evil.

Perhaps the serpent in the Garden had it right when he told Adam and Eve that if they ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they would know the difference between the two. Life, death... here were are kinda in the the middle, having been bitten by the serpent. (All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.)

Anti- venom helps for snake bites, but for sin, there really is only one cure...

Jesus.