FROM YOUR PASTOR’S DESK:
September 6
CHRIST UPLIFTED: ‘BEHOLD THE SON OF MAN’-NOT THE ‘MAN OF SIN’! (Part 18)
“Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as SERPENTS, and harmless as doves.” Matt. 10: 16, KJV. Jesus did not say, Be ye therefore “venomous” but “wise” as serpents.
Hereunder is comprehensive meaning of “serpent” as used in the Bible so we don’t misapply, misunderstand, be confused or perplexed as to why the word “serpent” was used by Jesus, or that He pointed Nicodemus back to the time when God commanded Moses to fashion a serpent from brass and raise it up on a pole that all Israelites who were bitten by extremely venomous “fiery serpents,” looked up to, lived! Those who refused died an extremely painful death.
“There are about 35 kinds of serpents in Palestine some of which are extremely poisonous. Nine different Hebrew and 4 different Greek words are used in the Bible to designate various types of serpents. Some of these terms are GENERIC, designating serpents in general, others are specific, naming such serpents as cobras, vipers, adders, etc. Unfortunately, none can be identified with certainty.
“Serpents can live among stones (Amos 5:19) and rocks (Prov. 30: 19), or in the warm sand of the desert. Some seek wet areas, such as the vicinity of wells, which probably explains why the Semites named many of their wells after snakes.
“The serpents were feared for their poison, and were REPRESENTED frequently as the TOOLS of God’s wrath (Num. 21:6; Deut. 32:24; Jer. 8: 17). They are set forth as symbols of DISHONESTY, STEALTHINESS, and SLANDER (Gen. 49: 17; Ps. 40: 3), CUNNING EVIL(Matt. 3:7; 23: 33), EFFECTS OF INTOXICATION (Prov. 23:32), but also of WISDOM (Matt. 10:16). Satan used a serpent to bring about the fall of man (Gen. 3; 2 Cor. 11:3): hence he is sometimes referred to as a serpent (Rev. 12:9; 20: 22, etc.).
“The following names are used in the Bible for serpents:
1) the Heb. nachash, a frequently used generic term which, when referring to a reptile, is always translated ‘serpent’ in the KJV;
2) the Heb. tannin, also used in the generic sense to mean ‘serpent’ (Exo. 7: 9,10,12; Deut. 32:33, KJV ‘DRAGON’; Ps. 91:13, KJV ‘dragon’);
3) the Heb. pethen, rendered ‘asp’ and ‘adder’ (Deut. 32:33; Job 20:14, 16; Ps. 58:4; 91:13; Isa. 11:8), and representing a very fierce and poisonous snake, perhaps the cobra, of which certain kinds are found in Palestine;
4) the Heb. shephifon (Gen. 49:17), rendered ‘adder’ (KJV) and ‘viper’ (RSV), usually understood to mean a horned snake;
5) the Heb. akshub, (Ps. 40:3), rendered ‘adder’ (KJV), ‘viper’ (RSV), apparently another form of horned serpent;
6) the Heb. sepha, and
7) siphoni, 2 words rendered ‘adder’ and ‘COCKATRICE’ in the KJV, and ‘adder’ in the RSV (Prov. 23:32; Isa. 11:8; 14: 29; 59: 5; Jer. 6:17), representing some kind of a poisonous snake. . . .
“The most common NT word for snake is the Gr. ‘OPHIS,’ which is used 14 times (Matt. 7:10; John 3:14; Rev. 12:9, etc.). . . .
“It has been argued that the ancients believed that serpents ATE DUST and that this MISTAKEN VIEW was rooted in the predictive curse pronounced by God (Gen. 4:14). The recently recovered literature of the ancient world had revealed, however, that the ancients understood such statements FIGURATIVELY, for they accompanied their strong curses by the statement that the cursed one would have to ‘eat dust.’
“Serpents were objects of WORSHIP in the CANAANITE religion [in the earthly promised land!], though it is uncertain whether these creatures were considered to be gods. [why were they worshipped then?]. Steles have been discovered in Palestine and Syria that show individuals, probably gods, around whom serpents are wound. Some gods and goddesses were depicted holding snakes in their hands.
Serpent MONUMENTS such as the one at Petra, were certainly erected as objects of worship. [Mark this!]: “When the Israelites [again!] IMITATED pagan SERPENT WORSHIP by making the bronze serpent of Moses into an IDOL, the pious king Hezekiah DESTROYED IT!(Num. 21: 8, 9; 2 Kings 18:4).” – SDA Bible Dictionary, Complete with Atlas, Commentary Reference Series Vol. 8, Review & Herald Publishing Asso. Washington D. C., 1960.
(To be continued). Bless all, NMF.