The way of a snake on a rock…
“There are three things that are too amazing for me, four that I do not understand: the way of an eagle in the sky, the way of a snake on a rock, the way of a ship on the high seas, and the way of a man with a maiden.” Proverbs 30:18-19
The young woman had been running on her usual route. She was tired as she panted but pressed on the last half mile. She looked up ahead to see the forest she had to pass each morning. She noticed something beaming from deep within the dense and dark trees.
Generally, she would pick up her pace when she came to the small wooded area. It was eerie and quiet and sometimes she could feel the hair stand up on the back of her neck leaving her with slight shudders, but this day something drew her.
She brought her full run down to a walk—her lungs burning as she entered the woods. A small whisper told her not to go, but what was near finger’s reach was beckoning her. She reacted to the stunning shimmer with an exhilarating gasp. Her heartbeat that had evened out began to sprint again as her stomach began to twist and turn in anticipation of actually touching the beauty that lay only a few feet away. She still couldn’t make out what it was, but it was magnetic. Glimmering. Beautiful.
Curiously she bent down to pick up and cradle the beauty that had pulled her off the path; it hissed and plunged its fangs deep into her heart before she could turn back.
This beautiful light had only been masquerading as such, for what had hold of her heart was nothing more than a venomous snake. She cried out in shock and terror. She couldn’t release this thing that she had thought was so breathtaking from her body.
She wrestled with it for what seemed like hours. Days. Years.
What could possibly tear this wretched serpent from her? She began to weep and in despair, she slowly made her way home, carrying this deceiving culprit along with her for the duration.
Did you know that the Hebrew word for snake is Nachash? It not only means snake or serpent but it also means “shining one”. We always represent the snake with sin, as the devil came to Eve as a serpent, or snake, in the garden and deceived her. In 2 Corinthians he, the devil, masquerades as an “angel of light”.
Sin comes to us as false light. It seems beautiful and wonderful, we long to touch it and hold it. It calls us off the path we’ve been on only to plunge deep into our hearts. Only then do we see it for what it really is. It brings pain, despair, and much heartache.
So what is the “way of a snake on a rock” and why is it amazing and unfathomable?
If we deduct that the snake is a representation of sin, then we must see that the rock is the representation of…Jesus! Psalm 19:14 says, “May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.”
1 Corinthians 10:4 says,”… for they drank from the spiritual rock that accompanied them, and that rock was Christ.”
In the Old Testament the Israelites were bitten by venomous snakes and then a serpent was formed from Bronze and fashioned on a pole for those who were infected and dying to gaze into. (You’ll see this sign attributed to the medical profession) As they did, they were healed. This is a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ our Rock and Healer becoming the snake that bit us to heal us of sin and disease. You can read about this in Numbers 21.
When Christ, the Rock, allowed Himself to be hammered onto the cross out of His passionate and relentless love for us, He became sin so that we could be free from it through Him. 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “God made Him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God.”
He literally had to experience the loneliness and abandonment that sin produces, except that in His case, it was not His sin – it was ours. Yet He willingly, obediently did it, so that we could live—truly live and be free. There is a way to remove the fangs of sin in our lives and it’s through the Rock who was lifted up for us!
“He personally carried our sins in his body on the cross so that we can be dead to sin and live for what is right. By His wounds you are healed.” 1 Peter 2:24
Sin comes to us, calling us, looking like light, but it only masquerades. We must be alert and paying attention to the Spirit to prevent us from going into the “woods” and touching the “light”.
The real light is the Light of the world and that is Jesus…our Rock, who paid a price so we wouldn’t have to. Who became sin for us! That is amazing and unfathomable.
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