Snake in the grass....

Exodus 4:4
4 Then the LORD said to him, “Reach out your hand and take it by the tail.” So Moses reached out and took hold of the snake and it turned back into a staff in his hand.

I’ve read this story a lot of times. Moses and God on the mountain together talking about the future of the Hebrews. Burning bushes, holy ground, and orders from God; it’s the stuff that movies are made of! Sometimes it just seems like another Bible story, but today, something different stuck out to me.

God told Moses to use his rod, the staff that he carried. He said that by laying it down and taking it up again the Hebrew people would recognize that the Lord, their God had sent Moses. In laying it down it would turn into a snake, and in picking it up it would become a staff again. How would that show the power of God, the true nature of the Creator and Redeemer that the Hebrews had been begging for?

God chose Moses to demonstrate the entire history of the world with a stick. He knew that the Hebrews would make the connection. He knew that someday I would make the connection.

In the beginning God created everything. Angels, stars, galaxies, earth, plants, animals, and people were all part of His design. Satan, an angel, rebelled and decided that He could be God. He was cast out of Heaven and roams on earth. He deceives and manipulates, enslaves and tortures all of mankind. He is cursed and he is a snake!

Everything that the Devil, Satan, does and can do was being poured out on the Hebrew nation while they were in bondage in Egypt. God, through the staff of Moses, was getting ready to show them that though it seemed He had laid down control, that wasn’t the case. He was getting ready to grab the Devil by the tail and make him useless once again. This was something that His chosen people would recognize. This is also something that we, as Christians, should recognize.

Jesus’ death on the cross rendered Satan, that serpent of old, a useless stick. In the name of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we are free from the bondage of sin. The Devil has no power over us. We are royalty; made righteous in the healing blood of Christ. Recognize your authority. You are a solider in the army of God! If you recoil in fear because of the snake in the grass, remember Moses. He let go of the staff and it turned into a snake. He jumped back in fear and ran from it! But God said, GRAB IT!! Take hold of the serpent; MY power will render it a useless stick in your hands! The same is true for us. If we hold Satan by the tail, if we bind him with the Word, under the authority of Jesus Christ, we can render him useless!!!