Psalm 140:3

Psalm 140:3

All about snakes!

The serpent is not a popular animal in the Bible. It usually spells trouble, and it all begins, of course, with the serpent who appeared to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. In the UK, the only poisonous serpent is the Adder, and few people have ever encountered one of these simply because they are extremely timorous creatures. David was, of course, writing this Psalm in Israel, a country that has over 40 species of snakes, 9 of which are venomous! These include vipers and cobras but most of the snakes to be avoided live in the southern deserts. There are two poisonous vipers to be found in the north named, maybe appropriately, as the Palestine and the Lebanon vipers. (The former is the national snake of Israel.) 

There are very few people who really like snakes and even fewer who would go out of their way to handle them! All snakes have forked tongues which allow the animal to collect chemical particles to interpret scents, their tongues are similar to our ears. It follows that people who are identified with snakes in the Bible cannot be trusted, they carry poison on their lips, they are able to cause great offence and strike before defences are put in place. The damage they cause is both personal and widespread and their poison runs deep. The venom that comes out of their mouths is as cruel and deadly as the venom of snakes, that is why the words of Jesus to the Jewish Teachers of the Law and the Pharisees was so telling, “You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?” Matthew 23:33. Jeus could not have shown more contempt and anger than He did at that moment, He was actually pouring His greatest scorn and disdain on the religious leaders of His day!