Dr. Douglas Oliver, a
scientist by training, was deeply entrenched in Darwin’s theory of evolution
and was an ardent atheist. However, his worldview began to crack the more he
researched in his area of specialization—herpetology, the study of amphibians
and reptiles.
Oliver wrote, “I remember
how frustrated I became when, as a young atheist, I examined specimens under
the microscope. I would often walk away and try to convince myself that I was
not seeing examples of extraordinary design, but merely the product of some
random, unexplained mutations. As I progressed in my education, I was
especially drawn to the designs of the venomous reptiles, and eventually I
completed my PhD with a dissertation on rattlesnake venom. Early in my studies,
it became quite evident that the snake’s venom and the venom delivery apparatus
were extremely complicated and appeared to have been perfectly designed for
their specific purpose. The more I researched, the more obvious it became that
every aspect of a snake’s behavior and physique, not just its venom and
delivery system, are designed to aid its survival and to sustain its kind on
this planet. As an atheist, I was at a loss for the answers.”[1]
It wasn’t long before Dr. Oliver
had to concede under the tremendous weight of evidence that there had to be a
Divine Designer. Fascinating isn’t it? God used the design of a snake—a creature
that we typically associate with evil and Satanic activity—to breakdown an
unbeliever’s arguments against a Creator. You might say this was a case of snake
salvation, because the snake led the scientist to the Savior.
Dr. Oliver’s testimony
reminded me of a neglected story in the book of Numbers. As the nation of
Israel wandered through the wilderness for forty years they became experts at bellyaching
and complaining. In response, God judged his people with a plague of snakes, “Then
the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people, so that
many people of Israel died” (Num. 21:6). Since the Garden of Eden, when Satan
took the form of a serpent, snakes have been a symbol of sin, and here they’re
sent in response to sin. Apparently these snakes had a venomous bite that
caused a burning sensation in the body. Ouch!
When the people repented
God was willing to give mercy. He gave Moses strange instructions to alleviate their
suffering, “And the Lord said to Moses, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a
pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live.” So Moses made a
bronze serpent and set it on a pole. And if a serpent bit anyone, he would look
at the bronze serpent and live” (Num. 21:8-9). Notice once again, a curious
case of snake salvation.
This is a story of
judgment and grace. Perhaps, Moses and company didn’t realize it, but they were
prophetically acting out something that would be fulfilled in Christ. Jesus
used this Old Testament story to explain to Nicodemus the Gospel, “And as Moses
lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that
whoever believes in him may have eternal life” (John 3:14-15). Notice the
connection between the bronze serpent and the Cross.
Mankind is poisoned with sin
(Rom. 5:12). The judgment of sin is
death (Rom. 6:23). However, the only way
to be saved from death is to look to the cross and see the Savior hanging there
in our place. Just as the Israelites
looked at the bronze serpent by faith, so too it is by faith alone that we must
look to Jesus and his sacrifice on the cross to save us from sin (Eph. 2:8-9). In
both cases of the bronze serpent and the cross, God used symbols of death to
become the basis for saving life. Only God could turn a curse into a blessing. Only
the Sovereign could use a snake to point to the Savior.
So next time you see those
slithering creatures be reminded of the beauty and mystery of salvation. Then
look to the future. For one day we know that those creatures will be redeemed from
the curse with the rest of creation (Rom. 8:20-23). In the New Earth every
viper will be defanged and, “The nursing child shall play over the hole of the
cobra, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den. They shall
not hurt or destroy.” (Is. 11:8-9). -DM
[1] Douglas
Oliver, “Designed to Kill in a Fallen World: The Incredible Design of Snake
Venom,” Answers Magazine, 27 May 2009
<https://answersingenesis.org/evidence-for-creation/design-in-nature/designed-to-kill-in-a-fallen
-world/>.
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