The sun scorched the field of battle in 1965 as three soldiers searched for any telltale signs of life. With rifles held aloft and ready for combat, they never slowed their steps. The enemy was hiding somewhere nearby. They were sure of it!Sergeant John called out in hushed tones, “Over here, Captain.”
Captain Jim stopped in his tracks, quickly scanned the horizon, and locked eyes on his sergeant. He held up one finger to his mouth while he raised his other hand palm down to silence the eager soldier. This was no time to give away their position.
Lieutenant Rick reached the sergeant first. He stood looking down with eyes wide and mouth agape. One of the enemy's victims lay partially hidden by a small outcropping of rock among some shrubs. When the captain arrived he bent down to see how the enemy had taken this life. Two holes on the victim's neck revealed the work of a heartless assassin. The victim never had a chance. He was ambushed just off the trail.
“Watch yourselves, boys!” whispered Captain Jim. “He may be laying a trap for us, too.”
“Over here, Captain!” shouted the sergeant no longer trying to hide his presence. “He's trying to escape down the ravine!”
“Fire soldier!” yelled the captain as he and his lieutenant positioned themselves to block the assassin's getaway. The summer air rung with gunfire yet the enemy miraculously escaped. Even though the soldiers rained down hot lead on the assassin's back it just bounced off his body armor like so many drops of water.
The dreaded assassin was a six foot rattlesnake. The victim was a jack rabbit. The battlefield was my uncle's cattle ranch in Rhome, Texas. We were just kids-- “play soldiers.” Our mighty weapons, BB guns, were no real threat to our enemy. His armor was simply too tough for our feeble weapons.
In the beginning, the true enemy of mankind took the form of a serpent and “was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made” (Genesis 3:1). He seduced Adam and Eve with false promises. His deadly lies struck deep into their hearts like poison glistened fangs, they rebelled against God and sinned. The fatal blow to this treacherous creature would be delivered by a descendant of the first couple (3:15). However, it did not come in the form of BB guns, M-16s or even nuclear weapons. The final blow was delivered to the old serpent by the Son of Man on the cross at Calvary. It was the only weapon that could make that snake writhe in pain.
Today, we dare not go against the old serpent as “play soldiers” with toy weapons. Our weapon is the message of the cross of Christ. “For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God” (1 Corinthians 1:18).
Activity for Today: Skin Deep Religion
By Jim Morris