Picking Up The Serpent

The LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. —Exodus 4:2-4

The Lord told Moses to cast his rod on the ground.  When he did, the rod became a serpent and Moses fled from it! Then the Lord told Moses to pick it up.  Have you ever considered how Moses picked up the serpent by the tail when he was running from it as it chased him?

The answer is: Moses submitted to the command of the Lord and faced the serpent. When he did, the serpent turned the other way to get away from Moses.  As it began to slither away Moses “caught it” and picked it up by the tail.

APPLICATION TO YOU AND I:  The serpent is a picture of the devil— Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7).  When the devil is pursuing you, submit to the Lord, then turn and face the devil and watch him slither away!