This past weekend I was talking to a good friend, and man of the Word, and he was encouraging me to look for the spiritual meaning behind this snake-bite situation. Understandably so when everything happened I was just worried about Oakley. But now that I have had time to step back and reflect I've taken this dear brother's comments to heart.
In that conversation the Lord immediately brought this passage in Genesis 4:7 to mind, "Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master" (NLT). As we know earlier in Genesis 3 sin is incarnated in the Serpent, the Devil himself. But Adam and Eve, nor Cain in Genesis 4 for that matter, subdued sin; rather, they gave it a foothold and let Satan do his trickery and deceit.
In relation to this passage I was thinking about how I was sitting on this rock above this Copperhead snake who was only 6 inches from my legs. Little did I know the pain and anguish and maybe even death that was only inches and seconds from striking me. Physically, this is a frightening realization. Spiritually speaking, it is even more so! How similar is sin in our lives to this Copperhead!?!?
Like the Copperhead hiding between the rock and the grass, often times sin is hidden in my life and I don't realize the death-filled potential it has. As I talked with this friend on the phone my mind started to think of the various sins in my life that I don't recognize and the many sins that I blatantly ignore and turn a blind eye to. As my former campus ministry coworker use to say, "sin runs deep" and often times we don't recognize the power it has nor give it the respect it deserves. Even more so, we don't deal with it like we should. We need to "subdue it and be its master."
Enter in this morning's Daily Walk Bible reading from Hosea 12-14. Hosea 12:14 says "but the people of Israel have bitterly provoked the Lord, so their Lord will now sentence them to death in payment for their sins." The Apostle Paul said, "for the wages of sin is death" (Romans 6:23). The Bible is clear, the consequence for Sin is death.
So what a wonderful joy and gift to read that "I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt" (Hos. 12:9) and "I have been the Lord your God ever since I brought you out of Egypt" (Hos. 13:4). The author is reminiscing about the historical event in the life of the Nation of Israel, the Exodus out of Egypt. But we can also clearly make the connection to the spiritual saving that God won for his people out of their slavery to sin; and out of our slavery to sin because while "the wages of sin is death, the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." And that is an amazing gift!
So I want to encourage you today to take your sin seriously! Do battle with sin by praying through these verses in Hosea 14; I did this this morning and was blessed and encouraged by this time of repentance, confession and the assurance of God's forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
1) "Return, O Israel, to the Lord your God for your sins have brought you down" (Hos. 14:1). We must recognize that sin has control in our lives and we need to turn away from it and turn back to God.
2) "Bring your confessions, and return to the Lord. Say to him, "Forgive all our sins and graciously receive us..." (Hos. 14:2). Bring those sins, your confessions, to the Lord and ask for His forgiveness. We know that He will be gracious in forgiving for His Word has said so, "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9).
3) "Assyria cannot save us, nor can our warhorses...No, in you alone do the orphans find mercy" (Hos. 14:3). Recognize that nothing in this world can save us, it is only in the Lord Jesus Christ that we find mercy.
4) "Then I will heal you of your faithlessness; my love will know no bounds, for my anger will be gone forever" (Hos. 14:4). Trust that the Great Physician, out of his gracious and loving heart and character, wants to do major heart surgery in your life and He wants to heal you through and through.
The gift of new life in Christ is that "my people will again live under My shade. They will flourish like grain and blossom like grapevines" (Hos. 14:7). "How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God" (1 John 3:1).
As the Holy Spirit leads us we can remember that "I am the one who answers your prayers and cares for you. I am like a tree that is always green; all your fruit comes from me" (Hos. 14:8). God alone answers prayer; and God alone, through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, will forgive us of ALL our sins.
We got the wonderful news yesterday that Oakley has officially been cleared by our Vet and there are no other issues we need to worry about in relation to this Copperhead condition. And what wonderful news that ...
"... now he (Christ) has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to do away with sin by the sacrifice of himself. Just as man is destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many people; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him" (Hebrews 9:26-28).
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