Snakes and Scorpions Lesson Three

"Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you."
Jesus as recorded in Luke 10:19


First, A Review
What are some things we have learned so far?

We have so far learned to identify tree and some poisonous plants. We have learned some things to do when we encounter dangerous situations with animals. It is sad to think that we cannot live in a place where things are perfect, where animals are our friends, and every plant and tree is good and good for food, but since the fall, the earth has been filled with difficulty, grave dangers and even death. It's funny hos knowledge of danger, has a tendency to make us fear.

Is fear a bad thing or a good thing?
Fear is a natural response to perceived danger.


The scripture says, “Fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” Maybe you wonder, as I do, "Why would it be the beginning of wisdom to fear God? Fear God? What is that about? Why fear God?" Perhaps the first question is: "What or who is God that he should be feared?"

God is an eternally existing, sovereign, Being who created all things, and who is the ultimate lawgiver and judge of all things. and God, is light, in his is no darkness at all. He is perfect and there is sin in Him. He is also the judge or what is right and wrong and he has pronounced judgment on evil, that is why is makes us wiser when we fear him. It helps us do the things he declares are right.\, and then when we see we are wrong, we will ask him to forgive us, and he will, because of what Jesus has done on our behalf.

Scripture teaches us that it was Jesus who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: and that it is by his stripes that we are healed, (1 Peter 2:24)

When we believe in Jesus, we have friendship with God. Because we have r\feared God and repented, received Jesus Christ as Savior, we do not need to fear the things the way we would if we did not know God or his promise of salvation to us in Christ. God is with us and we are sealed by the power of his Holy Spirit. Nothing can take us out of JEsus' hands and God has given us the hope of eternal life. But we must know God. We must walk in the truth, know it and act upon it.

1 John 2: 23-25 reads, "No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also. See that what you have heard from the beginning remains in you. If it does, you also will remain in the Son and in the Father. And this is what he promised us -- even eternal life.

It is really important that we learn our lessons well and that we act up the the things we know to be true and right and good.

Hos 4:6 (NIV) says, "My people are destroyed from lack of knowledge."

Think about this:

If you didn’t know what poison ivy looked like what could happen to you?

If you knew what poison ivy looked like, and could spot it right away… what difference would it make?

If you got into poison ivy and knew how to wash it off, or knew that an oatmeal bath to sooth the rash would help, would you do it?

Prov 19:2 (NIV) It is not good to have zeal without knowledge, nor to be hasty and miss the way. (Zealous means marked by active interest and enthusiasm;)

Rom 10:2 (NIV) For I can testify about them that they are zealous for God, but their zeal is not based on knowledge.

People can be excited about God, be zealous for God and spiritual things, but miss some really important things because they are too busy thinking they know everything. We who would be the people of God ,must take the time to gain wisdom from God by reading his Word and looking around to apply what heaven truths to our lives in this world.

Apply this to hiking....

We can be so excited about hiking that we just go off and hike without planning and preparing or learning about the land and the dangers there could be. We could end up being really thirsty (because we didn’t take time to prepare a water bottle and there is no fresh water in the place we find ourselves. We could end up sunburned because we didn’t stop and think about how long we had spent in the sunshine without a covering. We could find ourselves or a friend experiencing hypothermia because we didn’t take precautions in case we encountered rain and cold. There are things we need to prepare for and things we need to know.

Without knowledge of poison ivy we could end up setting up a tent right on top of it because we thought it looked soft and cushy, having no idea it would poison us, or worse, use it for toilet paper in the wild. But once we are armed with knowledge about those things, we can overcome many obstacles because we know how to avoid the entrapment of danger and are prepared to act on what we know.

More Review

If you encounter a bear, what should you do?
Never show fear. Talk in a low tone of voice and slowly back away.

How can you spot an area where a cougar is residing?
Be alert when hiking, watch for cougar scat and tracks.

If you see a cougar, what should you do?
Try not to surprise the cougar. Stay calm, do not run, and never turn your back on a cougar. Pick up little children and make yourself look big. Throwing rocks can also help. If attacked Speak loudly and fight back, even use your hiking stick to beat him away.

If you are watching a moose lick his lips, what does that mean?
If you see it licking its lips you are far too close! Back off. Look for the nearest tree, fence, building or other obstruction to hide behind. Unlike with cougars, bears or even dogs, it's usually a good idea to run from a moose because it won't chase you very far. You can run around a tree or other obstacle faster than a moose can.

If a moose knocks you down, should you get up and run?
If a moose knocks you down, it may start stomping and kicking. Curl up in a ball, protect your head with your arms and hands, and hold still. Don't move or try to get up until the moose moves a safe distance away,


What do you do if you see a snake?
(Trick Question!) This is what we will learn this lesson.

SNAKES

If you see a snake, back away and walk around it. Snakes will not pursue you. They are not aggressive unless they feel attacked and cornered.


Poisonous snakes that are found in the US are the Rattlesnake, the Copperhead, the Cottonmouth Water Moccasin and the Coral Snake. Know what they look like. For some great photos of venomous snakes, see:
http://www.pestproducts.com/snake_pictures.htm

In Spokane, the most likely venoumous snake you may encounter is a rattler. You need to know that a rattlesnake will coil into a defensive posture if it cannot escape by crawling away. If you remain too close, the rattlesnake will usually warn you with its distinctive rattle. (Another reason to listen to your surroundings.) The snake's last defensive move is to strike and bite when threaten, so the key is to leave the snake alone. The truth is, they want to avoid you as much as you want to avoid them.

You are most likely to encounter a snake underneath rocks and fallen tree limbs, in tall grass, and even in ponds, as many snakes, the garter snakes in particular, feed on tadpoles, adult frogs, and invertebrates found in and around ponds. When you are in snake territory, step on rocks and limbs instead of straight over them. It alerts the snake, (if there is one) to your presence, and they usually leave instead of striking. Another thing you can do is to wear hiking boots. Snakes are seldom encountered on trails, so stay on marked pathways where you can see what is ahead. When you off the trail, use care when picking up rocks or firewood.

Do not poke, tease or corner a snake. Besides being dangerous, it's rather impolite behvaior from one who is just passing through the snakes personal territory.

If you do get bitten
Be sure to prevent a second bite or a second snake bite victim. Snakes can continue to bite and inject venom with successive bites until they run out of venom. Note the type of snake that bit you if you can, and make plans to head for the nearest hospital unless you know for absolute surety that the snake that bit was not venomous. Inspect the wound and apply wound care.

It might comfort you to know that only 40 percent of snake bite victims will be given antivenom serum, but if you do need it, it is best administered within 6 hours after a highly venomous bite. Also, snakes, even dangerous ones like the diamondback, don't always release venom when they bite. Sometimes snakes may release too small an amount to pose a life threatening hazard.
Even so, even a bite from a nonvenomous snake requires good wound care. Like any animal bite, there is a risk of infection. Like other foreign substances that enter into the body, there can be an allergic reaction to a snake bite in some people.

Wound Care

To care for the wound, wash it with large amounts of soap and water, inspecting the wound for broken snake teeth or dirt. Then immobilize the bitten area and keep it lower than the heart. Remove constricting items on the victim, such as rings or other jewelry, which could cut off blood flow if the bite area swells. The snake bite victim would do well to have a tetanus booster if he or she has not had one within 5 years


What not to do:
Do not apply ice or any other type of cooling on the bite. Research has shown this to be potentially harmful.
Do not apply a tourniquet. (A tourniquet is a tightly-compressed bandage used to stop bleeding by stopping the flow of blood through a large artery in a limb.) Doing this would cut the blood flow completely and may result in loss of the affected limb.
Don not put any incisions in the wound. Do not suck the venom out. It is not useful if these things are done wrong and it may even cause more injury. Such measures have not been proven useful, except for maybe in the movies.


Spider Bites and Scorpion Stings
While painful, these are rarely deadly. Treat like snake bites. Try to identify the culprit, wash the site with lots of soap and water and seek medical attention!