Deborah

Thank you for writing. You asked a couple questions that I will be happy to answer. The photo of the copperhead is one I copied. As you mentioned, it was dark out when we had the encounter with the serpent here. However, it was not pitch black, as there is a security light nearby. The light, however, would have been insufficient for taking a decent photo.

Regarding whether there were other options besides killing a venomous snake, I have written about this in another post, but I will share some thoughts here once more as I am sure you are not the only one asking this question.

In Genesis chapter 3 Yahweh declares that He has put "enmity" between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. Yahweh says that the serpent will strike man's heel, and man will crush the serpent's head.

This is both a spiritual parable, and a natural truth. It is quite common for people in southern states where these venomous serpents are found, to kill them whenever they find them. These snakes are a threat to children, adults, pets, livestock, etc.. I remember when I was 7 years old and my family flew down to Georgia to visit my father's family, that while we were there one of my grandfather's hunting dogs was bitten by a rattlesnake and died. The venom in a copperhead, or a water moccasin, could easily kill my dog as well.

I would invite you to look at this experience I described as a spiritual parable as well. I recognize that Yahweh orders my steps. My experiences, including these encounters with venomous serpents, contain messages.

The serpent came up under my bus at night when it was dark. Even so, we live in an hour when this world is growing very dark. The light of truth is being extinguished. Men are increasingly giving themselves over to immorality and abominations. Satan is pouring out deception like a flood.

It is likely NOT coincidental that my present series is titled "Push Back." When Satan comes in like a flood, we must resist him lest we become infected with the poison he is spreading.

Interestingly, with this last snake, my daughter called a young neighbor boy to kill the snake. I was going to do it, and already had gotten a shovel out to strike off its head. The snake was very active, however, and acted like he would try to flee, so I let my daughter call this boy so we could keep the snake contained.

I supplied the young boy with a long handled shovel, and I had one as well. With it he was able to easily strike off the serpent's head. This is symbolic of my role as a minister in supplying the tools needed to the people of God to confront and defeat the adversary.

Understanding this parable, I neither think it wise, nor desirable to let the serpent go away unharmed. He could have come back, or gone over to a neighbor's home and been a threat there. No, the spiritual response is to remove the threats from both my own life and those of fellow Christians and neighbors. I have no sympathy for Satan and his venomous activity. He comes only to kill, steal and destroy. Neither did I show sympathy for the serpent.

I have heard they have a sense of smell that is 400 times stronger than a humans.
The copperhead snake that Champ found in your tale must have been found by his acute sense of smell because it would have been pitch black outside at night.
Is your image of the copperhead a photo from the internet or one you took yourself? If it is a photo you took, your torch must be very high powered because the image of the 'copperhead snake' is bright as daylight as though it was found during the night.

Dogs are often seem as loyal companions that may even be better than human ones due to the lack of issues from human affairs. But they do have their own drawbacks as they are in the end beasts with beastly behaviours and it will require a fair deal of training to 'tame' them to the point of complete submission to the owner.

While the venomous snake posed a real threat, would avoiding ending its life be an option? I haven't faced any snakes in the wild before so I don't know how dangerous it is to simply remove them away back into the wild to a safe distance from you.

I'm not a fan of snakes and yes they are listed as enemies of humans in Genesis 3:15 but now I'm a person not eager to easily decide to take away animal lives (and I probably wasn't much of this kind of person before).