Psalm 58
This psalm uses the imagery of the snake charmer: “Even from birth the wicked go astray; from the womb they are wayward, spreading lies. Their venom is like the venom of a snake, like that of a cobra that has stopped its ears, that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.” (vs 3-5)
When God created human beings, the Bible says that they were made in His image. But soon after our creation, we surrendered our image to a serpent. Ever since then, God has been trying to restore His image in man. Thus, God is like a snake charmer—carefully dodging the venom in an attempt to subdue and win over His run-amok snakes.
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Sadly, however, this psalm reveals that some of God’s children will refuse all His attempts at reconciliation. They will remain stubborn, like snakes “that will not heed the tune of the charmer, however skillful the enchanter may be.” And believe me, God is a skillful enchanter. Everything He can do, He will do in order to win us back to Him.
If, in the end, we will not be persuaded, it is simply because we have refused God’s advances time and time again. Those who take this tack with God will end up like the “cobra that has stopped its ears.” They will end up utterly unable to respond any longer to God’s charms.
Photo © Unsplash/Raul Cacho Oses