Hi
,
These are the most despised creatures on Earth - both of them! In fact, some of you won't even read this simply because they're pictured here! For the rest of you "brave" people, read on...
Many people have wondered about the origins and/or purpose of the fangs of these two animals. In some ways, they're similar. They both are at the mouth, they come in pairs (some snakes have several pairs), and they inject venom, either for defense or to subdue prey. Neither uses fangs to eat their prey. Fangs are not part of their digestive systems.
But, did both of these creatures always have fangs? There is the possibility that one of them did not.
There are a few pieces of the puzzle that we can put together to see if there might be an answer. First of all, we know that in the beginning, no creature was dangerous, and nature was in perfect harmony and at peace. God called everything "very good" (Gen. 1:31). Furthermore, we know that all creatures got sufficient nutrients from
plants (Gen. 1:30). So, fangs weren't a negative thing at the beginning. BUT, we also know that nature has been "groaning" ever since the fall of man (Rom. 8:22). This would include the issues that cause people to despise both of these creatures.
We're never told any detailed information about spiders in the Bible. So, we have to learn everything from studying them now. Here are a few interesting features about spider venom:
1. For the most part (by far!) spiders are not dangerous to man.
2. Spider venom basically subdues prey and immobilizes it. The venom itself is usually not toxic to the spider's victim.
3. The fluids associated with the spider's mouth and fangs serves also to break down solids since spiders generally can't take in solid food. They basically eat liquid. So, in the beginning, the probable use for the fangs of spiders was to inject plants with the fluids that would break down their solids so that they could be ingested by the spider.
Therefore, the spider was probably made with fangs and venom, and it would still be called "very good". BUT, the serpent could be another story!...(continued)
