Servant Eyes

Our ancient ancestors developed eyes that enabled them to detect and avoid their most dangerous predators; The psalmist leads us to a discussion of how to develop eyes to see — not our predators but our Protector.

Snake eyes.

That's what you see when you roll a pair of dice and get two ones. It's a loser in many games, and often associated with bad luck.

Our ancestors had snake eyes.

But for them, it was really quite lucky.

Over time, our ancient relatives developed eyes that enabled them to detect and avoid their most dangerous predator: the snake. This characteristic allowed them to survive, thrive and develop into full-fledged human beings.

Genesis has it right, says anthropologist Lynne A. Isbell: "The snake made us human."

Just picture an ancient female, unable to see and identify objects that are close by and in front of her. A poisonous snake is near enough to bite her, so it does -- killing her and ending her ability to reproduce. A few yards away is another female, one whose eyes are slightly better and able to spot the deadly serpent and avoid it. The second one goes on to be fruitful and multiply, passing her genes through a succession of generations that stretch to the present day.

Isbell...