Black Rat Snake, Asheville, NC, Wikipedia
Where Science Meets the Doctrine and Covenants: Come Follow Me Lesson: March 17-23: Doctrine and Covenants 23-26
The Lord told Oliver Cowdery in April 1830, Doctrine and Covenants 24:1, “Behold, I speak unto you, Oliver, a few words. Behold, thou art blessed, and art under no condemnation. But beware of pride, lest thou shouldst enter into temptation.”
In part, because of Oliver Cowdery’s pride and refusal to follow Joseph Smith’s leadership, he was excommunicated from the Church on April 12, 1838, largely as a result of the economic disaster of 1837.
In a later revelation given to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery, in July 1830, the Lord said in 24:13-14, “Require not miracles, except I shall command you, expect casting out devils, healing the sick, and against poisonous serpents, and against deadly poisons; And these things ye shall not do, except it be required of you by them who desire it, that the scriptures might be fulfilled; for ye shall do according to that which is written.”
Then, in September 22-23, 1832, Joseph Smith received a revelation concerning missionaries who were returning to Kirtland, Ohio, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 84:72-73, “And the poison of a serpent shall not have power to harm them. But a commandment I give unto them, that they shall not boast themselves of these things, neither speak them before the world; for these things are given unto you for your profit and for salvation.”
What is “written” in the New Testament is primarily Mark 16:17-18, “And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; They shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover.” We also read in Luke 10:19, “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.”
A practical example of these promises is recounted in Acts 28:3-6, “And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god.”
Two years after the revelation recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 84, Joseph Smith was leading Zions Camp from Kirtland to Missouri. He recorded in his account for June 16, 1834, that after ferrying the Grand River, “Martin Harris having boasted to the brethren that he could handle snakes with perfect safety, while fooling with a black snake with his bare feet, he received a bite on his left foot. The fact was communicated to me, and I took occasion to reprove him, and exhort the brethren never to trifle with the promises of God. I told them it was presumption for any one to provoke a serpent to bite him, but if a man of God was accidentally bitten by a poisonous serpent, he might have faith, or his brethren might have faith for him, so that the Lord would hear his prayer and he might be healed; but when a man designedly provokes a serpent to bite him, the principle is the same as when a man drinks deadly poison knowing it to be such. In that case no man has any claim on the promises of God to be healed.”1
According to Wikipedia, the “Pantherophis obsoletus, also known commonly as the western rat snake, black rat snake, pilot black snake, or simply black snake, is a nonvenomous species of snake in the family Colubridae. The species is native to central North America.”
Joseph Smith then went on to recount other events of June 16, 1834, without saying what, if anything, came of Martin’s snake bite. I have been unable to find any more details. I don’t know how sick he was, if at all. He must have had no ill effects, as he lived until 1875. However, his faith did not weather the storms of 1837, as he was excommunicated in December of that year, largely because of his pride. His life would have been much better had he heeded the scriptures in the Doctrine and Covenants cited above.
There is another account of Zion’s Camp and a snake in the Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, “…an incident from the famous march of Zion’s Camp. The members of that organization often encountered reptiles on the prairie. One day Solomon Humphrey laid himself down for a little rest, being weary. When he awoke, he saw a rattlesnake coiled up not more than a few inches from his head. Some proposed to kill it, but Brother Humphrey said, ‘Let it alone; we have had a good nap together.’ It was on this occasion that the Prophet Joseph instructed the brethren not to kill serpents, or any other animals, unless absolutely necessary. 'Men,' said he, ‘must first become harmless themselves, before they can expect the brute creation to be so.’”2
Trent Dee Stephens, PhD
References
1. Joseph Smith, History of the Church, Deseret Book, SLC, 1978, 2:95-96
2. Jensen, Andrew, Hist. Rec., p. 835; Smith, Hyrum M., and Janne M. Sjodahl, Doctrine and Covenants Commentary, Deseret Book, SLC, 1967, p. 515
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