“You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.” – Psalm 91:13, NKJV

Years ago, I read a small book titled; ‘Words of Power’ from which I first encountered the word ‘trample.’ It is an active (and ‘violent’) verb that means to crush forcefully with a foot or feet.

It is the stronger form of the verb ‘to tread,’ which is also an active verb that means to put a foot upon. The Greek word for ‘tread’ is pateo while that for ‘trample’ is katapateo – literally ‘to tread down with the intention of crushing completely.’

In our meditation today, the poet says; “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.”

The ‘lion,’ ‘cobra’ and ‘serpent’ imagery pictures all kinds of deadly perils that threaten God’s people. 

Mark you; the verb doesn’t say ‘you may’; it says “you shall”!

That directly implies that it is within your mandate to do it.

The active verb, ‘trample’ denotes the act of rendering worthless or useless or of none-effect.

The phrase “trample under foot” means to treat something or someone with contempt, disrespect, or complete disregard, often resulting in physical or metaphorical harm.

It implies a forceful act of stepping on or crushing, which can be both literal and figurative in its usage.

In the literal sense, it means to rub the mud on something like a door mat (see Malachi 4:3).

“And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly”

ROMANS 16:20

Metaphorically, it signifies showing extreme disrespect or treating someone or something as if it is insignificant or worthless!

That promise applies to every child of God, including you!

Rather than being afraid of and fleeing from strong youthful ‘lions’ and ‘venomous serpents,’ God says we are empowered to trample them underfoot!

In Psalm 44:5, David said; “Through You we will push down our enemies; through Your Name we will trample those who rise up against us.”

Indeed, the total victory of God’s people over all the powers of darkness is a promise of the living God that transcends the two Testaments.

In Luke 10:19, our Lord Jesus assured to the disciples of the authority given them by Him to tread upon venomous ‘serpents’ and ‘scorpions,’ which conveys the thought of victory over spiritually antagonistic forces – the powers of darkness – as indicated by His reference to the “all the power of the enemy.”

The apostle Paul rubbed it in even more: “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20).

I really love the three key words in this verse: ‘will’ (He is able, ready and willing to do it), ‘crush’ (total annihilation) and ‘shortly’ (another version says ‘soon’).

So, whatever is making you anxious and unsettled will be crushed under your feet, and that pretty soon! Receive that word from the Lord in the Name of Jesus!