Snake Bit

April 6

Read: Acts 28

Snake Bit

“When Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.” (v.3)

Could you imagine a “viper fastened” to your hand? Even reading the passage I “felt it”… I cringed at the thought. There is a good bit of interesting science around the human fear of snakes; some evidence points to it being deeply embedded in us… an innate fear. For the islanders on Malta, when they see Paul get bit by the viper, they determine that: ““No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live.”(v.4)

For the Maltese, to get bit was a sign of punishment carried out by “Justice”. This is a common response for us as humans. We see adversity as some sort of punishment. The perceived “favor” of surviving the storm is quickly forgotten in exchange for the tragedy of the snake bite. The being spared from the shipwreck as a sign of innocence / blessing is quickly replaced by feelings of condemnation and guilt because of the misfortune of the viper. Unfortunately we are the same way. We quickly forget the blessings of the Lord that we have received… the different ways we have been spared … as soon as we face tragedy or difficulty. Like the Maltese, we are prone to see these moments of trial as “punishment” instead of seeing them as normal parts of functioning in a world that is in the process of being redeemed. How should we respond when his happens?:

“(Paul), however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.” (v.5)

You just have to shake it off. Toss it in the fire. What was it like to watch this happen? Paul has a viper hanging from his hand… a deadly snake… and he walks over to the fire and just shakes the thing off! Then he goes about his business. Shake it off… keep on truckin’. We can learn from Paul here. The enemy wants us to see every adversity as a sign that God is angry with us and “punishing” us. The truth is that difficulty that is not coming about directly from sin we commit is NOT punishment. We must not let these “vipers” cause us to forget the ways we have made it ashore in the midst of a storm. We are so quick to forget our blessings… the ways we have been “spared”. God did not preserve Paul in a storm to have him bit by a snake and die. God has not spared your life to let you be devoured by the serpent… Satan. Satan may try to latch on to you, but you NEED TO SHAKE HIM OFF.

The people don’t believe it. They all keep watching him, expecting him to die. (v.6) Their expectations are quite normal. It is true that a viper bite like that would kill a man… but it doesn’t kill Paul. Why? Because the Lord is with him, and because whether or not we die is not actually in the hands of any earthly thing. It is God who gives life and takes it away. He chooses how to give it… and he chooses what will take it away. Nothing can add a day to our lives nor take a day away from what God has given us! (Not even Covid 19 has the ability to add a day or take a day away!) The world is watching and expecting believers to crumble and collapse when they get “bit”. God will not allow that. He sustains us… he gives us the power to “shake it off”. When the things those around us expect to kill us don’t, the explanation shifts. What is left? Nothing but the power of God: “But when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god.” (v.6)

When we survive what should kill us, we experience the power of God. We are not “gods” ourselves like those in Malta thought of Paul, but we are participants and partakers in the power of God. It is only the Lord that can spare us from the snake bite. It is the Lord that allows us to shake that viper off into the fire. This is how God puts his power in display - we survive what should kill us. We, as God’s people, are not crushed, destroyed, or dismayed. We shake it off and keep on going. We have all been “snake bit”. How will we respond? What do you need to shake off? Have you forgotten your rescue from the storm? One snake bite does not reverse the favor of your “rescue”. God did not save you from the storm to feed you to the snake! Love you guys. - JDP