Snake Bitten—Part 1
By Grant Gaines
If someone were to say that you were “snake bitten”, they either mean one of two things: First, they are referring to the snake whose fangs are literally sinking into your flesh at that moment. Obviously, this is not an ideal situation to find yourself in as tens of thousands of people die every year from snake bites. The second and more popular way the term “snake bitten” is used as an idiom rather than a literal term to relay the fact that you are experiencing an extended period of misfortune.
For example, you could say the Buffalo Bills of the early 1990’s were a snake bitten team because they lost four straight Super Bowls. You could say Wild E. Coyote was snake bitten because he never caught the roadrunner and all of his plans backfired. Or you could say the Chicago Cubs are a snake bitten baseball team because they haven’t won a world series in over a century.
But when it comes to Paul’s story, the “either/or” rule to the phrase “snake bitten” doesn’t apply. You see, Paul had just experienced, let’s just say, an extended period of misfortune. In 2 Corinthians 11:23-27 (NLT), Paul sensed that his audience was getting a little prideful so he decided that they needed to learn a little bit about what it meant to truly suffer for the Gospel so he wrote, “Are they servants of Christ? I know I sound like a madman, but I have served Him far more! I have worked harder, been put in prison more often, been whipped times without number, and faced death again and again. Five different times the Jewish leaders gave me thirty-nine lashes. Three times I was beaten with rods. Once I was stoned. Three times I was shipwrecked. Once I spent a whole night and a day adrift at sea. I have traveled on many long journeys. I have faced danger from rivers and from robbers. I have faced danger from my own people, the Jews, as well as from the Gentiles. I have faced danger in the cities, in the deserts, and on the seas. And I have faced danger from men who claim to be believers but are not. I have worked hard and long, enduring many sleepless nights. I have been hungry and thirsty and have often gone without food. I have shivered in the cold, without enough clothing to keep me warm.”
Snake bitten? Absolutely! But his level of misfortune doesn’t end there, just take a look at Acts 28.
Acts 28 immediately follows one of those three shipwrecks that Paul talked about in his spiel of hard luck in 2 Corinthians. The storm that sank the ship was so violent that those onboard—seasoned sailors, mind you— “…finally gave up hope of being saved” (Acts 27:20, NIV). But despite the sailor’s lack of faith, God had different plans. So after being driven across the open waters by the raging wind, the ship finally struck land, shattering the boat to pieces.
This is where we pick up Paul’s unfortunate, snake bitten story in Acts 28.
“The islanders showed [Paul and his shipmates] unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed [them] all because it was raining and cold” (Acts 28:2, NIV). But just when it appeared that a glimmer of hope was going to shine on Paul’s sad story, we read in Acts 28:3 (NIV) that, “Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.”
You want to talk about being “snake bitten”? Paul was snake bitten in every sense of the word. Not only was the poor fella “snake bitten” in the sense that he had experienced a long period of misfortunes, Paul was now looking down to see a viper—one of the most deadly snakes on the earth—fastened to his hand. Not just a quick bite, but fastened to his hand!
Isn’t that the way that life typically plays out? “Vipers” are driven out by the heat. Do you know what I’m talking about? “Vipers” such as anger, fear, pride, jealousy, anxiousness, and the like are “driven” out of you by “the heat” such as by trials or unsettling circumstances.
When the pressures of life go up, the ugliness within often comes out. Proverbs 17:3 (NIV) says this much, “The crucible for silver and the furnace for gold, but the LORD tests the heart.” Just as the fire proves the purity of the gold and silver, so the Lord uses those difficult circumstances in our lives to test the purity of our hearts.
How do you catch yourself responding when the thermostat of life is turned up and you begin to sweat? Do you see any “vipers” being driven out of your heart by these trials? Do you ever catch yourself saying, “Why did I say that?” Or, “Where did that come from?” Or, “I didn’t really mean what I said, it just sort of came out.” In Matthew 12:34 (NASB), Jesus tells us exactly where that came from—“…For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” In other words, what is in your heart—either the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) or “vipers”—will be displayed by the words you speak. What’s down in the well will be brought up in the bucket.
So what words or thoughts are being driven out of you when you find yourself in rough waters? Are they the words or thoughts that align with those of a forgiven and redeemed follower of Christ? If not, you have some “vipers” in your life that you need to shake off—just like Paul.
Obviously Paul did what any human being would do when he looked down to see the life threatening creature fastened to his hand, he shook off as quickly as possible (Acts 28:5). After reading Paul’s example, I bet I don’t even have to tell you what you should do when you identify a life threatening “viper” in your heart—you shake it off as quickly as possible! We all can agree that getting rid of that “viper” is the correct thing to do, but just how do we go about shaking that bad boy loose?
You confess it—“Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy” (Proverbs 28:13, NIV). You hand it over to God—“Cast all your anxiety on [God] because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7, NIV). And finally once you have “shaken off” those “vipers”, you do what just as you would do with a real snake bite—you must fill that wound with some medication.
The medication I’m taking about is nothing you can buy over the counter or get a prescription for. The medicine I’m talking about is the Word of God. Remember how we said what is down in the well will come out in the bucket? Imagine if you filled your thoughts with the Word of God, prayer, worship, what do you think would “come out in the bucket?”
This third step of saturating your life with God is so important because if you constantly watch ungodly shows or listen to worldly music whose plots or lyrics are filled with cuss words, sexual immorality, or anything that is contrary to God’s Word, you are simply pouring more and more polluted water into the well—your heart. So though you confessed those venomous sins that were driven out by the fire and shook them off by handing them over to the Lord, you’re still going to find “vipers” being driven out the next time you experience a trial.
But if your, “…delight is in the [Word] of the Lord and on His [Word] [you] meditate day and night…” Psalms 1:2-3 (NIV) God promises that you will be, “…like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields fruit in season and whose lead does not wither. Whatever [you do will] prosper.”
Be watching for those “vipers”, they will be driven out of your heart when you begin to feel the heat. Shake them off and immediately bandage your wound or you will face the deadly effects of being snake bitten.
Comments? Questions? Suggestions?
©Grant Gaines 2013
