A Viper a Sign?

“Once safely on shore, we found out that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold. 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. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god.”

Acts 28:1-6

People can sometimes draw wrong conclusions from signs.

This is evident in Acts 28:1-6 as the islanders on Malta watched Paul as a viper came off some wood being used for a fire and fastened on his hand.

Seeing this they thought he must be a murderer or something just as terrible to have such a terrible thing happen to him.

But just a little while later as they clearly saw that Pau suffered no harm from this viper they thought Paul must be a god.

So that’s two strikes against them for interpreting ‘signs’.

Lest you think I am denigrating signs and wonders let me reassure you I am not.

I do believe they still are part of the work of God in the earth today.

But in this particular case we see the warning of judging all signs as being from God.

In Paul’s case they were wrong both times.

We must be careful how we interpret the events and circumstances in another persons’ life or how we judge them according to those same circumstances and events.

AIDS, Cancer, natural disasters have all been claimed as God’s judgment in the past on a person, people, city or nation.

Be careful when you make such pronouncements.

Sometimes we ascribe to God what He has not done.

Like the people of Malta you just might be missing it!