Paul bitten by a viper

“But when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and laid them on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened itself on his hand.” (1) Although Paul must have been exhausted, he still gathered brushwood himself and placed it on the fire. At this time, Paul was in his mid-50s. (2) Then, a viper bit Paul’s hand. Due to the cold, the viper had become stiff and dormant, almost in a comatose state (in this condition, it would have been difficult to distinguish from a branch). However, when it was awakened by the heat, it suddenly reacted and bit Paul’s hand. Normally, a viper releases its bite quickly, but since it was still partially dormant, it likely exhibited unusual behavior. Interestingly, vipers do not inhabit Malta today. (3) With this, Paul had now faced three life-threatening dangers: (a) the great storm, (b) the shipwreck, (c) the viper’s venom. “When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they began saying to one another, ‘Undoubtedly this man is a murderer, and though he has been saved from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live.’…” (1) Seeing this, the islanders made the following judgments about Paul: (a) Paul must be a wicked man (a murderer). (b) Though he escaped the sea, the goddess of justice will not let him live.The goddess of justice was not a literal idol but rather an abstract concept personified as a deity. (2) However, Paul remained calm. He shook the viper into the fire and suffered no harm.

Deifying Paul

“Now they were expecting that he was going to swell up or suddenly fall down dead. But after they had waited a long time and had seen nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and began to say that he was a god.” (1) The islanders watched intently, expecting Paul to suffer and collapse. However, no matter how long they waited, nothing unusual happened to Paul. Seeing this, they changed their opinion of him and began to say that Paul was a god. (2) Paul had been called a god before. This is recorded in Acts 14:11-12, when he healed a man who could not walk in Lystra. (3) However, in the case of the Maltese islanders, they did not go as far as worshiping Paul. Luke recorded the viper episode to demonstrate God’s protection over Paul. Paul would certainly reach Rome and testify about the Lord Jesus there. This truth also applies to us. The plans God has for us will surely be fulfilled.