Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark is a fantastic film, one I used to assign as homework for youth group students who had never watched it. At the movie's beginning, Indiana obtains a rare gold idol by overcoming big spiders, narrowly avoiding sharp sticks and shooting darts, and escaping a giant boulder—only to have the idol taken by a rival archaeologist. He has to flee the rival who has employed the local natives to kill him. As Indiana escapes that, he catches his breath in his buddy’s plane when a giant snake crawls up between his legs. Indiana is informed that the snake is a pet named Reggie, to which Indiana responds with, “I hate snakes, Chuck. I hate them.”
Though I have no fear of snakes, many people are petrified of them. They often either flee in terror or grab a shovel. My grandma, for instance, preferred to run them over with the lawnmower. If you are someone who suffers from ophidiophobia, you may find comfort in knowing a popular biblical figure may have shared in your suffering.
In Exodus 4, God is answering Moses’ question about what to do if the Israelites do not believe Moses. God points Moses to the shepherd’s staff in his hand, and in verse 3 says, “Throw it down on the ground.” Moses does as God commands, with the rest of the verse reading, “So Moses threw it down on the ground, and it turned into a snake. Moses jumped back from it.” (CEB) The NET translates it as “Moses ran from it.”
Moses asked God, “What if they do not believe me?” In response, God provided a sign, a snake that scared Moses. We have no idea what species of snake, but cobras and vipers are deadly ones common in the area. Reading this and Moses’s reaction to God’s sign immediately made me think of these words from Jesus, “Who among you will give your children a stone if they ask for bread? Or give them a snake if they ask for fish?” (Matthew 7:9-10, CEB) Jesus spoke these words about asking and seeking in faith. God is unchanging, but in the OT with Moses, it certainly seems God indeed gave Moses a snake when he asked for a sign.
It's important to note that God’s intention was not to encourage us to test our faith with snakes. Nor do I believe Exodus 4:3 does anything to take away from Jesus in Matthew 7. I think both verses are lessons on different sides of the same coin. We are to trust God with our needs and trust the revelation He gives us for that need.
After Moses runs from the snake in verse 4, God tells him, “Grab it by the tail.” Moses’s answer was more than a visual aid, he was required to pick it up. The same man who ran from the snake immediately picked it up, and it was then through his obedient faith the snake became a staff.
When we are given a sign or provision from God, it might be something that appears scary at first glance. Before going to Corenilus’s house in Acts 10, Peter had overcome his fear of being “unclean.” We are not to be afraid of what God reveals. A snake that terrified Moses became a tool in his hand that declared God’s blessing.
Perhaps you've been seeking a sign from God. What has He revealed to you? Does it seem unlikely to be from Him? Does it make you feel afraid? Walk the plank. What you think are sharks waiting for you in the water could be dolphins. If it is of God, it is good, is for your good, and will be good.
Written by Rev Jason Barnett, aka The Dirt Path Pastor
He serves as the Pastor at Ravenna Church of the Nazarene in Ravenna, KY and is host of The Dirt Path Sermon Podcast.
