I’ve read at least one story of a pastor being bitten by a snake in a church. There is one particular story where a pastor died while handling a venomous snake and his son, also a pastor, tried the same stunt and suffered the same fate.
Yes, the Bible does say that believers will be able to take up serpents and not be harmed. But that doesn’t mean you should go on a charade taking up serpents. That is “putting God to the test.” You should only do so if the serpent is in your way and you need to pick it up to get it out of the way. Before doing so, invoke God’s protection through prayer, and make sure you have exhausted all other options of getting rid of the snake. On this note, it is not wrong for Christians to kill a snake if it poses a threat.
Pastors playing with venomous serpents in order to prove their faith is a fine example of knowing or applying only part of scripture. And Jesus warned against this. His own life was a living example of the importance of knowing the scriptures thoroughly, as it is written, “man shall not live by bread alone, but by EVERY word that proceeds from the mouth of God.” That, by the way, is what Jesus told the devil when the devil tempted Jesus during His 40-day fast.
The devil also tempted Jesus by telling him to throw Himself off a high cliff because it is written that “God will give His angels charge over thee.” But Jesus responded, “it is written, ‘thou shalt not put the Lord thy God to a test’.”
While as Christians we are under divine protection, we must exhaust all our personal means of self-preservation and defense before calling on God for protection. Deliberately throwing ourselves in harm’s way while calling on God for protection is putting God to the test or making a mockery of God. Even David, who was under direct divine protection, had to dodge when Saul threw his spear at him in an attempt to pin him to the wall. David dogged and ran away and fled from the presence of Saul. He didn’t sit there like an idiot and say, “I’m under God’s protection.” Yes he was, but he knew that he had to do his part. He didn’t stare at the spear and hope that God will miraculously divert it. He used his strength and skill to dodge. David’s survival subsequently depended on his own God-given abilities combined with help and protection from God.
As Christians, we must employ all means of self-preservation and defense, and yes, we can expect God’s angels and His divine protection to preserve us if our human ability is finally exhausted.
