Isaiah Roman

The Spider’s Web

“The spider taketh hold with her hands, and is in kings’ palaces (Proverbs 30:28).”

Every soul conceived, everything God created was created for a divine purpose. For those who look for His appearing and as the husbandman wait, by faith, patiently for the early and latter rain shall surely reap the blessings.

“He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing precious seed, shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, bringing his sheaves with him (Psalms 126:6).”

I sat pondering the will of God, precisely the phrase “quo vadis domine?” Which by tradition is attributed to St Peter and is translated from Latin into English, “Whither goeth thy Spirit, Lord?” I said, “Lead on Lord, I follow.”

A tiny spider lowered himself from the ceiling above and appeared before my face. I reached up took hold of the strand he was forming and lowered it to another place where I reattached the strand of his web and the purpose the spider had set about when he dropped was suddenly changed. The spider hesitated for a time as if he were wondering, “What now?” Eventually he moved on toward the floor.

A verse of scripture came into my mind as I studied the action I had just taken, “Take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vines: for our vines have tender grapes (Song of Solomon 2:15).” Noting is so small that it escapes the sight of God nor is it so insignificant that the Lord of the universe does not take notice. Eternal lessons may be leaned from the smallest of God’s creatures and their actions.

Sin is like that; it begins with a small thing, a thought and then the setting of the will. Adam and Eve were going about their daily routine in Eden they knew only good. Iniquity entered into the heart of Lucifer. He set his will to rebel against his Creator. “I will set my throne above the stars of God,” he said. He entered Eden and placed temptation before Eve and she took the forbidden fruit and ate of it.

The beginning of temptation of Adam and Eve took the form of a question and answer session:

“The serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. [He, Satan] said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

Eve answered, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”1 Just as the web of the spider in my story the web that God had been weaving in creation in the beginning was suddenly altered by Satan:

“The serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”

“When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

Like the spider the two of them paused for a moment; but, the entire course of events intended by the Creator was altered, what should they do now? The Creator was not at all pleased by what the two of them had done neither was He surprised. He had declared a divine decree before creation began because he “knew what was in the heart of man,” in His omniscience He needed not ask what would come to pass He knew and had prepared for every possible contingency:2

‘Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the LORD hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee. Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession (Psalm 2:6-8).”

To all those who by faith set their will to obey God nothing happens by chance. Even when sin breaks the sequence of events there is always the “way to escape” He has prepared. “In returning” (Isaiah 30:15) that is to say repenting, turning from sin to do the will of God Christians are reunited with the eternal purpose of God.

As the spider weaves his web so the Lord weaves the tapestry of the lives of men. All of these things (history) are the working out of His will. The details are infinite but they work to completion of finite beings (preservation) to appear in his eternal presence worshipping and thanking Him for all eternity. To the wicked unbeliever this is boring and repulsive; to the believer it is his hope of glory, peace and eternal bliss.

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee (Hebrews 13:5).”

“This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The LORD is my portion, saith my soul; therefore will I hope in him. The LORD is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the LORD. It is good for a man that he bear the yoke in his youth (Lamentations 3:21-26).”

Ultimately, underneath are the everlasting arms of God; as the Christian learns to rest upon them nothing he is or does is the least of importance. He will find out in the end that God did it all and he is content and pleased to rest in that and eternally praise and thank God.

1. The phrase “neither shall ye touch it” was added by the woman it was not in the command of God; “The LORD God commanded the man [Eve had not been created at this point in the sequence of creational events], saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But, of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die (Genesis 2:16,17).”
2. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world (John 17:24).” “According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love:(Ephesians 1:4).” “Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you (I Peter 1:20).”