The Pilgrim's governor, William Bradford, would later call him "a special instrument sent of God for their good, beyond their expectation." The amazing chain of divinely providential events that brought Squanto to them was in many ways similar to the biblical story of Joseph in Genesis.  

A Hebrew man named Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, was betrayed and sold into slavery by nine of his 11 brothers ( Genesis 37:23-28). Only his brothers Reuben and Benjamin were not in on the betrayal. Joseph was taken down into Egypt, resold into slavery yet was raised to a position of prominence and initiated a food storage program that saved Egypt in a famine.

In 1605, Squanto, whose original name was Tisquantum, was captured by English explorers and taken to England where he was taught English and questioned about the location of Indian tribes in New England and about suitable locations for future colonies. He was returned to his homeland in 1614 but was immediately recaptured by a rogue ship captain and taken to the slave market in Malaga, Spain.

He and more than 20 others were sold into slavery. Local friars from a nearby monastery, no doubt enraged at the injustice of chattel slavery, bought some of the Indians, including Squanto, and introduced them to Christianity. Squanto didn't remain long at the monastery but joined up with an Englishman and sailed to London. He was returned to America again in 1619.

When Squanto encountered the Pilgrims in March 1621 it was just a month before the Mayflower and its remaining provisions set sail to return to England. God provided Squanto to the surviving Pilgrims at just the right time to teach them how to fish and to plant crops. Squanto immediately went and showed them how to catch eels which provided ready food.

He also told them that local creeks would soon be clogged with fish which would be making a spawning run. The fish were caught in abundance and some were put into the ground as fertilizer for the 20 acres of Indian corn. I always wondered why they used fish as fertilizer instead of just eating the fish but I surmise that the fish were in such over abundance that they were more than could be eaten or even dried for future food. Squanto was their interpreter and made sure they got a fair deal when trading for beaver pelts.

In profound gratitude for all of God's wonderful provisions, William Bradford proclaimed a day of Thanksgiving to be held in October of 1621. Massasoit, chief of the Wampanoags and his tribe were invited. He arrived a day early with 90 Indian guests. He also brought food including venison, turkeys and even popcorn, an Indian delicacy. The festivities opened with a long prayer led by William Brewster. There were games and competitions, including target practice between meals. The day of thanksgiving was extended to three days.

In sum, observers can clearly infer that God's provision of Squanto and the amazing turn of events that prepared Squanto and sent him to the Pilgrims were beyond the ordinary and reflected the supernatural intervention of God to provide for a suffering body of Christian people in answer to their prayers.   

The Bible is scientifically accurate! Find the evidence at www.icr.org.  

Steps to salvation: Jesus said "Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

1. Believe that God created you and loves you and sent the Messiah (Messiah is Hebrew for Christ) to redeem you.
2. Believe that Jesus the Messiah came in fulfillment of over 300 Bible prophecies to die for you to take upon Himself the penalty for your sins. (Isaiah 53:5-6, John 6:29, Romans 4:5, First Peter 3:18)
3. Turn from sin and call on the name of Jesus to receive forgiveness. (Romans 10:13)
4. Receive Jesus as Savior and experience the new birth. (John 1:12, Acts 2:38)
5. Follow Him as Lord. (John 14:21)

"Whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved" (Romans 10:13)

To receive the salvation that Jesus purchased for us at the terrible cost of His suffering and death on our behalf I invite you to pray this simple prayer:

"Dear heavenly Father, I thank you for sending Jesus, the promised Messiah, to die for my sins. I admit that I am a sinner and I ask for your forgiveness on the basis of the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I ask you to fill me with your Holy Spirit to empower me to serve you under the Lordship of Jesus Christ, Amen."

If you prayed that prayer in the humble sincerity of your heart then you have received everlasting life, which includes power to live right in this life and entrance into heaven in the afterlife!

Bill Nugent, Overcomer Ministries of West Harrison, New York, USA

(C) 2010 William P. Nugent, permission granted to email or republish if credit given

DEFENDING THE FAITH APOLOGETIC ARTICLES Bill Nugent currently writes a series of articles called "Defending the Faith" which, as the title suggests, defend the Christian faith from the many attacks leveled against it in our postmodern world. The articles deal with such topics as evolution, UFOs, cults, modern/postmodern philosophy, liberal theology and popular culture. At the end of each article is an invitation to receive Christ as Savior and Lord. These articles are sent out over the Internet to several opt-in email lists. People who receive these articles are encouraged to resend them to their own lists and in this way reach their own unsaved relatives and friends with the Gospel. All Defending the Faith articles are © 2009 William P. Nugent, permission is granted to email or republish if credit given. To receive these articles which are sent out once per month fill in your email address below and click the SUBMIT button. *Security: Write the characters in the image above (Case sensitive)