Serpentine Theology
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
— Genesis 3:1
Ophiophobia is the clinical term for fear of snakes. 1 in 3 people in the world have this fear. Snakes are usually considered enemies, predators, and conniving creatures in literature and film. The grandaddy of all snakes—the dragon—is probably the most well-known fictional villain.
In Genesis 3, we have another reason to be wary of snakes. Satan, the deceiver of men, is in the form of a snake-like creature. He slithers his way into history as a tempter and at the root of his enticement is doubt.
“Really? Did God really say that?” God made a promise and attached a command to Adam and Eve, which is His right. He made the world, the beings in it and has a special purpose of man. There was sufficient food and pleasure in the garden without need of that tree God deemed off limits. God wasn’t holding out; He knew what was best. But the serpent undermined the wisdom and the faithfulness of God in the situation, twisted His words and Eve complied with the ruse and thereby forfeited her character.
The strategy of attack has not changed. At the root of every temptation is still doubt of God’s goodness or distortion of His Word. We need to see through the fog and stand firm on the truth. We need to trust God that He is worthy of obedience and His character is too just and good to do us wrong. Finally, we need to cling to the Cross as a shelter from satanic mortar fire that would dislodge our devotion to Jesus. Jesus knows how to handle a snake…by applying God’s Word (see Matthew 4). And on the Cross, the serpent suffered a fatal head wound under the feet of the King.
Blessings. SDG.