That Old Serpent

As the Bible introduces us to God in Genesis, the first two chapters reveal that He is for mankind: He created us, cares for us richly, and provides for our every need. The first indication that anything is against mankind doesn’t come until chapter three, when we see the cunning and crafty serpent tempting man to disobey God. Though few details are given as to who/what this serpent is in Genesis, it is clear from the rest of Scripture that this being is Satan.

It might surprise some to learn that Satan is not technically a name. The word means “adversary” or “enemy.” For example, Hadad the Edomite is called “an adversary,” using the Hebrew word typically translated “Satan” (1 Kings 11:14). When Jesus calls Peter “Satan,” He’s probably not saying Peter is Satan, but rather that he’s behaving as an adversary by attempting to stop Him from His mission (Matthew 16:23).

Other descriptions of this being are also not technically names. Satan is called the “Devil,” a term meaning a “slanderer” or “false accuser” (e.g. Matthew 4:1, “the accuser” (Revelation 12:10), Abaddon/Apollyon (Revelation 9:11; destruction/destroyer in Hebrew/Greek), Beelzebub (e.g. Matthew 10:25; “lord of the flies” or “lord of filth”), and Belial (e.g. Deuteronomy 13:13; “worthlessness”). He is also occasionally called “Lucifer,” but this is based on a misunderstanding of Isaiah 14, a passage which in context applies not to Satan but to the king of Babylon.

New Testament authors twice returned to the Genesis picture of Satan as a serpent. Paul warned the Corinthians of the danger of being deceived and corrupted “as the serpent deceived Eve” (2 Corinthians 11:3). If the descriptions people in the Bible applied to this spiritual being are accurate, then it’s important to realize that even though we might not see a snake tempt us, Satan remains not only crafty and cunning but a powerful enemy seeking to destroy us and waiting to speak against us on the day of judgment. The second mention of “that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan,” though reveals that Satan’s power is no match for God (Revelation 20:2). His end is the lake of fire, to “be tormented day and night forever and ever” (Revelation 20:10).

Satan deceived Eve. If Paul’s words are anything to go by, he is still trying to deceive us today. Eve’s fall to deception led her to sin and, when Adam joined her, brought death to mankind. However, God promised Eve that the serpent’s head would be crushed by her seed (Genesis 3:15), who is Jesus. Though “serpent” isn’t mentioned, Paul promised us, “And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20). What a blessing to know that God will ensure that we share in Jesus’ victory over that old serpent!  
-Patrick Swayne  
patrick@tftw.org
Tagged with , ,

Recent

Archive

 2023
 2022

Categories

Tags

1 Corinthians 12 1 Corinthians 14:15 1 Corinthians 14 1 Corinthians 16:1-4 1 Corinthians 7 2 Corinthians 6 2 Kings 2 Peter 2 2 Peter Abel Acts 19 Acts 8 Acts Alcohol Apostles Attitude Authority Autonomy Autumn Balance Baptism Barnabas Benevolence Bible Questions and Answers Bible Study Bible Biblical Interpretation Bishop Cain and Abel Cain Calvinism Christian Living Christmas Church Funds Church Leadership Church Membership Church Colossians 3:16 Communication Community Confidence Congregations Contend for the Faith Contentment Covetousness Creation Current Events Dating Debt Forgivness Deliverance Denominationalism Devil Discipleship Doctrine Drinking Ecclesiastes 7:10 Ecclesia Eldership Elders Elder Elijah Elisha Encouragement Enoch Ephesians 5:15 Ephesians 5:16 Ephesians 5:18 Ephesians 5:19 Ephesians 5:5 Ephesians 5 Esther 4:14 Evangelism Faith Fall False Teaching Fear Feeding of the 5000 Fornication Free Will Fundamentals Gender Roles Generosity Genesis 4 Genesis Gifts Giving Gospel Hallelujah Praise Jehovah Hallelujah Help Hermeneutics Holidays Husbands Hymns Idolatry Imperatives Insomnia Instrumental Music Instruments in Worship Intertextuality James 1:27 James 1 James Jehovah Witnesses Jehovah Jesus Temptation Jesus' Deity Jesus\' Deity Jesus John 11 John Calvin John the Baptist Jude 1:11 Jude 3 Jude Judgement Judging Judgment Kindness Lamech Lazarus Leadership Lemuel Levites Limited Atonement Local Church Mark 1:12-13 Mark Marriage Martin Luther Matthew 5:3-12 Matthew 5 Matthew 7:1 Melchizedek Men's Business Meeting Men\'s Business Meeting Men\\\'s Business Meeting Men Metaphors Minor Prophets Mormonism Murder Music Mutual Submission No Elders Parenting Pastor Pattern Paul Peace Persecution Poetic Language Politics Preacher Preaching Priesthood Priests Proverbs 31:6 Proverbs Providence Psalm 148 Reader Response Redeeming the Time Relationships Relationship Religion Remission of Sins Saints Only Salvation Satan Scarecrows Sermon on the Mount Sexual Sin Silence of the Scriptures Singing Sleep Sobriety Song Studies Sons Sovereignty of God Spirit and Truth Spiritual Death Spiritual Gifts Spiritual Leadership Stephen Stress Student Debt Submission Temptations The Beatitudes The Problem of Pain and Suffering The Problem of Suffering The Way of Cain The Way Total Hereditary Depravity Trials Types and Antitypes Uncleanness Unconditional Election Understanding William Kirkpatrick Wives Women in the Church Women's Roles Word Study Work Worship Zechariah death sickness