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NASB | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, "Can it really be that God has said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" [Rev 12:9-11] |
Subject: The Serpent's Class |
Bible Note: Do you glean something? Absolutely! The N.T. describes the serpent as Satan, the devil. Most Christians thus read this as the devil appearing in the form of a serpent to mess with Adam and Eve. However, we must remember that when this was written, them folks didn't have the N.T. The serpent is quite deliberately described here as one of the beasts of the field, which brings to mind Genesis 2:19 - the beasts were formed by God and placed in the garden, and man was placed in authority over them (he named them). The serpent was just one of these creatures, under man's authority. Here's the point: Nowhere in this text is the serpent in any way associated to or equated with the devil. There is no invasion of evil into the garden. Thus, sin is solely the responsibility of man, both Adam and Eve. The devil did not make him do it. I am not saying that the N.T. is wrong in identifying the serpent as Satan. I am saying that there is a reason that the author of Genesis 2 and 3 went out of his way to describe this serpent as just another animal. The reason, sin and the subsequent curse resulted in man's conscious choice, and the responsibility for evil lies only with him/us. This flies in the face of much modern Christianity, where all sin is an attack of Satan and his demons, the solution to which is rebuking them Jeeezus naame. And if it wasn't for those rascally demons, we wouldn't sin at all. No mention of repentence. Not to belabor the issue, but we do not need any help to sin. What we need is Jesus. |