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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] |
Bible Question:
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'?" Did God made a mistake in creating the serpent? Does evil exists even before creation? If not, who put evil thought to the serpent? When did Lucifer fall from grace? Was it before or after the creation of earth ? |
Bible Answer: Evil or wickedness did not at one exist in the universe. However, after Jehovah God had made Adam and then later Eve, one of God's angels deviated from His holy commands. This spirit creature came to be called Satan the Devil by Jehovah God.He is called "Satan," or "resister," because he has opposed and resisted Jehovah God. This criminal is also called "Devil," meaning "slanderer," for he has blasphemously misrepresented God.The Scriptures indicate that the creature known as Satan did not always have that name. Rather, this descriptive name was given to him because of his taking a course of opposition and resistance to God. The name he had before this is not given. God is the only Creator, and 'his activity is perfect,' with no injustice or unrighteousness. (De 32:4) Therefore, the one becoming Satan was, when created, a perfect, righteous creature of God. He is a spirit person, for he appeared in heaven in the presence of God. (Job chaps 1, 2; Re 12:9) Jesus Christ said of him: "That one was a manslayer when he began, and he did not stand fast in the truth, because truth is not in him." (Joh 8:44; 1Jo 3:8) Jesus here shows that Satan was once in the truth, but forsook it. Beginning with his first overt act in turning Adam and Eve away from God, he was a manslayer, for he thereby brought about the death of Adam and Eve, which, in turn, brought sin and death to their offspring. (Ro 5:12) Throughout the Scriptures the qualities and actions attributed to him could be attributed only to a person, not to an abstract principle of evil. It is clear that the Jews, and Jesus and his disciples, knew that Satan existed as a person. So, from a righteous, perfect start, this spirit person deviated into sin and degradation. The process bringing this about is described by James when he writes: "Each one is tried by being drawn out and enticed by his own desire. Then the desire, when it has become fertile, gives birth to sin; in turn, sin, when it has been accomplished, brings forth death." (Jas 1:14, 15) In the course that Satan took, there seems to be, in some respects, a parallel with that of the king of Tyre as described in Ezekiel 28:11-19. The Scriptural account, therefore, makes it plain that it was Satan who spoke through the medium of a serpent, seducing Eve into disobedience to God's command. In turn, Eve induced Adam to take the same rebellious course. (Ge 3:1-7; 2Co 11:3) As a consequence of Satan's use of the serpent, the Bible gives Satan the title "Serpent," which came to signify "deceiver"; he also became "the Tempter" (Mt 4:3) and a liar, "the father of the lie."-Joh 8:44; Re 12:9. Too the term "Lucifer" is not correctly applied to Satan. Rather, this descriptive designation applied to the "king of Babylon." (Isa 14:4, 12) The Hebrew expression thus translated (NW, Ro, Yg) comes from a root meaning "shine." (Job 29:3) The rendering "Lucifer" (KJ, Da) is derived from the Latin Vulgate. The "shining one" is represented as saying in his heart: "Above the stars of God I shall lift up my throne, and I shall sit down upon the mountain of meeting." (Isa 14:13) Biblical evidence points to Mount Zion as the "mountain of meeting." Hence, since stars can refer to kings (Nu 24:17; Re 22:16), "the stars of God" must be the kings of the Davidic line who ruled from Mount Zion. The "king of Babylon" (the dynasty of Babylonian kings), reflecting the attitude of Satan the god of this system of things, indicated his ambition to lift up his throne "above the stars of God" by desiring to make the kings of the line of David mere vassals and then finally to dethrone them. Like stars that shed light, the "king of Babylon" shone brightly in the ancient world and could be termed "shining one." |