“Snakes?! Why did it have to be snakes?” asked Indiana Jones in the movie, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Good question. Adam and Eve might have wondered, too. We humans have a long history with snakes. The serpent is the catalyst for the beginning of the second part of the grand metanarrative or big story of scripture. Now we move from “the good” to “the bad,” from creation to fall.
Why was there a serpent in paradise? Why was he more crafty? The writer reports the story without explaining the details. In the book of Revelation, we find this serpent equated with Satan (Revelation 12:9). The creation exhibits free will early in the story. Notice the serpent’s question, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Already we see the crafty creature twist the Creator’s words.
The woman gets the first part right. “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden.” God says yes to so much for his image-bearers. Remember she was not there when God first told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. For some reason she goes beyond God’s words in saying that even touching the fruit would kill them.
Again the serpent corrects her and God, “You will not certainly die.” He sets the hook by questioning whether God is being honest and wants the best for the humans. By implication, the serpent says, “God is holding you back, trying to keep you from being like him in knowing good and evil.”
To this day we are tempted to doubt the heart of God. Does he really want the best for us? Is he holding out on us? The rest of the story in scripture reveals how much God loves us and how he wants the best for us. What temptation are you facing today? We may change our minds and trust God if we will. He has given us physical and spiritual life in his own image. How can we not trust him? We should trust him.
