"And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Genesis 3:34).
Genesis 3:14-19
Part 2
Yesterday: Adam’s Sin and God’s Amazing Grace
“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,”
“And that it was pleasant to the eyes,”
“And a tree to be desired to make one wise.”
“She took of the fruit thereof and did eat.”
“And gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.“
Adam and Eve’s sin was met by God’s love, mercy, and grace. Otherwise, He, in righteous anger, would have killed them on the spot.
Today: God’s Curse on the Snake and Satan
The serpent had come to Eve with tempting words to lure her into disobedience. For the serpent’s part in man’s fall, God rewarded his evil with harsh penalties.
“And the LORD God said unto the serpent.”
God spoke to the serpent to explain its fate. Satan is the “animation” behind the serpent’s actions. God questioned Adam and Eve and allowed them to communicate with Him. Not so with the snake and Satan. They had no say. They just listened as God spoke to them.
“Because thou hast done this.”
God is reasonable, and there is an excellent reason that the serpent and Satan are being penalized. Their actions have enticed God’s human creatures into disobeying their Creator and plunging the entire human race into sin. By Adam’s one disobedience, all mankind have become sinners.
“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned” (Romans 5:12).
And sin always brings about death. Adam’s sinful consequences were passed on to all of his children, including death.
“Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come” (Romans 5:14).
After Adam’s sin, mankind was in a terrible state. Only a Savior will be able to ransom them.
“Thou art cursed above all cattle and above every beast of the field.”
By this statement, we understand that the “cattle” and “every beast of the field” were also affected by Adam’s sin. The entire creation was shaken and changed. But the serpent more than all others!
“Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.”
Instead of remaining an upright creature that walked on legs like the other animals, the serpent, snake, will spend its life slithering around in the dust of the ground. Evidently, the serpent had been a beautiful creature until the curse. Now it is an enemy of God.
When it is the end of time for the nations, all will bow down to God, the “Mighty One.” Even those who are the enemies of God will bow down to Him. Notice how they behave like a serpent.
“They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the LORD our God, and shall fear because of thee” (Micah 7:17).
“He [God] shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and His enemies shall lick the dust” (Psalm 72:8-9; see Isaiah 49:23).
In the New Heavens and New Earth, the creation will be restored to its former glory as initially created by God, with one exception.
“The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent’s meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 65:25).
The other animals will be changed and no longer violent. But what about the old serpent? It will still be licking the dust. God will not forget the actions of this enemy nor change it back to an upright walking creature…
At that point in world history, God began a battle with Satan. Satan cannot hope to win the fight, yet he still tries. His future is settled, and it is almost time for his sentence to be carried out.
“I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15, ESV).
Jesus, though wounded, crushed the serpent’s head. Sin, death, and the grave have been conquered by the “Seed of the woman!”
Tomorrow, come and see what God said to “the woman” for her part in Adam’s sin. See you then.
Quote: “The sin underneath all our sins, is to trust the lie of the serpent that we cannot trust the love and grace of Christ, and must take matters into our own hands”[1] (Martin Luther).
[1] Luther’s quote Downloaded: Tuesday, March 9, 2021. From: https://quotlr.com/quotes-about-serpents.