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The Serpent

Nahash, this word means to make a hissing sound, that describes the serpent.  The seducer was one of the animals, which was more subtil and shrewd than the others.  Legend has it that the serpent walked erect. He had the power of speech and talked freely with his victim.    He was wily, insidious, cautious and crafty. Satan took full control of him for his disastrous work.  The serpent was specially chosen by Satan as instrument for his test.

The method of deceit the serpent employed with Eve was to distort the meaning of God's prohibiiton and then hold it up to ridicule in its new form. He sought to break down the woman's faith by sowing in her mind doubts, suspiciouns, and false pictures of the Almighty and his motives. When faith fails, the sure foundation of moral conduct collapses.  It is only a small step from unbelief to sin and disgrace.

The woman parley with the tempter was dangerous. She did not have the advantage of knowledge. She was innocent, and unsuspecting and no match for the wily antagonist. Now that Eve had entered into the conversation , the seducer advanced his more powerful argument.  Suggesting that man's desire to be on a par with and truly like God had been deliberately thwarted by divine command. Twistings God's words he charged the Creator with selfishness and a malicious falsehood, representing him as envious and unwilling to let his creatures have something that would make them like the omniscient One.

The woman saw the fruit attractive to the eye, desirable to the taste and powerful to give wisdom. She believed the fruit will give her power and satisfy all her desires. Eve was convinced, she saw, took, ate and gave to the man. In order for her to give Adam from the fruit something had to happen to her thinking. The moment she ate of the forbiden fruit she was changed spiritually. The tempter did not have to do anything else for Eve will do the rest.  Her conscience was rudely awakened.

But what she believed to be a rosy picture painted by the serpent was not to be. Instead they both became aware of their nakedness, felt shame, and fear. When Adam and Eve realized that they were out of touch with God, a terrible loneliness overwhelmed them. Remorse, guilt followed by its inevitable miseries.

God gave them the freedom of choice. They both made the wrong choise. Adam could have run away from Eve and reject her invitation to disobey God. But he willingly followed her to the chaos that now all of his descendants must suffer through.