Why Did Satan Take the Form of a Snake to Trick Adam and Eve?
Dear Katie,
Thanks for this interesting question. First, remember that Eve, not Adam, was “deceived” (1 Timothy 2:14; 2 Corinthians 11:3). Eve probably did not sense the danger of the serpent or see through his false argument.
We cannot be sure why Satan took the form of a snake to tempt the first woman, but there are some good possibilities. Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord had made.” He knew what he was doing; perhaps he became a serpent in order to be in the right position in the tree of the knowledge of good and evil to speak to Eve.
But there’s probably more to it. Snakes have the appearance of being very fascinating, but also very tricky and smart. Plus, people generally think that snakes look interesting. Perhaps Satan felt that he could capture Eve’s attention best by looking like a snake.
In the New Testament we read that Satan walks about the Earth “like a roaring lion” (1 Peter 5:8). Whatever form he is in, Satan is dangerous. Even though God always provides a way to resist and defeat Satan, many people refuse to let God help them. Let’s make sure we trust God to help us defeat Satan.
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