WHO WAS THE SERPENT? By Morgan Bradford

 

WHO WAS THE SERPENT?  

By Morgan Bradford

When one interprets the garden of Eden as being the “promised land” and Adam as Israel (Ezek 34:31), then a clearer picture begins to appear as to the identity of the serpent.

Who was Israel’s primary enemy? Canaan. The serpent was known to Adam just as Canaanites were known by primitive Israelites. In the creation narrative, snakes were created first. Canaanites were in the land first. In fact, modern scholarship shows that ancient Israelites were originally Canaanites.

Adam was placed in the garden with an evil inhabitant.

Israel was placed in the promised land that had an evil inhabitant.

Adam’s placement in the garden included ruling over all the animals, including the serpent.

Israel’s placement in the promised land included ruling over all its inhabitants, including Canaanites.

(Gen 3:14 NASB) The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you…”

(Gen 9:25 NASB) So he [Noah] said, “Cursed be Canaan…”

The name “Canaan” comes from a root word כָּנַע kana, which means “subdue”. This of course is consistent with Israel’s mandate to subdue the inhabitants of the promised land, Canaanites. The term is used in this way in Deuteronomy 9:3.

(Deu 9:3 NASB) “Know therefore today that it is the LORD your God who is crossing over before you as a consuming fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue (kana) them before you, so that you may drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the LORD has spoken to you.

Source for this section: (Adam As Israel, Seth Postell, ppg 105-106)

We can also see Joshua being a type of Adam, tasked with conquering and subduing the inhabitants of Canaan (Josh 1:3, 18:1). Failure to subdue the inhabitants of the land leads Gibeonites tricking Joshua into making a covenant with them (Josh 9), which was forbidden by the law (Exod 23:32-33).

Josh 9:4 says that the Gibeonites acted “craftily”. Who else was crafty?

The serpent was “more crafty than any other beast of the field…” (Gen 3:1 NASB).

After Joshua was deceived, he blames the Gibeonites (Josh 9:22 NASB).

After Eve was deceived, she blamed the serpent (Gen 3:13 NASB).

Noah curses Canaan (Gen 9:25 NASB) “Cursed be Canaan”

God curses the serpent (Gen 3:14 NASB) “Because you have done this, Cursed are you…”

The Gibeonites are cursed with being in perpetual servitude.

(Jos 9:23 NASB) “Now therefore, you are cursed, and you shall never cease being slaves, both hewers of wood and drawers of water for the house of my God.”

The serpent is cursed with having to crawl on its belly and eat dust.

(Gen 3:14 NASB) The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you will go, And dust you will eat All the days of your life;

Jesus referred to Jews who were hostile to him as “serpents” and “brood of vipers” (Mat 12:33-34), which is to call them snakes. Why? Not because there was a real, talking snake in the garden and not because Jews were literal snakes. Jesus called them serpents because they were dishonest and manipulative, like the Gibeonites with Joshua in the promised land. Jews would have been aware of the story of Joshua and the Gibeonites. Calling Judaists “serpents” would have been a massive insult, the ultimate slur.

We have a rather enigmatic reference to the serpent in…

(Rev 20:2) And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;

Was the “dragon, serpent of old, devil and Satan” all the same thing at the same time? Yes and no. The serpent in the garden were Canaanites, more specifically, the Gibeonites. But in the Revelation, all of these titles (dragon, serpent of old, devil and Satan) are a cumulative picture of Jewish deception and first century opposition to Christ and his cult of Israelite followers.

At the beginning of Israel’s redemptive narrative, the serpent (Canaan, specifically, Gibeonites) were overcome. At the end of Israel’s redemptive narrative, enemies of Jesus’ followers, characterized as the “dragon”, serpent, devil, satan, beast and false prophet were overcome.

(Rev 20:10 NASB) And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

The lake of fire was symbolic for the judgment of destruction of the old covenant religious system and temple community. It follows that the "serpent" in that context, as in Genesis 3, wasn't a literal talking snake, but an enemy of Israelites who were of faith in Christ, Judaists. #IOWINS

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