Genesis 3:1

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

From Background Notes [BN] for January 12^th & 13^th written by Pastor Bob Brown:

What the reader naturally questions is the “talking snake” element in the story. Put bluntly, snakes aren’t supposed to speak.

Of course, in children’s stories, animals talk all the time and nobody really questions it. However, in this special story, one which weighs heavily on the fortunes of human beings, what are we to make of talking snakes? The man’s experience with the serpent during the naming ritual makes no mention of the creature’s auditory abilities. But there is a trick in the story from the very outset: The snake doesn’t talk to the man; he talks to the woman. This is his first deception, and so the hustle begins. Target the human who may not be fully informed. Take advantage of the woman, and let her rely on her own judgment. Begin to drive a wedge into the “one flesh” relationship she has with the man.  [BN, 11]

Join us this week in Study, Worship, Praise and Celebration at Chicago First Church of the Nazarene:

* Saturday 6:00pm
* Sunday 8:30am & 11:00am