The Sentencing of Evil

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE SENTENCING OF EVIL

Gen 3:14-15

14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, "Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. 15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

NIV

Although Adam tried to blame Eve, and she tried to blame the serpent, the serpent had no one to blame for he, or it was a willing partner with the great temper of all men, Satan. From the account we see it was the very nature of this serpent to be bent toward evil and thus tempted the woman showing her the beauty of the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and it’s gift of being like God. Therefore, it would be right that God pronounced sentence on this serpent first. He took away his ability to speak, and to walk upright, thus it would seem we have the snakes that slither on the ground and their only sound is a hiss. However, the sentence is also a prophetic one in that the seed of the woman without the man can only be Jesus. This can be because God speaks only of her seed and that Jesus will crush the head of Satan, which symbolizes the power or lordship of Satan over men. We can be thankful for Jesus because on that cross, which is where he crushed the power of Satan, and we have the choice to run from his authority over us to the feet of Jesus making him the Lord of our lives. Yet is not Satan still trying to bruise the heel of Jesus, or for that matter, us? We think this is the fulfillment of that sentence on the serpent as the agent of Satan, and thus the sentence on Satan himself. He is the snake that snaps at our heals, trying to strike out against us with hardships, persecutions, and temptations. But we know we have a Savior who crushing the head of this evil one, who puts him on the ground, taking away his power of those who see their destruction by evil through the conviction of the Spirit and run to Jesus for salvation. We know this from personal experience and are so thankful that we are no longer under the power and influence of evil. Yes, as long as we are in this human form we are not perfect, and we still fall short of the glory of God. However, we have been washed in the blood of Jesus and that makes all the difference. We live under the lordship of Jesus, who has crushed the head of Satan forever. We will see the final chapter in the power of Satan end as he will be thrown into the lake of burning sulfur. Let us always be watchful for now, for he is still roaming about like a lion, although toothless, to see who he can devour. However, God has pronounce the sentence, and it is final.