Why Would Anyone Trust A Snake?
The Hidden Scriptures of The Kaiyo Stories
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God has made. And he said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
Genesis 3:1
The truth is that people still trust them. The snakes just look like people now. But as for Eve, enter the smooth talker. Sometimes when we read Genesis 3 we can get the impression that Eve trusted the serpent simply because it could talk. That position fails the common sense test. If I was walking in my backyard and a snake (or a dragon) started speaking to me, my first reaction would be astonishment. The next might be fear. Having a casual conversation about betraying almighty God would not be on the list of reactions. But the Biblical text reveals no fear and no astonishment. In fact, the text gives the impression that she had spoken to him before. And maybe she did.
Maybe she spoke to other animals too. The Kaiyo Stories are premised on the notion that the animals of Eden, at least the soulish ones, could speak. On this side of Eden, we know of at least one instance:
Then the Lord opened the mouth of the donkey, and she said to Balaam, “What have I done to you, that you have struck me these three times?”
Numbers 22:28 (NKJV)
But if the other animals could also talk, the serpent was still different. The more popular Bible translations call the serpent “more crafty” and “more cunning” than the other animals. The implication is that some of the other animals were also crafty and cunning. They were not as crafty and cunning as the serpent, but they were at least somewhat crafty and cunning.
And there is more to those adjectives. We look at those words as a negative reflection on character, but it should be looked at quite differently. The Hebrew word for crafty and cunning is a’rum. Elsewhere in the Bible a’rum is also translated in a positive way as: subtle, prudent, shrewd and sensible.
“A fool’s anger is known at once, but a prudent person conceals dishonor”
Proverbs 12:16 (NASB)
“The wisdom of the sensible is to understand his way, But the foolishness of fools is deceit.”
Proverbs 12:16 (NASB)
"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
Genesis 3:1 (KJV)
"The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, 'Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?'" Genesis 3:1, (NLT)
“A prudent person sees evil and hides himself; but the naive proceed and pay the penalty.”
Proverbs 27:12 (NASB)
Thus, Eve spoke to a serpent that may have already proven that he was prudent and sensible. By her reaction (or lack of it), it is reasonable to suggest that Eve had at least listened to the serpent pontificate before. He had likely made a record for himself among the other animals (and Eve) as being one who could be trusted. And she fell for it. But take caution in casting blame; Eve was new to the Earth and likely very naïve. She got tricked by an old-fashioned con artist. And Satan has proved himself to be a master con. In fact, there is none better.
Our first lesson is to recognize that the moment she engaged in conversation, Eve didn’t stand a chance. Conversing with demons is dangerous and pure foolishness. They are brilliant and intent on manipulation. In Raphael, Tracker the Wolf describes his first encounter with Sarah and the demon that was possessing her.
“As we closed in on our campsite, the possessed woman started screaming. Amid being jostled around somewhat violently, she was saying terrible things about each of us. We have learned to ignore them. Demons want to draw us into their conversations. They mix truth with lies so they can destroy. Their goals are almost always to break up relationships. They want to destroy marriages, friendships, societies and especially fellowship with the Master.”
Tracker knew better than to talk to a demon. Even if they speak some truth, their intent is to deceive and destroy. Some humans are so infected with lies
and evil that conversing with them is no less dangerous. From Defectors, read how Dean addresses Gunther MacDonald and how Grace masterfully deals with Aymoon. They knew better than to engage in casual conversation with evil.
Our second lesson is to ask ourselves if we believe that truth is vital to life. Most people say they believe it, but they lie to themselves and others when they say or think it. How many people demand truth out of their elected officials? Many happily vote for the liar who tells them what they already want to hear. How many demand truth in education? In academia? In journalism? In support of their own ideologies? In their own bad behavior? Certainly not enough.
Many of us accept the con because the con artist appeals not to our virtues, but to our vices. Eve wanted what she wanted and she wanted what she was not supposed to have. Accepting an unexpected but persuasive nudge from the devil gave her all the justification she needed. But from whatever source, be it from our own rationalizations, from another person or even from a demon, a lie is a lie.
The Bereans tested Paul’s preaching, careful to sift out any falsehoods. As set out in Acts 17:11 (NASB), Paul recorded,
“Now these people were more noble- minded than those in Thessalonica, for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.”
The Bereans wanted to believe Paul. They heard Paul’s preaching with “great eagerness.” But they were prudent and did not allow their desires and hopes to cloud their love and dedication for the truth. And because of that, Paul and history see them as more noble than the others.
Come to think of it, who wouldn’t want “more noble” as their own epitaph?