~ A Ministry of The Lorain County Free-Net Chapel ~

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Question: "I am 9 years old and home schooled and I have some questions from Genesis chapter 3 that my Mom couldn't answer. In Genesis 3:14 it says that God made the snake crawl on his belly because he lied to Adam and Eve. Does that mean that before he did that snakes didn't crawl? Did they used to have legs? Why would Satan care if God cursed the snakes, since he was only pretending to be a snake so he could disgise himself? So why did God punish the snake instead of Satan himself?

Answer: Many years ago, before God created Adam and Eve in His own image, and after His own likeness. There was a rebellion in heaven against God. (Isaiah 14:12-15, and Ezekiel 28:14-15). At this time Satan and the angels who rebelled agains God were cast down from their exalted state. They are evil spirits who do not have bodies. Since they have no bodies,they cannot express their evil natures to us earthly creatures. Therefore they seek to find people they can control or possess.

We express ourselves to one another, because we have bodies, and can see, and hear, and speak and touch and feel.

Now, Satan, who hates everything about God's creation, decided that he would hurt Adam and Eve. He was jealous of them, because they were created to have fellowship with God, and made in God's likeness and image. God made birds. sea creatures, and animals, but they were not made in the image of God. They cannot reason, or feel deep emotions, or make decisions concerning right and wrong as we humans can. We were created special, so that God could have fellowship with us.

Now, since Satan needed a body through which to communicate with Adam and Eve, he looked for the most intelligent of creatures. It so happened that the snake was the most intelligent of all animals. Therefore he chose to express himself to Eve throgh the snake. Through the snake, he succeeded in causing the first human beings to disobey God, and brought on the fall of the human race.

Now, a snake, or any other animals, are not moral creatures. They do not understand right and wrong as we do. They live by instinct, and cannot think the way we can. They act by instinct in what they do. Only creatures who know right from wrong could understand the idea of "punishment". Therefore, the snake was made to crawl on its belly, not as punishment to the snake, but as a reminder for all time to the human race, that we are fallen, and need a Savior. The snake is not capable of feeling punished, but was changed for our sake, that we may be reminded of the sinful natures that we have inherited, and our need to be saved.

Satan was punished by being deposed from heaven , and will be later punished for all eternity by being cast into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:10.)