WHY THIS BOOK AND THIS TOPIC INTERESTS ME

First and foremost it interests me because I am studying and preaching through the book of Exodus. And in Exodus one quickly discovers that snakes are a theme that runs throughout much of the book. With that said, I want to share with you a few insights I have gained from a fascinating book that I am reading called “The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer” by Andrew David Naselli.

WHAT IS BIBLICAL THEOLOGY?

“One of the great advances in evangelical biblical scholarship over the past few generations has been the recovery of biblical theology-that is, a renewed appreciation for the Bible as a theologically unified, historically rooted, progressively unfolding, and ultimately Christ-centered narrative of God’s covenantal work in our world to redeem sinful humanity.” p. 12

Another way of looking at Biblical Theology is to compare it with Systematic Theology. Systematic Theology is highlighting and explaining different topics that are found in the Bible. Biblical Theology is going chronologically through the Bible and finding themes that run throughout it. Systematic Theology and Biblical Theology are both useful to help us understand the Word of God. “The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer” book that I am reading is part of a series that is called, “Short Studies in Biblical Theology.”

IS THE SERPENT AND THE SERPENT SLAYER REALLY A THEME THAT RUNS THROUGHOUT THE WORD OF GOD?

According to this book the answer is yes and I am tempted to agree. Here is how Naselli makes his argument.

The FIRST BOOKEND that shows that this is a theme in Scripture is Genesis 3. There we see the snake tempting Adam and Eve and leading them to sin against God

Then in the middle of the Bible we have:

-The serpent in Egypt and Pharaoh (entire book of Exodus)

-The serpent in the wicked leaders of Canaan and Moab (Numbers 21:4-9)

-The serpent in the King of Babylon (Jeremiah 51:34)

-The serpent in King Herod (Matthew 2: 16-18)

-The serpent in the Pharisees and the Sadducees (Matthew 3:7)

-The serpent in the false teachers (2 Corinthians 11:1-6, Romans 16:17-20)

At this time, seeing how the theme of the serpent is at work in the book of Exodus is what interests me the most.

First of all, the Bible clearly refers to Pharaoh as a serpent. In Ezekiel 32:2 we read this, “Son of man, raise a lamentation over Pharaoh king of Egypt and say to him “You consider yourself a lion of the nations, but you are like a dragon in the seas; you burst forth in your rivers, trouble the waters with your feet, and foul their rivers.” In this book you learn that often times serpent and dragon are interchangeable terms.

“Serpent is an umbrella term (in the Bible) that includes both snakes and dragons. It’s the big category. Snakes and dragons are kinds of serpents. The Greek word δράκων (drakon), explains an expert Greek linguist, refers to a “monstrous serpent”-the ancient Greeks did not visualize it as a winged, fire-blowing creature with claws.” p. 18

Second, the serpent hates babies and we definitely see that in Pharaoh (Exodus 1:8-22). The serpent hates babies because he is fearful of Eve’s offspring and that through him his head will be crushed.

Third, there was actually a temple in Egypt and the main god that was worshipped was a snake. Because the Egyptians believed that there was a snake god Pharaoh had a raging cobra on the front of his headgear. This headgear, with the cobra on it, symbolized that Pharaoh had been imparted god-like powers from the serpent god.

Now you can start to see the significance of Moses and Aaron throwing down their staffs, their staffs turning into snakes, and devouring the snakes of the court magicians. It was a bold declaration that there was only one true God and his name was YAHWEH.

I already mentioned the FIRST BOOKEND that shows this theme. Now the SECOND AND FINAL BOOKEND.

The devouring dragon in Revelation 12 and 20.

In Revelation 12:9 we read, “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world.” This “dragon” is the snake that we have already mentioned in Genesis 3:15.

SO WHAT DO WE DO WITH THIS?

It causes us to treasure and respect Scripture because God is the One who is behind every word of the Bible. The Bible is clearly not a random collection of stories. No, in fact it is one unified (redemptive) story that points us to Jesus.

It leads us to worship the hero of the Bible (the serpent slayer), Jesus Christ.

1. The serpent (the villian-Satan)
2. A damsel in distress (the people of God)
3. The serpent slayer (the protagonist and hero-Jesus) p. 18