Serpent is Cursed

God humbles the serpent and promises a winning blow after a fight.

What is a curse in the bible?

What do we think curse means?

What’s the Bible

Who can curse whom?

What does God promise?

A fight between the offspring

A final blow

Why does the All-Powerful God fight with the serpent?

Humanity is worth it

The power of redemption

God actually believes in us way more than we do

God wants to deal with evil from the inside out.

Why couldn’t the pancake sleep? He kept tossing and turning.

How do you make a pancake smile? Butter it up.

Why aren’t pancakes good singers? They’re too flat

The man and woman went against God's directions

God asked them what happened - no apology

Here is how God deals with sin.

Genesis 3:14–15 “14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live. 15 And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.””

God curses (humbles) the serpent and promises a winning blow after a fight.

But why? How is this dealing with evil?

1) What does cursed mean?

Modern times

Profanity or Joke

a trick to undermine the significant…

Bible

Opposite of blessing

Blessing is linked to covenant obedience. Faithfulness brings blessings

Disobedience brings curses, divine judgment, or punishment for disobedience to God’s will.

To bless someone is to put that person under God’s protection and favor.

To curse is to remove God’s protection and favor.

Curses are multifaceted with wide impact

Effect various aspects of life - emotions, physical bodies, work, relationships

Cursing also lasts generations

2 sources of curses

1) A person curses someone, invoking evil or injury against someone (sometimes rituals)

Noah curses his son, Genesis 9:25 “25 Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham: “May Canaan be cursed! May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.””

Perhaps someone in authority has spoken words like this over you.

Maybe not putting God’s name on it, but characteristics that aren’t like God.

Words matter!

2) God curing

Divine judgment or punishment for disobedience to God’s will.

God loves you enough to bring justice for the injustice you have experienced.

Good news - God is in control, not people :)

Exodus 20:5–6 “5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.”

What does curse mean? To curse is to remove God’s protection and favor.

2) How does God curse the Serpent?

a. Crawling on the belly and groveling in the dust?

Undignified

From - Walking & talking and Overpower

To - Lying Down & Licking Dirt

Humility!

b. Promising a Fight

Hostility between you and the woman?

This is the human struggle with evil.

Galatians 5:17 “17 The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions.”

The Seed of the woman vs the seed of the serpent

The seed of the snake is not baby snakes, but anyone who shares the

Cain and Able

Humanity will be divided between those who Follow God & those who Reject God

It is usually the seed of the man in the Bible, but this is a prophecy that Jesus fulfills

What are you letting grow in you?

Sinful desires or the Spirit of God

What are you saying? Blessing or cursing?

Luke 6:45 “45 A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart. What you say flows from what is in your heart.”

To curse is to remove God’s protection and favor

God curses the serpent

Humbling him

Promises a fight

3. Why does God even fight with the serpent?

The Bible unpacks the problem of Evil - He will strike your head

The serpent attempted to one-up the human race & God

Don’t play with God.

The Bible is looking for the “He”

The damage done to the seed is significant, but nothing like what happens to the serpent.

Ultimately the cost of trying to one-up the order costs pain and death

Jesus is the only one to reverse the curse - by taking on the curse and dying on the cross.

So why does God even fight with the serpent?

Humanity is worth it

Crown jewel of creation

The managers who are to live forever with God

The beast of the filed won’t win!! God promised it

God thinks far more of you than you do!

The power of redemption

There is nothing that God can’t save - except blaspheming the Holy Spirit

God wants to deal with evil from the inside out.

All He wants is humility

Matthew 5:3–10 “3 “God blesses those who are poor and realize their need for him, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs. 4 God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted. 5 God blesses those who are humble, for they will inherit the whole earth. 6 God blesses those who hunger and thirst for justice, for they will be satisfied. 7 God blesses those who are merciful, for they will be shown mercy. 8 God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. 9 God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. 10 God blesses those who are persecuted for doing right, for the Kingdom of Heaven is theirs.”

The problem of evil is nothing!

The Problem is he still values us

Going against God caused a lot of problems. Will you go against him?

To curse is to remove God’s protection and favor

God curses the serpent

Humbling him

Promises a fight

The reason God fights with the serpent is because we are worth it.

One of the most powerful sentences ever spoken

Luke 23:34 “34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.”