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Serpents.

From: The New Topical Textbook

By: Reuben Archer Torrey

• 1 min. read • grade level: 11

Created by God. Job 26:13¹³By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. (Job 26:13).

Characterized as subtle. Gen. 3:1¹Now the serpent was more subtile 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). Matt. 10:16¹⁶Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. (Matthew 10:16).

Called crooked. Job 26:13¹³By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent. (Job 26:13). Isa. 27:1¹In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea. (Isaiah 27:1).

Unclean and unfit for food. Matt. 7:10¹⁰Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? (Matthew 7:10).

INFEST

Hedges. Ecc. 10:8.

Holes in walls. Amos 5:19¹⁹As if a man did flee from a lion, and a bear met him; or went into the house, and leaned his hand on the wall, and a serpent bit him. (Amos 5:19).

Deserts. Deut. 8:15¹⁵Who led thee through that great and terrible wilderness, wherein were fiery serpents, and scorpions, and drought, where there was no water; who brought thee forth water out of the rock of flint; (Deuteronomy 8:15).

Produced from eggs. Isa. 59:5⁵They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web: he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper. (Isaiah 59:5).

Cursed above all creatures. Gen. 3:14¹⁴And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (Genesis 3:14).

Doomed to creep on their belly. Gen. 3:14¹⁴And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (Genesis 3:14).

Doomed to eat their food mingled with dust. Gen. 3:14¹⁴And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: (Genesis 3:14). Isa. 65:25²⁵The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord. (Isaiah 65:25). Mic. 7:17¹⁷They shall lick the dust like a serpent, they shall move out of their holes like worms of the earth: they shall be afraid of the Lord our God, and shall fear because of thee. (Micah 7:17).

Many kinds of, poisonous. Deu. 52: 24. Psa. 58:4⁴Their poison is like the poison of a serpent: they are like the deaf adder that stoppeth her ear; (Psalm 58:4).

All kinds of, can be tamed. James 3:7⁷For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: (James 3:7).

Were often enchanted or fascinated. Ecc. 10:11.

Dangerous to travelers. Gen. 49:17¹⁷Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. (Genesis 49:17).

Man's aversion and hatred to. Gen. 3:15¹⁵And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15).

Often sent as a punishment. Num. 21:6⁶And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. (Numbers 21:6). Deut. 32:24²⁴They shall be burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter destruction: I will also send the teeth of beasts upon them, with the poison of serpents of the dust. (Deuteronomy 32:24). 1 Cor. 10:9⁹Neither let us tempt Christ, as some of them also tempted, and were destroyed of serpents. (1 Corinthians 10:9).

MIRACLES CONNECTED WITH;

Moses' rod turned into. Ex. 4:3³And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. (Exodus 4:3). Ex. 7:9,15⁹When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Show a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent. (Exodus 7:9)
¹⁵Get thee unto Pharaoh in the morning; lo, he goeth out unto the water; and thou shalt stand by the river's brink against he come; and the rod which was turned to a serpent shalt thou take in thine hand. (Exodus 7:15).

Israelites cured by looking at one of brass. Num. 21:8, 9⁸And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. ⁹And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived. (Numbers 21:8‑9). John 3:14, 15¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: ¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. (John 3:14‑15).

Power over, given to the disciples. Mar. 16:18. Luke 10:19¹⁹Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. (Luke 10:19).

ILLUSTRATIVE

Of the devil. Gen. 3:1¹Now the serpent was more subtile 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), with 2 Cor. 11:3³But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. (2 Corinthians 11:3). Rev. 12:9⁹And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:9). Rev. 20:2²And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (Revelation 20:2).

Of hypocrites. Matt. 23:33³³Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell? (Matthew 23:33).

Of the tribe of Dan. Gen. 49:17¹⁷Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. (Genesis 49:17).

Of enemies who harass and destroy. Isa. 14:29²⁹Rejoice not thou, whole Palestina, because the rod of him that smote thee is broken: for out of the serpent's root shall come forth a cockatrice, and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent. (Isaiah 14:29). Jer. 8:17¹⁷For, behold, I will send serpents, cockatrices, among you, which will not be charmed, and they shall bite you, saith the Lord. (Jeremiah 8:17).

(Sharp tongue of,) of malice of the wicked. Psa. 140:3³They have sharpened their tongues like a serpent; adders' poison is under their lips. Selah. (Psalm 140:3).

(Poisonous bite of,) of baneful effects of wine. Prov. 23:31, 32³¹Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his color in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. ³²At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. (Proverbs 23:31‑32).

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The New Topical Textbook

• Scorning and Mocking.

• Scorpion, the.

• Scriptures, the.

• Sealing of the Holy Ghost.

• Second Coming of Christ, the.

• Seeking God.

• Self-Delusion.

• Self-Denial.

• Self-Examination.

• Self-Righteousness.

• Self-Will and Stubbornness.

• Selfishness.

• Serpents.

• Sidonians, the.

• Simeon, the Tribe of.

• Simplicity.