The Serpent

The Serpent

Eve was deceived by the cunning ways of the serpent.

2 Corinthians 11:3

If you’re like me, you probably did not know there is a musical instrument called “the serpent.” I had never heard of it until recently. Interestingly, the serpent makes a harsh and fairly unpleasant sound compared to more-melodic instruments.

The first time the serpent was used at a London concert, over which the German composer George Frideric Handel presided, he was so surprised at the coarseness of its tones that he called out sharply, “Vat de devil is dat?”

On being informed that it was the serpent, he replied, “It never can be de serpent vat seduced Eve!” And he was, no doubt, correct. The Scriptures say that Eve was “beguiled” by the devil, which indicates a soothing, tempting voice rather than a harsh, coarse one.

My aunt Bethel was particularly easy to frighten. And my brother, who is a bit of a tease, loved to give her a scare just to liven things up.

One day we were all at my grandparents’ house. Grandmother, Aunt Bethel, and Mom were cooking lunch while the rest of us played games or just sat on the porch. Looking for some excitement, my brother hid an old jointed toy snake under his shirt and wandered into the kitchen. When nobody was looking, he dropped it into the pot of beans cooking on the stove. Then he sauntered out onto the porch to wait for the reaction.

Suddenly Aunt Bethel started screaming and burst out of the kitchen onto the porch, running as if the devil himself were chasing her. She had stirred the beans and stirred up the toy serpent. She had just about been a runaway. She wouldn’t go back into the kitchen for the rest of the day.

Aunt Bethel had one thing right: When the devil is after you, run for your life!

Dear God, please help us to identify the beguiling voice of the devil when he is whispering in our ears. And let us run to you for protection. Amen.