Did God create the serpent in the Garden of Eden?

Question

If God created everything in the world then did he also create the serpent who tempted Eve?

Why would he do this? Why would he create something to contended with himself and tempt others to disobey God?

If not how did the serpent get there?

Answer 1

Unequivocally YES.

One does not need to delve into the garden account or unravel whether it was a talking snake or a manifestation of Satan or any of that in order to say for certain that God created it. Everything outside the person of God himself was created by him. This includes every physical object and creature in the universe, the universe itself, angels, and any other spiritual beings that exist. If it exists and is not God, God created it.

if ( THING && THING !== GOD ) { Assert(THING.creator == GOD) }

Colossians 1:16 (ESV)
For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.

So did God make the snake? Yes he did.

Why would he create something that would contend with himself?

Remember that Satan himself is nothing but a fallen angel, originally created by God but as an angel of light. It is in this sense that Martin Luther is quoted as having said:

Satan is God's satan.

I think this is a good reminder not to give credit for any power or authority he does not have. Nothing he is or does is done outside the sphere of God's sovereignty and in due time God will reign him in and show his works for the lies that they are.

Why God would create some being and give it free will (man) or the power/choice to rebel against him (angels) is an intricate topic. Perhaps he knew the best way to demonstrate his authority and power was to have some stage on which it could be demonstrated. Perhaps because having creatures that serve you as robots that have no other option does not satisfy an intrinsic need to be honored.

See also: Does God need our praise and glory?

Answer 2

As with a lot of things in the early chapters, Genesis isn't very clear on the details. It doesn't even specifically say that Satan had anything to do with it, but that's generally accepted as true, that Satan was working through the serpent in some way. But we do see that:

• The serpent tempted Eve, and she partook of the fruit.
• Eve didn't see anything particularly strange about a serpent talking to her.
• God cursed the serpent for its participation in the event.

Remember that Satan was Lucifer, a great and powerful angel who was cast out of heaven for rebellion, and has been trying to get God back for it ever since by screwing up His plan. It stands to reason that if Satan was able to tempt people, he would also be able to tempt animals that can communicate with people. He picked the serpent for being "the most subtle." Why? it doesn't say. Maybe he simply wanted to get every advantage he could to make sure that his first attempt to derail God's plan worked. In any event, he picked the most subtle of the animals and convinced it to tempt the humans into eating the forbidden fruit, and it worked.

Answer 3

God did not create Satan, he only created an angel. In this case I must say then that Satan created himself. To explain, a mother whose son becomes a thief can not be said to have procreated a thief. It is the son's decision to become a thief hence, the son made himself a thief. Same case satan was created as one of God's angels, it is the idea that he disobeyed God and pitted himself against him that makes him become satan. So God did not create Satan.

Answer 4

My answer is yes too, but I came across an alternate explanation who the serpent is. According to Jewish folklore, the serpent is not the devil but rather Lilith, the first woman created by God according to Hebrew mythology: A Summary of Evidences in the Bible that Support the Existence of Lilith This belief is not reflected in the Old Testament of the Bible, and consequently not viewed as part of Christian beliefs. The Bible doesn't promote the Lilith story, and there is only but one reference to Lilith in the book of Isaiah, showing only in some English translations, such as Common English Bible, CEB: Isaiah 34:14. However, this belief was predominantly upheld in Jewish folklore and traditions: Lilith: Jewish Tradition. It is important to point out that Judaism is the root of Christian beliefs, and the Jewish writers of the Old Testament books many times did not explicitly state some of the widely-known stories and beliefs because their audience already knew of them. On those grounds, the Lilith story is worth exploring.

Answer 5

It makes sense to me when I think of it in a more scientific sort of approach... It's like this: God created an Infinite Universe. In an Infinite Universe, there must be Infinite Chance of anything occurring that can occur.

Thus, anything does happen. If everyone believed in God, there would not be free will and there is no Infinite Probability.

We're in an Infinite Universe. You can go for lightyears and lightyears when you get to its supposed end.

And so, if God is Truth, and if we are to assume the Serpent represents Untruth (I don't believe that a talking snake really walked on this planet--it makes sense for this story to be symbolic, especially considering Cain says "Other People" and finds a wife...) Be that as it may, we still came from the same Adam--or, Atom (in Hebrew, it sounds like Ah-dom).

It's an Infinite Universe. There's an Infinite Probability of anything happening, even an atheist. So God created a strange world where babies die and old people try to look young forever.