The year 2025, according to the Chinese calendar, is the year of the snake. In Chinese thought, the snake symbolises intelligence and craftiness. Interestingly, this aligns with the Bible, which first mentions the snake as precisely this: “Now the serpent was more subtil (ie, crafty) than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made” (Gen 3:1).
What can we learn about the snake in the Bible? The Bible often uses the snake or serpent as a symbol or metaphor to illustrate certain spiritual truths. Let’s explore what the Bible has to teach us about the snake.
An Instrument of Satan
In Genesis 3:1-15, Satan chooses the snake to tempt Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. Of all the animals God created, the serpent was the most clever and cunning—the perfect tool for deception. Possessed by Satan, the snake used its forked tongue to sow doubt and trick Eve into sinning against God: “Yea, hath God said…” (Gen 3:1), casting doubt on God’s command. It then directly contradicted God, “Ye shall not surely die” (Gen 3:4).
Since the Fall, the snake has represented Satan. The Bible calls Satan the “old serpent” in Revelation 12:9, “And 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”, and in Revelation 20:2, “And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years”.
God cursed the snake, making it crawl on its belly and eat dust: “And 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” (Gen 3:14).
The snake has since become a symbol of evil, often used to represent Satan as a deceiver and false accuser (2 Cor 11:3, Rev 12:10). Jesus warned His disciples about the craftiness of the devil, urging them to be wise and vigilant: “Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves” (Matt 10:16). As believers, we must remain alert to avoid falling into Satan’s traps.
A Symbol of Our Saviour
In the Protoevangelium (First Gospel) of Genesis 3:15, God promised a virgin-born Saviour who would defeat Satan to save sinners: “And I will put enmity between thee [Satan] and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed [Christ]; it [Christ] shall bruise thy head, and thou (Satan) shalt bruise his heel.” Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection would bring victory to all who would trust in Him for salvation.
The snake served as a symbol of salvation in Numbers 21:4-9. When the Israelites complained against God in the wilderness, He sent fiery serpents to punish them. Those bitten could only be saved by looking at the bronze serpent Moses lifted up. Jesus later used this as a metaphor for His crucifixion: “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:14-15).
When Jesus hung on the Cross, He bore the curse of our sins to save us: “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree” (Gal 3:13). “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him” (2 Cor 5:21).
Satan, the old snake, is a defeated foe. Christ’s death and resurrection disarmed and destroyed Satan’s power: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil” (Heb 2:14). One day, Satan will be cast into the lake of fire to suffer eternal torment (Rev 20:10).
Resolution for the Snake Year
Knowing that Satan is cunning and active to beguile and entrap, let us be extra wise and vigilant to avoid his temptations and deceptions. In this year of the snake, let us heed the Apostle Paul’s counsel: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the will of the Lord is” (Eph 5:15-17). JK
GAPPI GETSEMANI REPORT
Pr Shobastian
Greeting you in the blessed name of our Lord Jesus Christ.
I would like to thank the Lord again for your prayers and support. It has been a while after my last report. I am sorry for this.
In this report, I would like to share with you our thanksgiving on how the Lord has blessed us here. We thank God for providing for all our needs, even His protection of us. The church is doing well. We still conduct our weekly activities, even worship, fellowship, and Bible study.
We thank the Lord for bringing His children to church. God is good also in protecting us. The enemy never came again. They are all now silent. By God’s grace, we can worship and serve peacefully. We also have more confidence to do what we can for
the compound.
We thank the Lord that we can finish digging and making the drain. Now no more flooding. The construction of the drain cost us about SGD1,200. It is just enough with the love gift to Getsemani from True Life a few months ago.
We thank God for the help of a friend who gave us a good price for digging the drain. The church members also work together (gotong royong) to put the cement and the bricks. If the Lord permits, we will also put the cover over the drain. It might be next year. I will send you the video I took during heavy rain to show you that the drain is working very well.
We thank God also for enabling us to make a church nameplate. Before this, the church had no nameplate. The people do not really know what the name of the church is. God is good. With about SGD300 we can put up the nameplate. Dn Tobing who is good in welding helped to make the nameplate and we sent it to the sticker shop to put the words there. After that, the church members also gotong royong to put it in front of the church. Now everyone who tries to find the church can see the nameplate.
We have been blessed with a newcomer due to the nameplate. Last month, there was a lady who walked past the church. She was looking for a church to worship as she just moved here from Medan 6 months ago. Having seen the nameplate of our church, she came by. It was on Sunday morning when we were having our Sunday School. Murni’s class was outside under the jackfruit tree. So she came to Murni asking for the time for worship service. Since that Sunday, she has continued to come to our church. She is a widow with a son. We are now trying to reach out to her son as well. Pray for them. Her name is Mdm Tiona Sianturi and her son is Joseph.
We thank God for adding people to our church. In January 2025, there will be three people who will transfer their membership and one person will go through the Reaffirmation of Faith. In February, God willing, there will be a wedding also.
This month we are busy with Christmas worship and celebrations. Next week, we will have our Christmas carolling in members’ houses. Then we will have our Christmas services on December 24 and 25. This will be followed by the thanksgiving service on December 31 and the New Year morning service on January 1. So, please pray for us. We pray also for True Life BP Church, that God will continue to work through you. We wish you a blessed Christmas and Happy New Year. God bless. (13 Dec 2024)
