Growing up in the craggy mountains of Southern California, I developed a healthy fear of snakes, particularly of the venomous variety. As a young lad, whenever I would climb rocks and boulders, every crevice was considered a dark pit of hell from which snake heads could potentially appear and strike. When I would hike the trails, every sage brush was thought to be the likely home of at least one venomous viper. Each splintery woodpile was seen as a possible nesting place for slithering serpents. Even seemingly innocuous sticks on the ground needed to be checked twice to make certain they were not actually rattlers. My aversion to snakes is one of the reasons why I love the cool climate of the peninsular Thumb of Michigan—no snakes to worry about!
Why do so many of us (rightly) share this healthy fear of serpents? Is it merely the potential physical danger so many species of snakes pose? Or is there more to it than that? Perhaps there is a spiritual level to this fear?
In Andrew Naselli’s book, The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer, he explores one of the chief biblical themes of the Old and New Testaments, that of the deceiving and devouring serpent. Part of Crossway’s “Short Studies in Biblical Theology” series, he states its primary objective thus, “This book is a biblical theology of snakes and dragons—especially the serpent” (13).
Content
The author hooks his reader from the start by recognizing the serpent-theme in English literature. His introduction, “Why We Love Dragon-Slaying Stories,” explains it thus: “We love good dragon-slaying stories because they echo the greatest story—the grand story of the Bible. . . . And the greatest story is true. A pithy way to summarize the Bible’s storyline is ‘Kill the dragon, get the girl’” (17). He then maps out that epic storyline in some of English literary history’s greatest hits—Beowulf, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Lord of the Rings, and Harry Potter, to name a few.
Naselli then traces the serpent and serpent-slayer theme through the Holy Scriptures, beginning with the genesis of the story in the Garden of Eden and the subsequent curse. He highlights in particular the serpent’s deceit of our first parents in Genesis 3, linking it with Satan’s attempted deceit of our Lord Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:1–13) and the continued satanic endeavor to deceive Christians (1 John 2:16). He rightfully emphasizes the importance of the enmity promised in Genesis 3:15 as he writes, “The rest of the Bible’s storyline traces the ongoing battle between the snake’s offspring and the woman’s offspring” (41).
The author spends the next two chapters following the serpent-slaying theme between the Bible’s bookends, Genesis and Revelation. With a particular focus on the Psalms, Job, Isaiah, and several epistles, he elucidates Satan as the serpent, who uses many other serpents in order to tempt God’s people; but Christ, the ultimate serpent-slayer, has slayed the dragon and is now sovereign over him. He then provides several examples of the enmity promised in Genesis 3:15 as he details the battle between Christ and his people against the spiritual offspring of the serpent, such as Egypt and Pharaoh, Herod, the Pharisees, and false teachers. These chapters offer several reminders and insights to many of the frequently-overlooked biblical examples of “head-crushing” done by God’s people as types of Christ throughout the Old Testament.
Naselli bookends with a study of “The Devouring Dragon in Revelation 12 and 20.” Here, he details the serpent’s murderous plans from the beginning to devour the Christ, noting that his failure to do so has led to his defeat. And although Christ has crushed his skull, he still has power here and now until the “Return of the King,” who will “consummate his kingdom for God’s glory by slaying the dragon and saving his bride” (122). Hence, our King kills the dragon and gets the girl.
He closes out his study with an encouragement for Christians to apply the things detailed in the book by living in light of the great biblical storyline of the serpent and the serpent-slayer. We do this, he says, by appropriating the armor of God, being wary of the serpent, trusting in the serpent-slayer, and exulting in him and in his victory. He heartens the reader with this closing charge:
There may be times when the serpent is persecuting you or your brothers or sisters in Christ. . . . This is when you must remember the whole storyline. . . . You know that the serpent slayer has already decisively defeated the serpent and that at the end he will finally and completely crush the serpent. . . . Trust him. He always does what is right and in the end we will jubilantly rejoice that Jesus has finally conquered the serpent. (131)
Conclusion
My concluding thoughts on this concise book include, first, that I would love to see the author pick up on this same theme in a larger, more detailed volume with essentially the same objective. This is one of the drawbacks of enjoying a book in a series titled “Short Studies in Biblical Theology.” That said, I would recommend this book to anyone looking to introduce themselves to an important biblical theme. It would be a helpful and succinct read for young Bible students and future preachers to become more aware of a theme that is not often enough discussed. It could also be a useful tool for a short book study in a church, one that would keep the teacher and the layman equally engaged. Thanks to the author, series editors, and publisher for making this book available.
©Scott McDermand II. All Rights Reserved.
Andrew David Naselli, The Serpent and the Serpent Slayer (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2020).
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Scott McDermand II
Scott McDermand II is pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Bad Axe, Michigan. He graduated from San Diego State University (BA, History) and earned masters degrees at Westminster Seminary California (MA, Historical Theology; MDiv). He serves on the board of directors of the Heidelberg Reformation Association as secretary. He has a passion for preaching and teaching the Word of God, Biblical theology, Church History, and enjoys fellowshipping with the saints. In his free time, he also enjoys baseball, reading, classical music, eating whatever his wife cooks for him, and walking their two dogs.
More by Scott McDermand II ›
Extremely interesting. I have always had the thought tickling away at me when I considered the matter that my mother’s and my aunt’s phobia about snakes may have had a not unhealthy ( sounds arch, I realize ) spiritual aspect to it. I loved my mother but used to think she was just a little nuts about the thing, but her sister was nuttier. My aunt was able to cook spaghetti for her family, but couldn’t eat it….
( Here’s an anecdote which may not be unfairly portentous: the daughter left home the day after she graduated from high school and moved halfway across the country. Three years later, she returned with a baby which she dumped on my aunt and uncle so she could enjoy some time alone with her husband. During the visit, she coaxed my aunt into going to a movie with her, Raiders of the Lost Ark, which was a new movie at the time, and a blockbuster. The whole thing was a setup. My cousin had seen the movie, and knew that the snakepit scene would put my aunt in danger of a seizure. My aunt told my mother that my cousin laughed and laughed and laughed. )
I’m a fan of the great 18th century artist, William Hogarth, and just yesterday, happened across the first of a series of prints he did in 1732, A Harlot’s Progress. In it, the still virginal Moll Hackabout has been brought fresh from the countryside to the house of prostitution in London which will be the site of her ruin. If you know about Hogarth, you know that you have to study his work carefully. He was a satirist, and tried to crowd as much visual commentary into a frame as he could.
If you look at the print with an eye for spotting details, you see that as the horrible Madam is greeting and appraising her with mock personal interest, at the far right side of the print, a snake is crawling out of a basket.