Let us together begin to explore this inexhaustible love, the love of God, going to the very beginning of man’s existence in the garden that God made for man. Our text provides some interesting insights.

Now the serpent was more subtle 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? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. Genesis 3:1-6

The comparison of the serpent to a terrestrial beast suggests that it is a beast but of a different type. This is supported by the use of the same word to describe the angelic beings in Revelation 4:6. So, what’s described as serpent is indeed an angelic being as rightly stated in Ezekiel 28:14 (AMPC)

You were the anointed cherub that covers with overshadowing [wings], and I set you so. You were upon the holy mountain of God; you walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire [like the paved work of gleaming sapphire stone upon which the God of Israel walked on Mount Sinai].

The scriptures describe man without God as a beast – 

I said in my heart regarding the subject of the sons of men, God is trying (separating and sifting) them, that they may see that by themselves [under the sun, without God] they are but like beasts. For that which befalls the sons of men befalls beasts; even [in the end] one thing befalls them both. As the one dies, so dies the other. Yes, they all have one breath and spirit, so that a man has no preeminence over a beast; for all is vanity (emptiness, falsity, and futility)! All go to one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. Who knows the spirit of man, whether it goes upward, and the spirit of the beast, whether it goes downward to the earth? Ecclesiastes 3:18-21 AMPC

The honor of man is short-lived and fleeting. There’s little difference between man and beast, for both will one day perish. Such is the path of foolish men and those who quote everything they say, for they are here today and gone tomorrow!

Pause in his presence

A shepherd called “Death” herds them, leading them straight to hell like mindless sheep. Yet at daybreak you will find the righteous ruling in their place. Every trace of them will be gone forever, with all their “glory” lost in the darkness of their doom. But I know the loving God will redeem my soul, raising me up from the dark power of death, taking me as his bridal partner.

Pause in his presence

So don’t be disturbed when you see the rich surround you with the “glory” of their wealth on full display. For when they die, they will carry nothing with them, and their riches will not follow them beyond the grave.

Though they have the greatest rewards of this world and all applaud them for their accomplishments, they will follow those who have gone before them and go straight into the realm of darkness, where they will never ever see the light again. So this is the way of mortal man honored for a moment, yet without eternal insight, like a beast that will one day perish. Psalms 49:12-20 TPT

– the difference between man and beast (terrestrial) being the redemptive power of the living God. For emphasis, without God’s life and His spirit, man falls into the category of those described in Psalms 73:22 TPT:

I was so stupid. I was senseless and ignorant, acting like a brute beast before you, Lord.

and as further revealed in 1 Corinthians 2:14 AMPC:

But the natural, nonspiritual man does not accept or welcome or admit into his heart the gifts and teachings and revelations of the Spirit of God, for they are folly (meaningless nonsense) to him; and he is incapable of knowing them [of progressively recognizing, understanding, and becoming better acquainted with them] because they are spiritually discerned and estimated and appreciated.

This long treatise is to the intent that you understand your need for God’s presence and the fulness of His spirit in your life. Without Him and without His Spirit in you, you cannot know neither experientially experience His love. Selah

Photo by Abhijith P on Unsplash