Perhaps one of the most curious creatures in the book of Genesis was the serpent. Genesis 31 says now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. An interesting little tidbit about the Hebrew word translated to Serpent is that it can also be translated as 'the shining one'. I think this is interesting because usually when we see things that are deceitful and the serpent was the deceiver.
Usually, when we see things that are deceitful, they are shiny. They are pretty. They grab our attention. The fruit looked good to eat. It was pleasing to the eye.
In 2 Corinthians 11:14, it says,
'And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.' ' 2 Corinthians 11:14
I just think it's worth a little discussion that everything that glitters is not gold. In fact, we need to be really, really careful these days. Which side we take, where we stand, where we dig our heels, and what lines we draw in the sand because everything that glitters is not gold.
The shining one, the ancient one is still making things very, very glittery today. Just because it looks good and sounds good doesn't mean it is good. That is why prayer is so important in our daily walk so that we remain grounded in the truth of God's word as well as who God wants us to be.