Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

Authored By  :
Published On :
Last Updated :



Following the fall of Adam and Eve in Genesis chapter three, we find the Lord pronouncing part of His judgments against Satan, who has adopted some type of serpentine form in order to seduce the First Pair. Consider the following verses:

"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: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."


As I point out in other articles, whatever serpentine form Satan may have taken when he appeared to Adam and Eve, it is possible that it was not in the form of an actual snake, as most people are led to believe. There are those people who theorize that he may have appeared as some kind of erect bipedal being which was later doomed to crawl on his belly after the curse. This would seem to be consistent with the above passages. However, inasmuch as this present discussion is concerned, it is a minor detail.

In the previous verses we are then told that Eve's seed will bruise Satan's head, and that Satan will bruise the heel of Eve's seed. It is interesting to note that this is exactly what poisonous vipers do. Most of them usually only strike as high as the calf of a person's leg. However, some time ago, I discovered that there are other verses which point to a much deeper spiritual implication contained in these words as well. Part of this mystery can be found in the symbolic act which was performed by Jesus on the evening of His final meal with His Disciples, just prior to His betrayal by Judas Iscariot. Consider the following verses:

"After that he poureth water into a basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel wherewith he was girded. Then cometh he to Simon Peter: and Peter saith unto him, Lord, dost thou wash my feet? Jesus answered and said unto him, What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter. Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Simon Peter saith unto him, Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head. Jesus saith to him, He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit: and ye are clean, but not all. For he knew who should betray him; therefore said he, Ye are not all clean."


What Jesus said here is truly amazing. Take special note of the words: "He that is washed needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit". For a long time I never fully understood this verse. One explanation which was given to me many years ago, which I now find quite lacking, is that most diseases enter our bodies through our feet. Thus, if our feet are clean, then our whole body will be clean. In other words, free of disease. While this may be true -- I certainly cannot prove or disprove this claim, being as I am not in any way a doctor -- the revelation which came to me seems to be much more revealing, and may be closer to the spiritual reality to which Jesus may have been implying in those verses.

In short, what came to me is this: To have clean feet means to be submitted to the Lord's Spirit in one's life. When we are submitted to God's Spirit and His Will for our life, we allow Him to direct our spiritual walk with Him. We allow Him to direct our steps. As an example, after his defeat of Goliath and his brothers, King David sang a song to the Lord. Part of that song says the following:

"Thou hast enlarged my steps under me; so that my feet did not slip."


During the course of his sufferings, the Patriarch Job also made the following statements:

"For now thou numberest my steps: dost thou not watch over my sin?"


"My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined."


"Doth not he see my ways, and count all my steps?"


In his Psalms, King David continued to show the importance of having "clean feet" by walking in the ways of the Lord, as we can see by the following two verses:

"Our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way;"


"Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps."


The Prophet Jeremiah also realized the foolishness of trying to direct our own steps, which is exactly what man has been trying to do for thousands of years now. Consider this verse:

"O LORD, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps."


The Apostle Paul likewise spoke about the importance of our spiritual walk with the Lord when he wrote the following to the brethren at Corinth:

"I desired Titus, and with him I sent a brother. Did Titus make a gain of you? walked we not in the same spirit? walked we not in the same steps?"


While the Apostle Peter did not initially understand why Jesus had to wash his feet, the Lord had promised Peter that he would understand later. You will recall that Jesus said to him "What I do thou knowest not now; but thou shalt know hereafter." It seems that Peter most certainly did come to understand what Jesus had said to him that evening. Consider what Peter later wrote in one of his Epistles, under the anointing of the Holy Spirit:

"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"


So as you can see, this whole idea of the serpent biting man's heel has some rather deep spiritual implications. When Satan bites our heel, it is to try to cause us to fall out of step with the Lord. When that happens, we may fall into iniquity, as King David reveals in the following verse:

"Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me."


Please notice that the way to stay submitted to the Lord, and to remain walking in His steps, is by knowing His Word. Why is this? Quite simply, it is because God's Word offers us clear guidance regarding what His Will is for our lives. In other Psalms, King David confirms this very same point, as we see by the following verses:

"The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide."


"BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."


"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."


"I have declared my ways, and thou heardest me: teach me thy statutes."


"Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for therein do I delight."


"I thought on my ways, and turned my feet unto thy testimonies."


In fact, if we walk in the ways of the Lord, not only can we walk, but we can run as well. Not only can we run, but we can fly in the Spirit! It is similar to those crazy people who like to jump off of high hills or cliffs with their gliders. With us, we have to start off slow, make a run for it, and then off we go soaring in the Spirit! That's how I feel sometimes when I write these articles. I will start off slow. But as I keep going and keep writing and keep studying the Bible, the Lord just shows me deeper and more profound connections which just send me soaring high in the Spirit. Consider the following verses:

"I will run the way of thy commandments, when thou shalt enlarge my heart."


"But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."


That is so true. My old flesh gets so tired sometimes. But when the Lord really starts pouring it on, I get so into the Spirit that I forget about time and my aching body. The next thing I know, I am seeing the sunlight peeking through my window. The quiet of the night is a great time for getting things from the Lord, when all other distractions have been lessened. Here is a Bible study tip for you. If you would like to continue this study regarding having clean feet, in your Bible app, use search words such as "ways" "path" and "feet" instead of "steps", and you will also come up with some very interesting results. So the point is, when we walk in the ways of the Lord, He frees us from the bondage of Satan's grip, and we are free and at liberty to soar as high as we want to. Consider what King David wrote in this verse:

"And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy precepts."


Do you see King David's secret to obtaining this freedom? He seeks God's precepts. David seeks to know and obey God's Laws. As I explain in other articles, this is the very same thing which Jesus came to do. That is, to set us free from sin and death, and from spiritual darkness, so that we could know the Light of His Truth, as was prophesied by Isaiah. In fact, as you may know, Jesus quoted these very same verses when He began His ministry in Nazareth, as we see here:

"The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn;"


Now consider what is recorded in the Gospel of Luke:

"And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord."


In the Gospel of John, Jesus informs the believing Jews that the way to obtain this freedom, is by continuing in His Word. Because by continuing in His Word, they would come to know and understand the Truth. As we all know today, that singular truth is that Jesus is the only Way, the only Truth, and the only means to obtaining Eternal Life. Not trying to be good. Not being weighed down by the burden and bondage of striving to keep the Mosaic Law. Not by anything or by anyone else. Only by and through faith in the Sacrifice of Jesus Christ. Consider the following verses:

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free . . . If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed."


"Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."


The Apostle Paul also preached about the spiritual freedom which we obtain through faith in Jesus Christ when he wrote the following lines. In the very first verse below, Paul is actually talking about freedom from the shackles of our own human flesh, which will occur when we each are miraculously transformed into our spiritual bodies at the time of our death. And in the third verse, He is talking about trusting in Christ for our Salvation, and not being under the weight and bondage of the Mosaic Law, as if doing so can somehow obtain Eternal Life for us:

"Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God."


"Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty."


"Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage."


Returning to the third chapter of the Book of Genesis where we began this discussion, that was precisely the case with Adam and Eve. They listened to the lies of Satan, and his crafty talk where he said "ye shall be as gods" -- Genesis 3:5 -- and this is exactly what happened to them. In other words, because they believed in his false promise that they would be as gods, they lost the freedom of the Spirit, and they likewise fell under the bondage of sin and death, as have we all since that time. Consider the following verses:

"While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage."


"Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?"


This is likewise what happened to foolish Judas Iscariot. Due to his unbelief, and his greed for money, he fell away from the Path. He let his feet slide into sinning against the Lord. This is why after washing their feet, Jesus said in the Gospel of John that not all were clean. He knew that Judas did not walk in the ways of the Lord. As King David also wrote:

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD: and he delighteth in his way."


Judas did not truly accept Jesus as the living Word of God. Perhaps he did at first. We really don't know for certain. But at some point, he began to listen to Satan's lies, and he began to doubt about Jesus. As Jesus said, not all were clean, because Judas had not been cleansed by the Word of God. Thus, he was not every whit clean as Jesus had said in John chapter thirteen. Consider the following verses as well:

"Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you."


"BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word."


"Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee."


As you can plainly see, spiritual cleanliness only comes through acceptance of, and belief in, the Word of God. It is only through humble submission to God's Word that we allow the Lord to direct our steps, and to cleanse us of our sins.

What I also find interesting is the fact that just as the Apostle Paul spoke of the "son of perdition" in his second Epistle to the Thessalonians, Jesus also referred to Judas as the "son of perdition". In Spanish, it is the verb "perder", which means to lose; and in Latin it is the verb "perdere" which also means to lose or to destroy. Furthermore, as I explain in articles such as "Did Jesus Know Everything, and the Fate of Judas Iscariot", "perdition" is derived from the Koine Greek word "apoleia", which in turn is derived from the Greek word "apollumi". This word means to destroy, perish or ruin. It involves utter destruction. As I point out in the aforementioned article, that is precisely what happened to Judas Iscariot. He took his own life. He destroyed himself. He destroyed his flesh. Thus, Judas was both lost, and then destroyed by his own hand. Consider the following verse:

"While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled."


What is also interesting is that in one Bible I have, in both the above verse, as well as in Paul's description of the one who sits in the Temple of God claiming to be "God", instead of calling him the "son of perdition", this other Bible calls him the "son of hell". According to my dictionary, this is a second definition of the word "perdition". In describing what motivated Judas to betray Jesus, John tells us the following:

"And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him;"


Luke was even more bold regarding this incident, and tells us rather plainly that Satan actually entered into Judas -- that is, he apparently possessed him -- as we can determine by the following verse:

"Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve."


So, as you can see, the Devil did not want to just trip up Judas Iscariot and cause him to deviate his feet from the path of righteousness. He wanted to actually get inside of him, and use him as his tool, or stooge. It is my impression that in dealing with Jesus, Satan wanted to handle the whole matter directly himself, by getting as close to Jesus as he possibly could. I suspect that this may be exactly what that serpent did when he temporarily possessed Judas Iscariot. If I am correct in my understanding, it was Satan himself, just as Luke tells us in the previous verse. It was not a minor demon, but the King of Demons himself, making certain that the job was done right!

Returning to the idea of the serpent biting us on the heel, as I point out in other articles which deal with the topic of spiritual warfare, the lies that Satan tells us are like fiery darts which fill our minds with lethal poison, just like the venomous bite of a viper. Consider the following verse:

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."


This is why the Scriptures advise us to put on the Helmet of Salvation, to gird up our minds, to bring every thought into captivity, and to actually have our minds renewed in Christ, as we see by the following group of verses.

"And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"


"Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;"


"Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ;"


"And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God."


"And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;"


"For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? But we have the mind of Christ."


"For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds."


"But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ."


"Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:"


"In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them."


Truly, it is a battle of the mind, because once that snake's fiery poison travels up our leg to our heart and brain, we are in very serious trouble. If we are not careful, that old serpent can inject us with his vile poison so that we become dizzy -- or double-minded -- and fall off of or stray away from the Path that is set before us, due to indecision in our lives. Jesus spoke of this very same Path upon which we must keep our feet when He said the following in the Gospel of Matthew:

"Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."


So in reality, there is only one of two paths which we can follow in this life. One path leads to Eternal Life, while the other path leads to destruction. The Apostle James described the dizzying effect of the serpent's bite on our brains quite well when he wrote the following line:

"A double minded man is unstable in all his ways."


Spiritually unstable is indeed what we are once we begin to listen to Satan's lies. Indecision, and being on the fence, not knowing for sure what we believe, is one of the hardest places in which a person can find himself. The only way to avoid straying from the Path, or to keep from getting hung up on the fence, is to keep our eyes on the goal. In other words, we need to be single-minded and not double-minded. We need to keep our eyes on Jesus, and not be led astray by the things of the world, or by Satan's lies and doubts. Consider the following group of verses:

"Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."


"The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness! No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."


"Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world."


Returning once again to Adam and Eve, that is exactly where they failed. First, they took their eyes off of God. After that, they placed their eyes on the tree. Then they looked at the forbidden fruit. Finally, they set their eyes upon themselves when Satan told them that they could be as gods. That is all it took, and that is how their downfall occurred.

So, we need to watch out for that serpent, and not allow him to distract us by dangling beautiful things in front of our eyes which cause us to become sidetracked. We need to bash him on the head before he ever gets a chance to lunge at us and fill us with his poisonous lust for the things of the world. As I said, once that poison enters our bloodstream, it can cause us to become dizzy. We might acquire double vision so that we cannot distinguish the true Path from the false one. The only sure way to avoid this potential pitfall is by staying close to the Lord, and submitted to His Word. After all, it is through His Word that we acquire Faith. And it is with this Shield of Faith that we can deflect all of the fiery darts of the wicked one. Consider this final verse:

"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."


So, have you allowed Jesus to wash your feet? Are you clean every whit? Are you allowing your steps to be ordered by the Lord? I certainly hope so!

With these thoughts, I will bring this article to a close. It is my hope that you have found it informative, enlightening, and I pray that it has been a blessing in your life as well. If you have an account with Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr or with any other social network, I would really appreciate if you'd take the time to click or tap on the corresponding link that is found on this page. Thanks so much, and may God bless you abundantly!

For additional information and further study, you may want to refer to the list of reading resources below which were either mentioned in this article, or which contain topics which are related to this article. All of these articles are likewise located on the Bill's Bible Basics web server. To read these articles, simply click or tap on any link you see below.

2012: New Age Deception And Psychobabble
Demonic Possession and Sickness: A Biblical Perspective
Did Jesus Know Everything, and the Fate of Judas Iscariot
Exposing the Tactics of the Enemy
Free From the Fear of Death: Law and Works vs Grace
Have You Been Slain in the Spirit?
The Battle is Not Yours Alone
When Was Satan Cast Out of Heaven?
Who Hindered the Antichrist?

Click or Tap Icons to Share! Thank you!

---

---

Please avail yourself of other areas of the Bill's Bible Basics website. There are many treasures for you to discover.