Adam and Eve did not find it strange that the serpent was talking to them because at that time, before the fall, all creatures could communicate. The Bible does not explicitly state that Adam and Eve were surprised by the serpent talking, so we can assume it seemed normal to them. Here are some key points to understand about the serpent and communication before the fall:
1. The serpent was a created being, not just an animal
The serpent in Genesis 3 is referred to as “more crafty than any other beast of the field” (Genesis 3:1). This implies the serpent was a physical animal, a “beast of the field.” Yet it could also speak, reason, and tempt Eve. This suggests the serpent was a special creature different from others – not just a normal animal, but an embodied spiritual being.
God had created the serpent, just as He had created all other animals. So Adam and Eve would have seen the serpent as part of God’s “very good” creation (Genesis 1:31), not as an inherently evil or demonic figure.
2. Animals and humans could communicate before the fall
Before sin entered the world, the relationships between animals and humans seem to have been much more communal. Adam was able to closely interact with animals in naming them (Genesis 2:19-20) and recognize compatibility between them (Genesis 2:18-23).
Likewise, God communicating through Balaam’s donkey shows animals could rationally interact with people when God enabled them to do so (Numbers 22:21-39). So Adam and Eve would not have been shocked to have an intelligent conversation with a fellow creature.
3. Open communication was part of God’s original “very good” creation
When God created the heavens and the earth, He repeatedly declared His works as “good” (Genesis 1:4, 10, 12, etc). After creating animals and humans, Scripture says, “God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good” (Genesis 1:31).
The open communication between humans and animals was part of God’s original perfect design. After the fall into sin in Genesis 3, the curses in Genesis 3:14-19 profoundly damaged these relationships.
4. Satan’s choice to possess the serpent was the anomaly
While Adam and Eve were familiar with this serpent, the spiritual being who possessed the serpent to tempt Eve was likely unknown to them before. Satan had rebelled against God in pride before creation (Isaiah 14:12-14, Ezekiel 28:11-19). Yet Adam and Eve had been utterly unaware of sin or rebellion until Satan manifested it.
So while communication with the serpent would not have surprised Adam and Eve, encountering Satan’s deception and temptation through the serpent was the anomaly.
5. Adam and Eve were naively innocent before knowing evil
Adam and Eve were newly created by God and placed in the Garden of Eden in a state of naive innocence and purity (Genesis 2:25). They had no comprehension of sin, evil, deception, or rebellion until Satan introduced temptation.
Genesis 3:22 notes after the fall, “the man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” Adam and Eve were unaware of the full significance of evil and the stranger danger from Satan’s spiritual influence until it was too late.
6. The humans were accountable for their choice to sin
While Satan initiated the temptation through the serpent, Adam and Eve made their own choice to rebel against God’s command. They cannot blame Satan or the serpent for their own sin (Romans 5:12; 1 Timothy 2:14).
The serpent’s ability to speak would not have automatically made Adam or Eve doubt God’s goodness. Satan skillfully seduced them, but only accomplished his purposes because they yielded to temptation.
7. God cursed the serpent for allowing itself to be used
Following the fall in Genesis 3, God pronounces curses because of sin entering the creation. The serpent is cursed specifically for allowing itself to be possessed and used by Satan (Genesis 3:14).
This seems to indicate a misuse of the serpent’s capability to communicate and reason. The serpent bore responsibility along with Satan for facilitating human sin, even if it could not have resisted Satan’s power.
8. The loss of open communication displayed the brokenness of creation
After the fall, open communication between people and animals ceases. This demonstrates the brokenness resulting from the fall extending into nature itself. Now animals are wild and humans find difficulty understanding them.
Isaiah 11:6-9 and 65:25 present the future restoration of harmony between humans and animals as part of God’s redemption of all creation. Losing this initial gift shows the cosmic impact of sin.
9. God’s Word equips us to resist Satan’s schemes
While Adam and Eve were unprepared for Satan’s deception in disguise, God has warned believers about Satan’s lies and temptations through His Word (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:3, 14; 1 Peter 5:8; Revelation 12:9).
Studying Scripture helps equip Christians today to resist “the schemes of the devil” and stand firm in the truth (Ephesians 6:11,14). Though Satan deceives the whole world, God’s Word guards His people against deception (Matthew 24:24; John 17:17).
In summary, Adam and Eve did not find communication with the serpent strange before the fall because open communication was part of God’s original perfect design. Satan took advantage of this openness to deceive naively innocent Adam and Eve into rebelling against God. This brought sin’s curse on creation’s harmony. But Scripture now helps believers resist Satan’s schemes since we have been warned of his lies by God’s Word.