The serpent was also one of God’s good creations in the beginning, and his craftiness or shrewdness was good too. But the devil took these creations and abused them for his own evil purposes—the same thing he does today.

Music Credit: J. S. Bach, “Wir eilen mit schwachen, doch emsigen Schritten,” aria from “Jesu, der du meine Seele,” BWV 78 (Leipzig, 1724).