Weird Stuff in the Bible

“Beasts of the Field” & Other Biblical Vocabulary for Demons
Genesis 3

Introduction
We’ve heard a million sermons, bible studies, Sunday school lessons, and more on Genesis 3. And for good reason. This is the chapter that depicts the first sin, the fall of man, the reason we needed Jesus to come and die for our sins.
Genesis 3 is where Adam and Eve eat the forbidden fruit, bring sin into the world, and get kicked out of the paradise of Eden.
So for good reason, there are countless books and teachings and even podcasts that dive into this chapter. And yet, I find that the more you dig, the more you keep finding. There’s more going on in this story than you probably ever realized. For a chapter that seems to explain so much about reality, it also raises a lot of questions.
For example, let’s just talk about the opening line:
Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
Well we all know who the serpent is. That’s the devil, or Satan. We’ve got that down. We know that a serpent refers to a physical creature like a snake, but we also understand that this is no mere snake, but also referring to the devil himself. So we know the Bible here is using a physical creature to depict a spiritual being.
But what about the beasts of the field also mentioned there? We usually assume that that’s just talking about the other animals that filled the earth in those early days.
But if the serpent at the beginning of the verse is referring to a spiritual being, why would we not also assume that the beasts of the field that the verse mentions later are not also spiritual beings?
I find this to be weird, and I’d like to explore why it’s in the Bible.
Let’s dig into this idea today, and as we do, it’s going to show us how sometimes the Bible sounds like it’s speaking in physical terms but is actually just using those words to communicate about what’s going on behind the spiritual veil. So today will expand your vocabulary of spiritual terminology and bring some clarity to your Bible reading.
Let’s start by turning to Genesis 3, and let’s get weird.
[theme music]

The craftiest creature God made
Welcome to Weird Stuff in the Bible, where we explore scripture passages that are bizarre, perplexing or just plain weird. This is Luke Taylor, and today we’re going to be talking about biblical vocabulary for spiritual beings- specifically fallen angels and demons.
(I’m not making a distinction in those two things today because that’ll just get us off in the weeds, and I’m not trying to pick those weeds today. I’m trying to pick different weeds. I’m picking literal weeds out of my garden today. I understand that when you start picking weeds, you start finding a lot more weeds than you thought there were when you started.
That’s what happened last week where my podcast episode went 32 minutes and I always try to stay under 30 minutes on these episodes. So I violated my own rule last week and those two minutes that I went over have been haunting me all week.
I’m going to try to really have some self-control and constrain myself to picking two or three kinds of weeds today. These weeds are three types of terms that the Bible uses for spiritual beings. Once you’ve understood these terms, it will bring some more richness and clarity to some of the things you come across as you explore your Bible. I will also constrain myself to these three because I need to go back outside to my garden and pick some more weeds there. There’s a lot of weeds, guys.)
Alright, so Genesis 3:1. We read it before, but let’s read it
Again
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
We know who the serpent is- it’s the devil. We can prove this.
Revelation 12:9, talking about the future, says
And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
I know it might not seem like something we need to prove, but some people out there will try to claim that this was not the devil, just a talking snake, and that it was a common thing for animals to talk prior to the fall. And that after the fall of man, animals were downgraded so that only humans could talk.
I don’t think that idea has a lot of support. We’ll talk about that more next week and why Eve might have been so accepting of a quote-unquote “talking snake” who started encouraging her to pick the fruit. So there’s your teaser right now for where we’re going next time.
So the serpent was the devil. Now, was he in the form of a snake? This point is more debatable. I would say yes, that he was a physical snake. He may have looked more like a lizard, because Genesis 3 also says one of the curses of the serpent as a result of the fall is that they would crawl on their bellies from now on. So I believe he may have literally looked like a serpent in this moment; that he’s called this because this is the form he took.
Not all Christians may agree with that because they recognize that some of this sounds like allegorical language. They might actually take a lot of this symbolically instead of literally. I will agree with them that there is some symbolism going on here. I believe that pretty much everything happening in this story points to a spiritual reality. I just think it was physical as well; that these things literally happened in the physical realm, but that these physical realities are pointing to a spiritual reality.
So there is a comment made about the devil here, masquerading as a serpent. It said he was “more crafty than any other beast of the field.” Well I believe this is not a comment made about reptiles as much as about the devil himself. Snakes are smart and sneaky, and if you see one, you probably shouldn’t take your eyes off it. But even moreso, you shouldn’t take your eyes off the devil. You should be careful that he won’t fool you and pull the wool over your eyes. Ezekiel 28 tells us about the devil, it says in
Verse 12
You were the signet of perfection,
    full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
The devil is full of wisdom. See episode 10 of this podcast for more info on that. The devil is smart. He knows how the world works. Better than any other “beast of the field.”
So wait a minute. If we know that serpent doesn’t refer to a physical snake, then why assume that the phrase “beast of the field” refers to the other animals that are scattered throughout the earth? I believe this is giving us a vocabulary term for spiritual beings.
So let’s look at other places where the Bible uses the phrase “beasts of the field.” Let’s take this and compare scripture with scripture and see if that understanding of the phrase “beasts of the field” makes sense.

Beasts of the Field
What we will find is that other scriptures- especially the prophets- warn us about the beasts of the field often. Especially in the prophets. The prophets will warn Israel that when they sin, God may send the “beasts of the field” against them.
Ezekiel 5:17
I will send famine and wild beasts against you, and they will rob you of your children. Pestilence and blood shall pass through you, and I will bring the sword upon you. I am the Lord; I have spoken.
Wild beasts. Now, was God threatening to send lions and bears and other animals to attack Israel? Perhaps. I could understanding reading it that way.
But I think it’s more likely that God was referring to handing Israel over to Satan and his minions at this time. Israel was caught up in some grievous sin right here. Sin gives the devil a foothold in our lives. So just like a Christian may be “handed over” to Satan when we engage in sin- such as when Peter was sifted like wheat- such as I Corinthians 5- so also Israel was being handed over to the devil because they wanted to worship the devil’s false gods.
It said the wild beasts would “rob you and your children.” Well what do we know about the devil in
John 10:10?
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy.
The devil wants to rob us. These wild beasts would rob Israel. I believe that God in Ezekiel 5 was talking about handing them over not to physical wild animals, but over to evil spiritual beings.
Isaiah 59 talks about how Israel’s watchmen are asleep at the wheel. Those who are supposed to be watching over Israel spiritually, those who have a responsibility of spiritual leadership, are not doing their job, and it says in
Verse 9
All you beasts of the field, come to devour—
    all you beasts in the forest.
Now was God actually calling in the tigers and panthers? No; this is not an episode of “When Animals Attack.” This was saying it’s open season on Israel’s people because they don’t have any spiritual defense.
In a similar passage, Ezekiel 34 is about the shepherds of Israel. Now, it’s not about actual shepherds who watch literal sheep. It begins
In verse 2
Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel; prophesy, and say to them, even to the shepherds, Thus says the Lord God: Ah, shepherds of Israel who have been feeding yourselves! Should not shepherds feed the sheep?
God is not mad at the literal shepherds, and this is not talking about literal sheep that say “baa” and get their heads stuck between the fence posts or die because they got stuck upside down. It’s talking about the sheep of God’s flock, the children of Israel. The shepherds are the leaders of Israel. Just like in the New Testament, the word “pastor” is the literally word “shepherd.” It’s literally the exact same word. So this is an admonition for pastors.
Verses 4 and 5
4 The weak you have not strengthened, the sick you have not healed, the injured you have not bound up, the strayed you have not brought back, the lost you have not sought, and with force and harshness you have ruled them. 5 So they were scattered, because there was no shepherd, and they became food for all the wild beasts.
If you are a spiritual leader who is listening, be sure that you are watching over your flock. Because this has a spiritual meaning and a spiritual application. It’s not talking about literal wild beasts. If you don’t properly warn your flock and equip them to stand against the enemy, they will become victims not of literal lions. You don’t have to worry about a literal lion walking in and mauling members of your congregation. If you are concerned about that, you might want to get a stronger lock for your front door at the church. But there are spiritual lions who will attack your people- the fallen angels and the demons.
I Peter 5:8
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
There’s a warning given to Israel against sinning in
Leviticus 26:21-22 that says
21 “Then if you walk contrary to me and will not listen to me, I will continue striking you, sevenfold for your sins. 22 And I will let loose the wild beasts against you, which shall bereave you of your children and destroy your livestock and make you few in number, so that your roads shall be deserted.
Now we might read that and say, “well that’s about Israel and the Old Testament times. That’s about literal animals.” OK fine, but I believe there’s a spiritual application for us. When we walk contrary to God in New Testament times, we give the devil a foothold and the wild beasts of the spirit realm come against us.
So once you understand this spiritual vocabulary of “beasts of the field,” it will unlock a lot of Bible interpretation for you. You’ll read the Word of God with your spiritual eyes open.
Sometimes we read the prophets like Isaiah or Ezekiel and we’re like, “this is hard to understand. These feel like code words and code phrases, I don’t understand what this means to me.” But this will help you understand some of it better- especially how it applies to you.
Here’s another familiar passage you’ve read a hundred times, but let’s use our new interpretative tool to look at it. The temptation of Jesus in the wilderness. I always thought of this as Jesus having a pretty chill quiet time with the Lord for 40 days, and then at the end of it- when Jesus was at His hungriest, at His weakest, that’s when the devil comes in to tempt Him.
Mark 1:12-13
12 The Spirit immediately drove him out into the wilderness. 13 And he was in the wilderness forty days, being tempted by Satan. And he was with the wild animals, and the angels were ministering to him.
With the wild animals. What do we know from past lessons about the wilderness? The wilderness is the abode of evil spirits. See episode 54- demons in dry and waterless places.
Why did Jesus go into the domain of the enemy for this fast? I have no idea. But this was not just a spiritual battle of Jesus against Satan. It said Jesus was with “the angels” and “the wild animals.” The angels are spiritual beings, and so were the wild animals. This was a spiritual Battle of Bunker Hill that went on for 40 days and nights. The temptation of Jesus was not just three questions from Satan. He was in a spiritual conflict for weeks.
It really puts a different spin on that story, once we slow down and interpret what the Bible actually says. And you’ll see a lot of this kind of language in Revelation as well, talking about the judgments that fall upon the world in the end times.
Revelation 6:7-8
7 When he opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth living creature say, “Come!” 8 And I looked, and behold, a pale horse! And its rider's name was Death, and Hades followed him. And they were given authority over a fourth of the earth, to kill with sword and with famine and with pestilence and by wild beasts of the earth.
I used to think that meant just like a plague or that wild animals would literally start killing people. Maybe it does. But I believe what this really means is that demons and fallen angels will be unleashed against planet earth like never before.

Birds of the Air
While we’re in Revelation, let’s look at another spiritual vocabulary term that I believe is about demonic powers.
Revelation 18:1-2
After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven, having great authority, and the earth was made bright with his glory. 2 And he called out with a mighty voice,
“Fallen, fallen is Babylon the great!
    She has become a dwelling place for demons,
a haunt for every unclean spirit,
    a haunt for every unclean bird,
Wait, birds? What’s the problem with birds?
Dwelling place for demons, haunt for every unclean spirit. We get that. Spiritual beings, obviously. So the next phrase comes as a bit of a shock. “A haunt for every unclean bird.”
The birds, or "birds of the air,” is another vocabulary phrase that the Bible uses to refer to spiritual beings- especially the bad ones.
Job 28:21
It is hidden from the eyes of all living
    and concealed from the birds of the air.
The birds have wisdom concealed from them? What could that mean? Listen, the devil is wise, but there is a godly wisdom we can access that is even hidden from the demonic realm. God can drop something into your Spirit that the devil doesn’t know about or have access to.
There’s a famous parable called the Parable of the Sower. It says:
Mark 4:3-4
3 Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it.
This is a very important parable. If you want to understand the parables of Jesus, you need to start with this one, because Jesus said that you have to understand this parable if you want to understand all of the parables.
Sometimes parables give an explanation, sometimes they don’t. This one thankfully does give an explanation.
Mark 4:14-15
14 The sower sows the word. 15 And these are the ones along the path, where the word is sown: when they hear, Satan immediately comes and takes away the word that is sown in them.
So Satan- or his demonic underlings- are referred to as “birds” right here. It means that we have to take heed how we hear. When you learn a great spiritual truth that can bring a lot of strength and power to your spiritual walk, or healing to your heart, the first thing you should do is write it down or find some way to commit it to memory, because immediately, the devil and his minions go into overdrive trying to steal that seed away before it can be implanted in your heart.
That’s something that Jesus warns us about in this parable. We need to take heed how we hear.

Snakes and Scorpions
Let’s do one more real quick. Real quick. Because this one is pretty obvious. Snakes and scorpions. It said in:
Luke 10:17-20
17 The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!” 18 And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. 19 Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall hurt you. 20 Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
Serpents and scorpions right there refer to demonic entities. We have authority over serpents and scorpions. He’s clearly, obviously, not talking about merely reptiles and arachnids. He’s talking about spiritual snakes and scorpions- over ALL the power of the enemy.
I was reading a teaching this week on some of my research; it said that we have authority over the lesser demons but that we don’t have authority over some of the higher-ranking fallen angels, such as the principalities mentioned in Ephesians 6. I thought, “I wonder if that’s true.” Because I hadn’t heard that theory before but I thought it was worth investigating. And then here’s what Jesus said in Luke 10:19- we have authority over ALL the power of the enemy.
So there’s no power of the devil who outranks you. We’ll be talking a lot about our authority in the coming weeks. But let’s talk a little more about snakes and scorpions today.
Mark 16:17-18
17 And these signs will accompany those who believe: in my name they will cast out demons; they will speak in new tongues; 18 they will pick up serpents with their hands; and if they drink any deadly poison, it will not hurt them; they will lay their hands on the sick, and they will recover.”
It is my belief that this part about picking up serpents is referring to our authority over evil spirits. This is why there are those snake-handling churches here and there; they read this and they think that means to bring snakes into their church and that God’s going to protect them from getting bitten. That’s stupid. It’s not literal. It’s biblical vocabulary for demons- and our authority over them.
Luke 11:11-13
11 What father among you, if his son asks for a fish, will instead of a fish give him a serpent; 12 or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
Now we’ve read that a lot of times before, but perhaps never thought about why these two object lessons were chosen. It sounds like Jesus is just saying that God is not going to give you a bad thing if you ask for a good thing. And that’s true. But notice that snakes and scorpions here are used as a contrast to the Holy Spirit. Why? Because these are referring to unholy spirits. Evil spirits.
I am a Pentecostal minister- Assemblies of God. I believe in the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. Some people- even Christians of other denominations- look at the gifts of the Holy Spirit or the Baptism in the Holy Spirit and they get freaked out by it. They say, “Well those people are being taken over by some kind of spirit, but it’s not the Holy Spirit.” And this gets some Christians really freaked out by the doctrine of the Baptism in the Holy Spirit, and I can certainly understand why. It gets portrayed as this freaky thing where you lose control. Some people are afraid that if they open themselves up to receive the Holy Spirit that they’re going to have some other kind of spirit enter them.
I just want you to know, you don’t have to worry about that, because God’s Word says He won’t let that happen. If you ask the Father for the Holy Spirit, He’s not going to let some other spirit come upon you.
And I had better stop there for today because I’m afraid I’m going to go into overtime like I did last week. I want to stay true to my word and keep these episodes under 30 minutes.
But I gave you three weeds today. “Snakes and scorpions” and “Beasts of the field” and “birds of the air.”
You’re going to see these weeds in places like Deuteronomy 8:15 and Isaiah 30:6 Romans 1:23 and Psalm 8:4-8. And you’ll see where God was actually warning us about demons and where they are and how they operate.

Housekeeping/Mailbag
And I’m totally out of time so I won’t be able to take you to all those places in this episode. So I said to you that I was going to try to give you three weeds today- weeds are just what I’m calling these vocabulary terms because to some, this is getting off into the weeds. But I really think understanding these terms will enhance your Bible reading.
I only had time for three, but I’ll give you a fourth one in this weekend’s newsletter. It might become an article for the website. Not sure, haven’t decided yet. But either way, you will hear about it in this weekend’s newsletter. Sign up by clicking the link in the show notes. That’s where you can also find all the previous newsletters if you missed any of those.
Shout-out to Anisha (ah-nee-sha) from Canada who sent in a kind email this week with the subject line “New Weirdo Alert.” So welcome to the weird family, Anisha.

Closing Thoughts
Am I saying that every time the Bible talks about beasts and birds that it actually means angels and demons? No. But sometimes it does. In fact, I think sometimes we read the Bible with such a physical worldly mindset that some of the spiritual meaning goes over our heads. But this is a spiritual book. It’s a handbook for understanding how we can be victorious over the spiritual realm.
That’s why I spent the last couple weeks talking about the giants, or Nephilim. These beings were literally infused with demonic DNA. They were corrupted and unredeemable. And they are really the spiritual beings that we wrestle with today. Not beings of flesh and blood, but spiritual forces in the unseen realm or heavenly places.
So these Old Testament stories- especially the stories about the giants- are not just stories about battles that happened thousands of years ago and now the giants are killed off so we don’t have to worry about them anymore. No, it’s a handbook for today’s spiritual warfare. In I Samuel 17, David and Goliath, the giant said this:
In verses 43-45
the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 The Philistine said to David, “Come to me, and I will give your flesh to the birds of the air and to the beasts of the field.”
The giant recognized his battle as a spiritual battle.
45 Then David said to the Philistine, “You come to me with a sword and with a spear and with a javelin, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied…”
David recognized his battle as a spiritual battle.
So the question is, do you recognize your battles as spiritual battles?
I hope you will, even if that comes across to some people as kinda weird.
Picking up literal snakes is weird. I usually end by saying I hope you’re a little more weird after this episode. I don’t want you to be THAT weird. But I do hope your Bible makes a little bit more sense to you now than it did before you listened.
Thanks for listening, God bless you for sticking around until the end, and we’ll see you next time on Weird Stuff in the Bible.