Story 6: The Sly Snake

[Song] “Sing them over again to me, wonderful words of life.  Let me more of their beauty see, wonderful words of life.”

Hello, I’m Mrs. B!  Welcome to Lifeline English, the podcast that helps you know God and know English.

You can read the written script for today’s lesson online at lifelineenglish.com.

Today I want to teach you three words.

The first word is sly.  Can you say sly?  Sly.  Sly means deceitful or sneaky.  A sly person is very skilled at lying.  If you are sly, you can make something that is not true seem to be true.  Many political leaders are sly.  



The second word is certainly.  Repeat the word “certainly”.  Certainly.  To be certain means to be confident or sure that something is true.  I am certain that the first President of the United States was George Washington.  I am certain that it rained today.  It certainly rained today.  But I am uncertain whether it will rain tomorrow.  I don’t know whether it will rain tomorrow.  Certainly you can remember the word “certainly”!

The last word is “really”.  Really. Say “really”.  Really means “truly” or “very much”.  I like spicy food very much.  I really like spicy food.  Do you truly want to learn English?  Do you really want to learn English?  Did God really make the woman from the man’s rib?  Yes, it is true that God made the woman from the man’s rib.  God really did it this way. 

Okay, now let’s hear a story that uses our new words.  This story is called, “The Sly Snake.”   When I ask a question, I will leave a space.  You can answer my question.  Then I will say the answer.  You can compare your answer with my answer. 

The snake was the most sly of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made.
Which wild animal was most sly?  The snake.  The snake was the most sly of all the wild animals.
Who made the wild animals?  The Lord God made the animals.
Who made the snake?  The Lord God made the snake.

The snake said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Did the snake really speak?  Yes, the snake really spoke!
To whom did the snake speak?  The snake spoke to the woman.
Did the snake speak to the man?  No, the snake spoke to the woman. 
The snake asked the woman if God had told them not to eat from any tree.  What is the answer to the snake’s question?  Did God say, “You can’t eat from any tree”?  No, He didn’t tell them not to eat from any tree.  God did not say that.
Did the snake know that God did not say that?  Yes, the snake knew.  The snake was very sly.

The woman said to the snake, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 
Did the woman talk to her husband?  No, the woman talked to the snake. 
Who answered the snake?  The woman answered the snake.
Could the man and the woman eat the fruit from the trees in the garden?  Yes, they could.  
Where were the trees?  The trees were in the garden.
Did the woman say the truth?  Yes, she said the truth.  Then she added to the truth.

"But God said, ‘You must not eat or touch the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, or you will die.’” 
Where was the special tree?  The special tree was in the middle of the garden.
Did God say, “You must not eat it”?  Yes, God said “You must not eat it.”
Did God say, “You must not touch it”?  No, God did not say “You must not touch it.”  God only said, “You must not eat it.”
Did the woman say the truth?  The woman said something not true.  The woman added to the truth.
What did God say will happen if they eat the fruit from the special tree?  They will die.  God said they will die if they eat the fruit from this tree. 

“You will certainly not die,” the snake said to the woman.
Does the snake agree with God?  No, the snake does not agree with God.  The snake disagrees with God.
God said if they eat the fruit, they will die.  The snake said if they eat the fruit, they will certainly not die. 

Then the snake said,

“God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, your eyes will be opened.” 
Whose eyes will be opened?  The woman’s eyes will be opened.
When will the woman’s eyes be opened?  The woman’s eyes will be opened when she eats the fruit.
Who knows what will happen when the woman eats the fruit?  God knows what will happen.

Then the snake said,

“You will be like God, knowing good and evil!”
Who will the woman be like?  She will be like God.
Who knows good and evil?  God knows good and evil.
Who will know good and evil?  The woman will know good and evil.
What will the woman know?  She will know good and evil.

Let’s listen to the whole story together.

The snake was the most sly of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made.  The snake said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”
The woman said to the snake, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.  But God said, ‘You must not eat or touch the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, or you will die.’” 
“You will certainly not die,” the snake said to the woman. “God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, your eyes will be opened.  You will be like God, knowing good and evil!”

This story uses direct quotations.  Let’s change the story to use indirect quotations.  Usually we start an indirect quotation with the word “that”.  Here is the story:

The snake was the most sly of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made.  The snake asked the woman whether God really said that they could not eat from any tree in the garden.  
The woman told the snake that they could eat the fruit from the trees in the garden.  But God said that they must not eat or touch the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, or they would die.
The snake told the woman that they would certainly not die. He told her that God knew that when they ate fruit from that tree, their eyes would be opened.  They would be like God, knowing good and evil!

Was the sly snake telling the truth?  In our next story, we will learn! 

Do you have questions?  You can write me.  Go to our website, lifelineenglish.com

Until next time, may Jesus help you know Him and know English.  Good bye!

[Song] “Jesus only savior, sanctify forever, beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.  Beautiful words, wonderful words, wonderful words of life.”