The following is taken from:
Michael
Rydelnik, The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic? (NAC
Studies in Bible & Theology; Nashville, Tennessee: B&H Publishing
Group, 2010), 138
. . .this curse should not be
understood as changing the actual physical condition of all snakes but ore
likely declaring the meaning of their normal characteristics. Thus, when God
proclaimed that the serpent would crawl on its belly, it does not mean that
serpents previously had legs. Rather, crawling would now forever be understood as
a sign of defeat. [29] When the Lord declared that the serpent would “eat dust,”
it was only a figurative statement since serpents do not really subsist on a
diet of dust. Rather, since they crawl on the dust of the earth, serpents are
said to “eat dust” as a sign of perpetual humiliation. (See Pss 729; Isa 49:23;
Mic 7:17 for this figure of speech) Moreover, the serpent was cursed more (31)
than the whole of the animal kingdom. This indicates that although the whole creation
was cursed (Rom 8:20-21), including all the animals, the serpent was even more
cursed. That serpents are more cursed is echoed in Isa 65:25 (“’The wolf and
the lamb will feed together, and the lion will eat straw like the ox, but the
serpent’s food will be dust! They will not do what is evil or destroy on My
entire holy mountain.’ Says the LORD”). [32] There it is promised that the
effects of the curse on the animal world will be reversed in the future
messianic kingdom—the wolf and the lion will no longer be predatory beats, but “the
serpent’s food will be dust.” Unlike the rest of creation, when the effects of
the fall are reversed, the curse on the serpent will remain forever. In this
way, the serpent will remain an eternal outward symbol of the spiritual defeat
of the dark force behind the fall.
[29] This is the case with the other
biblical signs as well. For example, rainbows existed before God declared that
it would b ethe sing of His covenant with Noah (Gen 9:12-17), as did circumcision
before the Lord declared that it was the sign of His covenant with Abraham (Gen
17:9-14).
[32] As G. V. Smith points out, “If
this refers back to the curse on the snake in Gen 3:14 [which he apparently agrees
that it does], it appears that the curse on the snake is not lifted. The snake will
not be allowed to eat normal food but will suffer the humiliation of eating dirt
just like some of God’s other enemies did” (Isaiah 40-66 NAC [Nashville:
B&H, 2009], 724). Nevertheless, in the coming messianic age the “serpent”
will no longer be allowed to do any harm (cf. Isa 11:6-9)