True Lies

Genesis 3:1-5 (NASB):

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from ^[a]any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ⁴ The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Sin changes things. The moment that sin is introduced into a situation, things change-and never for the better. Sin also changes people. It alters lives. It corrupts our emotions and attitudes. It severs relationships. It sends destinies spiraling into darkness. The Bible teaches that all of us are sinners. What is more, sin always delivers its consequences. Sooner or later it demands payment without regard to rank, race, or riches. One thing is certain: sin always collects its debt.

Sin manifests itself by the choices we make. In one sense, making choices is the most potent exercise we engage in every day. Our choices will either draw us closer to God and the blessings that come through obedience, or they will distance us from Him and expose us to the consequences of sin.

Nothing about sin has changed since Adam and Eve yielded to temptation in the Garden of Eden. Sin still separates, destroys, ruins, and kills. Further, God still judges sin, holding all of us accountable as sinners. Yet there is hope for forgiveness of sin and deliverance from sin’s fatal consequences. That hope was foreshadowed in Genesis 3:15. It was fulfilled in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

I.                   The Sham (Genesis 3:1-5)

Moses introduced an intriguing new character in the story of the first humans-the serpent. In this case, the serpent was being used by another being, an evil being whose desire was to tempt, accuse, and destroy every good thing God had made, especially human beings.

Genesis 3 simply assumes the existence of Satan, the evil one who used the serpent to tempt Eve in the garden. Other Bible passages reveal more about this evil being. In Job 1-2, Satan viciously accused Job before God of having sinful motives and then struck the man with awful calamities in an attempt to get Job to curse God.

In Ezekiel 28:11-18, the prophet described an angelic being (Satan) who had been present in the Garden of Eden and who had been condemned for wickedness and thrown down to the earth. In his arrogance, Satan tempted Jesus Christ to reject the Father’s will (see Matthew 4:1-7). Jesus spoke of having watched Satan fall from heaven like lightening (see Luke 10:18). The apostle Paul warned that Satan is a master of disguise, appearing as an angel of light to deceive God’s people (see 2 Cor. 11:14). Finally, God showed the apostle John a vision of the end times in which a great, red dragon had been thrown out of heaven. John clearly identified the dragon as Satan (Rev. 12:9).

1.      Satan always begins temptation by distorting the Word of God.

This deception began in the Garden of Eden as the serpent approached Eve and posed a cleverly worded question to raise doubts about God. The serpent combined a simple yes or no query with a deliberate misstatement of God’s instructions. To answer “yes” was to falsely accuse God of being stingy, untruthful, and unloving. To answer “no” was to suggest that it must be okay to eat fruit even from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Whether Adam was nearby when the serpent first spoke to the woman is not clear. Genesis 3:6 indicates that Adam was “with her” when Even partook of the forbidden tree and then gave some to him. Perhaps, however, a period of time elapsed between the woman’s conversation with the serpent and the couple’s act of disobedience.

In any case, the woman foolishly chose to engage in dialogue with the serpent. This may suggest that Adam failed to provide spiritual leadership-God had given the command originally to Adam-or it may suggest that Eve presumed to take the lead on her own.

To her credit, Eve sought to correct the serpent’s misstatement. She and Adam had been given abundant freedom to eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. Her answer acknowledged God’s provision for their needs.

In verse three Eve further stated that God gave them a specific prohibition regarding only one tree: the tree in the middle of the garden. The phrase “in the middle of the garden” was connected specifically to the tree of life in Genesis 2:9. Yet the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was likely located in the same central area. Nevertheless, it stood in contrast to the tree of life.

Some Bible commentators also have taken note that Eve made subtle addition to God’s command. According to Eve, they were not to eat [from] it or touch it, lest they die. Admittedly, to refrain even from touching the tree and its fruit served as an extra guard against temptation. Yet the added words may also reflect Eve’s lack of clarity about God’s command. Satan has won half the battle when he can lead people to confuse or change God’s Word.

2.      Next, Satan will attempt to get an individual to doubt God’s goodness.

The serpent advanced from half-truths and innuendo to direct contradiction of God’s command. The wording here in verse 4 is an emphatic negation of the warning God gave in Genesis 2:17. Some commentators have suggested the tempter seized on Eve’s addition to God’s warning, recognizing an opportunity to question God’s veracity. The serpent boldly asserted that a God who had provided so generously for Adam and Eve surely would not sentence them to death as the penalty for sin. Furthermore, if God’s threat of judgement was untrue, then nothing God said could be trusted.

Sensing a victory, the serpent added yet another half-truth. It asserted that eating from the forbidden tree not only wouldn’t harm the man and woman but also would open their eyes to be like God, knowing good and evil.

They had experienced the goodness of God in the bliss of the garden. The serpent implied, however, that God was holding something back from the couple. It was something desirable, something they deserved. There was much more they could know and could be-indeed, they could be like God. The serpent wrongly portrayed humans as capable of being gods. The serpent wrongly implied that human fulfillment can be found outside of a right relationship with God.

Whenever we are faced with temptation, the first step in battling it is with the Word of God. Jesus faced His temptations in the wilderness by quoting Scripture each time Satan tempted Him (Deut. 8:3; 6:16; 6:13). Because Eve did not have a good grasp on the command given to her by God, she allowed herself to be vulnerable to the distortion of the command by Satan. We must consult God’s Word on a daily basis.

Second, when faced with temptation we must immediately do all we can to remove ourselves from that situation and seek God’s face in prayer for strength and wisdom in dealing with it. I am reminded of how Joseph handled the temptation of Potiphar’s wife: he ran so fast he left her clutching his cloak (Genesis 39:12)! Sometimes, the best defense against temptation is to flee the situation if at all possible. If that is not an option, then silently ask God for wisdom and strength to keep you from sinning.

Apply the Scriptures:

Think about recent temptations you have faced. In what ways amid those temptations did you find yourself doubting or questioning God’s Word? What helped you resist the temptations?

Serving Christ, Loving Others, & Growing Together,

Dr. Bryan Cox