How did the serpent do it?
Let’s move on and answer the question: How did the serpent deceive the woman? What was his subtle scheme of attack? Knowing the answer is vital. Think about it: How did he maneuver her into deception? Eve lived in an entirely perfect environment. She had never been abused by anyone in authority. She had no bad experience with a father, boss, or minister. She lived in a flourishing garden, free from demonic oppression. All she had known was God’s goodness and provision. She had walked and talked in His presence. So how did the serpent go about deceiving her?
Recall God’s commandment: “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” (Gen 2:16-17)
It is God’s very essence to love and give. He desired companions in His garden who would love and obey Him. He did not want robots who lacked the freedom of choice. He longed for children, made in His image, with free will. When He restricted their access to the tree, He gave them a choice that protected them from death. It involved their will. Would they trust and obey? Without the command there would be no choice.
Examine closely the serpent’s words: “Now the serpent was more cunning then any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’”(Gen 3:1) To put his question in more contemporary terms, the serpent said, “I hear that God said you can’t eat from every tree. Is that right?”
The serpent began his strategy by first distorting the emphasis of God’s command. By twisting it’s meaning, he brought into question God’s motive. He wanted to lead Eve down a path of reasoning where she would eventually question God’s goodness and integrity. Once he accomplished that, it would be all too easy to turn her against His authority.
The serpent ignored God’s generosity and pointed to His exception. He implied something good for them was being withheld. With a single question the serpent distorted the only command, given to protect, into an unjust denial of good. Can you hear the sneer in his voice as he questioned, “So, God said you can’t eat from every tree?” Despite their access to an entire garden to eat from, the serpent called Eve’s attention to the one tree denied them. He made God look like a “taker” rather than the “giver” He is.
We have become a people of rights. We want our “fair share.” And we don’t like to have anything denied us. Have we not fallen into a mindset that Satan uses us to rob us of our protection? But that’s out right! Isn’t it?
By causing the Lord to appear unjust, the serpent could attack God’s dominion. Satan is no fool; he went after the very foundation of the Lord’s authority: “Righteousness and justice are the foundation of His throne” (Ps. 97:2) His throne represents His authority. If Satan can pervert His righteous character through deception and distortion, then the very foundation of His authority is under question in the eyes of His creation.
In response to the serpent’s question the woman corrected him: “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said , ‘You shall not eat it, not shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Gen 3:2-3)
It is quite possible, even as she answered, she wondered about the reason behind the command. She was questioning the goodness of God. Can you hear her thoughs? It looks good… I don’t know why we cant eat from that tree. What could be the harm in it? What’s in it that is so bad for us? With newly raised doubts of His motives, she was open to the questioning of God’s authority.
The serpent seized the opportunity to undermine God’s authority, truthfulness, and integrity by boldly countering His Word: “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Gen 3:4-5).
The master of deception sought to destroy the very foundation of her loyalty by blatantly contradicting God and assuring her she would not die. He quickly followed his reasoning us with, “Instead of dying, you’ll become more like God. You’ll be able to choose for yourself between good and evil because you will be wise. You wont have to hear everything secondhand or be subject to unfair commands anymore.”
Eve was shocked and confused. She wondered, why would god keep this fruit from me? She looked at the tree again to survey its fruit, although through different eyes. She judged the fruit to be good and pleasant, not bad and injurious. She thought, surely it looks great for eating, and best of all it will make us wise.
That reasoning blinded her to all else around her. She forgot the abundant goodness provided as she focused on the single tree. She thought, this tree bears something good for us, and God has kept it from us. Its fruit could have been ours all along. Why has He done this to us? If He is withholding something we need in this tree, what else has He withheld from us?
How many times have you heard God’s character questioned? Even today?
With God’s character, integrity, and goodness in question, and the assurance of no harm, there no longer remained any reason for submission to His authority in the matter. Her self-will overrode the Father’s will. Eve reached for the fruit and turned it in her hand – nothing happened. The serpent must have been right. She then ate and gave some to her husband.
After they ate it their eyes were suddenly opened, and they felt a wave of shame and fear as they realized their nakedness. With their disobedience came spiritual death. Flesh had now become the strong taskmaster that would dominate them. By questioning God’s word and taking the path of reasoning to deception, they opened their lives to the master of disobedience. He became their dark lord. As Scriptures confirm, “Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slaves to obey, you are that one’s slaves whom you obey, whether of sin [disobedience to God’s authority] leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?” (Rom 6:16). The lord of death was granted not only access to their lives but also legal entrance to the world. Paul explained it this way: “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men” (Rom 5:12).
Before their disobedience, there was no hatred, anger, unforgiveness, strife, gossip, corruption, fraud, bitterness, or extortion. There was no sexual perversion, drug abuse, drunkenness, murder, or theft. There was no wife or child abuse. Sickness, disease, and poverty were nonexistent. Natural disasters, pestilence, and plagues were implicitly unknown to mankind. The animal kingdom lived in complete harmony. The earth’s atmosphere was tranquil with the will of God presiding over all creation.
Disobedience brought forth these horrid behavioral problems that plague mankind, and the list multiplies and grows fouler with each passing generation. Their one act of insubordination marked the beginning of the secret power of lawlessness. Out of its deception man lost his divine provision and protection. Rebellion patterned after Satan’s own had opened wide the door to his dominion and destruction. He took full advantage of his opportunity to be like God but not subject to Him. By enslaving God’s creation, he enthroned himself (Isa. 14:12-14).
Satan’s mode of operation differs little today. He still desires to pervert God’s character to turn us against His authority. The book of James makes this absolutely clear: “Do not be deceived, my brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning” (James 1:16-17)
The writer wanted to make sure we believers would not fall to the same secret power of lawlessness that Eve did. He gave us warning to protect us, as did Paul. We must carefully heed his words and settle them in our hearts; there is nothing good outside the realm of God’s will. It may appear good, but if it doesn’t line up with God’s will, make no mistake, there is nothing good in it for us.
James reiterated that if you believe there is good outside God’s provision, then you can be deceived, just as Eve was. Carefully consider what we’ve discussed. No matter how good it looks, tastes, or feels; no matter how rich, abundant, wise, or successful it may make you, if it is not from God, it will eventually lead you down a path of intense sorrow, regret, and, in the end, death. Divine provision and protection will be compromised by way of deception. Every perfect and good gift is from God; He is the Source. Embrace this truth, and settle it in your heart, then looks wont deceive you! If Eve had done this, she wouldn’t have been swayed. She looked outside God’s provision to fulfill her desires.
How many marry the wrong person for the wrong reasons? God may have warned them through parents or pastors, or spoken directly to their hearts, but they allowed reasoning to drown out these voices. Perhaps they were lonely and desired companionship. Perhaps the person was pleasant to the eyes and appeared helpful in making decisions. They inevitably chose their will over God’s, and all too often suffered greatly.
Of course, God can redeem our misjudgments. David’s sin of taking Bathsheba was redeemed later in the birth of Solomon. However, he reaped much sorrow for his disobedience, as the sword never left his home. He lost three sons in early age or in their primes to death. How much better when we choose obedience.
Too often people leave the very places – jobs, churches, cities – where God has planted them because they disagree with authorities set over them. Or perhaps they see their lives stagnating, or they believe there is no future for them where they are. Soon an opportunity comes along, and even though there is no witness from the Holy Spirit to depart, they leave. Not only that, but often the departure compromises the purity to which God called them. They reason, I’ve been on this shelf too long; I have to do something. Then they end up going against the will of God in the pursuit of what they believe is good for them. They may end up financially well off, yet their hearts have long drifted from an intimate and passionate relationship with the Lord.
In more general terms, how many disobey the will of God? They are enticed by the good and pleasant. Perhaps they find a means of prosperity or success outside the counsel of God’s Word. They pursue it and find fun, happiness, or excitement – for a season. They fear God withholds the attractive or fun stuff from them! They think He doesn’t understand their needs or He ignores the importance of their desires. They believe God is unfaithful if their prayers are not answered within their predetermined time frame. They reason, “Why wait? I’ll take the good and pleasant now!”
Consider Jesus. He was in the desert for forth days and nights without water, food, or comfort. Hunger pains pierced His belly as starvation began its harsh work. If He didn’t have food and water soon, He would die. But what came first: the provision or the temptation?
At that point Satan came to question Him, “If You are the Son of God, command that these stones become bread” (Matt. 4:3). The enemy was again questioning what God had just clearly stated. The Father openly declared Jesus was His Son at the banks of the Jordan. Satan was again attempting to distort God’s character: “If you are God’s Son, why has He led You out here to starve? Why doesn’t He provide for You? Perhaps it is time You provided for Yourself. If You don’t get nutrition soon, You’ll die, or if You get it too late, You’ll end up with severe physical problems. Use Your authority to server Yourself. Turn these stones to bread.”
Jesus resisted and waited for God’s provision. He would not allow the enemy to pervert the character of God in His mind. He knew His Father provided for His needs. He remained submitted to God’s authority, no matter how unpleasant it was at the moment.
After He resisted Satan’s temptation to take matters into His won hand, “the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him” (Matt. 4:11). Why? The writer of Hebrews described Jesus this way: “Who, in the days of His flesh, when He had offered up prayers and supplications, with vehement cries and tears to Him who was able to save Him from death, and was heard because of His godly fear. He did not doubt the Father’s goodness. Even in the face of great temptation and intense suffering, more than any had undergone, He chose obedience, though it meant severe hardship.
Unlike the response of Adam and Eve, this type of obedience and submission blocked all inroads of the enemy to His life. He testified, “The ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me. But that the world may know that I love the Father, and as the Father gave Me commandment, so I do” (John 14:30-31)
Unlike Adam, Jesus, the last Adam, walked in perfect obedience to His Father and could testify that Satan found nothing in Him. For this very reason, we are admonished, “The one who says he abides in Him [Jesus] ought himself to walk in the same manner as He walked” (1 John 2:6 NASB). He is our example and forerunner. He is the One who paid the price and lit the path for us to walk on. We are no longer destined for the way of the first Adam and his lawlessness, but are called and empowered to walk in the ways of obedience of the last Adam.
The message passionately proclaims,
Strip down, start running – and never quit [in obedience to God]! No extra spiritual fat, no parasitic sins. Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we’re in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed – that exhilarating finish in and with God – he could put up with anything along the way: cross, shame, whatever. And now he’s there, in the place of honor, right alongside God. When you find yourselves flagging in your faith [obedience], go over that story again, item by item, that long litany of hostility he plowed through. That will shoot adrenaline into your souls! (Heb 12:1-3)
That sums it up. Learn from the first Adam’s fall, and follow hard after the last Adam’s obedience.
In the next chapter we will examine the consequences of disobedience. They are
not always seen immediately, but they will surely follow. Once disobedience is
clearly revealed, you should never contemplate tolerating it again.
Ok. For all of you thinking that you would like to continue. I have study questions!!!! This will cover last weeks and this week’s. J
Lawlessness
is the condition of being without law, because of repeated violations
The Church
The first
step toward sin is an attitude in the heart; for example lust, or a wicked.
The “love” described in this verse is a godly love given by Christ Himself. How does lawlessness affect our ability to love others as Christ loves?
Lawlessness and love cannot occupy the same space, or life. One will always displace or overrule the other.
That person is treating God’s Word as if hearing is the same as doing. Exposure to God’s Word doesn’t mean we have responded to Him. Genuine response requires action.
By issuing this command, what was God trying to accomplish with Adam and Eve?
He wanted to teach them the meaning of obedience.
We often look at things of this world as being good or desirable. How can we be certain that something is from God above and not a deception?
We must keep in mind that a gift may well be good and desirable, but not in God’s plan for us.
One of the central characteristics of human depravity or sinfulness is our capacity to rationalize almost any behavior,
The more of God’s Word that we have hidden in our hearts and minds, the more truth the Holy Spirit can access in alerting our spirits and consciences about God’s direction for us.
Keep God’s commands and His Word as the ultimate and central reasons for action, not personal desires or appearance.
Next week we begin covering the Consequences of Disobedience.
Gleaned from UNDER COVER by: John Bevere http://johnbevere.com