It says in Genesis 3:2-3, “2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Satan brings into question God’s instructions and the consequences disobedience. Satan states in Genesis 3:4, “You will not surely die.” Satan is questioning the truthfulness of God’s words. He is suggesting to Eve that God’s judgment might be in error:
· If God created the tree with fruit on it, is it really wrong to eat the fruit?
· Does God really know what is best for you?
· What if God just wants you to miss out on something really good? Can you really trust God?
· Isn’t God all about love? Is He really going to kill you for eating fruit? Doesn’t that sound like an overreaction? Would a good God really kill you over just a little taste?
Even though God had simply and clearly told Adam and Eve that “the day that you eat of it you shall surely die,” Satan was denying that God would really follow through on His threat. Faith believes God. Real faith believes that God will follow through on His promises and His threats.
Satan is luring them to lose their faith in God’s willingness and ability to follow through on His word. Eve was at a crossroads –
- Either God’s way is good and He is protecting them from something bad or
- Satan’s way is good and he leading them toward beneficial knowledge and experience.
It can’t go both ways. There is no harmony between God’s way and Satan’s way. Eve would have to make a choice between embracing the way of the Lord or taking Satan’s bait. Satan is like a dirty politician. He is not above degrading his opponent in order to get his way.
Look at Genesis 3:4-5
“4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Satan attacks God’s character in these verses. Satan accused God of holding something good back from Eve that she really needed and is therefore claiming that God is not holy. He is claiming that God is selfish and that His goodness is nothing more than a show. He is calling God a stingy liar.
When we begin to question God’s goodness, it opens up a door for Satan to march through with a whole host of deceptions. At any point along the way, Eve could have rebuked or questioned Satan, but she didn’t. Instead, she had a conversation with him. (Be advised: Never have a conversation with evil! God calls us to rebuke evil, not to befriend it.) She entertained his ideas until she began to doubt God’s Word, character, and ability.
When she began to think that God might be acting selfishly by withholding some exquisite experiences from her, she gives into the temptation and bites into the fruit.
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