Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more cunning than 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’?
What does the serpent mean by asking this question? What was he really asking? He certainly wasn’t asking because he didn’t know. He knew. He saw God the Father join man and woman together in a divine union. He heard what God told them. The serpent (the Devil) saw how God loved them, how He loved His creation, how that creation was perfect. And he hated it.
Isaiah 14:13-14
For you {the devil} have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’
Pride was the devil’s downfall but, since his fall, he’s been bent on destroying the perfect world that God created. Starting with Adam and Eve.
So what was Eve’s response to his seemingly innocent question? Vehemence and passion. She replied earnestly:
Genesis 3:2-3
“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, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’.”
Well, she started fine. God did say that they could eat freely of the trees of the garden. Eve started with the truth, then made a switch. She was so emphatic in her response that she made a fatal mistake: She added to God’s words.
“…nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”
At that point, the serpent saw a weakness in her thinking. She tried to justify God’s command as though she doubted it. He continued the lie and convinced Eve that God was withholding something desirable from her. In succeeding in his deception, the devil also convinced her of something else.
That God is not good.
Crazy, right? The Bible tells us that mankind is desperately wicked and that nothing good dwells in us. Yet the serpent convinced her that God was a liar (3:4), that He was withholding something desirable, and that His power was attainable.
Genesis 3:6
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
Lust of the heart, lust of the eyes, pride of life. All starting with a woman’s answer to “Did God really say…?” Aren’t we assaulted with this very question today? The world doubts His word, and as Christians we must be ready to answer them.
1 Peter 3:15
But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear”
So, did God really say? As Christians, let’s look to the Bible and take their questions by the horns. Let’s look at the scientific and archaeological evidence that supports God’s word (a great resource for this is Answers in Genesis). Remember, it is impossible for God to lie (Hebrews 6:18).
Romans 3:3-4
For what if some did not believe? Will their unbelief make the faithfulness of God without effect? Certainly not! Indeed, let God be true but every man a liar. As it is written: ‘That You may be justified in Your words, And may overcome when You are judged.’
