A Deadly Conversation

Through conversations people exchange thoughts, opinions, ideas, and feelings. Everywhere we go we see people engaging in conversations. In beauty salons and barber shops, conversations make sitting in a chair for a long period of time a little more comfortable. Through conversation you now have a best friend that has been around for years. Through conversation you were able to talk the salesman down to a price that allowed you to buy that brand new car. A series of conversations is one of the main reasons you married your spouse. The way my wife and I got to know each was because I was a groomsman, and she was a bridesmaid in my cousin’s wedding. And through divine intervention, we ended up walking together in the wedding. We conversed throughout the wedding rehearsal, a little bit through the wedding, and the entire wedding reception. I furthered the conversation as I walked her to her car which bought me enough time to muster up some courage to ask for digits. And one year later, we had our own wedding.

Perhaps you had a conversation at home this morning, or before the worship service began. And I pray that no one is having a conversation right now. But conversations take place daily, and it seems like there is no danger in conversing. What I want to suggest to you this morning is that some conversations can be deadly.

Genesis, the book from which our selected scripture is found, is a book of beginnings. The beginning of the world, of human history, the family, civilization, and salvation. It is in this book and in our text where we see the beginning of spiritual warfare against man. This first spiritual battle took the form of a conversation between Eve and a serpent possessed by satan, which turned out to be deadly. But before we take a closer look at this deadly conversation, we need to know what the topic of this conversation was about.

In the second chapter of Genesis, before Eve was created, God placed Adam in the garden of Eden. Adam was to cultivate, watch over, and care for the garden. The Lord told Adam that he may eat from any tree in the garden except from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The Lord also made clear to Adam that the very day that this command was broken, he would surely die.

As we take a closer look at this conversation between Eve and the serpent, we want to see what the indicators of a deadly conversation are. And keep in mind that deadly conversations aren’t just perceptible by the ear, but because satan is the other party in the conversation, deadly conversations can also take place in the mind and heart.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the other animals of the field which God had made. In other words, the serpent was very difficult to detect. Isn’t it funny that satan chose the serpent to possess, because he’s subtle as well. It is through the craftiness of satan that he tempts people to sin. Satan has to disguise himself, and make it very difficult for us to detect that he is behind the things that we’re tempted with. This why satan was able to engage into a deadly dialogue with Eve, because she was unaware of who he really was.

The serpent said, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Here satan tests the waters, so that he can see how he needs to approach Eve. Our waters too are tested, because satan knows some of us won’t bite on just anything, so he tries to attack us from the best angle. “2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. I don’t want to get off track, but Eve said something very interesting. In her response to the serpent, she said that not only should they not eat the fruit, but they shouldn’t touch the fruit either. In God’s command to Adam, God didn’t say anything about touching the fruit. Some theologians suggest that Eve was adding to the word of God. Now, don’t run with this, because this is my personal opinion. I think that Eve was just showing how sacred the covenant was. Even though I may be able to touch the tree, I want to give God my best in being obedient to him that I’m not going to even get close enough to touch it, since its fruit is off limit. What an attitude of reverence toward God to have.