DOUBT
Verse one gives us a red flag warning from the very start about the character of Satan. He is identified as the serpent in this passage. This is an obvious case of Satan manifesting himself in the form of an animal. Angels are able to take physical forms; remember that Abraham was visited by angels before the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The serpent at this point in time may have been a very attractive creature, and he could have likely stood upright, thus being able to see eye to eye with Eve.
Next, we are told that the serpent was the most subtle creature of the field. The Hebrew word is aruwm, which is also translated as prudent or crafty. It could also mean sly and shrewd. When we take the extended meaning of this word, in addition to the descriptions given in the first message, we can see that we are facing a smart and formidable foe. The advantage that we have is that our God is his creator, and God is able to overcome all.
Notice also that the scriptures tell us that he “said unto the woman…” This Hebrew word amar means to say, speak, answer, tell and, interestingly enough, promise. Satan is a great and effective communicator. His words possess the poison of doubt that kills the spirit. Notice that Satan is a promise maker. The down side is that he does not keep his promises, yet God always keeps His promises!
We see the main focus of our point when Satan speaks to the woman and says, “Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” With this one question, worded exactly the way that it is worded, Satan accomplishes much. The main point is that he creates doubt in the mind of the woman. He implies that God is strict, stingy and selfish. In wording his question this way, he also gets the woman to forget all that God had given and provided, and get her to focus on the one thing that she couldn’t possess. She was apparently very content and happy until he planted the seed of doubt in her mind.
Be aware that the first step that Satan will take in destroying your testimony and your life will be to plant a seed of doubt. And doubt he did plant in the woman. She got so full of doubt that she got the details confused. She neglected to state that God said “From ANY tree of the garden you may eat FREELY…” She left out some parts, because she is already in a state of doubt. She even adds to God’s instructions. God said that “in the day that you eat from it (tree of knowledge of good and evil) you will surely die.”
Please take note, Christian, that we will fall into trouble when we dwell on the few things that we don’t have, compared to the countless blessings that God has given us.
So how do we avoid the nagging doubt that Satan will invariably bring to us? First, recognize that Satan works best when we are alone. Ephesians 4:27 says “Neither give place to the devil,” so be in a place physically, mentally and spiritually to not be alone. Second, we must “put on the whole armor of God.” Eph. 6:11. Next, James 4:7 says to “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.” Fourth, always pray for strength to resist temptation. There is power in prayer, and Jesus regularly prayed to God for strength. Fifth, sometimes it may be necessary to literally run, like Joseph. Sixth, 1 Peter 5:8 says to “Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about seeking whom he may devour.” Last, don’t be afraid to “JUST SAY NO” to what we know to be wrong.
DECEPTION
For my next point, I need a volunteer. I need a young person who really likes bubble gum. (Get the volunteer and talk with him or her up front for a minute.) So you like chewing gum? What is your favorite kind? Really, that is nice. I’m sorry that I don’t have any of that king of bubble gum, but I do have this right here. What does that say? Double bubble? Would you like some double bubble? You would? You would take what I have in here even if it isn’t (the brand they like)? Would you take me to a steak dinner for it? Would you wash my car for it? What would you do for it. OK, that is fair. Go ahead and take it and open it up. (Beans are inside the wrapper.) Now, I want to claim your end of the bargain. Remember, I did not promise you bubble gum, you said that you would take what I had even if it wasn’t the kind you liked. Do you feel deceived? How does that make you feel? Thank you for being a good sport, here is a piece of Double bubble bubble gum as a reward!
After Satan has finished planting doubt in the mind of the woman, he goes on to deception. His deception can be as crafty, sly and shrewd as the act of planting doubt. First, he comes out with an outright lie: “You surely will not die!” Satan is called the father of lies. It is a title that he has earned for a reason.
Next, he promises that taking the action she would eventually take would make her “be like God.” This statement can have a twofold interpretation. First, he is appealing to her own sense of pride. She can be like a god, herself. Notice that many of the religions today teach basically the same doctrine, that you can be like God. It is the sin that Satan, himself, committed when he said “I will be like the most high.” Second, he is appealing to her sense of desire to be like God. In a sense, we are supposed to be more like God every day. But to be like God by committing sin is disastrous. The restrictions that he gives us are for our own good and protection, helping us to avoid evil.
In any case, the deception of Satan is going to come only after he has planted doubt in our minds. If we avoid the doubt, we will not be deceived. If we get to the point of deception, then it is harder to try to rely and lean on God for help, because we have already doubted Him.
DESIRE
If we look at verse six, we see the culmination of the sin act. Satan now gets her to see the “tree was good for food.” He gets her to more closely examine and inspect it. Maybe she reached out and touched it. Maybe she smelled its sweet fragrance. This is an old sales trick. If you can get an object in a person’s hands, or get them inside the object, then you can go a long way to closing the sale. Satan is the original salesman!
Next, we will see that upon closer inspection, the fruit was a “pleasant” and “desired”. Pleasant means that it was desirable, beautiful and delectable. Desired means that it was lusty, a thing to covet and the fulfillment of the longing of one’s heart. Satan had taken the woman from being happy to eat freely from any tree in the garden to desiring the one thing that she was not allowed to have.
Satan made the woman thing that this act of sin was good, pleasant and desirable. A knowledge of good and evil was now high on her priority list, and she needed it now. She didn’t even have time to go talk with Adam about it. Even worse, she didn’t have time to talk with God about it…
The devil has a really peculiar way of getting us to forget all the good things that we have and make that things that are seemingly out of reach appeal to us. But we should learn the lesson of contentment., that whatever state we are in to be content.
DAMNATION
Finally, in the end of the chapter, we see that God expels man from the Garden that was planted by the hand of God, himself. This unique paradise that Adam and the woman lived in was now lost to all mankind, and to themselves. God pronounced his judgment first to the serpent, then to Adam and then to the woman. Worse yet, the fellowship that they once shared with God was broken in pieces. This is the chiefest of the damnation that came as a result of man being caused to doubt, be deceived and desire the act of sin.
But before God pronounced executed his judgment, he had an object lesson. It was the lesson of redemption. Look at verse 21: “Unto Adam and also to his wife did the Lord god make coats of skins, and clothed them.” God made coats of skins to hide their nakedness, which did not bother them in their state of innocence. But in order to get the skins, the first act of bloodshed had to be committed. God showed Adam and Eve that to receive forgiveness for sin, blood had to be shed. Before He finished pronouncing judgment and punishment, He was accomplishing grace and mercy.
Isn’t God good?
