Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.

And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But 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. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good from evil.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. Genesis 3: 1-7

Do not think of the serpent as a repellent snake. The serpent could very well have been Adam and Eve’s favorite animal. Which is why Satan took the serpent as his disguise – and was there in the garden from the beginning. His whole plan was to sow seeds of doubt. This is also the reason he approached Eve, rather than Adam. The Bible states that women are the “weaker vessel.” – 1 Peter 3:7.

Satan used a three-pronged attack on Eve’s will:

• lust of the flesh – “the tree was good for food.“
• lust of the eyes – “it was pleasant to the eyes.”
• pride of life – “ye shall be as gods“; “and a tree desired to make one wise.”

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.” 1 John 2: 16

EVE IS DECEIVED – ADAM IS NOT. . .BUT THEY BOTH SINNED.

“Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” 1 Timothy 2:14

What happened when Adam and Eve took the fruit?

THEY BECAME SELF-CONSCIOUS, RATHER THAN GOD-CONSCIOUS.

“What the man and woman immediately acquired was the now predominant trait of self-consciousness. God-consciousness has been lost, and henceforth self-contemplation is to be the characteristic and bane of mankind, laying the foundation for those inner feelings for mental states comprehended under the term unhappiness, and for all the external strivings whereby effort is made to attain a better condition. “ John M. Gray, Christian Worker’s Commentary on the Bible

“Instead of seeking God and openly confessing their guilt, they attempted to conceal it both from Him and from themselves. Such has ever been the way of natural man.” Arthur W. Pink, Gleanings in Genesis

It is still the plan of Satan to cast doubt on God’s Word. In seminaries, Sunday school classes, and Christian Colleges – the Word of God is questioned, critiqued, twisted, and even mocked. From the very beginning – it has been Satan’s method to lie, contradict, or cast doubt on the infallible, inspired, Word of God.

Yea, hath God said?

For ever,

O Lord, Thy Word is settled in heaven.

Psalm 119: 89

sage