The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2 “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3 “It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4 “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5 “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6 The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7 At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
Genesis 3 is a pivotal and very important chapter in the Bible. It introduces us to our enemy, Satan, and it introduces sin into the world. If you think about it, the entrance of sin changed everything, ultimately making it necessary for us to have a Savior.
We see "the serpent" first in this chapter. "How can a serpent talk?" Obviously, an ordinary serpent or any animal cannot talk. And so we know that Satan disguised himself as a serpent. He is called a serpent in 2 Corinthians 11:3 and Revelation 20:2. He is called a dragon in Revelation 12 and a roaring lion in 1 Peter 5:8. All of these are fearsome images!
The Bible doesn't tell us much about the origins of Satan (see Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14), but our purpose here is not to study him. It would seem to me that he did exist before the creation of the world and that he is fallen angel, Lucifer.
Let's look at Satan's tactics here:
- He questioned God's word, v. 1 "Did God really say?"
- He called God a liar, v. 4 "You won't die!"
- He appealed to Eve's pride, v. 4 "God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."
- She added to God's Word. The command was given in Genesis 2:16-17, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden--except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die." Eve added the words "or even touch it."
- She wanted what she thought God had withheld from her, the beautiful fruit and the wisdom it promised. v. 6
- She deliberately disobeyed God's clear command.
- She gave to Adam, and he also deliberately disobeyed God.
- Up until this time, Adam and Eve had known only good. Now they knew good and evil. They recognized their sin and shame, and they tried to cover it up. v. 7
- Sin entered into the world and is passed on to every individual. It's our nature to sin, and we choose to sin. It's not a pretty picture, and this is why we need Jesus to pay the penalty for our sin. Romans 5:18-19 "Yes, Adam's one sin brings condemnation for everyone, but Christ's one act of righteousness brings a right relationship with God and new life for everyone. Because one person disobeyed God, many became sinners. But because one other person obeyed God, many will be made righteous." That "one other person" is Jesus!
Psalm 149:1 "Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song. Sing his praises in the assembly of the faithful."
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