Satan's Subtle Seduction, Gen. 3:1-24

 

    We live in a world filled with “isms” and ideologies, all of which claim to be the best course for human existence. Capitalism, communism, socialism, spiritism, individualism, etc., represent different beliefs about how the world should be governed, how people should live, and what is best for society. But the problem with all of these is another “ism”, humanism – man’s determination to create his own utopia, his own paradise. It is all a rejection of the first two chapters of Genesis, the book of beginnings, which informs us that God created the universe and humanity. He provided a perfect environment in which he placed the first man and woman. In this paradise we call the Garden of Eden, God provided their every need and expected them to trust him for all things good and obey his word. The result would be perfect harmony with their Creator God and the continuation of a perfect world.

    But Genesis three tells us this perfect condition did not last. It portrays for us the first temptation of man that resulted in all the evil and wickedness that we see in the world today. The problem of evil, individual sinfulness, crime, hatred, war, man’s inhumanity to man, disease, famine, all the “isms” of the world stem from the incident before us today. God relates to us how the first couple who lived in a sinless world, who were innocent in regard to evil, who had everything they needed, fell to temptation and plunged the world into sin and death. As a result of that act, every human being has been born into this world a naturally sinful creature who commits individual acts of wrong deserving of death. Fortunately, God devised a way that we might be forgiven and come into right relationship to him. The first hint of the gospel, the coming of the last Adam, is also introduced.

    Today we will focus on the first scene of this horrible event which describes for us Satan’s Subtle Seduction which caused the first woman to be deceived into disobeying the LORD and the first man to knowingly sin against Him. There is much for our admonition because the Tempter follows the same pattern to seduce us to sin today.

 I. Satan’s Subtle Seduction, 3:1-8.

A. The Crafty Character of the Serpent/Satan, 1a.

                “Now” introduces us to a new section in this “toledat” that further explains what happened to God’s good creation. A new character is introduced – the serpent.

    1.  Description of the serpent.

·             First, the serpent is a real snake – one of the wild beasts (beast of the field) that God had made. This suggests that its normal habitat may have been outside of the garden or at least not among the docile animals.

·             In the ancient world, the serpent was both revered and repugnant – it was held in either reverence or disdain. It was associated with life or recurring youth because it shed its skin. It was also associated with death and chaos as well as wisdom.

·             In the Bible, the serpent is associated with death, shrewdness, as a divine opponent, and in one case a symbol of  healing. That was when God judged his people in the wilderness by sending fiery serpents. He told Moses to place an image of a serpent on a pole so that those who looked upon it in faith would be healed.

2. The character of the serpent.

·             In its first appearance in the Bible it is crafty and sinister in nature. The word crafty, clever, or subtle is ambiguous. It may be used in a positive or negative sense. Here, it is obviously negative since the serpent is trying to get the woman to disobey God.

·             But in its good sense it is associated with wisdom. Adam and Eve were tempted in this area of knowledge or wisdom. They were not allowed to eat of a tree that would give them knowledge of good and evil and that is where the temptation focused. We often run into trouble when we want to experience more knowledge than what is good for us. True wisdom is realizing that God forbids things that are harmful for us and sanctions things that are good for us. When we try to ascertain what is good or bad for ourselves, we are often wrong.

·            The idea of subtlety can also refer to the concealment and movement of the serpent. It is easily hidden from view. How many times have you been unaware of a snake until you practically stepped on it? Its movement is also very stealthy and silent as it slithers upon the earth.

·             Perhaps the most astounding characteristic is that it spoke to Eve, but she does not seem to be surprised or frightened by this phenomenon. Does this mean there was some type of telepathy or communication between man and animal? Likely not, since verbal communication is one area that separates humans from animals. However, Eve may not have been aware of this if she had not yet been introduced to serpents, or she may have been so stunned by its sudden appearance she didn’t think about it.

3. The identity of the serpent.

·             It is clear that this creature is more than just a snake. There is something sinister and evil controlling it. Something that heard and understood the words that God had said to Adam, something beyond the natural realm. Satan has entered the garden in the form of a serpent or by controlling the serpent.

·             The Bible does not explain to us the origin of evil in the universe, it does not explain to us the creation of the angels. It does not directly specify the fall of Satan. But it must have occurred sometime before the fall of man since he is the character that is behind the seduction of the serpent.

·             On one occasion, the Lord Jesus told his critics that they were of their father the devil who was a murderer from the beginning, a liar and the father of lies. He was alluding to Satan.

·            In Revelation, Satan is called the dragon, the serpent of old. Although the OT does not identify the serpent with Satan, it is not difficult for us to see that it is he who uses the serpent for his purposes. Since then, he has become the tempter of men, the accuser and adversary of the saints, the prince of darkness, the false ruler of this world. His purpose is to keep people from being saved and to harass and defeat those who do get saved.

B. The Cunning Conversation with the Woman, 1b-5.

    Let’s observe the cunning tactics the serpent used to seduce the woman to disobey God.

    1. He casts doubt on God’s Word, 1b – “Has God indeed said…”

          a. He uses a question that expresses surprise.

·         Did God really say that? I am really surprised by that, are you sure this is what he said? I wonder why he would forbid you anything.

·         It is a subtle way of creating a question about the truth of God’s word. If you begin to doubt or question what God says, it is easier not to do what he says.

b. Satan uses the same tactic today.

·         Do you really believe the Bible is the word of God? Do you really believe you can be forgiven of all your sins? Is Christ’s sacrifice enough, don’t you have to do something to? That’s only fair isn’t it?

·         How can you say you are a Christian? You still sin all the time, not a day goes by that you do not do something wrong!

·         Or, does God really expect you to live a completely holy life? There are a lot of areas Christians don’t agree on, you can fudge a little here and there and it won’t matter much. Or, if you sin all you have to do is ask God to forgive you and it will be okay, so go ahead and do it? Satan always casts doubt on the veracity of God’s word. Has God indeed said?

2. He disparages the goodness of God.

a. He focuses on what you don’t have rather than what you do have, 1b.

·         You mean you really can’t eat from every tree of the garden? Is God holding you back from something? He is focusing on the one thing he can present as questionable, as not good, casting doubt on the goodness of God. He ignores all the good things God has provided in the garden.

·         The Tree of Knowledge was good as well, since God had created it. But it was the one forbidden fruit which stood as a test of the trust and obedience the man and woman should have in God alone. The devil begins to twist her thinking – to believe that what God forbids is really is good.

·         God has given to us all the riches of Christ in our salvation. He has benefited us materially in many ways. Why then do we gripe and complain so much over what we don’t have, or over circumstances in life. It is Satan’s subtle temptation to get us to focus on what we don’t have rather than what we do have.

b. Eve’s response reveals her lack of scripture memorization, 2-3.

·         She is correct in the first phrase, but leaves out an important word. God said you may eat “freely.” (2:16) That word indicates abundance, you can eat to your heart’s content until you are fully satisfied.

·         Next, she focused on the location of the tree of knowledge (in the midst of the garden) rather than its significance – that it was a tree that gave you knowledge of good and evil which is God’s prerogative, not hers or Adam’s.

·         Thirdly, she used the same word for deity that Satan did, God. He cannot use the term LORD (Jahweh) because it is the covenant name of God whereby He becomes in grace all that they need. In chapter one, God or the Almighty One is used exclusively, but LORD God is used throughout chapter 2 concerning his relationship to the man and woman. Satan’s tactic is to separate the personal closeness the woman should have with the LORD, making it easier to disobey.

·         Then she adds to God’s word – “nor shall you touch it.” God did not say that, but it may be that Adam added that prohibition to help insure they would not eat of it. Or, it may be something she added to make the prohibition seem harsher.

·         Finally, she left out another important word “surely” you shall surely die. That removed the emphatic nature of God’s command, that death is something that is surely going to happen if you disobey. She is becoming ensnared in Satan’s deception.

·         It is important that we do not add to or detract from the word of God. It will “surely” get us into a lot of trouble. It is the truth of scripture that Jesus used to defeat Satan, and it will help us do so as well.

3. Satan outrightly denies God’s word, 4.

a. He seems to know scripture better than the woman, 5.

·         He says the exact words that God did but with one defiant difference – “not”. It is in the emphatic position – Not, you shall surely die! This is exactly the opposite of what God has said.

·         God really wouldn’t be so severe if you took one little bite. Something so small and harmless cannot merit such a severe penalty can it? He is casting doubt on the righteous justice of God.

·         Are not people today duped by this lie? Surely a God of love will not send anyone to hell. You are not going to be chastised for sin, a little indulgence now and then can’t really hurt you.

·         Many people today claim to be Christian, but live in such a way that they deny what God says. Either they are uninformed as to the truth of scripture, or they do not really believe what God says is true.

b. Satan also indicates that God has ulterior motives, that the woman’s best interest is not in mind, 5.

·         God is afraid that you will be like him! It is true that we are to be godly, that we are to be like Christ now and that one day we will be like him. But you cannot arrive at that goal by disobeying God’s directive. You cannot take a short cut without paying severe consequences.

·         Satan is tempting the woman into thinking she can be wise on her own terms. That somehow it is good to have knowledge that God has forbidden – that you know what you need better than God does. God’s real purpose is to hold you back from your highest potential so you have to obtain it by going your own way.

·         We can never achieve the good, please God, and be blessed by doubting his word, his character, and his commands.

But, unfortunately, Satan achieves his purposes.

C. The Calamitous Outcome of Satan’s Subtle Seduction, 6-8.

       1. Disobedience to God’s directive, 6.

The tension of the conversation builds to this point and then quickly comes to a conclusion – the woman saw, took, ate, and gave to her husband.

           a. Now she saw or looked upon the tree in a different way than before.

·         She saw that it was good for food, or good to eat, when God said it was not good to eat. God was no longer the focus of her attention and desire, her flesh became the focus. Instead of wanting to please God, she wanted to please herself.

·         This is further captured in the words pleasant and desirable which are synonyms and also cognates of the Hebrew verb “to covet.” They are both found in Dt. 5:21 – “you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, you shall not desire your neighbor’s house, etc.” Eve was led to covet what was forbidden, to take to herself the prerogative of God to choose good and evil.

b. She coveted the wisdom or knowledge that God said was not meant for them. The temptation was not just a general rebellion against God, but a quest for wisdom or knowledge apart from God’s provision. She thought only that good would derive from her disobedience, that she would be like God. She no longer trusted in God’s word.

·         So, she took the fruit, ate it, and then gave it to her husband who also ate. Eve was deceived, Adam was not. He chose to follow his wife instead of the Lord.

·         Oh, how our sight often leads us astray. It stimulates selfish cravings, it causes us to covet what we do not have or to want what someone else has and we don’t. The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life has its root in the first temptation.

2. Disappointment in the end result, 7.

·             What Satan said was true, their eyes were open, but their innocence was lost. What had once been unnoticeable to them became a source of guilt and shame. The word “naked” describes a state of being devoid of protective clothing, naked in the sense of being defenseless, weak, or humiliated. All of these sensibilities now flood upon the disobedient couple and they feel ashamed.

·             In their feeble attempt to cover themselves and hide their shame, they sew together aprons of fig leaves. At some point in time, every human being has felt the shame, guilt, and self-disappointment that sin causes. We try to cover our sins in many ways, but the only real covering for sin must be made through sacrifice, as we shall see.

3. Disfellowship and death, 8.

·             They did not die immediately, but they separated themselves from the Lord. This is symbolic of lost fellowship with God and spiritual death.

·             Instead of becoming like God, they feared him and tried to hide from him. The Bible says that wisdom begins with the fear of the Lord which means respecting him totally, trusting him fully, and obeying him unconditionally. Adam and Eve thought they could be like God by disobeying him which led to a totally different sense of fear – that of trepidation and condemnation.

·             They found out the hard way that disobedience to God’s word has a harsh, horrible outcome.

 

We can be thankful today that another Adam came into the world without a sinful nature. But the world he came into was full of darkness, sin and death. Yet, when he was tempted, he did not fall to the subtleties of Satan. He sent him packing with the Word of God. It is only through Christ, the last Adam, that we can be forgiven of sin and put back into right relationship with God.

 

Satan tempts us in the same way today. He tries to get us to doubt God’s word and his character. When we doubt, it’s much easier to disobey. When we get our eyes off of our manifold blessings and focus on one thing we don’t have, we are tempted to complain. When we think God is too strict, or somehow unfair, or that we won’t get burned for disobedience we have forgotten God’s righteous judgment. We also need to remember that God’s plan is for us to be like him, but according to his purpose and plan, not ours. By the grace of God, let’s not fall to Satan’s subtle seductions.