1 NOW THE serpent was more subtle and crafty than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And he [Satan] said to the woman, Can it really be that God has said, You shall not eat from every tree of the garden? [Rev. 12:9-11.] 2 And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, 3 Except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. 4 But the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die, [II Cor. 11:3.] 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing the difference between good and evil and blessing and calamity. 6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good (suitable, pleasant) for food and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave some also to her husband, and he ate. 13 And the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled (cheated, outwitted, and deceived) me, and I ate. Genesis 3:1-6,13 AMPC
If you read the 1st case study about Adam then you’ve already seen my take on Adam’s failures in the fall of man. I’m sure you’ve heard this story more times than you care to remember probably, but I’d like to highlight a few parts from Eve’s actions that believers, both female and male, would be wise to pay attention to.
- Eve gave the serpent her ear – these verse include the serpent having an ongoing conversation with Eve in the presence of the Tree of Knowledge. I already spoke in the other post about Adam’s failure to remove satan from the garden which could have prevented or rather ended this entire interaction, however in addition to that we would be cheating ourselves to not catch this equally important situation at hand. What Eve’s actions in this passage demonstrate for us is the requirement for self management, and stewarding our OWN ears, eyes, mouth, and mind. Eve is responsible for having the conversation with satan, for entertaining the conversation which frankly, she should have never been participating in to begin with. Please see here that where Eve failed, Jesus corrected later in the Bible. When satan speaks, we have two effective choices: respond solely with thus sayeth the Lord, which is to rebuke satan’s lies with God’s word, or second which would be to ignore his advances and remain focused on what God has previously told you. Understand that what Eve attempted to do in this situation was to refute satan’s lies with what she had heard from Adam. I say this because the Bible tells us that God told Adam in Genesis chapter 2 that he could have anything except for the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, but it doesn’t mention God repeating this to Eve, which could imply that it was Adam’s responsibility to share that information, AND his responsibility to protect Eve from satan’s deception.
- This point also highlights why it is important to study God’s word and develop a relationship with God for yourself. Once again, one could imply either way that God had told Eve to not eat from the Tree of Knowledge during one of his visits to garden with them, or that Eve only had heard that information secondhand. Regardless it should’ve been a thing from Eve to have inquired of God prior to this event, given that she would’ve had direct access to God to ask whatever was on her mind.
- Eve spent too much gazing at the tree – Satan can only tempt us with that which we desire already. The verses above mention that the serpent was the most crafty and cunning creature. I have to include their definitions to drive the point home
- crafty: clever at achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods:
- cunning: having or showing skill in achieving one’s ends by deceit or evasion:
- It is obvious that satan, NOT an actual serpent, had observed and studied Eve for some time. I would imagine that she regularly stood or sat and gazed at the tree, possibly admiring its fruits and leaves, or its bark. It’s possibly Eve had talked with Adam about the tree, expressing a desire to try the fruit for herself, or questioning why God wouldn’t allow them to eat the fruit. It was from Eve’s own curiosity that satan found an avenue through which to tempt her.
- Adding to God’s word – “Neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” This was part of Eve’s response to satan’s temptation. The problem with statements like these, is that though they come from a good place usually, it’s not truth…..which sets up the individual for failure. Trying to build a foundation on non or incomplete truths sets us up to fall when the cracks are exposed. I don’t no whether Adam added this extra piece to the command when he communicated it to Eve, or if Eve added this during here exchange with satan in an effort to shut down the conversation, but whatever the case was, satan identified it as a vulnerability that he could exploit. This non-truth opened the door for satan to exploit Eve’s curiosity and lead her down a path of self-destruction. In the 1st point I told you the 2 choices that we have when satan tries to speak to us, and here we see the impact of what happens when make the wrong choice, and when you haven’t developed a strong personal relationship with God that can sustain you when you are tempted.
- A lack of preparation isn’t an excuse – in verse 13, when God asks Eve what has she done, her answer is that the serpent deceived her. Now she was more honorable in that moment than Adam who had thrown her under the bus when he was faced with that same question, yet her excuse was no more valid. A lack of preparation, whether that be a lack of prayer, study of the word, relationship building with God, developing and participating in community, purifying your life, etc. is not a sufficient answer for failing in the face of temptation. The apostle Paul later in the Bible declares that every man has been provided a way of escape. Escape can come in multiple forms, though I would dare say that the most effective form of escape is to rebuke, and/or flee satan. Eve did neither. She continued to entertain satan’s words which to God showed complicity, and for that we will all be held accountable.
Reflection Time
What do you do when you perceive that satan is trying to have a discussion with you? Have you adequately prepared yourself to effectively handle temptation, and tests? What is your narrative for your past failures, and is it true?
