Genesis 3

“He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight on the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.”

Genesis 3:1b-6

Here is the downfall of all humanity. Doesn’t seem all that terrible, does it? When I read this, I’m not struck with a sense of outrage. But over the last couple of days and as I wrote those verses, I wanted to really examine what was happening in this first sin. I think there is much to see here that we can apply to ourselves to flee from sinfulness.

First: Satan questions God: did God actually say…? We must never entertain such a thought when battling with temptation. This is a good question for theologians, and a bad question for those tempted.

Second: Satan distorts a command of God to make Him seem distrustful. He even did this with Jesus, though quite unsuccessfully. God didn’t say you shouldn’t eat from any tree; but this first question is built in order to provoke a rational distrust of the commands of God.

Third: Satan lures her into a conversation. Not good.

Fourth: the woman misquoted God. God said nothing about touching the fruit. We definitely should not add to what God has revealed (Revelations 22:18).

Fifth: Satan lies. Big surprise there. But in doing so, he is questioning God’s truthfulness. At this point, a decision as to who to trust must be made.

Sixth: Satan provides a rationale for God’s “misleading.” Notice Satan doesn’t openly attack God; he’s much more sneaky about his attack. Satan simply provides a logical reason for God’s “misleading” ways, which also provides logical reasoning for not obeying God.

Seventh: In the rationale, Satan offers something good. Not seemingly good, but good. He says they will be like God and be wise. These are good, for aren’t these the fruits of the Gospel?

Eighth: Eve makes conclusions after all this. She concludes that the benefits of the fruit are threefold: it benefits the body, it pleases the eyes, and it fills the brain. It nourishes, it’s attractive, and it’s desirable. How often I have sinned for one of these three!

Ninth: she acted on her conclusions, even though it was a very simple situation. Though God said, “Do not eat,” and she ate.

Temptation works on us by taking a simple command and making it complex. It challenges God’s words; it challenges God’s faithfulness; it challenges God’s sovereignty; it challenges God’s motives; it challenges God’s love for the Beloved. On the positive side, temptation distorts reality by offering the good through improper means.

Temptation is not a cosmic force; it is the work of once-glorious and intelligent angels. There is a method to all the madness.

In turn, we would do well to know what God says, even if we don’t understand. We would do well not to weigh arguments for disobedient action. We should simply obey, trusting in God’s love and faithfulness.

Lord, may we be aware of Satan’s schemes, that we may completely disregard any of his temptations. We desire to follow You and You alone. Give us the strength to defend against temptation, and lead us into simple obedience.