THE DISOBEDIENCE OF MAN AND THE CURSE OF SIN

Chapter 3 begins with an introduction to the serpent, and it is described as more “subtil” than any other creature. The Hebrew defines this as “cunning,” and Webster defines this as “knowing, skillful, designing and deceitful.” This tells me why Satan chose this particular creature through which to tempt man to sin. As I reference the serpent, I am confident in declaring that this serpent is possessed by Satan at this time.

Genesis 3:1 “Now the serpent was more subtil 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?”

Satan specifically chose to turn his cunning toward deceiving the woman evidently understanding that she would do better at getting Adam to disobey God than he. His approach was designing and skillful; he lured Eve into conversation with a statement misrepresenting God’s instruction to the couple. Eve immediately corrected him, but she added to God’s words of instruction in the process.

Genesis 3:2–3 “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit 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.”

God had said only that they were not to eat of one specific tree, but He had said nothing about touching it. Satan immediately contradicts God’s words of warning; he calls God a liar. Then he implies that God is withholding something to be desired from them.

Genesis 3:4–5 “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 and evil.”

Since God created us with an ability to make our own choices, there had to be a degree of knowledge and awareness on which to base those decisions. I can really relate to the desire to understand/know something that is unknown by you but known by someone else. As the serpent stated, Eve had no concept of the difference in good and evil; everything in her life had been good. Would one really choose to know about evil and all its consequences?

It’s also interesting to note that Satan’s lie was couched in truth as revealed in verse 22 below, and we’ll comment on this a bit more as we get to it.

Genesis 3:22 “And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil….”

I think one of Satan’s most effective ploys is to adulterate the truth of God’s word. He appeals to the fleshly desires of man and often argues for the legitimacy of those desires by getting men to use their own reasoning in interpreting God’s revealed word. He’s very adept at getting man to look at the scripture through a worldly filter rather than a clear, spiritual filter.

We all know that Eve succumbed and got Adam to join her in disobeying God’s only prohibition.

Genesis 3:6–7 “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired 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 them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

It stands out to me that the woman “saw” that the tree was good for food. Did the serpent eat of it to tempt her? She “saw” that it was pleasant to the eyes. I think this is one reason a lot of people identify the fruit as an apple. She also “saw” enough to make her desire the wisdom that eating it would provide her. She seemed to realize that the serpent knew more than she did, and it did not appear to have harmed it. So, Eve took the fruit and gave some to her husband to eat with her. It was interesting to me that after checking several translations, I got the picture that Eve ate first, gave to her husband, he ate—and THEN the eyes of both of them were opened. Scripture is very clear in attributing the sin to Adam because the woman was deceived. She was tricked; he deliberately disobeyed.

1 Timothy 2:13–14 “For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

This tells me that from the very beginning, the husband was established as the spiritual cover for the woman. I think that from the first recognition that they were naked, their actions proved that they regretted their decision. They did not hesitate to try and make a covering for themselves. Sin changes the way we see the world around us for the worse. Knowing good from evil certainly did not prove to be the treasure that Satan implied it would be. Nothing with which Satan tempts us will ever be worth sacrificing the blessing that comes with obedience to God. Scriptures tells us that the pleasures of sin are only for a season.

Hebrews 11:24–25 “By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season….”

1 John 2:15–17 “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 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. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.”