Battle For The Truth (Part 15)

Genesis 3:1 KJV 1900

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?

Introduction

Beloved, Genesis 3 is a major milestone in the Creation narrative. To understand the human dilemma, it is critical that we grasp what occurs here in Genesis 3.

This portion of Scripture provides the reason for the condition of our world—celestial, terrestrial, nature, plant, and animal kingdom with mankind as the focus. Moreover, Genesis 3 lays the foundation for a proper worldview and perspective of not only why things are the way they are, but God’s plan to fix it.

First, let me reiterate that we are not dealing with legend, myth, or allegory, but historical truth. God is real, heaven and earth are real, and everything contained therein is real including the first man (Adam) and first woman (Eve). Furthermore, what has characterized the world heretofore is that it was good or very good.

For some perspective, Genesis 2 ended with the statement, “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” They both were naked and not ashamed because they had no sin. This describes the beginning state of man and woman as God intended.

They enjoyed perfect loving fellowship with one another and God. Not only was there no shame, but there was no disease, no pain, no worries, no wars, no weapons, no need for money, no bad weather, no earthquakes, no heartaches, no deadlines, no fears, and no tears.

Although the text does not say it, in my sanctified imagination I see Adam and Eve laying down together the evening of Day 6 in peace to a full moon and the gentle sounds of the night. Oh, what a night! Even the creeping things like spiders, ants, and mosquitoes did not disturb their sleep. When they woke up the next morning to the crow of the rooster and the singing of the other birds, it was Day 7—the Sabbath Day.

The day that God rested from His creation work. Not because He was tired, but because He completed or finished His work. Thus, as a final gift to man, God blessed and sanctified the Sabbath Day as a day of rest. So, man’s first full day on the job was a day of rest and worship. They had it made in the shade. Who could ask for anything more?

Considering how wonderful things were then and how bad things are now, the immediate question should be, “What happened?” Well, stay tuned because Chapter 3 is going to answer that question. Now how long this blissful existence lasted is unknown. Was it a day, a week, a month, a year? No one knows; nevertheless, however long it was, it was not long enough. Amen somebody.

V.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?”

The first creature in the garden to which we introduced is the serpent. Now I do not like giving the devil too much airtime, but since God decided to introduce him to us at this point in the narrative, I think it is incumbent upon us to pay attention.

And what God wants us to immediately understand about him is his character— subtlety or craftiness. The Hebrew word for subtil (old English spelling for subtle) is ‘aruwm aw-room’, which means shrewd, crafty, sly, sensible, or prudent. It could also be expressed by the words astute, clever, or cunning.

This same word is translated as prudence in Proverbs 1:4, “to give prudence to the simple, knowledge and discretion to the youth” (ESV) Therefore, whatever amount of craftiness other creatures possessed, the serpent possessed more. Craftiness in and of itself is not necessarily evil; however, as seen here in our text, it can be perverted for sinister purposes.

As we move forward, we will discover that the serpent is being used by Satan, the enemy of God and adversary of man. Further down the road of Scripture, the serpent is identified as the Devil.

John writes in Revelation 12:9, “And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.” (ESV)

Because the stakes are so high and the consequences so devastating, it would be wise to proceed slowly and with caution. Also, because this portion of Scripture is so familiar to most of us, we tend to move too fast past this part of the narrative. In doing so, we miss the point or fail to pay attention to what God is telling us about Himself, ourselves, and the enemy of our souls—the devil.

Listen. There is an unseen realm where God and His angels abide, and where Satan and the other fallen angels operate. We witness the implication of this truth here at the dawn of human experience and its explicit revelation in the life of Job.

Scripture informs us that Satan was an Archangel of God before his fall from grace. existed prior to his introduction here in Genesis 3. The following Scriptures gives us some insight into who prior to his fall:

Ezekiel 28:11-15, “Moreover the word of the LORD came unto me, saying, (12) Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. (13) Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. (14) Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. (15) Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee.”

Isaiah 14:12-15, “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! (13) For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: (14) I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (15) Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit.”

So, do not fool yourself. The Devil is a real creature, and he hates God and man. Jesus acknowledged that he is real and gave a description of his character in a discourse with the Pharisees as seen in John 8:44, Jesus said,

“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.” Also, in John 10:10, Jesus described him as a thief, a murderer, and a destroyer. Jesus said, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Therefore, we are not dealing with a creature that is dumb or weak. Quite the contrary. The Devil is powerful, shrewd, experienced, and committed to man’s destruction. Man is made a little lower than the angels (Psalm 8:5), which means we are not equipped to handle him on our own.

It would be like a lamb in a struggle with a wolf. We all know how that story ends—the lamb will wind up being the next meal for the wolf. And this narrative reveals the disastrous consequences of trying to deal with the Devil on our own.

Now let us see how the serpent/Devil earned his reputation. Like a true predator, he hunts and targets the easier prey. Here we see Eve as his target and her being alone is the opportune time for him to strike. So, he approached innocent Eve with a twisted question about the word of God.

Testing Eve’s knowledge and adherence to God’s word the serpent asked, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” There are a few things we should notice about the serpent’s question because it illustrates not only his craftiness but also one of his primary methods of attack—distorting the word of God.

Also, notice that he misquotes the Lord’s command given in Genesis 2:16-17, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

Now you and I know exactly what God said, because we have the record in Genesis 2:16-17, which is the truth. God said, “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Other translations render this portion of Genesis 3:1 as follows:

Insert table here.

The bottom line is that Devil wants to convince us that God cannot be trusted to tell the truth when He speaks, and that our lives would be better if we believed him instead. It is the original lie created by the original liar.

Conclusion

Brothers and sisters, while it is true that we are weak and defenseless as sheep and the Devil strong and ferocious like a wolf, I am glad that the Lord is the Good Shepherd.

The Good Shepherd cares, provides, protects, and leads His sheep. In John 10:14, 17-18, Jesus said, “I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine. (17) Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. (18) No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” Amen somebody.

When we put our trust in Christ, we can like King David claim Him as our Shepherd. I heard David say in Psalm 23:

“The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. (2) He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. (3) He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. (4) Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (5) Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. (6) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.”

I can hear Pastor Ross asking the question, “What is the psalmist saying?” And then providing the answer to his question. He would say, “With me is my shepherd; beneath me are green pastures; beside me are the still waters; behind me is goodness and mercy; upon me is the oil of joy; before me is the table of the Lord; and beyond me is the house of the Lord. And I am on my way to my Father’s house.” Amen somebody.

Next, we will examine in depth Eve’s encounter with the serpent and the disastrous consequences that ensued. Then we will understand what happened and why our world is the way it is. Until then, may the Lord God bless and keep you is my earnest prayer. AMEN.