Battle For The Truth (Part 28)

Genesis 3:2–7 KJV 1900

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 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. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 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. 6 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. 7 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.

Introduction

Because today’s message is slightly lengthier than previous messages, let us get right into the message.

3:2-3, “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) 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.”

From this point in Genesis 3 we discover the vulnerability of humanity, which is temptation, the danger of adding to or taking away from the word of God, which is the devil’s tactic, and the power of a lie when it is believed. In Genesis 3:1, the serpent asked Eve a crafty question: “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Other translations help us understand the question more clearly:

Bible version table Goes here

Side Note: Some people really struggle at this point in the narrative and cast doubt upon it because it reveals a talking serpent, and everybody knows that serpents do not talk. On the contrary my friend, in Numbers 22:28, God enabled Balaam’s ass to speak, so there’s ample reason to believe that the serpent also spoke. Apparently, before man’s fall from grace and the serpent’s curse, he possessed the ability to speak. Furthermore, Eve does not appear to be surprised by the talking serpent, which suggests that this may not have been the first encounter.

Regarding the topic of the talking serpent, I am reminded of an encounter that the famous theologian Karl Barth had with a woman after one of his lectures. After a lecture, a woman asked him: “Is it true that the serpent really spoke?” And Barth replied: “Madam, it does not matter whether or not the serpent really spoke; all that matters is what the serpent said.” Although this was a clever way to answer the woman’s question. The flat-footed answer is that yes, it is true that the serpent spoke and what he spoke was a lie. Amen somebody.

More important is that in his most crafty way, the serpent insinuates that God is overly restrictive, which sets the stage for the Big Lie. Eve’s response reveals how well she knows and understands the word of God. Seemingly eager to answer she replies, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3) 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.” Eve’s inaccurate quoting of the word of God in her response to the serpent’s question provided him the opportunity to plant a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind. In addition to leaving out the word “every,” Eve added the words “neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” Furthermore, God put emphasis on the consequences of disobedience. God said, “ye shall surely die.” So, where did she get this part of the command? Nowhere do we read where God said regarding the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, “do not touch it.” Since there is no evidence that God ever gave instructions personally to Eve on this matter, we must conclude that she received it from her husband—Adam. However, in all fairness to Adam, neither do we find evidence that he gave her these specific instructions. After all, she could have been misquoting him as well. I’m just saying… Nevertheless, be that as it may, we do have indisputable evidence that God gave the command directly to Adam.

Side note: If Adam in his zeal to protect Eve gave her the instruction not to “touch it,” he did her a grave disservice. Adding our own restrictions to the word of God lacks divine authority, sets a false standard, and adds confusion to God’s clear teaching. Misinterpreting and adding prohibitions to the word of God continues to this day. There are protestant denominations that restrict activities such as dancing, playing cards or dominoes, women wearing makeup, and consuming or selling any amount of alcoholic beverages. And the list goes on. However, the problem is there is no book, chapter and verse that clearly supports their teaching on these issues. And if confronted on the biblical accuracy these man-made restrictions, it is discovered that they cannot be biblically supported. Amen somebody. Enough cannot be said about the necessity to quote God’s word accurately, interpret it correctly, and apply it appropriately. As Jesus demonstrated during His Temptation in the wilderness, the word of God and our adherence to it is the only weapon that will defeat the serpent/devil. (See Matthew 4:1-11) Amen somebody.

Vv. 4-5 – “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5) 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.”

Hearing Eve’s misquotation and addition to the word of God, like a topnotch salesman, the serpent senses the advantage and moves in for the kill or to close the deal. Now comes the Big Lie, “Ye shall not surely die.” In other words, God is not telling the truth. This is the first shot fired in the Battle For The Truth. The serpent has now thrown shade and cast doubt upon the word of God. Notice that serpent displays more craftiness by simply adding one little word— “not.” It is amazing how one little word can have such a profound impact on a statement. It can change the truth into a lie. For instance:

God is good vs. God is not good.

God is love vs. God is not love.

The word was God vs. The word was not God.

All men are created equal vs. All men are not created equal.

I am sure you get the point. As the Apostle Paul informed the churches of Galatia, in Galatians 5:7-9, “Ye did run well; who did hinder you that ye should not obey the truth? (8) This persuasion cometh not of him that calleth you. (9) A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” Just as a little yeast causes the entire lump of dough to rise, so one little word caused Eve to doubt God and believe the serpent.

The serpent then embellishes his lie by saying, “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.” Let me clearly state that what I am about to say is not in the text nor am I attempting to add anything to it. That said, in my sanctified imagination, I can hear the dialogue going something like this: “Eve, you are a smart woman, but there is so much that you just do not know. Now, you know I like you and think that you are a good person with a good heart, but you are a little naïve. Listen, this garden is a really nice place, and you seem content living here. However, there is another level to life, it is the god-level, but God is restricting you and let me tell you why. Because God knows that when you and Adam eat of this tree, your eyes will be opened, and you guys will be as gods, knowing good and evil. And quite frankly, I know from personal experience, He does not want the competition. You see, I used to have your job and was restricted like you are now, but I got “woke” and realized that God gave me a mind to think for myself, so I decided to take advantage of the opportunity available to exercise my independence. So, I did. Do I look dead to you? Trust me Eve, you are not going to surely die.”

V.6 – “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.”

Here we see the three categories under which sin falls as recorded in 1 John 2:16, “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.” Our text says, “…the woman saw that the tree was good for food (lust of the flesh), and that it was pleasant to the eyes (lust of the eyes), and a tree to be desired to make one wise (pride of life), “she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

The real hook was the desire to become like gods knowing good and evil. You might say to yourself, “Well they already knew what good was, so what could be so attractive about knowing what evil was all about? Good question. I had the same question. I discovered in my studies this profound distinction, that the attraction was not so much to have the knowledge of good and evil, but rather, in becoming like God, they could independent from God determine for themselves what was good and what was evil. Simply stated, they could become like God without God. Wow. Now that deserves deep contemplation.

Side Note: With eyes wide-shut, Eve believing the serpent told her the truth was enticed to disobey God. Again, using my sanctified imagination, I can see Eve when she touched the fruit, and amazingly, nothing happened. I can hear that old serpent saying, “See, I told you that you would not surely die.” She then had confidence to pluck it from the tree, and still nothing happened. Finally, she took her first bite and still nothing happened. I could hear the serpent say, “See, I told you so. Are you dead? You don’t look dead to me.” She then ran to share her newfound knowledge with her husband and enticed him to eat also. One of the things that Scripture makes clear is that Eve was deceived, but Adam was not. For we read in 1 Timothy 2:14 – “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.” Although heavily influenced, he willfully disobeyed God’s command and followed Eve in her sin.

V.7 – “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.”

Notice that nothing happened to Eve when she took the first bite. It was only when Adam ate that the problems occurred. This lets us know that the ultimate responsibility fell on Adam not Eve. Amen somebody. When Adam disobeyed and ate of the forbidden fruit, the scales of innocence fell from their eyes and for the first time “they knew that they were naked;” Realizing their nakedness, shame set in and they sewed together fig leaves to make aprons for themselves.

Side Note: Freedom and independence reign supreme in the United States of America. In fact, we have a document called The Declaration of Independence, adopted in 1776 by the Second Continental Congress declaring the 13 Colonies at war with the Kingdom of Great Britain as independent sovereign states, no longer under British rule. We also have a document called the United States Constitution that serves as the supreme law of our country. Basically, these two documents guarantee every citizen equal protection under the law, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. No other country in the world extends the rights and privileges to their citizens, which is one of the main reasons people contact to flock here in droves, hoping to become an official U.S. citizen. Of course, along with these great rights and privileges come the responsibility to be governed by the laws and those charged with interpreting and enforcing the law.

Thus, our freedom and independence have limitations. The same was true with Adam and Eve, they were free to eat of every tree of the garden except one. They were forewarned that disobedience would result in certain death. Well, we just witnessed their failure and the immediate results of their disobedience—loss of innocence, shame, and fear.

Conclusion

The desire to live independent of God’s law runs rampant throughout Western Culture. The attitude that there are no consequences to violating God’s laws defines 21st Century life in America. Because we are citizens of the US, we are free to worship or not worship anything, anybody, and at any time we so choose. Too many times I have heard the song made famous by Frank Sinatra, “I Did It My Way.”

“And now, the end is near And so I face the final curtain. My friends, I'll say it clear, And I'll state my case, of which I'm certain. I've lived a life that's full, I traveled each and every highway. And more, much more than this, I did it my, my way.

Regrets, I've had a few, But then again, too few to mention. I did what I had to do and saw it through without exemption. And I planned each charted course, each careful step along life's by way And more, much more than this, I did it my way.

For what is a man, what has he got? If not himself, then he has not To say the things he truly feels and not the words of one who kneels The record shows I took the blows and did it my way.”

What is consistently missing from these services that play this song in tribute to the deceased is the word of God that says:

Romans 6:23, “The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

John 3:16-18, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (17) For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. (18) He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”

John 14:6, “Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

Hebrews 9:27, “And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:”

Like Adam and Eve, all humanity must stand before their Maker and be judged. The Apostle John writes in the Book of Revelation 20:12-15, “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. (13) And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. (14) And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. (15) And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.”

So, everyone under the sound of my weak voice, right now you may be free to live and believe however you choose, but in the end, when it is all said and done, you are going to do it God’s way. Amen somebody.

Well, I am out of time, but the Lord willing, we will pick up where we left off today. We will discover who spoke the truth, God, or the serpent. Because, whoever told the truth then is telling the truth today. And, likewise, whoever was lying then, is lying today. So, until next time may the Lord richly bless you my beloved.