INDEED GOD SPEAKS (23)

Indeed God Speaks In His Word: What Did He Say About Eve And The Serpent?

Genesis 3:1–5 NASB95

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Why Do We Sometimes Struggle With Knowing What God Really Says When We Read The Bible?

The most common problem is called FILTERING the TEXT

Filters are used to eliminate things in order to achieve a desired result.

I. The LOCATION of the ENCOUNTER!

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made . . .

Where did the encounter between the serpent and Eve occur?

Why do we believe that it occurred in the garden of Eden?

Genesis 3:1 And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, “You shall not eat from any tree of the garden?”

What do we know about this garden?

Genesis 2:8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed

Eden can only be properly understood in light of the worldview of the biblical writers of the Old Testament. Eden was God’s home or dwelling place on earth. And as His dwelling place on earth, this is where God’s divine council meetings would occur (More about this in a few moments).

It was always God’s intention to dwell among His people and for a kingdom rule on this new earth to flow out of His dwelling place (more on this in a few moments too)!

II. The CONVERSATION that ENSUED!

Genesis 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “from the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die!”

Why didn’t Eve think it was unusual to be talking to a serpent?

Who was and or is the serpent that communicated with Eve?

III. The INTERPRETATIONS that have EVOLVED!

Genesis 3: 4 the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!”

Why didn’t Eve consider it unusual for a “serpent” to be talking to her in the language she could understand? There are various “interpretation” we need to briefly mention:

*The “All Animals Could Speak” Interpretation

*The “Only This Reptile Could Speak” Interpretation

*The “The Serpent Wasn’t A Animal or Reptile” Interpretation

IV. The REVELATION that should be EMBRACED!

Genesis 3:5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God (Elohim), knowing good and evil

Who is God speaking about in Ezekiel 28?

Ezekiel 28:2 . . . Thus says the Lord God, “Because your heart is lifted up and you have said, I am a god, I sit in the seat of gods . . .

What is the word that is translated as “gods” and what does it mean in this context?

Ezekiel 28:13 You were in Eden, the garden of God . . . You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there

Psalm 82:1 God takes His stand in His own congregation (assembly or council); He judges in the midst of His rulers 6 I said, “You are gods (Elohim’s), And all of you are sons of the Most High

Why is this significant? It is significant because the singular Elohim of Israel presides over an assembly (congregation), of Elohim!

Job 1:6 Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan also came among them

Job 38:4 Where were you (Job), when I laid the foundation of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding . . . when the morning stars sang together and all the sons of God shouted for joy?

Psalm 89:5 The heavens will praise Your wonders, O Lord! Your faithfulness also in the assembly of the Holy ones. For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord? A God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones, and awesome above all those who are around Him?

So, who is speaking to Eve in the garden of Eden? The “serpent” who spoke with Eve, was not a animal or a reptile (that would have been weird to Eve), it was one of the “sons of God” who was judged by God and was cast out of the heavenly realm and contributed to the chaotic events described in Genesis 1:2: The earth became formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters!

The reality of the unseen realm was not considered weird by Eve or any of the Biblical writers in the Old Testaments. It has only become weird to modern day minds who have been trained to “filter the text” to eliminate things from the text to obtain a desire result that only benefits the unseen realm!

We have been desensitized to the vitality and theological importance of the unseen world. Modern Christianity suffers from a major shortcoming when it comes to the supernatural world. Many claim to believe in the supernatural but think and live like skeptics! There is a world that is unseen that is more real than the world that is seen! Until our worldview embraces both worlds with equal importance, we will not be victorious in either world!