Genesis 3 v 1-7 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman “has God indeed said you shall not eat of every tree of garden?” (Verse 1) NKJV
The first question we need to ask is “who is this serpent that appeared to Eve in the garden?” The answer is found in the book of Rev 12 v 9 it reads “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the devil and satan, who deceives the whole world, he was cast out to the earth and his angels with him”. So much information has been revealed to us in this verse of scripture: –
1) It was satan, the devil himself, the ultimate deceiver who appeared to Eve in the form of a serpent to deceive her and abort her glorious destiny.
2) This same devil, i.e. the serpent is still very much alive and active on planet earth today. He was cast out to the earth.
3) He is still very active in his business of deception. He has not changed his tactics.
4) He is not alone; he has hordes of demonic angels at his bidding.
We need to be watchful, alert and discerning so that we do not fall into the serpents deception like Eve. The word of God declares that the devil roams around like a roaring lion looking for whom to devour, we are to resist him steadfast in the faith. (I Peter 5 v 8-9)
The serpent in Gen 3 v 1 is described as “cunning” another word used in place of cunning in the KJV of the Bible is the word ‘crafty’. The devil did not come out to contradict God’s instruction to Adam and Eve he simply encouraged Eve to question it. He suggested to Eve that God was withholding good from her.
To be crafty means among other things to be scheming tricky and deceitful. The devil does not have any power over a true born-again child of God but he can scheme, trick or deceive you out of your inheritance in Christ Jesus. He can strategically and insidiously rob you of God’s best for your life and destiny like he did to Adam and Eve. This is why you must beware of the serpent and his tricks. He is a man of many disguises, he loves to hide himself. The word of God declares that it is not uncommon for him to show up disguised as an angel of light. (II Cor 11 v 14)
Genesis 3 v 2-5 And the woman said to the serpent “We may eat the fruit of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden God has said you shall not eat it, nor touch it, lest you die”. Then the serpent said to the woman “You will not surely die, for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (NKJV).
There are certain vital lessons for us as believers to learn from the above verses of scripture.
1) The first thing we notice from Eve’s answer to the devils question is that there was obviously a lack of effective communication between her and her husband Adam. Adam was the one who received the commandment from God and he had the responsibility of communicating it to Eve who at the time was not yet brought forth out of Adam as a separate entity. The lesson you need to learn from this is that the serpent (devil) will always take full advantage of any lack of effective communication between you and your spouse to use it to his advantage to further his own deception in your life.
2) The next lesson to learn is that the devil sold a lie to Eve and she believed the lie against the truth of God’s words and acted on it. The lie sold by the serpent (devil) to Eve was a very insidious one because Eve was already a god created in the image and likeness of The Almighty God. God used to walk in the garden and fellowship with them i.e. Adam and her. His brilliance, purity and majesty did not startle them, because they were robed in the same purity. In other words the serpent was deceiving Eve by offering her something she already had with a promise that she would become someone she already was. Beware of the serpent! Watch out for craftiness in any shape or form. Watch out for those who propose anything that is a clear contradiction of God’s word. Don’t be deceived by them, as deception always leads to a fall. A fall from grace to disgrace, honour to dishonor, glory to reproach and shame.
Ps 49 v 20 “ A man who is in honour, yet does not understand, is like a beast that perish” (NKJV).
Eve was in honour but did not understand, so she fell for the deception the enemy and she perished. Her glorious destiny was aborted.
If we are prone to adding to God’s word or taking away from it we become prime candidates for the deception of the serpent (devil).
In the book of Matt 4 v 4-11 and Luke 4 v 1-13 the Bible records the temptation of Jesus. Jesus’ Christs own battle with the deception of the serpent (devil). In contrast to Eve, Jesus took a firm stand for the word of God, Jesus is the patterned Son, we are to take after Him. Whenever the serpent (devil) shows up with his lies we have the responsibility of fleeing to the word of God for refuge and succor.
3) The next lesson to learn is this, that the very first recorded lie of the serpent (devil) was “You will not surely die………” This is still the same lie he is peddling today. Romans 6 v 23 says “For the wages of sin is death ….” The devil says “You can lie, cheat, fornicate, steal, commit adultery, sow discord among brethren, walk in unbelief and doubt etc. and yet you will still live, you will still make heaven, you will still be a child of God. Once saved always saved, Grace is at work, so you can live like the devil and still make heaven”. This is a big lie from the pit of hell. It is still the serpent (devil) at work. Rms 6 v 6 “What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin that grace may abound? Certainly not! How shall we who died to sin live any longer in it?”
Rms 6 v 12 “Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lust. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not have dominion over you for you are not under law but under grace” (NKJV).
Beware of the serpent (devil)! he comes to steal, kill and destroy, he is the thief spoken of by Jesus in the book of John 10 v 10.
Genesis 3 v 6-7
“So when the woman saw the tree was good for food, that is was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened and they knew that they were naked: and the sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings”.
There are lessons to learn from these verses too.
1) When verse 6 says “So when the woman saw the tree was good for food……..” The question to be asked is “Was Eve just seeing the tree?” The tree had been in the garden with her all along. She had been seeing it but her perception of the tree changed after a suggestion from the serpent (devil). It became good, pleasant and desirable. What was an offense to God now became something attractive after a suggestion from the serpent (devil).
I Jn 2 v 15-17 “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world is passing away and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever”. As it was in the beginning with the serpent (devil) so it is today. He is still tempting God’s children causing sin to take on an attractive mien. The sin of yesterday is still the sin of today. Eve fell for the lust of the flesh, she saw that the tree was good for food, the lust of the eyes, she saw that it was pleasant to the eyes, and the pride of life she saw that it was a tree desirable to make one wise. She saw these three things after a suggestion from the serpent and the resultant effect was that she disobeyed God’s commandment. She took of its fruit and ate and also gave to her husband who was with her.
Beware of the any suggestion from the serpent (devil)! it will cause you to fall into the sin of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. You will become carnal and worldly; the deep will no longer call unto the deep. Your love for God will wax cold and your faith will become compromised. Your divine destiny will be short changed or out rightly aborted.
How many young people and married adults have fallen for the suggestion of the serpent (devil) where sex is concerned that “It can’t be so wrong, if it feels so right”. The devil knows that the very day you start eating from the tree of adultery and fornication, you start to die. It looks good but it is actually a vicious poison designed to kill slowly and rob you of your glorious destiny(I Cor 3 v 16-17, 6 v 9-10, v 18-20). Beware of the serpent (devil)!
2) The woman gave of the fruit of the tree to Adam her husband who was with her and he ate of it also. What a tragedy! Adam was created the spiritual leader of the world and his family but he failed woefully in his responsibility. He failed to take a stand for God and the whole world is still suffering today from his unwillingness to take responsibility. Many spiritual leaders today have fallen into the trap of Adams mistakes. Adam was a mismanager of God’s vast resources put into his care, he failed in what mattered most and refused to accept responsibility for his failure. He failed to lead himself and his family, he failed to lead by example. He had no vision so he cast off restrain. (Provs 29 v 18) KJV and NIV translations.
This is a great lesson for us, we must take personal responsibility for our lives. I.e. choices, actions and inactions. It is dangerous to abdicate personal responsibility for our own lives and start to shift the blame on others. I have realized that this sin of Adam and Eve is still playing out in a lot of lives. Many people shy away from taking personal responsibility but rather they blame their predicament on anything or anyone but themselves and their choices or lack of it. Beware of the serpent (devil)! Learn to take personal responsibility for your life. It is your life not another person’s.
Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the serpent but none of them blamed themselves for their sin of blatant disobedience to the commandment of God.
3) Sin will always open the eyes that hitherto were unopened. Sin will always cause nakedness i.e. shame and reproach. Sin will always cause a man to start to live a life of hypocrisy, a double life, a life of covering up.
Adam and Eve became self centered, no more God centered. Their eyes that hitherto had been shut to evil because they were dwelling in the light of God’s Glory became open to evil. The Glory of God that clothed them disappeared at the appearance of sin in their lives and they became vulnerable to shame and reproach. They became naked, defenceless, a sitting duck for the serpent (devil). May God’s Glory never depart from our lives in Jesus’ name amen.
The serpent (devil) robbed them of every visage of God’s Glory and goodness in their lives, they became separated from God, they lost Eden, and they were driven out from the place of Gods protection, provision, preservation and rest. What a sad story! But it all started with a suggestion from the serpent (devil). Beware of the serpent! Take heed to your own soul, believe God, believe His word and live His word. Beware of the serpent! Give him no place, no room, submit yourself to God, resist the devil (serpent) and he will flee from you. (James 4 v 7)
Pst. Busola Olotu.
Busola Olotu's Blog 