Tag Archives: satan

Part One: What on earth was Eve thinking? Genesis 3

When asked about a second piece of apple pie, we might reply, “That’s tempting.” But later when we feel stuffed, we might ask, “What was I thinking?” Ever wonder about Eve? What was so tempting about the fruit of that particular tree? And later? What was she thinking? Before she paid much attention to the fruit of that particular tree, she was asked a very suspicious question by a very suspicious snake. “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” (3:1)

Listen, I don’t think there is any harm in asking questions, in trying to understand what God has said or why He said it, or how it applies to me, but we need to keep in mind the fact that God is always good, always right, and always has our best interests in His heart. Always!

Back to Eve. She attempted to correct 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.’” (3:2-3)

But then the snake really got out of line! “You surely will not die!” (3:4). A direct contradiction to what God said! Red flag! However, instead of stopping the conversation or running away or reporting the snake to Adam or to God – instead, she hesitated, then continued to listen. (There’s a warning here for you and me! Pay attention!)

The snake explained his reasoning (as Satan always does when he contradicts what God has said), “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” (3:5).

Aha! Did you get that? This was a clear implication that God is not to be trusted, that His words do not mean what they seem to mean, that He was obviously keeping something desirable from them! And notice his “promise” (so-called), “… you will be like God …” Whoa! Hold it! Stop right there! Adam and Eve were already “like” God! Remember Gen 1:27? “God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.” The snake was promising something that they already had! (A lesser version, if you will.)

The devil will always try to get you to question what God has said, implying that God could very possibly be wrong, mistaken, or even deceitful by keeping something from us that we ought to be able to experience and decide for ourselves. (Or, that His words in the Bible were probably mistranslated; that’s his usual deception for today!)

Don’t get caught in his trap. Always trust what God has said! What the devil delivers is always less that he made it appear, and far less than what God will provide! God is always good! Don’t forget that!

So, again, I ask, what was on Eve’s mind? What was she thinking? We are given a little insight in Genesis 3:6. “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.”

She was thinking that the fruit was good for food – even though God had forbidden them to eat it. That the fruit was delightful to the eyes; it really was pretty! (Usually what Satan offers is “pretty” but only superficially, if compared to what God provides!) And, in addition to that, it had the potential to make her wise, to make her a better person! Hmm … these are the things that Eve was thinking!

Her first thought should have been to remember what God had already said about it, not what some other voices were saying or even what her own thoughts were! There’s a lesson here; we should always begin with what God said. God is the final and absolute authority on all things. Only He is God! That’s the proper place to begin.

That’s how sin entered our world, “… she took from its fruit and age; and she gave also to her husband with her; and he ate” (Genesis 3:6).

Part Two: The “World”

I’m reminded of a couple of verses from the New Testament, 1 John 2:15-16. “Do not love the world nor 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 and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.”

Comparing with the narrative of Genesis 3, it seems that the snake’s empty promise to Eve was very similar to the “world” that John was warning us against! Let’s notice the similarities of John’s words and Eve’s thoughts. Compare 1 John 2:16and Genesis 3:6.

• “lust of the flesh” – “good for food”
• “lust of the eyes” – “a delight to the eyes”
• “boastful pride of life” – “desirable to make one wise”

Sounds like the snake’s temptation strategies haven’t changed much! Let’s look at the three areas of temptation mentioned.

The “lust of the flesh” refers to our natural human physical desires. Practically, it’s the desire for physical pleasure or satisfaction. When allowed to rule us, it can become an obsession for food, sexual pleasure, or the feelings we get from alcohol, drugs, or other substances. The “lust of the flesh” can bring about addictions or pursuits that damage our bodies, our minds, and our relationships! To do something just because it gives us pleasure is always a mistake!

God provided good food for Eve and Adam; there was no need to reach for a fruit that she had already been warned against. All of our “flesh” needs have proper and good avenues to be supplied to us by God’s good design! He created us and has a plan to provide for us everything we will ever need! And it will always be good – far better than what the snake promises!

The “lust of the eyes” includes the desire to possess things! Out of the misuse of this desire come “covetousness” or greed! It’s the desire to make something “mine”! It’s the drive for a better house, a nicer car, a better job – you know what I’m talking about. It’s wanting something that we’ve seen, that someone else has and it’s desirable!

The fruit that the snake pointed out, the forbidden one, the one God had already warned them about – listen, there was a reason that it was forbidden! If she had paid attention to God’s words, Eve would have bypassed the destruction that she experienced along with Adam and, in fact, all creation! That’s why the event of Adam and Eve giving in to temptation is called “the Fall”! One of the Ten Commandments is simply, “You shall not covet …” (Exodus 20:17, Deuteronomy 5:21).

Why should we worry about possessions? Jesus said, “… your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:8) and a little later, “… do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more that food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25).

Then, “the boastful pride of life” includes the desire for what will make me a better person, fulfill my desires, give me a better life (by a worldly standard). Eve wanted the fruit because it was “desirable to make one wise”! People want things because they will make a person wiser, more influential, more respected, and more powerful! We want what we think we “deserve” or what we think we have a “right” to have or to be! And, these things can easily make us “proud” is a very negative way!

If we give in to the “lust of the flesh” we become immoral or addicted or simply very shallow as a person. (Immoral simply means that we do what is wrong by God’s standards.)

If we give in to the “lust of the eyes” we will pursue things (even good things) by wrong methods, becoming greedy for what we don’t have and envious for what others have!

If we give in to the “pride of life” we’ll pursue what will make us arrogant and proud and if unable to gain what we pursue we’ll become bitter, angry, and harsh and will blame others for what we don’t have or haven’t achieved!

Perhaps James said it best, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren” (James 1:14-16). Giving in to temptation is dangerous; it brings death, first spiritual and then physical! Remember that God had warned Adam about the fruit of that one tree, “… in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Genesis 2:17).

Part Three: The Temptations of Jesus Luke 4:1-13

I now want to compare the temptations of Jesus from Luke 4 with Adam and Eve’s temptation as stated in Genesis 3:6, and the comments about the world from 1 John 2:16. Don’t forget that Hebrews 4:15 states that Jesus was tempted in all the ways that we are and yet did not sin!

Luke 4:2 says that after Jesus had fasted for forty days and was hungry, and was at His weakest point He was approached by the devil, who said, “If You are the Son of God, tell this stone to become bread.” The serpent offered forbidden fruit to Eve, but bread was certainly not forbidden to Jesus. So, was the temptation to “prove” that He was the Son of God? Or, maybe, more subtly, a temptation to meet His own physical, fleshly, needs by means of a miracle? Would Jesus attempt to use God’s power for His personal need? Perhaps the question is whether or not this was God’s planned way to meet His need for food?

Remember that the “lust of the flesh” includes all the natural physical needs that we have as humans. What will rule in life – the needs (desires) of the flesh or the perfect plan of God and His way of meeting our needs?

Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE’” (Luke 4:4). Matthew’s gospel adds to this answer, “… BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD” (Matthew 4:4). God knows that our primary needs are spiritual and if we will get our priorities in order, the physical needs will also be met – in a proper, appropriate, and God-planned way!

Secondly, in Luke 4:5-7, the devil offers Jesus an easy way to obtain a world-wide kingdom, including “… all the kingdoms of the world … all this domain and its glory …”! All the glory, the glitter, and power of the world’s kingdoms, all the riches and beauty that the world could offer! Hmmm? All that would be required would be to “worship” before him, to bow down to the devil, to the world’s methods! Hmmm? To build God’s kingdom with the world’s/devil’s methods?

Jesus answered, “It is written, ‘YOU SHALL WORSHIP THE LORD YOUR GOD AND SERVE HIM ONLY’” (Luke 4:8). You will serve what or whom you worship and you will worship what or whom you serve.

The third temptation focused on Jesus Himself and the influence that He could have if He would simply use the devil’s way of interpreting Scripture, Luke 4:9-12. The devil said, “If You are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here [the pinnacle of the temple], for it is written, ‘HE WILL COMMAND HIS ANGELS CONCERNING YOU TO GUARD YOU,’ and ‘ON THEIR HANDS THEY WILL BEAR YOU UP, SO THAT YOU WILL NOT STRIKE YOU FOOT AGAINST A STONE.’” The devil quoted from Psalm 91 – but his application was not quite in accordance with God’s intention! (By the way, Satan is still offering many incorrect applications of God’s word today. So, be careful who you’re listening to.)

Jesus answered, “It is said, ‘YOU SHALL NOT PUT THE LORD YOUR GOD TO THE TEST’” (Luke 4:12). Don’t think that you can force God’s hand to protect you or provide for you or to answer any prayer you might dream up! He’s God; you’re not.

Okay, here’s the comparison of Eve’s temptations in Genesis 3, the temptations of Jesus in Luke 4, and the words of warning about the “world” in 1 John 2.

First,

• The forbidden fruit was obviously “good for food”
• Jesus could easily have turned the stone into bread
• Both would satisfy the “lust of the flesh” in ways God’s did not approve!

Secondly,

• The fruit was a “delight to the eyes”
• Jesus saw all the kingdoms of the world and their glory
• Both would satisfy the “lust of the eyes” but were not in God’s plan!

Thirdly,

• The fruit was “desirable to make one wise”
• Leaping from the temple, unhurt, would focus on Jesus, the individual
• Focusing first on ourselves simply feeds the “boastful pride of life” – which, again, is not God’s way! Our focus must be first on the Lord!

So, be cautious, temptations come in many devious ways and will always lead us out of the way God has planned for us! Remember again the words of James 1:14-16.

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust.  Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death. Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.”

(Scriptures are from the NASU 95 version.)