Genesis 2:24-25

Where does evil come from?  Why are things so messed up on planet Earth? Why does sin impact me in a personal way?  These are some of the questions we’ll start to answer in today’s study of Genesis 3:1-7. Let’s begin with an overview of Genesis.

The book of Genesis is easily divided into three sections. Genesis 1-2 describes the creation of man. Genesis 3-11 tells of God’s interaction with man. Genesis 12-50 shows how God engages with his covenant people. Today we’ll begin studying the second section.

When we considered Genesis 1:2-3 in an earlier study, I explained that God created the angels before he created the heavens and earth. Ezekiel 28 says that at some point between the creation of the angels and Genesis 1, the most beautiful and powerful angel rebelled against God and convinced one-third of the angels to follow him. Jesus described them being kicked out of heaven when he said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven” (Luke 10:18). The formlessness, darkness, and emptiness described in Genesis 1:2 could be a description of Satan’s domain after being cast from God’s presence.

It is important to note that God did not create robots. God’s creation is not programmed and manufactured like an AI product. God desires a relationship with us, and forced love is never the basis for a relationship. God gives created beings free will. We can love and follow him, or we can rebel against him. Satan ultimately chose defiance towards God and, in doing so, introduced evil (the absence of good) into the world.

The proof of God’s gift of free will is found in Genesis 2:15-17. After God created man, he placed man in a perfect environment and provided everything he could want or need. And God laid out clear directions to Adam for living in this garden paradise.

Genesis 2:16-17
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

There was nothing in the forbidden fruit itself that would cause man to die. The instruction concerning the fruit provided free will to be exercised. Rebellion to God’s directive would open Adam and Eve’s eyes to evil—the absence of good—and separate them from the perfect Creator resulting in spiritual, physical, and eternal death.

In Genesis 3, Satan enters the garden and speaks with Adam and Eve.

Genesis 3:1
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

The word “crafty” does not seem to be a negative term here. It means to be wise or prudent.[1] This is simply a recognition of the serpent’s characteristics. Jesus told his followers to be “wise as serpents….” (Matthew 10:16). Perhaps that’s why Satan chose to speak to Eve through a snake. And that begs a question. How do we know it was Satan speaking through the snake? Let’s deal with that question and a few others we find in Genesis 3:1.

• How do we know this was Satan speaking through the snake?
  Scripture makes this clear in Revelation 20:2 where Satan is described as “the ancient serpent.”

• Why would Eve speak with a snake?
  We don’t know how Adam and Eve interacted with the animals in the garden before sin entered the world. We do know that in the millennial kingdom to come, the lion and the lamb will lie down together. Genesis 3 begins in a perfect state of being.

• Why did Satan speak directly to Eve?
  I don’t know for sure, but here’s a possibility. God gave the command about the forbidden fruit directly to Adam before Eve was created. Eve heard the command secondhand from Adam. I think there is a lesson here. Anyone who relies on hearing God’s Word secondhand is more vulnerable. That’s why you must be engaged in God’s Word personally and hear directly from him.

• Where was Adam?
  Right after Eve ate the fruit, she offered it to Adam, “who was with her” (Genesis 3:6). Adam was a passive participant. Here is another lesson: A leader who remains silent or passive is always a problem.

So, Satan entered the garden and started a conversation with Eve. The interaction between the two is very instructive.

1. Satan challenged God’s grace. God had provided abundant food from the trees of the garden. Only one tree was off-limits. But Satan asked, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Satan always questions God’s gracious provision for us.
2. Satan attacked God’s Word. Eve assured Satan that she and Adam could eat from all the trees in the garden except one. She explained that God said, “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden…lest you die” (Genesis 3:3).[2]
3. Satan attacked God’s Person. He quickly responded to Eve, “You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4). Satan called God a liar and explained, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5).

Satan’s claim was intriguing. He accused God of holding out on the first couple. Knowing good and evil would elevate their lives. In fact, Satan asserted that they could be on the same level as God.

We want the same thing, don’t we? When something doesn’t make sense, we ask, “God, what are you doing?” God graciously allows us to ask him all our questions and lovingly reminds us that he is using all things to write our story. Satan presents doubt and disillusionment to tempt us, and the Genesis account reveals that Eve bought Satan’s lie.

Genesis 3:6
So 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 to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Look again at Genesis 3:6 and observe the process of temptation. This process is repeated throughout Scripture and in our lives today. Here is the pattern that Eve followed: She saw. She wanted. She took. This is the pathway that Satan desperately desires us to take.

As soon as Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes were open to their sin. We’ll talk more about that next time.

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read Genesis 3:1-7—Read the passage slowly and reflectively. What do you observe about Satan’s tactics and Eve’s response?   

Prayer and Application
Reflect on the process of disobedience—Eve saw, wanted, and took. Remember, your sin always impacts others. Are you involved in something that will lead to disobedience? Ask God to forgive you and give you the strength to leave any sinful path behind before you hurt others in the process.

Have Questions?
We’d love to help! If you have any questions about today’s reading or teaching, please feel free to ask. Our team is here to assist you as you explore God’s Word. Simply submit your question below, and we’ll get back to you soon.

[1] See Proverbs 1:4; 8:5,12; 12:16, 23; 13:16; 14:8,15,18; 22:3; 27:12.

[2] In this verse Eve adds to God’s instruction. She said not only were they prohibited to eat the fruit of the tree, but God also said, “neither shall you touch it.” It is always dangerous to add to God’s Word and creates legalism.