By Shirley Rosemarie Evans
The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” “Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. “It is only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’” “You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman.
“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.” The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful, and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So, she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So, they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. (Genesis 3:1-7 NLT)
Picture this: man and God in perfect community and fellowship. God comes down to commune with man, enjoying intimacy and harmony. Man has all his heart can desire and he, and all life, are flourishing - fruitful and producing just as God commanded.
Enter Satan, the antagonist, the one who desired to be God and was cast down to earth for his rebellion. He now sets his sights on the image bearers, those he knew God desired to be in a relationship with. He enters the garden with one agenda to instigate rebellion against the rule of God. The funny thing is (except it really is not funny) that his pride got him thrown out, so he plays the same card: he panders to the pride of humanity. He tells Eve that the restriction of not eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is not for her good but rather it is keeping her from good. If they eat, they will be like God. This appeals to Eve’s pride; as she looks at the fruit, it looks good, and all self-control and allegiance to God go out of the window. She takes a bite and passes it to Adam, and he bites. With one bite, the deed is done!
God gave man dominion over the earth. Now, this revolt against the rule of God opens the door and gives Satan not just a foothold but a stranglehold on humanity; this act allows Satan to exert influence over the world. Thus, Jesus Himself refers to Satan as the ruler of this world. (John 14:30).
Man does not become like God, but they are now in open rebellion to the will of God. Sin and the awareness of evil is part of the human condition. Rather than obey this good and gracious ruler, man chose to listen to the lies of the Devil and eat of that tree. The consequences were disastrous. Death was pronounced on all humanity; we lost intimacy with our gracious Father and ruler; we were banished from paradise, and life became a struggle. The human condition from that point forward is marked by sin, rebellion to God and His word and eternal death.
Jesus was the promised seed of the woman who became flesh almost four thousand years after the promise in the garden. He took on Himself the curse of sin, dying a criminal’s death to redeem man back to God. He died but rose again on the third day, striking a fatal blow to the head of Satan, lifting the penalty of death that was passed on to all humanity so that all those who place faith in Jesus believing Him to be the Son of God shall not face eternal death but shall have everlasting life in the kingdom where all things will be made new. The rule of God will stand forever.
Ask: What do you think was Adam & Eve’s motivation in choosing to listen to Satan rather than obey God’s direct command?
Seek: Satan told Eve that the fruit was good, and she saw that it looked good to eat – Can we relate? When was the last time you did something you knew to be wrong, but it looked good and felt good in that moment, only to regret it later?
Knock: Father, we thank you for being a gracious Father who desires to be in communion with man, your creation. We thank you for sending Jesus to restore what was lost and mend what was broken. Help us to live life in and through the Son, in submission to your good plans and rule in my life. In Jesus' name. Amen
