Introduction
In Genesis chapter three, we learn about God and the importance of keeping His laws. We are also taught about Satan, temptation and sin. Many questions have been asked about Satan. Some people wonder if he has enormous powers and is beyond God's control. From this account in Genesis, we learn why Adam and Eve sinned and what the consequences of those sins were. Satan's ways and limitations are revealed somewhat in Genesis, but we will look to the book of Job for more details.
Along with revealing information about Satan, I will also explain how we can learn and draw practical applications from these Biblical accounts. Since applying scriptures to our lives is the whole point of reading and studying God's Word, I pray that you will be encouraged, enriched and grow spiritually.
The Knowledge of Good and Evil
In the Garden of Eden, God warned Adam not to eat of a certain tree. This tree's fruit would give the consumer the "knowledge of good and evil" and make humans godlike in some way (Genesis 3:5, 22).
Some Bible students understand the tree to possess (1) all knowledge--that is the complete range of experience. Others claim the tree provides (2) knowledge of a moral nature. Some claim the acquired knowledge was simply (3) sexual experience.
The tree's purpose within the narrative provides a clue toward a more satisfactory explanation. The tree was the object and symbol of God's authority. The tree reminded Adam and Eve that their independence was not absolute but had to be exercised in dependence upon God. In prideful rebellion the couple grasped for the capacity to be completely self-legislating; establishing an absolute self-directing independence. Such absolute dominion belongs only to God. Their mistake affected every dimension of human experience; for example, they claimed the right to decide what is good and evil.
The Serpent Surfaces
The serpent made a sudden intrusion into the story. It is identified in Genesis only as a creature.
Theological reflection has identified him as an instrument of Satan and, thus, legitimately cursed and pictured as the enemy of woman's seed (Genesis 3:14-15). Later Scripture also declares that Satan is the ultimate tempter (1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:9). His presence, however, does not diminish mankind's responsibility to obey God. Scripture states that man cannot blame his sin on demonic temptation (James 1:12-15).
The serpent began the dialogue with a question that obviously distorted or at least extended God's order not to eat of the tree (Genesis 3:1). The questioner invited the woman to enter into a conversation about God and to treat Him and His word as objects to be considered and evaluated. Moreover, the serpent painted God as one who sadistically and arbitrarily placed a prohibition before the couple to stifle their enjoyment of the garden.
The Earthly Excuses
The woman apparently felt inclined to defend God's rules. In her response to the serpent she included a citation of God's command. However, the text does not tell us how Eve or the snake came to know God's command. Adam may have passed on this information that he initially received prior to woman's creation (Genesis 2:17-18). She responded with a restatement of God's permission to eat freely of the garden provision (Genesis 3:2). She then told of God's prohibition of that one tree in the middle of the garden. Perhaps anxiety over doubting God's character caused her then to add to God's own words; she extended the instruction to include touching the tree, thereby making her own law. It is interesting that the first challenge to God's Word did not involve deletion, but addition by both the serpent and the woman. Mankind's first surrender to temptation began with doubting God's instruction and His loving character. Today sinners still ask why God for "no good reason" keeps us from enjoying something He made.
The woman's willingness to judge and her addition to God's instruction permitted the serpent to continue with a direct attack on God's character. He declared that the couple would not really die.
Instead, he claimed that God's motive was only to keep the couple from being like God. The serpent claimed that the phrases "your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5) are God's reasons for giving the prohibitive command; in reality, these phrases express the human reasons for breaking the command. The couple was unhappy with their freedom as long as they thought more could be had. They pursued unrestricted freedom; to be responsible to no one, not even God. The lying serpent seemed sure that eating this fruit would produce equality not death.
The woman stood before the tree. Crudely, she saw the fruit was good for food. In a more refined manner she judged it to be pleasant to the eye. More appealing to her vanity still was the newfound faith that it would bring knowledge (For extended study, compare Genesis 3:6 with 1 John 2:16). She ate of the fruit and handed it to Adam who ate as well. The story of sin is simply told without hearing from the couple. They would now know experientially the results of their sin.
The Results of Sin
Sin had immediate results in the couple's relationship; the self-first and self-only attitude exhibited toward God affected the way they looked at each other. The mutual trust and intimacy of the one-flesh bond (Genesis 2:24) was destroyed by distrust. This does not suggest that the knowledge of good and evil was sexual awareness. Intercourse was the command and blessing ofGod prior to the fall (Genesis 1:28). However, without mutual trust, complete intimacy implies complete vulnerability (Genesis 3:7).
The couple also felt compelled to hide from God when they heard Him walking in the garden. When obedience and loving trust characterized the couple's attitude, they were appropriately comfortable in God's presence. After their sin, shame marred their relationships; both human and divine (Genesis 3:8). The sinners could not remain hidden. God pursued, asking, "where art thou" (Genesis 3:9). This may be a normal question, but some see it as God's sorrowful anticipation of what follows. Sinners must eventually speak to God (Romans 14:11). Adam admitted that God's presence now provoked fear, and human shame provoked hiding (Genesis 3:10).
God's next question brought the man's attention away from his plight to his sin (Genesis 3:11). The couple had to face their Maker. The man admitted his sin, but only after emphatically reminding God that the woman was instrumental in his involvement. Woman shared equally in the deed, but she quickly blamed the deceiving serpent (Genesis 3:12-13). Unfortunately, along with shame, blame comes quite naturally to humankind.
The Sentence for Sin
God moved immediately to punish. The serpent was not interviewed because he was not a person in whom God sought a relationship. The snake's behavior foreshadowed the reversal of created order and mankind's dominion. Once appealing and crafty, the cursed snake became lower than other animals. The judgment included the strife between snakes and humans. Some believe a fuller meaning of the verse promises Christ's ultimate victory over Satan (Genesis 3:14-15).
Eve's punishment was linked to her distinctive role in the fulfillment of God's command (Genesis 1:28). Her privilege to share in God's creative work was frustrated by intense pain. Despite this pain she would nevertheless desire intimacy with her husband, but her desire would be frustrated by sin. Their mutuality and oneness were displaced by male domination (Genesis 3:16). Even today the mark of sin is seen in the degrading domination of women--for example, rape, polygamy, and pornography.
Adam's punishment also involved the frustration of his service. He was guilty of following the woman's sinful advice and eating of the forbidden tree (Genesis 3:17). The fruitful efficiency known prior to the Fall was lost. Now even his extreme toil would be frustrated by the cursed earth. The earth was apparently cursed because it was within Adam's domain. This corporate mentality is strange to us, but biblical writers recognize nature's need for redemption (Isaiah 24; Romans 8:19-23; Colossians 1:15-20). Contemporary environmental crises remind us of human dependence upon sin-injured nature.
Practical Applications
Temptation is Satan's invitation to give in to his kind of life and give up on God's kind of life.
Temptation comes from evil desire within, not from God. It begins with an evil thought. It becomes sin when we dwell on a thought and allow it to become an action. Like a snowball
rolling downhill, sin's destruction grows the more we let sin have its way. The best time to stop a snowball is before it is too big, or moving too fast to control. Likewise, the best time to keep sin from invading one's life is at the first sight of it.
Adam and Eve got what they wanted: an intimate knowledge of both good and evil. But they got it in a distorted and painful way. Satan had twisted their thinking by telling them they could know the difference between good and evil by doing evil. We sometimes have the illusion that "freedom" is doing anything we wish. God says true freedom comes from obedience and knowing what not to do. If we make enough foolish decisions, our choices will be severely limited; so will our freedom. The restrictions He gives us are for our own good, showing us how to avoid evil. We have the freedom to stride in front of a speeding car, but we don't need to be hit to realize it would be a foolish thing to do. Don't listen to Satan's temptations and experience evil in order to learn more about life.
God can be compared to a good earthly father. A good earthly father builds a fence around his yard. This fence protects his children from running into the street and getting hit by a car. It doesn't keep them from having fun or living life to it's fullest. In the same manner, God gives us laws. His laws weren't arbitrary and they weren't made to keep us from having fun. They have been given to us for protection.
Satan used a sincere motive to tempt Eve: "You will become like God!" To become more like God is the highest goal of humanity. It is what we are supposed to do. But Satan misled Eve on the right way to accomplish this goal. He told her that you become more like God by defying God's authority, by taking God's place and deciding for yourself what is best for your life. In essence, you become your own "god."
Satan tried to show Eve that sin is "lovely". A knowledge of both good and evil seemed desirable and harmless to Eve. People usually choose wrong things because they have become convinced that those things are good, at least for themselves. Our sins do not always appear ugly to us, and the "lovely" sins are the hardest to avoid. So prepare yourself for the attractive temptations that may come your way.
It's easy to blame others and make excuses for evil thoughts and wrong actions. Excuses include (1) it's the other person's fault; (2) I couldn't help it; (3) everybody's doing it; (4) it was just a mistake; (5) nobody's perfect; (6) the devil made me do it; (7) I was pressured into it; (8) I didn't know it was wrong. However, remember that God wants our obedience, not our excuses. A person who makes excuses is trying to shift the blame from himself to something or someone else. A Christian, on the other hand, should accept responsibility for his mistakes, confess them, and ask God for forgiveness.
Don't feel guilty for almost sinning. The Holy Spirit convicts us to change after we sin. Conversely, Satan tries to make us feel guilty before we sin and after we are forgiven.
A certain theologian named Ryle remarks: "God has thought fit to allow evil to exist in order that he may have a platform for showing his mercy, grace, and compassion. If man had never fallen there would have been no opportunity of showing divine mercy. But by permitting evil, mysterious as it seems, God's works of grace, mercy, and wisdom in saving sinners have been wonderfully manifested to all his creatures. The redeeming of the church of elect sinners is the means of 'showing to principalities and powers the manifold wisdom of God' (Ephesians 3:10). Without the Fall we should have known nothing of the Cross and the Gospel."
Satan's Plan
Doubt: Makes you question God's Word and His goodness
Discouragement: Makes you look at your problems rather than at God
Diversion: Makes the wrong things seem attractive so you will want them more than the right things
Defeat: Makes you feel like a failure, so you don't even try
Delay: Makes you put off doing something so it never gets done
Satan's Limitations
We learn much about Satan as he discusses Job with God in Job 1:6-13.
1) Satan is accountable to God. 1:6
2) His thoughts are open to God. 1:7
3) Satan can only be at one place at a time. 1:6, 7
4) Satan cannot see into our minds or foretell the future. 1:9-11
5) Because Satan can do nothing without God's permission, God's people can overcome his attacks through God's power. 1:12
6) God always puts limits on what Satan can do. 1:12 and 2:6
Satan was originally an angel of God, but became corrupt through his own pride. Satan has been evil since his rebellion against God (1 John 3:8). Satan is God's enemy. He tries to hinder God's work in people, but he is limited by God's power and can do only what he is permitted to do (Luke 22:31, 32; 1 Timothy 1:19, 20; 2 Timothy 2:23-26). Satan is called the Adversary or Accuser because he actively seeks people to attack with temptation (1 Peter 5:8, 9) and because he wants to make people hate God. He does this through lies and deception (Genesis 3:1-6). Job, a righteous man, who had been greatly blessed, was a perfect target for Satan. Any person who is committed to God can expect Satan's attacks. Satan, who hates God, hates God's people as well.
Conclusion
After reading about Satan and his evil ways and God and His loving laws, I pray that you are better equipped for spiritual warfare. Many questions have been answered about Satan from God's Word. Thank God that Satan is not as strong as He is. Thank God that we can overcome temptation with His power. To God be all of the glory, honor and praise, forever and ever. An encouraging verse to remember from the New Testament is this: 1 Corinthians 10:13 "No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it." We are weak and Satan is stronger, but God is stronger than all!
Bibliography
"The Concise Dictionary of Religion," Irving Hexham, 1993.
"The Holman Bible Dictionary," Holman Bible Publishers, 1991.
"The Holy Bible," King James Version and New King James Version.
"The IVP Bible Background Commentary, Genesis-Deuteronomy," by Walton and Matthews, InterVarsity Press, 1997.
"The Life Application Bible," Tyndale House Publishers, 1986.
"Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary," Ver. 2.5, Zane Publishing Co., 1994-1996.
"Strong's Concordance of the Bible," Parsons Technology.
"Wilmington's Complete Guide to Bible Knowledge: Old Testament People," Tyndale House
