Dear Disciple,
“[The serpent] said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”? … You will not certainly die. For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’” Genesis 3:1,4-5
The story of humanity’s first experience with temptation is not just a distant memory of how things went for our first parents; it is also a model of how things have gone ever since. The Enemy who tempted our first mother has really not had to change his tactics very much at all in order to fool her children through the ages.
The ancient serpent (Revelation 12:9), who is the father of lies (John 8:44) and the tempter (Matthew 4:3), has been a murderer and has sinned “from the beginning” (John 8:44; 1 John 3:8). I have no doubt that it brought him immense joy to lead God’s special creation to rebel against their Creator and bring corruption to the earthly order of things. In order to draw people into sin and ruin, the devil (meaning “slanderer) has always brought God’s clear Word into question. He still tempts you and me today to ask: did God really say that? Did God really mean to forgive that person? Did He really mean not to gossip about this drama? Did He actually say that sexual union is meant to be kept between husband and wife? The tempter prompts us to seek every loophole and justify every breach of God’s commands.
Did you notice, Disciple, the serpent’s second approach? After questioning God’s command, he challenged God’s character and motive. He insisted that God lied about the consequences of eating from the tree of knowledge. The suggestion seemed to be that the Creator feared the advancement and improvement of mankind, and that it was God who wanted to keep humans from their fullest potential. This tactic of the Enemy has been so successful that it is employed constantly in the modern world. The thought that God has given commands in order to limit us and keep us enslaved is a primary argument behind the “New Atheism” that has arisen in the last few decades. Humanism thrives on the idea that mankind can only reach its full potential when it puts aside its childish dependence on God and religion. I have heard the arguments made by very intelligent people that the God of the Bible is a monster, a dictator, and a mass murderer. Once the character of God has been cast this way, the Enemy’s work is all but done in a person’s life. Using God’s own standards to condemn Him in the eyes of His creation is a brilliant move that the serpent has masterfully employed over the centuries.
There is another important detail to notice here, Disciple. When the woman, and then the man, listened to the serpent and sinned against their Creator, they had to pay the terrible consequences for it. Yes, the serpent suffered for the part it played, but Adam and Eve weren’t held blameless because they were misled. As dignified beings made to be the images of God, they had to swallow the bitter pill of God’s judgment. As active as our Enemy is in attempting to lead us astray, we have no excuses if we are so led. We have the clear word of our Maker and Master. We have His Spirit dwelling within us. We have His people to encourage, correct, and rebuke us as needed. While the sinister voice of temptation will always call out to us while we live in this world, so will the loving voice of truth. We can choose to heed the voice of our true Shepherd, and what a privilege it is to do so!
Learning to listen to the Shepherd, rather than the serpent, with you,
Ryan
