If the Lord wills, we will study Genesis 3:1-24 on Sunday morning, which tells us the story of the fall of man. Satan, through a serpent, tempted Eve to eat of the tree that God commanded them not to eat from. Adam and Eve both ate of the fruit and brought severe spiritual consequences on themselves and humanity. As I studied through this story, there were a handful of principles that I discovered in the text that are helpful, insightful, and challenging; however, I do not have the time or space to mention them in the sermon! As a supplement to the study that we will participate in together on Sunday morning, I would like to offer three of those thoughts here.
First, our enemy is crafty. In Genesis 3:1, the Bible says, “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.” In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word for “crafty” can be used in a positive sense. For example, the term “prudent” in Proverbs 14:8 is the same word that is translated as “crafty” in Genesis 3:1. In Proverbs 14:8, the prudent/crafty person is described as wise and able to discern his way and is contrasted with the deceptive folly of fools. However, the term can also be used in a negative way to refer to a cunning person, one who is a master manipulator; that is the way that it is used in Genesis 3:1. We should never deceive ourselves into thinking that our enemy, Satan, is ignorant or unintelligent. By ourselves, outsmarting Satan is impossible. Our enemy is crafty. He is cunning. He is a master of manipulation. That is why we must “be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might” (Ephesians 6:10) and “put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil” (Ephesians 6:11).
Second, sin is appealing. As Satan tried to create doubt in Eve’s heart about who God is and what God had said, Genesis 3:6 shows how appealing sin was to her. As Eve was tempted to eat of the tree, 1 John 2:16 identifies the three different areas where sin appealed to her in Genesis 3:6: “the desires of the flesh” (“the tree was good for food”), “the desires of the eyes” (“it was a delight to the eyes”), and “the pride of life” (“the tree was to be desired to make one wise”). Breaking God’s command was appealing to Eve. She was lured and enticed by her own desire (James 1:14). Her desire led to sin, which produced death (James 1:15). The same is true for us. In reality, sin is disgusting, destructive, and devastating. But that is not the way that sin looks in the moment of temptation. Sin is appealing to us. Temptation would not be tempting if sin was not appealing.
Third, sin can result from both deception and intentionality. Both Adam and Eve ate of the tree, but the Bible is clear that Eve was deceived by the crafty serpent (Genesis 3:13; 2 Corinthians 11:3; 1 Timothy 2:14). Eve allowed the wool to be pulled over her eyes. Eve allowed herself to be tricked and deceived. Because of that, she fell into sin. Adam, on the other hand, was not deceived at all (1 Timothy 2:14). When Adam ate of the tree, he knew what God had commanded and disobeyed intentionally. Even though Adam was not the target of the serpent, Adam heard every word that the serpent said because he was standing with Eve when she was being tempted (Genesis 3:6). Adam was not tricked at all and walked into sin deliberately. This continues to be true today. Sometimes, we sin because we have allowed ourselves to be deceived. Sometimes, we know what we are doing is wrong and have not been tricked at all, but we decide to sin anyway. Whether our sin comes from deception or intentionality, the result is still rebellion against God.
While we will look at this story more fully on Sunday morning, I hope that these thoughts will encourage us to walk closely to the Lord at all times. Our enemy is crafty, so don’t allow yourself to be manipulated. Sin is appealing, so instead of giving in to your desires and pride, choose to stand with God. Sin can result from both deception and intentionality, so always stay on guard so that you can know and live God’s will for your life.
-Tyler Alverson
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