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’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 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 3:1–5).
God desires relationships, not programmed robots to obey his every command. He grants us the ability to make our own choices, to have free will. When Adam and Eve were first created, they lived in perfect fellowship with God. But the crafty serpent planted doubt with half truths and lies. That’s what the enemy of God is all about.
Crafty is an understatement. The serpent doesn’t command Adam and Eve to swear their allegiance to him or walk with him in the cool of the day instead. He doesn’t suggest blatant disobedience. He subtly appeals to their pride and tempts them by twisting the truth. But when they eat from the forbidden tree, their perfect fellowship with God is severed. Adam and Eve are banished from the garden as punishment and protection, “lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever” (Genesis 3:22).
Lord God, you are the way, the truth, and the life. Open our eyes to reveal the subtle and obvious ways we are giving into our pride. Help us call it what it is: sin. Give us the courage to repent. Help us rest in your forgiveness.
