“Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” – Genesis 3:1
Our son has recently entered the preteen years. More challenging than the sleepless nights during the newborn months, more challenging than the toddler phase where busy hands are exploring every possible danger (despite how much we baby-proofed the house,) and more challenging than navigating how to balance school, homework, and extracurricular activities comes the phase of life where every healthy boundary that we establish for our child’s safety is perceived as bondage.
God established necessary restrictions in the Garden of Eden. Eating fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden would open the eyes of man and woman so that they could identify good and evil. But it would not grant them the power and wisdom that God possesses; they would recognize good and evil within the confines of their human limitations.
Our preteen son desperately wants to be independent and make his own choices. But because of his innocence, because there is still so much he has yet to learn about the world around him, letting him do so without our guidance and supervision would be sheer foolishness. The world would devour him in a heartbeat.
The serpent knew that Adam and Eve walked alongside God in the garden. They remained close to their Creator and their protector. How could Satan cause the man and woman to stumble and be disobedient when they were always near the Lord?
“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “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 3:4-5)
In other words, “God told you that eating the fruit would bring death, but God lied to you. He told you that you would die, but He did that to keep you from enjoying things that make you happy. God does not want you to be like Him; He wants to keep you beneath Him.”
The devil attacked God’s character and His motives, and in doing so, convinced man and woman that God was not an honest and loving Father.
Because surely a good God would let His people do whatever makes them happy…
“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.” (Genesis 3:6-7)
After processing the serpent’s words, the wheels in Eve’s mind turned in defiance and entitlement. She began to deny and defy what she once knew as God’s Truth.
Satan’s tricks have not changed all these centuries later.
When all other means of temptation fail, the devil will resort to convincing the Lord’s children that He is a mean and restrictive Father.
“Did God really say….?”
The culture in which we live often pushes a narrative that goes against Biblical Truth. (Heck, they even make t-shirts and water bottles out of it.) Christians are often convinced that Christ Himself said many of these worldly quotes.
The world says, “Follow your heart.”
But God’s Word says, “Above all else, guard your heart, for it is the wellspring of life.” (Proverbs 4:23) “The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it?” (Jeremiah 17:9)
The world says, “Do what makes you happy.”
But God’s Word says, “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.” (Philippians 4:8)
The world says, “You are powerful.”
But God’s Word says, “But God said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” (2 Corinthians 12:9-10)
The world says, “You can be whatever you want to be.”
But God’s Word says, “When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God. He created them male and female and blessed them.” (Genesis 5:1-2) “Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.” (Romans 8:17)
When we remain in the Word and in prayer, we fully and undoubtedly come to understand what God did and did not say. During moments of temptation, we can recognize Satan’s schemes for what they are: a jealous and cunning devil who wants to separate the sons and daughters of the Most High from their perfect Father. “As for God, His way is perfect; the word of the Lord is flawless. He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him.” (Psalm 18:30)
So let us rest in the assurance of what we know IS true, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.” (John 3:16-17)
