Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any breast of the field which the Lord God had made. --
Ancient rock impressions have been found by archaeologists that show the snake having legs up and down its sides. And biologists have seen small impressions on the snake's vertebrae that look like legs had been attached there. A very beautiful creature.
And he said to the woman, --
The one speaking here is Satan using the snake to communicate.
"Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?" --
Here is where he plants doubt into the woman's thinking processes.
And the woman said to the serpent, --
She didn't think it strange for a snake to be talking to her!?!
"From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;" --
She is right and accurate in what she said here.
But from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat from it or touch it, lest you die.'"
Here either the woman adds to what God told Adam (in 2:17), or Adam added that part when he told her, to not touch it. In any case, apparently just touching the fruit without consuming it would not have resulted in death.
And the serpent said to the woman, "You surely shall not die!" --
Here Satan tells her a bold-faced lie, completely countering what God clearly commanded.
"For God knows" --
Satan is implying that God is not being honest with them, and is holding something back from them that would be beneficial.
"That in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil." --
Satan told her that to eat this fruit would make her "like God," in a way that would let her be her own god, not needing to listen to God any more, or anyone else, either, because she could choose for herself what she thinks would be best.
When the woman saw --
Oh-oh, she's looking right at it now . . .
that the tree was good for food, --
It looked and smelled delicious.
And that it was a delight to the eyes, --
It really was beautiful, like all of God's creation.
And that the tree was desirable to make one wise, --
She considered it a good thing to be enabled to make her own decisions and not "bother" God; to be her own god.
She took from its fruit and ate; --
She's following through on the decision she has already made.
And she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
Apparently Adam was right there, and let her do it--or he walked up just then--but he ate, too. We're not told why, but he knew he was disobeying God, and did it deliberately.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, --
Yes, Satan said that would happen, but what did they see? Wisdom?
And they knew that they were naked; --
No, not wisdom, only shame. For the first time.
And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. --
This is the first "religion," doing what we can to fix what's wrong and cover over where we're exposed.
Satan is still telling us that we're smart, we're adults, we don't need anyone to tell us what to do or not do, we can decide for ourselves. We certainly don't need to listen to God, because He just wants to "catch" us doing something He can punish. We don't need Him.
But if we're not listening to God Who loves us, to do the right things He leads us to do, then we're only letting our enemy dictate to us, to deceive us, and destroy us.
Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
