05/17/2026
Genesis 3 is recounts history not mythology. Jesus taught that God made Adam and Eve “in the beginning,” and Paul taught that every human on earth descended from them (Matthew 19:4; Acts 17:26). In the Garden, Adam and Eve were confronted by a literal snake, one of the creatures that “the Lord God had made” (v. 3). So was this a talking snake? Yes. The Bible later explains that “this ancient serpent” was Satan—it was a creature of mesmerizing beauty over which the adversary took possession (Revelation 12). Satan is an angel who was created by God originally good yet who chose to rebel against God and led in his rebellion a third of the hundreds of thousands of God’s angels. Satan is a liar and the originator of lies; he is the master deceiver who presently deceives the whole world, duping people to think that Jesus is insignificant and the good life centers on one’s pleasures, possessions, and reputation.
Satan’s temptation of Adam and Eve began with a simple, subtle question—he questioned whether God’s word was really true. The fact that Satan approached Eve was actually a subtle test of Adam, who was commissioned to guard the Garden and was standing right next to her (v. 6; 2:15). And the question that Satan posed to Eve had a subtle suggestion—that God was unkindly withholding something good from them. That innuendo expanded into a bold frontal attack in verse 4-5; Satan blatantly accused God of lying about death and of selfishly restricting Adam and Eve. Satan lied; he promised Adam and Eve that, if they rebelled against God, they’d actually experience life—life with the freedom and power to be their own authority and to determine right and wrong for themselves. This epic temptation in world history shows the way that every single temptation works.
Tri-County, let’s not be ignorant of Satan’s strategies. He twists God’s word, especially its rules, to make our good and generous God seem cruel and restrictive. He twists God’s word to attack God’s character. So the most powerful antidote to temptation is to bathe your mind in God’s character as it’s clearly revealed in God’s word. And God’s glory and grace are seen most clearly in our crucified, risen, and returning King who will “reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). Stand firm in Christ.
For further study, read the parenthetical references above along with John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:14; Ephesians 2:2;
6:10-18; and 1 John 5:19.
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Eve’s answer in vv. 2-3 suggests that she might be starting to take the bait. If you compare Eve’s reply to the snake in verse 3 with God’s exact words in 2:16-17, you’ll notice that Eve seems to tweak God’s words at three points. First, she seems to limit God’s generosity (by not stressing that they can “freely” eat from “every” tree except one—the words that emphasize God’s generosity—“freely” and “every”—are missing). Second, she seems to exaggerate God’s severity (by saying at the end of v. 3, “we can’t even touch it” which God never said; Kidner, page 72). Third, she seems to weaken God’s threat (Eve said, “We mustn’t eat or touch it, lest we die.” But God had actually used more forceful language: “In the day you eat of it you will certainly die.”). None of these are major adjustments, they’re just subtle, minor adjustments to a subtle suggestion.
