Genesis 2:16-17 (ESV Strong’s)
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Comment: After God created Adam and Eve, He gave them a commandment to eat of every tree of the garden except one tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them that they would surely die if they had eaten it. They had all the trees to eat from and only one was forbidden and it was for their own good. This was the very first commandment that God gave to human beings. This is equally the very first commandment of God that the devil distorted and added to through Eve. This set a precedence which is followed even today by those that are of the devil. The bible which is the word of God is attacked, distorted and added to on a daily basis.
Genesis 3:1-6 (ESV Strong’s)
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
Word Study: The word “crafty” means to be skillful and wise and to use that in a very negative way. To be cunning or shrewd.
Comment: The talking serpent is not explained as to who he is and his origin but we know from Rev 12:9, 20:2 and 2 Cor 11:3 that the serpent is the devil.
Revelation 20:2 (ESV Strong’s)
2 And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
The devil is introduced here as being craftier than any other beast that God has created. So, we know that the devil is described here to be very wise and skillful in a very deceitful and negative way. In the next verses, we will see how the devil uses his craftiness in a very deceitful and negative way to mislead Eve into disobeying God.
Message: Modern false prophets and priests, pastors, apostles, men of god, are equally very crafty just like their father the devil. One can say like father like son. Like the devil, they use their skills and earthly wisdom to deceive people and give them one way ticket to hell.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
Comment: Now the woman here is Eve. The devil asked Eve a very deceiving question. At face value, this seems like an innocent question but, as I will show you, it is designed very skillfully to plant negativity in Eve’s mind. The devil would not have asked this question if he did not know what God had said. He knew but deliberately asked the question in the manner in which he did. Let us look at it.
This is what God said in Gen 2:16-17 ” You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, ” and this is what the devil asks ” You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” “. God says you may eat of any tree in the garden but one. All the trees except one. The devil asks if God said they shall not eat of any tree in the garden. God’s statement is very positive as He only forbids one tree but the devil’s question is very negative as it implies that God has forbidden all the trees. The devil’s question is meant to portray to Eve a picture of an unfair God who unreasonably prohibit them from eating any tree they want. The devil paints a picture of a God that is over controlling. The devil by this question is saying to Eve that God is unreasonable, unfair and over controlling, a God who does not even allow them to eat from the trees of the garden. You will see below how Eve falls for this trap.
Message: This is still the kind of deceit that modern false prophets and priests, pastors, apostles, men of god still use. Example: “God is love, will he really send you to hell?, does God really want you to suffer?, does God really want you not to enjoy yourself?, does God really want you to be poor?”. If God is such a loving God, would He have allowed this to happen?, etc. These are all designed to cast doubt in the mind of people against God and His commandments and sadly, just like Eve, many people fall for this trick, same trick that the devil used, even today.
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 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.’”
Comment: Notice how because of what the devil asked, does Eve move away from what God has said to what the devil made her think God said. God says ” You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,” and Eve says ” “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, “. Eve has removed the word “every” from what God said. You see, without the word “every”, God’s statement already start to sound restrictive.
Secondly, Eve says they may eat of the trees of the garden and then she says ” but God said, You shall not eat “. Eve seems to imply that they always had the right to eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden but somehow God said they shall not eat. So, now, God is no longer the one who said they may eat but rather, now God is the one saying, they may not eat. They may eat but God says No.
Thirdly, Eve does not only twist God’s word but now adds to it: ” neither shall you touch it “. God never said that they must not touch the tree. This is what God said: ” “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” “. As you can see, God said nothing about touching.
Not only has Eve twisted God’s word but she has also added to it and now, God’s word according to Eve, is no longer positive but now, God’s word is negative, unreasonable and unfair. This is all because of a simple question which sounded so innocent ” “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”“
Message: A simple question that makes Eve to question God’s word, twist it and add to it. Now Eve no longer sees God as loving, caring and holy but rather as unfair, unreasonable and over controlling. Compare this to what the modern false prophets and priests, pastors, apostles, men of god do. They ask or say a simple thing very close to what God said and they twist and add to it and by the time they are finished with you, you think that they are telling the truth, while in the meantime they are distorting and adding to God’s word. Again, the sad thing is that many people fall for this old and should have expired trick.
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Comment: Now, at this stage, Eve is completely negative against God. She has completely changed her perception about God. She thinks God is unfair, unreasonable and over controlling. This is exactly the state of mind that the devil wanted to achieve in Eve and now that he has, the devil decided to then go for the kill and reveal his true motives. The devil tells Eve that she will not die when she eats the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The devil contradicts God and calls Him a liar. Remember that Eve has already concluded that God is unfair, unreasonable and over controlling, now the devil adds to Eve’s list by calling God a liar. This now puts in Eve’s mind that God cannot be trusted.
While calling God a liar, the devil dangles the most desired carrot of the all, which is to want to be like God. The same carrot that he himself wanted that led God to throw him out of heaven.
Isaiah 14:13-14 (ESV Strong’s)
13 You said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven; above the stars of God I will set my throne on high; I will sit on the mount of assembly in the far reaches of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds;I will make myself like the Most High.’
He also wanted to be like God. It is a sense of being all wise, all powerful and being in control over all. This is the same thing he promised Jesus if Jesus was to bow to him, power!
Luke 4:5-7 (ESV Strong’s)
5 And the devil took him up and showed him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time, 6 and said to him, “To you I will give all this authority and their glory, for it has been delivered to me, and I give it to whom I will. 7 If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.”
The devil tells Eve, God is a liar, if you eat this, you will be like Him, you will also know good and evil, you will be wiser, you will be like God!. Can you imagine what is going though Eve’s mind at this stage. The devil has her exactly where she wants her.
The devil first planted a seed of doubt in Eve’s mind that led to Eve concluding that God is unfair, unreasonable and over controlling. Then the devil told Eve that God is a liar and offered her an alternative to what God has given her. The devil offered her wisdom like that of God. Having destroyed God’s image in Eve’s mind, the devil stepped in and made Eve an offer she cannot refuse.
Message: Once these modern false prophets and priests, pastors, apostles, men of god have finished distorting and adding to God’s word, they present themselves to us as alternatives to God’s alleged failures to heal us, make us rich, deliver us from poverty, get us jobs, etc. They present themselves as having the wisdom and Power! To do what God is not doing for us. They have the power to command God to give us what they want. If they command God to heal you, then God will, If they command God to give you a job, God will do it, if they command God to make you rich, God will do it, etc. the same method that the devil used on Eve, these people are using it even today.
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
Comment: Suddenly, Eve’s focus is no longer on any other tree but the forbidden one. Now the tree looks good for food. At this point Eve is no longer worried about disobeying God. She has already concluded that God is not to be trusted let alone be obeyed. She is no longer willing to humble herself before God. Secondly, She now looks at the tree differently and it is a delight to her eyes. Thirdly, she now desires what the tree can offer which is wisdom like that of God and she took the fruit and ate it. Not only did she stop there but she also gave Adam and he also ate.
1 John 2:16 (ESV Strong’s)
16 For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world.
Word Study: The word “life” in this verse refers to life possessions
This is exactly how the devil operates. In Eve’s case:
- The desires of flesh: saw that the tree was good for food
- The desires of the eyes: it was a delight to the eyes
- The pride of life or possession: was to be desired to make one wise,
All these, the devil used in Eve’s case to deceive her into disobeying God.
Message: Even today, this is exactly the three things that the devil uses to entice people to disobey God. Equally so, these three things are exactly what the modern false prophets and priests, pastors, apostles, men of god use to deceive people into disobeying God. Now that you know, keep your eyes out for these.