July 15, 2021
But the word of the LORD was to them, “Precept upon precept, precept upon precept, line upon line, line upon line, here a little, there a little.” Isaiah 28:13a
Our Lord is a wonderful, amazing Teacher. He has laid out foundational concepts for us to take a firm hold upon in His Word. Each concept is reinforced and built upon as one continues through the Bible. And we see that, from the start of this world’s history, every precept He gives is met with a counterfeit from the adversary. It may be a subtle deviation that eventually places one on the wrong path, or it may be a blatant contradiction. All methods he employs are devised to deceive us about the character of God and the authority of His Word.
God is love. (1 John 4:8) We can see in the first two chapters of Genesis a glimpse of the pure beauty of God’s character, His creative power, and His divine intention for His people to live happily forever in close communion with Himself. Eden was lavishly planted with beautiful trees bearing a wide variety of delicious fruits. There may have been hundreds or even thousands of these, but having made us in His image as free moral agents, there had to be choice between obedience and disobedience. His clear instruction was to “freely eat of every tree” with one exception. It was a very simple test of loyalty. The reality of human free will is also on display.
It is evident that Eve, of her own power, strayed toward the one forbidden tree (Genesis 3:1). This placed her within earshot of the serpent, who was “more cunning than any beast…” The very first words from his lips (if snakes have lips) came in the form of a question that was a twisted version of God’s loving command: “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” Satan fortified his twisted question with the word “indeed” and inserted the word “not”, reversing God’s loving instruction into something negative. Eve knew God’s clear instructions, but she weakened her response by omitting the words “freely” and “surely.” (see Genesis 3:2-3) Now for the serpent's blatant statement of contradiction: “You will not surely die.” (v.4), followed by a reinforcement to disobey: “…you will be like God” (v.5). The deceptive irony here is that Eve accepted Satan’s altered message, and apparently forgot that she and Adam were made in His image! (1:27)
This brief exchange teaches us discernment if we are willing to learn the lessons, a few of which are: Satan can quote/misquote/twist the words of God. He preys upon the innocence of God’s people. He boldly contradicts what God has said, in hopes of deceiving people into believing that God doesn’t really mean what He says. He (and his representatives) claim to speak for God (v.5). His influence implies that God is withholding something from us, and disobedience brings enlightenment (v.5). His deceptions cause God’s people to not only switch loyalties, but to influence others to do the same (v.6).
We see more evidence of God’s love in that He came looking for His beloved people and gave them the hope of redemption in the first prophecy of the Savior to come (3:15). We see that the “way to the tree of life” is guarded (3:24). All praises to God!
Jesus said to [Thomas], “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” John 14:6