Context
Since I just spent several months digging into Genesis 3:1-7, it is obvious that one day's devotional could never plumb the depths of this powerful passage. In Genesis 3 we see the beginning of human rebellion and sin, as Adam and Eve choose to listen to Satan's lies instead of to God's truth.
We see several things worth noting in this passage.
First, we are introduced to the serpent, the embodiment of our enemy the devil. We see his lies, as he tries to cause Adam and Eve to believe that the good God is actually cruel to them.
We see the root of sin, which is pride and independence, the desire to "be like God" instead of to submit to him and worship him. That was Satan's downfall and it was the inducement he used with the man and woman.
We see the consequences of sin, as God brings judgment on sin, bringing down the curse on the man, the woman, and on the serpent.
And finally, in Genesis 3:15, we see what has been called the Protoevangelion - the first gospel. In the curse, God tells the serpent (Satan) that he would strike the heel of the Seed of the woman but that the woman's Seed would then crush his head. That is seen as a prophecy of the coming of Christ would be put to death but would rise again to stand victorious over Satan.
Devotional - Drinking Satan's Desert Sand
There is so much to devour in this passage - the path of temptation that Satan sets before us, the ease with which we are duped by his lies, the terrible effects of sin and the curse it brings on our lives, and most gloriously, the intent of God to redeem (3:16) as he promises to send one who will crush the Serpent's head.
But the first line strikes me as significant. “The serpent was more crafty than any other…” Of course, we know from the rest of Scripture that this serpent was the rebel Satan. He has an ability to deceive human beings into making bad choices that cost us God's blessings and bring judgment on us.
Consider the irony of the situation. God gave Adam and Eve a paradise – a place beyond our wildest imaginations. Beauty. Joy. Sustenance. Companionship. Pleasure. What more could they ask for? And all God required was that they would honor his Lordship to him by refusing to eat of one tree. One tree out of a thousand? A million? That one tree belonged to God and they were to treat it as holy in obedience to the Father.
Could God have been any better to Adam and Eve?
And yet, Satan was able to convince this first human pair that God was against them, that he was robbing them of the joy of life, that he was holding them back. Look at his question.
“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
With these crafty words, Satan turned the goodness of God into meanness - how could he withhold that wonderful tree from them? Was he that cruel and oppressive? He made the gift of God seem like a burden.
Then, Satan made an assertion about God's warning that disobedience would bring death. Not so, he said.
“You will not surely die!”
The Liar of Liars calls the God of Truth a liar – and Adam and Eve bought it. Satan has been calling the truth of God's words into question ever since. The Bible isn't accurate. You can't trust what it says. It's teachings are outdated and have been replaced by the wisdom of today's experts. You can ignore God's word and cast it aside without concern or consequence. You will not surely die.
Finally, he said, “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
God is trying to hold you down and keep you back. If you want to reach your potential and get the most out of life, you must cast off the shackles of God's control and do as you please. Obeying God will ruin your life, or limit it's potential at the least. No one should be Lord over you! You will only be "all you can be" if you "do your own thing."
It was nothing but a lie, a mirage in the desert. All Satan offered was a single piece of fruit. It would cost them paradise, the blessing of God, intimacy with God, the life that God had created for them. They gave it all up for one bite of fruit. Satan convinced them that one bite of one piece of fruit was better than all that God would give them.
It was nothing but a lie, a mirage in the desert. All Satan offered was a single piece of fruit. It would cost them paradise, the blessing of God, intimacy with God, the life that God had created for them. They gave it all up for one bite of fruit. Satan convinced them that one bite of one piece of fruit was better than all that God would give them.
Adam and Eve fell to the lies of Satan and brought death and destruction into this world. Still today we listen to Satan's lies. We too often fall prey to the belief that God's commands are oppressive, that we can get away with disobedience, that our lives will be better if we walk our own paths instead of God's. And as we listen to those lies we find again that all Satan offers is a mirage. Time and again we drink desert sand instead of the water of life that comes from God when we give our lives to him.
It is the word that exposes those lies so that we may walk in the truth. Let us no longer drink the sand of Satan's lies, but take in the water of life that comes from Christ.
Lord, you are Truth. May we listen to your truth and to God’s Word rather than to the lies of the Enemy. May your word expose the works of darkness with the light of truth. May we stop settling for Satan's desert sand and drink deeply from your living water.
Think and Pray
No comments:
Post a Comment