Who doesn’t know the snake-in-the-garden story? My guess is that if any Bible story is familiar to most people, this is it. The computer I’m using has the image of that forbidden fruit, and it’s proved to be a financial asset to those who thought of the logo—always pointed, you’ve probably noticed, not toward you but toward the rest of the world, folks who may be in the market for a computer. But back to that story. The snake’s was the first voice to cast doubt on the Word of God.
This is the opener: “Did God really say you shall not eat from all the garden trees?” (Gen 3: 1). The question shows that a conversation is already in progress. This skeptic is quoting the woman’s words back to her. She’d said, “We may not eat fruit from all the trees in the garden,” no doubt emphasizing the word all. Responding to the snake’s question, Eve repeats what she said, oddly expanding it: “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but God said, ‘The tree that is in the middle of the garden—you may not eat the fruit from it, and you may not touch it lest you die’” (Gen 3: 2-3). The snake has chosen to ignore her earlier emphasis on all, repeating what she said but changing the emphasis.
This makes God seem unreasonable. God has created a beautiful garden and placed in it numerous beautiful, fruit-bearing trees but, the snake implies, God has denied the man and woman access to every tree. God is not only unreasonable but cruel, teasing a hungry man and woman with his outrageous verboten. No, you may not eat—not from any of these trees, not a one. This is the snake’s implication, an evil suggestion about God. Apparently, by subtly emphasizing not just all but all the trees, the snake has lured her into further conversation, causing her to clarify. No, God didn’t say all. We can eat the fruit—all but the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. Here’s the first take-away: When a nay-sayer discredits the Bible, ask yourself: What is implied about God’s character? If God is discredited, discredit the critic!
Genesis 3: 1 says “The serpent was more crafty than all the creatures of the field the Lord God made.” It’s a good point and one to remember when you think about all the many ways we are tempted to disregard the Bible, to dismiss not just the hard commands but also the words of encouragement, promises, and assurances meant to help us get through difficult days. Crafty subtleties, inuendoes, implications, slight changes in tone can do a lot to bend an argument. Listen with your imagination to this scenario: Eve: God told us not to eat the fruit of all the trees [i.e., we may eat, but not from every single tree—i.e., not from all the trees]. The snake: “Did God really say you aren’t to eat from all the trees in the garden?” [i.e., They’re there. The fruit is abundant and beautiful, but you may not touch even one, so ignore the fragrance, the mouth-watering appearance, the appealing shapes and colors.] God has commanded, and it’s clear that he’s unreasonable, unkind, even cruel to hungry people.
The snake has cleverly changed her emphasis and prolonged the chat, twisting her words with a deceitful point about God and eliciting further conversation. Another take-away: It’s probably a good idea not to spend one split-second conversing with the voice of temptation. Any words, any reasoning becomes raw material, ammunition and resources for our undoing. Silence is harder to twist than words, harder to aim against us.
The rest of the temptation is centered not on hunger but on what could be considered a commendable desire to “be like God.” Children imitate their parents, wanting to be like them. People say, “ Imitation is the sincerest compliment.” Paul exhorts us to “imitate Christ” (1 Cor 11: 1). He says he imitates Christ. Here’s another take-away. Our best motives and actions, virtues we own—even these can become snares. Eve is correct in her desire to be like God. But if her desire to be like God requires rejecting God’s clear command, it can’t be right. Accepting the authority of God’s word is the first right choice. Then in the act of doing what it commands—becoming doers, not hearers only—we affirm our acceptance and agreement through obedient action (Rom 2: 13; James 1:22). As we know, Eve bit the apple.
with thanks to alfonso-castro-HaGwCk2AD84-unsplash.jpg
From the Edgefield Advertiser, oldest newspaper in South Carolina
February 3, 2021
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