Genesis 3 -- A Temptation Is ...

This chapter is chock full of so much stuff!  My commentary says that without it, “There’d be no Bible as we know it, because the rest of Scripture documents the sad consequences of Adam’s sin and explains what God in His grace has done to rescue us.”

It said, “A temptation is an opportunity to accomplish a good thing in a bad way … in essence, Satan said to Eve, ‘I can give you something that you need and want.  You can have it now and enjoy it, and best of all, there won’t be any painful consequences.  What an opportunity!’”  That about says it all.  And there’s a sucker born every minute to believe the lie, too.

It also described how Satan operates.  He disguised himself, he questioned God’s word, and then he denied God’s Word.  “Satan leads people to the place of disobedience.  Once we start to question God’s Word, we’re prepared to deny His Word and believe Satan’s lies.  Then it’s just a short step to believing Satan’s promises and disobeying God’s commands.”

Something important:  Eve was deceived, but Adam sinned willfully with his eyes wide open, and I’ve often read that the Old Testament makes no provision for offerings to set aside willful sin.

The main attractants Satan uses to bait us are the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, and we see that in Eve’s sin – “Good for food … pleasant to the eyes … and desirable for gaining wisdom.”

God didn’t want His creation to have to know what sin was and what it felt like to commit it.  That’s why He warned them not to eat from that tree.  That was His act of love, not something He was unreasonably withholding from them.  Had He not placed that tree in the garden, though, we wouldn’t have had free choice.

Father, it’s hard to stomach how through Adam we chose Satan over You.  How Your heart must have broken by that choice.  Thank You for loving us enough to make provision for our rebellion through Your Son’s death for our sins.  Such love!

Your Brother In Christ,

Gary Ford