Genesis 3 - The Fall

I'm going to talk about Satan, the Accuser, the Deceiver, the Father of Lies, the Evil One, the Ruler of Darkness, and any other name you can think of. But I'm not going to talk about him in the way you probably think I'm going to talk about him. Are you ready?

In this chapter, he told the truth. A half-truth to be sure, but he still told the truth.

Did I catch you by surprise? Don't believe me? Well, check it out:

"'You will not certainly die,' the serpent said to the woman" (Genesis 3:4).

And did they die? Not that instant. So, you can't fault him for being truthful there. Again, it's a half-truth, because they did die later as a result, but he still told the truth.

"For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil" (Genesis 3:5).

Did Adam and Eve know good from evil from that point, they sure did as they immediately hid when God came to have a vineside chat with them. In fact, this statement was probably more truthful than his previous statement. Did he tell the whole truth? No, but indeed, what he did say came to pass.

And this, my friends, is what makes the devil so dangerous. His statements will always have truth to them. He and his cronies say all sorts of things to us today that have truth to them, but they say them in such a way as to hide the disastrous underbelly to those truths. Ultimately, they speak words that we think bring us life; but following those ways ultimately brings death.

"Having lots of money will bring you happiness," the devil says and it seems true. Only, he leaves out the part that the pursuit of it will leave you emptier when you started because you'll never have enough.

"To be secure, keep constant vigilance," the devil says and it seems true. He only leaves out the part that keeping constant vigilance requires more and more of your energy and your life, leaving you ever more insecure and afraid.

"As long as you don't hurt anyone else, do whatever feels right and good," the devil says and it seems true. Only, he leaves out the part that as you focus more and more on yourself, you alienate yourself with the community. Then when you really do need help, no one is there.

All in all, Satan is completely correct in the fact that we will never be secure; and he made that point abundantly clear to Adam and Eve. He is right in the fact that the only way we will ever be totally, 100% secure is if we're like God. He is truthful when he says that we can only be secure when we have it all.

But what he leaves out is that God has given us enough. He leaves out the fact that God gives us enough. He leaves out the fact that God will give us enough. He leaves out the fact that all of these pursuits of security lead us away from God. He leaves out the fact that when we follow our own way instead of God's, it leads to death.

Thankfully, even as God makes sure that Adam and Eve cannot eat of the Tree of Life, and makes the consequences of their actions known to them, he gives a promise:

"I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head..." (Genesis 3:15).

In this promise, God foreshadows that He will again give us enough; actually more than enough; more than we could ever need - His Son, Jesus Christ. And though Satan struck at his heel, Jesus will crush him once and for all. Can't wait!

Other questions to think about (and that I didn't have time or space to write about):
- Ever wonder what it must've been like to be able to talk to God face-to-face in the garden?

- Have you ever noticed that God warned "you shall die..." but that is the last part of the enumeration of the consequences? Wouldn't one think it'd be the first? (and the fact that he didn't use the actual word, 'die'?)

- And was it a blessing or a curse that they could not re-enter the garden once God closed the doors?