The First Two Lies
By Bonnie Ricks
Genesis 3:1-7 NIV
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"
The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'"
"You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Jesus said that Satan is the "father of lies." (John 8:44) And that's the truth! He told his first two whoppers in the Garden of Eden, as recounted in the passage above, and Eve bought them both. hook, line and sinker.
He told his first lie when he said, "You will not surely die." Eve had just told the devil that God had said, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die." It's interesting to note that Eve "embellished" a bit on what God had said, adding that they were not to touch the tree, or they would die. The serpent's response was, "You will NOT die! God lied to you! You can't trust what God says!" And Eve believed him. So the serpent had her softened up immediately - if she couldn't depend on God's Word, she would have to rely upon her own very fallible human understanding.
The second lie was worse, but Eve was already softened up and ready to believe anything the serpent said. After all, she had just bought the lie that she could not trust God's Word, so she had to trust someone! Sadly, she picked the devil, and believed him when he told her that if she ate that fruit, she would become equal with God. The serpent played on Eve's weakness - one that is common to many people - a desire for power. If she ate of that tree, she could become a goddess, or so the serpent told her. Lucifer used the same thing that caused his own downfall (Isaiah 14:12-14 NIV) to cause the downfall of mankind - a desire to be equal with God Almighty - to be gods themselves.
People today are still falling for those same two lies, not trusting the Bible to be the infallible Word of God that it is, and believing that they can become "gods". Like Eve, they're left to rely upon their own very fallible human understanding and logic - a logic that convinces them that they not only can "become" gods, but many believe that they are already "gods" now!
Have you believed either of these lies? If so, you might want to make note of where they came from and who told them first. And pay close attention to John 8:42-47.
Jesus said to them, "If God were your Father, you would love me, for I came from God and now am here. I have not come on my own; but he sent me. Why is my language not clear to you? Because you are unable to hear what I say. You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father's desire. He was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies. Yet because I tell the truth, you do not believe me! Can any of you prove me guilty of sin? If I am telling the truth, why don't you believe me? He who belongs to God hears what God says. The reason you do not hear is that you do not belong to God." Who are you going to believe? Think about it.
Used with Permission
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