The trickery of the devil!

(Genesis 3:1) "Did God actually say?”

It amazes me how the same questions and struggles we face as Christians today, is no different to what every Christian faced in time past. Throughout the ages our enemy has used the same deceitful tactics looking to lure us into disobedience before a Righteous and Holy God. And it is not always with the obvious, like blatant sin that we are trapped. His greatest weapon would be the distortion of scripture. How do we know this? We look to what has already been recorded; “Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "did God actually say,’ You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'" (Genesis 3:1-3) 

Here we see Satan posing a question and probing for weakness in Eve’s understanding on God’s Word, "Did God actually say?” Let us examine what has been recorded for us by Moses on God’s behalf on this exact question. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die." (Genesis 2:16-17)   

Note: Nothing was recorded in this portion of scripture about touching the tree; there is no mention of it. But Eve answers the serpent’s question and adds to God’s instruction; now whether Adam misrepresented the message to his wife or whether Eve chose not to listen intently to God’s instruction is not certain. However eve’s response added to what God had originally instructed; “neither shall you touch it”, was her response to the serpent. An immediate avenue for Satan now to exploit; Note: He immediately goes for the jugular; “But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4)

“That which the devil aimed at was to persuade Eve to cut forbidden fruit; and, to do this, he took the same method that he does still. He questioned whether it was a sin or no, Gen_3:1. He denied that there was any danger in it, Gen_3:4. He suggested much advantage by it, Gen_3:5. And these are his common topics. 1. He questioned whether it was a sin or no to eat of this tree, and whether really the fruit of it was forbidden. Observe, He, by aggravating the exception, endeavours to invalidate the concession: Hath God said, You shall not eat of every tree? The divine law cannot be reproached unless it be first misrepresented. [3.] He seems to speak it tauntingly, upbraiding the woman with her shyness of meddling with that tree; as if he had said, “You are so nice and cautious, and so very precise, because God has said, 'You shall not eat.” The devil, as he is a liar, so he is a scoffer, from the beginning: and the scoffers of the last days are his children. [4.] That which he aimed at in the first onset was to take off her sense of the obligation of the command. “Surely you are mistaken, it cannot be that God should tie you out from this tree; he would not do so unreasonable a thing.” See here, That it is the subtlety of Satan to blemish the reputation of the divine law as uncertain or unreasonable, and so to draw people to sin; and that it is therefore our wisdom to keep up a firm belief of, and a high respect for, the command of God. Has God said, “You shall not lie, nor take his name in vain, nor be drunk,” etc.? “Yes, I am sure he has, and it is well said, and by his grace I will abide by it, whatever the tempter suggests to the contrary.” It was contrary to the word of God, which we are sure is true. See 1Jo_2:21, 1Jo_2:27. It was such a lie as gave the lie to God himself. [2.] It was contrary to his own knowledge. When he told them there was no danger in disobedience and rebellion he said that which he knew, by woeful experience, to be false. He had broken the law of his creation, and had found, to his cost, that he could not prosper in it; and yet he tells our first parents they shall not die. He concealed his own misery, that he might draw them into the like: thus he still deceives sinners into their own ruin. He tells them that, though they sin, they shall not die; and gains credit rather than God, who tells them, The wages of sin is death. Note, Hope of impunity is a great support to all iniquity, and impenitency in it. I shall have peace, though I walk in the imagination of my heart, Deu_29:19.” (Matthew Henry)

We therefore must be diligent in what the Word of God instructs us to do; we must heed and obey its commands. If not, we will open ourselves up to the tempters lures of deception and deceit. We must examine what men teach! It will always be by grace through faith, but to be safe, we must follow the letter (Bible) God has left us as accurately as possible. If the Word teachers; “And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” (Revelation 20:15) - This is exactly what will happen to those who do not find repentance in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, they will end up in the “lake of fire” no ifs and buts!

When men teach that there is no hell or propagate that God is love and because He is love He would never send someone to hell, it is a lie and that man or woman does the work of the devil. If you are part of such a church or organisation, flee from it. There are many other traps that seek the same objective, and sadly many snares are found amongst those who propagate that they are Christian.

God’s Word is the final authority and never the suppositions of men. My prayer would be that God would light such a fire within our souls that we would be diligent in seeking out His truth in and through our lives. May His name be praise now and forever more, Amen!

Signing off

Tyrone