City Life Starter

Written by Scott Fiddler

The Word

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’?” ² And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³ 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.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. ⁵ For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ⁶ So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Genesis 3:1-7 (ESV)

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Genesis 3:13 (ESV)

⁴ But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

Matthew 4:4 (ESV)

Commentary

This passage from the Bible is a study in Satan’s methodology for undermining a believer’s relationship with God. Satan, working through a serpent (which, while real, may also be metaphoric), does not try to convince Eve God does not exist. 

Instead, he suggests to Eve that God is not really good and is intentionally withholding something good from her. Satan’s attack here on Eve to disrupt her relationship with God in one of the most pivotal points in history is not an attack on God’s existence but His goodness.

Eve takes the bait, and Satan’s strategy works. Interestingly, as if to justify what she is about to do, Eve bolsters the serpent’s argument by telling herself that the fruit must also be good for food and is beautiful to boot. “The serpent must be right. Why would God withhold such a good thing from me if He is good?,” she thought.

Application

That Satan’s deception of choice is to cause us to doubt God’s goodness is quite clever. Unlike the deception to doubt God’s existence, it plays off our self-centeredness by making us the subject of the discussion. If we were to learn God did not exist, no one would be personally offended, but if He does exist and is withholding our propers, we think we are justified in being offended. “How could God allow ______” is the most common response of those who have fallen for this Satanic scam. 

And it is a scam. Don’t fall for it.

Prayer

Lord, please help me to never doubt Your goodness toward me. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.