Our Enemy, the Devil - Pt 2

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.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:1-5 ESV). In the Garden of Eden, the devil was clever. When he wanted to lead the first man and woman into sin, he was subtle in his dissimulation of the truth. It is a trait that is passed on to many in our human nature. By the way, he has not changed at all through the ages. His attacks and temptations in the Bible make it clear that he still uses the same tactics today. This is essential for us to understand. Once we see the strategies of our enemy, it is much easier to recognize the attacks and stand firm without faltering in our commitment. So, let’s go back to our reading today and see exactly how Satan tempted Eve in the Garden. In the verses above we see two things that Satan did to bring about Eve's fall. First, he called into question the honesty and truthfulness of God. God had not hidden his will from the first couple. He had told Adam and Even that everything within the garden on every tree was good to eat. However, they were also told that should they eat the fruit of this one tree, they would surely die. Satan began his temptation by calling God a liar. Second, he substituted his lie for the truth they had already heard. Isn’t this really what sin is all about today? It is so easy to believe a lie when the truth is disagreeable to us. From the earliest of age we can see the evidence of this sin in our base human nature. Eve was in the wrong place at the wrong time, listening to the wrong voice, which led to her doing the wrong thing. But don't blame Eve or Adam. If we had been in the Garden, we would have done the same thing. The easiest path for us is to be very aware of the tactics of the devil. Don't be in the wrong place, listening to the wrong voice, and doing the wrong thing never works out well. John Piper says that sin "gets its power by persuading me to believe that I will be happier if I follow it. The power of all temptation is the prospect that it will make me happier." The only way to happiness is following the direction of the will and purpose of God in our lives. The defeat of our enemy begins with a commitment to follow Christ and his example of submission, even to the point of death on the cross.