Temptation by Satan
Introduction: God made Eve to be a “help meet” for Adam; and all ancestry in the human race began through the offspring of this first husband and wife. Jehovah God said that all He had made was “very good.” Jehovah had given Adam and Eve the instruction to multiply and fill the earth before the temptation by the Serpent brought the fall into sin for all mankind. Satan will have influence in this present world until Jehovah God puts all corrupted things aside, and establishes the eternal Kingdom of God.
NOTE: Bible passages are from the 1901 American Standard Version.
A — Man Became a Living Soul by the Breath of Life
Genesis 2 “7 And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 18 And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.”
Comments: Jehovah animated the first man when He breathed into the nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul within the body Jehovah had formed. Though the phrase “dust of the ground” might give us the thought of a substance having little potential for any growth, Jehovah formed a very complex human body that is nourished by the elements and compounds that plants and animals draw forth from the “dust” of the ground. Reproduction “after his kind” was designed so the earth could be filled as Jehovah had commanded. There was no sin in mankind when Jehovah rested on the seventh day from His works of creation.
B — The Fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil Was Forbidden
Genesis 2 “16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. 22 And the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.”
Comments: The tree of life was not stated to be forbidden at the same time that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was forbidden. The very day that eating from the forbidden tree took place, death would become a sure consequence, in the unchangeable time-frame set by Jehovah. Jehovah caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, took a rib to form the woman, and closed up the flesh. He brought Eve before Adam, who referred to her as “bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh.” The directive is given that a man shall leave his father and mother, and shall keep his wife with him as they shall be one flesh.
C — Acting on the Temptation by Satan Brought Sin to All Mankind
Genesis 3 “1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. 6 And 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 the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat.”
Comments: The first man and woman were both made in the image of God, and they shared in the failure to resist the temptation by Satan as they accepted the contradictory words of the serpent and disobeyed Jehovah. After Christ had become the perfect sacrifice for sin by His death, burial, and resurrection, Paul, James, and John gave further instruction for Christians about the wiles of Satan. The temptation to sin is inherent within all people in every generation, as descendants of Adam and Eve. But, praise God, those who believe in Christ can be assured that if we confess our sin, God will be faithful and just to forgive and cleanse away the sin by His mercy and grace!
D — Adam and Eve Changed the Close Relationship Mankind Had with Jehovah
Genesis 3 “8 And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden. 14 And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”
Comments: After the man and woman ate the forbidden fruit, they tried to stay out of sight when they heard the voice of Jehovah God. Their thought processes were now changed by knowing both good and evil. Jehovah did not ask any question of the serpent, and the serpent said nothing at all. Jehovah began to speak to the serpent: “Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle.” Jehovah put enmity between the serpent and the woman, and between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman. Jesus identified those whose father is the devil in John 8, and 1 John 3 says: “To this end was the Son of God manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.”
E — Jehovah Pronounced the Consequences of Sin for Mankind
Genesis 3 “19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 21 And Jehovah God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”
Revelation 12 “9 And the great dragon was cast down, the old serpent, he that is called the Devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world. 11 And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony; and they loved not their life even unto death.”
Comments: Jehovah God made coats of skins and clothed the man and his wife, which replaced the coverings they had made for themselves. To prevent the man and his wife from eating from the tree of life and thus living forever, Jehovah God drove him out of the garden of Eden and placed Cherubim and a flaming sword to keep the way of the tree of life. After Eve had her first two sons, the conflict between good and evil became very evident in their adult life. We have so much more Scripture to show that we have a trustworthy Savior in Christ Jesus, and the “seed” of the woman has indeed prepared the way to eternal life for those who accept that gift by faith. Revelation shows that Satan and his angels are ultimately cast down: and they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb, and because of the word of their testimony.
Reflections in Prayer
Jehovah God, I ask that you guard my heart from doubting your Holy Word, and teach me to know your ways as the true pathway to daily living and to life eternal. Thank you for providing the Holy Spirit to help me in those times of difficult trials or tests that are common to man. I believe the account of the six days when all things were created by Jehovah God and there is nothing that was not created by you. Help me to be aware of the reality that as the serpent beguiled Eve in his craftiness, my mind could be corrupted from the simplicity and the purity that is toward Christ. I want to avoid any doubts that may be of the type that Satan offered in the garden of Eden. I offer all my praise, worship, and glory to Jehovah God who sought me and gave me a new pathway. Hallelujah, Amen.
Published 5 June 2020