Day 22: Genesis 3:4-5
Devotional
READ GENESIS 3:4-5
Satan is a liar. Don’t ever forget that truth! Genesis 3:1 describes him as “more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made.” Then, in Gen 3:4-5, the very first words that Satan spoke to Eve are recorded in the Bible—and they are lies. Satan contradicted God’s one command: “you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God had given this command to Adam in chapter 2:16-17, so Adam and Eve were both undoubtedly familiar with it.
Satan’s lies directly contradicted God’s command, and he promised Eve that if she disobeyed, everything would be okay. She wasn’t going to die like God told her. In fact, Satan promised her that she and Adam could become equal to God! He tempted them with the same pride that caused him to rebel against God. And beyond this, he tempted them to doubt God’s goodness—to think that He was withholding something from them. Satan is the master of lies!
Why do we listen to lies when we hear them? Even when lies are given by a most cunning adversary, we often know they are not true. Eve knew. Yet, the idea of becoming equal to God was extremely attractive. That same lie can easily lure us in as well.
We were created to worship God and rule his creation. We were not created to be worshiped. We are encouraged to know scripture so that God’s “truths” are known and engrained. When we encounter lies, we need to change course quickly. When we stop entertaining our prideful desire of becoming equal to God, we can get back to submitting to Him and worshiping Him with our lives.
Satan is a liar. Don’t ever forget that truth! Genesis 3:1 describes him as “more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made.” Then, in Gen 3:4-5, the very first words that Satan spoke to Eve are recorded in the Bible—and they are lies. Satan contradicted God’s one command: “you shall not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God had given this command to Adam in chapter 2:16-17, so Adam and Eve were both undoubtedly familiar with it.
Satan’s lies directly contradicted God’s command, and he promised Eve that if she disobeyed, everything would be okay. She wasn’t going to die like God told her. In fact, Satan promised her that she and Adam could become equal to God! He tempted them with the same pride that caused him to rebel against God. And beyond this, he tempted them to doubt God’s goodness—to think that He was withholding something from them. Satan is the master of lies!
Why do we listen to lies when we hear them? Even when lies are given by a most cunning adversary, we often know they are not true. Eve knew. Yet, the idea of becoming equal to God was extremely attractive. That same lie can easily lure us in as well.
We were created to worship God and rule his creation. We were not created to be worshiped. We are encouraged to know scripture so that God’s “truths” are known and engrained. When we encounter lies, we need to change course quickly. When we stop entertaining our prideful desire of becoming equal to God, we can get back to submitting to Him and worshiping Him with our lives.
Personal Reflection
- What does your relationship with the Lord look like? Are you spending time in His Word and in worship on a daily basis?
- We have no control over which lies we are exposed to, but we do have control over our responses to those lies. What can we do to improve our “walk away” response of fleeing temptation when it comes our way?
Posted in The Beginning Devotionals
1 Comment
Ouch! Hard to hear I have a prideful desire to be like God. Hard but true. Thanks for the challenge to recognize the lies from within and with out.