The will and kingdom of God is transparent, peaceful and protective.
- PRELIMINARY INFORMATION
An infamous figure appears in this third chapter: the subtle serpent. How each individual perceives this evil entity differs widely. For some, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, also known as Satan, is an actual-being. For others, the serpent, represented in several forms throughout the Bible, is a negative force or ideology. For some, Satan is representation of the forms of evil and its influence on each individual. It is not essential to decide which form of Satan you believe, (it is a personal decision to interpret which aspects of the Bible are metaphorical or literal) but it is essential to understand a few things concerning Satan:
Number one: In whatever form he/it is in, Satan's influence, the force of evil, does exist. (Moving forward, for ease and in accordance with scripture, Satan will be referred to as "he.")
And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 2:2
He exists and is indeed subtle. Ezekiel 28 and Matthew 4 most prominently demonstrate Satan's cleverness. From Ezekiel 28, we learn that Satan's initial crime was an abuse of power, which he accomplished through use of his talents and influence. From Matthew 4 we learn that Satan knows scripture. And he knows it well enough to tweak it, making changes that he hopes people will not notice and subsequently align themselves with his doctrine rather than God's.
Number two: Indeed, he exists and is in open rebellion with God's kingdom of righteousness.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12
Number three (and most important): Members of God's kingdom of righteous have power over Satan, and most especially when they learn from God, through scripture, about his characteristics and tactics. He is subtle and wise, therefore we must be (Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16)
And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:18-19
With that introduction to the serpent, we now know precisely who Eve is about to meet in the Garden of Eden.
- THE SUBTLE SERPENT
3:1-5 Indeed the first thing Satan does is tweak scripture. Satan reminds Eve of Genesis 2:16 in which God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat of every tree in the garden. However, Satan has changed scripture in that he excluded Genesis 2:17, which immediately followed. In Genesis 2:17, God specified that He meant every tree except one. Eve was wise enough to notice the subtle change, and informed the serpent that she was not permitted to eat of, or even touch, the tree of good and evil.
Satan tried to trick Eve with scripture but failed, so he tried his next tactic on her: outright-deception. Satan contradicted God's word, effectively and incorrectly calling God a liar; he told her that she would not die if she ate from, or touched the tree. Satan is satisfied even to cause doubt in a once-faithful child of God.
Once Satan successfully caused Eve to doubt, he struck while she was weak. He used his final tactic: temptation. In an effort to further damage her relationship with God, Satan told Eve that God was, rather than protecting her, limiting her with His rules. He inspired her to partake of the tree by tantalizing her with the prospect of power and wisdom. This tactic is unsurprising. Satan's own excessive pride caused his own downfall. So, he targets in others a weakness he has in himself. It is his area of expertise, after all.
Satan's influence is the same today as it was then. It is our doubt of God's word that leads to our susceptibility to temptation. When we disengage from our relationship with God, we either spiral downward into anxiety and depression or inward into arrogance and ignorance. Either way, we ruin the quality of our relationship with God and others, our lives and our character.
There's no devil on our shoulder, no literal serpent coaxing us from a tree, but he exists in the cropping-up of doubt and pride, spite and lust, impatience and anger that occasionally exists in everyone's mind. We suppress his influence, and the power of those things over us, when we are steadfast in faith and communication with God.
- THEY DID EAT
3:6-7 Eve did not consult God and was therefore beguiled by Satan, and tempted by the prospect of power and wisdom (Satan had told her that she would be like a god). Satan convinced Eve and then Eve convinced Adam, for he also ate of the forbidden tree. And then, everything changed.
Suddenly, Adam and Eve were conscious of uncomfortable circumstances God had been protecting them from. There were "like gods" not in power or prominence but in consciousness. They became aware of nakedness, vulnerability, and shame. No longer was everything provided for them, they had to provide for themselves. They sewed fig leaves into aprons to cover themselves; they had never before had a lack or a problem but suddenly they found themselves needing to solve one.
Satan wanted Eve to reject God's will and exchange it for her own autonomy. He wants humanity to rebel against God's authority, as he did. Satan wants us to feel restricted by God's authority rather than protected by it. He wants us to fall victim to every weakness he fell victim to. Whenever Satan interacts with someone, his main mission is to stop them, their heart and spirit, from trusting God and to instead start trusting in the desires of their bodies and minds. But it is not a fulfilling lifestyle.
- WHERE ARE YOU?
3:8-13 Adam and Eve heard the voice of God as He walked in the garden. They hid. They hid from the One who loved them because they had trusted in one who did not. God called Adam: where are you? And Adam explained that he was hiding because he was afraid and naked. Interestingly, in that one sentence Adam explained the whole change: The will and kingdom of God is transparent, peaceful and protective. Conversely, separation from God's will and kingdom causes obscurity, fear and vulnerability.
Rather than accuse, God provided Adam and Eve a chance to explain how he came to know about their nakedness. He gave them each the opportunity to admit what they had done, because God values truth and communication. They admitted their mistake.
It is crucial that we communicate, and communicate truthfully, with God. It is a respect He deserves and we benefit from. Our problems, self-inflicted or not, become workable when we work with God. That progress however begins with discipline, as it must if change is to be accomplished.
- DUST, ALL THE DAYS OF THY LIFE
3:14-19 God then began to distribute due discipline. First to the serpent. God cursed him and subjected him to the dust. God ensured that Satan would never achieve the prominence he desperately desired. God continued: good and evil would constantly oppose and battle each other here on earth, (as they do); and finally: the bruise on the head and the heel.
The bruise on the head represents Jesus, who would come to crush Satan's rebellion. The bruise on the heel represents Jesus, hands and feet, nailed to the cross while doing so. Even then, God had the solution planned to the finest detail. He would retrieve humanity from Satan's grip... and here we are in the midst of that plan.
Eve received her discipline as well: tumultuous labor would serve as a reminder, from generation to generation, of the value of life. God had given life to humanity and the tremendous pain that subsequently followed would be represented at each individual's birth. Moreover, Eve's discipline became what we know of today as the patriarchal society. God's plan was not to make Eve, or women, less important or undervalued, but to create the conditions within which she/they would strive to be their best. Superficially, discipline is harsh. But discipline is actually a gift and God knew that womankind would ultimately benefit from their new position.
Adam's punishment was labor also, in a sense. Life would no longer be a garden which yielded provision. He would have to work it, and often unsuccessfully, in order to provide for himself and his family.
And finally: death. Eternal life was no longer a gift guaranteed by God. Humanity would have to live and die here in order to determine whether we would live or die there, in God's kingdom.
- SENT FORTH FROM THE GARDEN
3:20-24 Adam and Eve, humanity, were no longer permitted to remain inside the garden until they accomplished a righteous life outside of it. Note that their lives did not end after the catastrophe of distrust and disobedience of God. God sent them forth from the garden but continued to love and provide for them. He clothed them, prepared them for the outside world. He continued to guide them toward the tree of life. And He continues to do all of that for us.
We are not presently within the protective, peaceful, transparent sphere of the kingdom of God... but when we walk with God here on earth, we walk back toward it. Eve was still named the woman of all living, because through her would come the savior: Jesus. Jesus the One who revives and restores whoever is willing to life and to the kingdom of God, Romans 10:13.
And the kingdom of God is guarded and protected more than ever before; now, there is no possibility for the serpent to enter. There is no longer a possibility for anyone who does not adhere to righteousness to enter. God has created a system of life which offers redemption and prevents repetition of the same mistake.
Like Adam and Eve, we each need to be conscious of and intentional about what we sustain ourselves with. Do we submit to the word of God or to the lust of our body? Do we express the patience and compassion of God or do we express the anger and greed of our body?
In Revelation 20, we learn that Satan has already been sentenced to death. Satan has already been declared defeated... but he will go down swinging and grabbing. Therefore we must consciously resist him and everything he represents.