“Did God really say…?”
It seems like such a small grouping of words. Harmless, really. A simple question, but that’s what makes it so powerful. Doubt often starts this way, like a whisper in your head or a fleeting feeling that causes you to second guess yourself. Other times, the question causing doubt comes from someone else.
But where it comes from isn’t important. What matters most is that you can recognize that it’s the work of the enemy.
Satan, the devil, the enemy, whatever name you know him by, first appears in Genesis 3:1 as the serpent. And what were his first words in Scripture?
“Did God really say…?”
What’s Happening in Genesis 3:1
In Genesis 2, God created Adam and then He placed him in the Garden of Eden, a beautiful garden of abundance. Adam was to live there and care for it. God told Adam that he could eat from any tree of the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because if he did he’d surely die. (Genesis 2:16 – 17) Then God created Eve from Adam’s rib so that he wouldn’t be alone.
It is not certain how much time passed between Genesis 2 and Genesis 3, but Genesis 3:1 introduces the serpent. It tells us right away that he has a deceptive nature. The specific word used may vary based on the translation you use, but they all mean the same thing.
Comparing Translations
I use NIV most of the time, but I cross reference with the King James Version and the New King James Version. I’ll show you Genesis 3:1 from each of these versions, so you can compare the different words used to describe the serpent. I feel like seeing a verse from a variety of translations can give us a deeper understanding of God’s word.
- NIV – Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
- KJV – Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
- NKJV – Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Understanding the Enemy’s Nature
In the scripture above several words are used to describe the serpent. Crafty, Subtil (an older way of spelling subtle), and cunning all describe someone who is sneaky and manipulative. God’s word is meant to guide us in our lives and walk with Christ, and the first information we’re given about the enemy is that he wants to trick us. It is his nature. The enemy can and will take many forms, but his nature doesn’t change. There’s a reason he’s called the great deceiver.
His Tactics Haven’t Changed
Now that we understand who the enemy is, we can look at his approach. In Genesis 3:1, we know he starts his encounter with Eve with the question, “Did God really say?”. You might be wondering why I’m putting so much emphasis on this question. Why is it such a big deal that the serpent asked Eve, “Did God really say?”?
The reason it is so important is that we must realize what tactics the enemy uses so that we can resist him, fight back, and guard ourselves against his attacks. He wants nothing more than to separate us from God, and he will do that by any means necessary.
The Rest of Eve’s Story
In the sections above, we learned that the serpent’s first words were, “Did God really say?”, and why those words were significant, but that’s only the first part of the question. The serpent’s full question was, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
Did you catch that? God said they could eat of any tree except for one, and the serpent knew what God said, but he continued to plant doubts in Eve. He wanted to make her doubt herself and question if she had been given the correct information. He tried to confuse her, and that fits with who he is. Remember, his nature is to deceive, to manipulate, and to cause confusion.
Eve tells him that they can eat from any tree except the one in the middle of the garden, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She says that if they touch it or eat from it, they will die.
What’s interesting here is that she didn’t accurately convey the rule that was given to Adam by God. They were not forbidden from touching the tree, only eating the fruit of it. Did Adam exaggerate when he taught Eve the rules? Did Eve embellish to the serpent because she felt pressured by his questions? It’s interesting to think about.
Well, the serpent lied and said, “You won’t die.” He tells her that eating the fruit will make her like God, because she’ll know good and evil. At this point, he’d already caused Eve to doubt herself, and she didn’t know who to trust.
Eve listened to the serpent. She looked at the fruit and saw that it looked good. She was tempted because she was being manipulated by the serpent’s words and by the sight of the fruit. Then she ate it, but she didn’t stop there. She gave some to Adam, and he ate it too.
That’s when everything changed. Their eyes were opened, and they realized they were naked. They were ashamed and they hid from God.
This was the moment that sin entered the world. Until that moment, the relationship between God and man was perfect, but their choice to disobey God changed that.
How the Enemy Still Works Today
Planting seeds of doubt is one tactic Satan uses to separate us from our Creator. It’s the way he gets his foot in the door so that he can trick us and contradict God, just like he did to Eve. The Devil will make us question the facts we know to be true, what God has told us, and what God has done for us. He can make us doubt God’s love or question our salvation.
The enemy will attack us when and where we are vulnerable. If you doubt your salvation or worry how God could ever forgive you, Satan will pick at that. If you are feeling guilty over sins that you’ve repented for and have worked to rectify, the Devil may make you wonder if God can still love you. If you doubt your abilities and purpose, Satan will do anything he can to make you believe that you’re not worthy or that you’re incapable of doing God’s will.
Don’t let the enemy win. Don’t give him a foot in the door or a seat at your table. I heard part of a sermon somewhere, and the speaker said, “The best way to keep the enemy from having a seat at the table is for you to fill it”. Is there anything more truthful? Sup with the Lord. Seek Him. Love Him. Worship Him. Pray.
What area of your life feels most vulnerable to the enemy’s voice right now?