THURSDAY, July 9, 2009 READ: Genesis 3: 1 - 6
YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD
MEMORIZE: ‘Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely died. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”’ Genesis 3:4, 5
There is one Godhead. There are three uncreated divine persons existing in the one Godhead. The three persons of the Godhead perform different functions as they execute their divine plan of redemption of Adam’s descendants from sin. These three persons of the uncreated Godhead exist, and have always existed in what is called a compound unity and possess one essence, one nature.
Satan was cast out of Heaven because of his iniquity. He aspired to be like God (cf. Isaiah 14: 12 – 16; Ezekiel 28: 11 – 17). He sought to undermine God got a third of the angels whom God had created to join with him. He and they were cast out of Heaven. He came to the earth with and sought to undermine God to the man and the woman whom created. Here in our text, Genesis 3: 1 - 6, we are able to see how, using the body of the snake, Satan engaged the woman in a conversation, and undermined her husband’s and God’s integrity and got her to aspire to be like God, having independent knowledge of God and evil. He got her to choose to disobey what she had been told that God had commanded – that they not eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. In vv. 2, 3, we are able to see how the woman answered the question as to what God had “… indeed said ….” Look at Genesis 2: 16, 17, and observe how the command that God gave the man and what the woman to Satan differed! God had said that if they ate of the fruit, they would “… surely die.” Observe how Satan moved in and challenged God and His word in v. 4. In v. 5, we see how Satan maligned God as intending to deprive them of knowing good and evil on their own. He tantalized her with the possibility of becoming like God, having opened eyes, and greater experiences. We are told, in v. 6,, that driven by her ambition, the woman “… saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.” So often, we see those who consider themselves to be the intellectuals, looking down on people who have faith and believe in the God of the Bible, as being deficient and less capable, intellectually. The woman bought into Satan’s lie and distrusted the knowledge of God and His word that she had. Driven by her ambition, to be like God, knowing good and evil independently of God, she took the words of this creature over God’s and ate the fruit of the tree. Was this loving affection for her husband? She got her husband to choose to go along with her and he ate of the fruit of which he had told her that God did not want them to eat. What was the matter with the man? Why did he not take his stand for God and do what he knew was right? The man had no reason to distrust God’s integrity. Why did he behave so irresponsibly (cf. Proverbs 20: 7)? Adam failed to act in integrity and so he failed God, and all for whom he had responsibility (cf. Romans 5: 11-21). To know is to be responsible. The woman was deceived by what Satan said to her and her ambition to grasp what she thought God might have been keeping from them, or, them from (cf. 1 Timothy 2: 14). Adam, the man, was not deceived. He made a conscious decision to obey his wife rather than God. He was the first one. He disobeyed God’s command. He sinned against God (cf. Romans 14: 23b; James 4: 17; 1 John 3: 4). Why was he the one charged with the sin against God?
PRAY:LORD, God, Almighty, You are holy. You are perfect in all of Your ways. Thank You for not being surprised by Adam’s sin. Thank You for Your provision of deliverance, forgiveness and life abundant through Your blessed, only begotten Son. I believe that salvation from sin is through Jesus alone. Thank You, in Jesus’ strong name. Amen.