It started in the very beginning. By telling some partial truths he deceived Eve. He also lied to her. Blatantly told her something that was not true. Read it for yourself.
Genesis 3:1-4 (ESV)
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
He told her if she ate the forbidden fruit she would not die. An outright lie and misrepresentation of the truth. Satan knew what was at stake. He knew the consequences fo sin. He is a sinner himself. Trying to usurp and overthrow God in a coup. Satan and his followers were kicked out of heaven. Those fallen angels became demons. Yes, Satan knew the consequences for disobeying God.
He didn't want Eve and Adam to know. He doesn't want millions on the face of the earth to know today. There are consequences for sin. One of them is death. Another is eternal damnation for those without a saving relationship with Jesus. On top of that, we have diseases. All because of sin.
Yet, Satan assured Eve if she ate the tempting fruit of sin she would not die. He enticed her to take a bite. He still entices people to take a bite. To break the marriage covenant in adultery. To try the drug. To peak at the forbidden. To flirt with scams, sinister plans and the sewage of sin.
Sin brings consequences. God is willing to forgive, but often the consequences remain. God dealt out consequences for Satan, Adam and Eve. The serpent was reduced to slithering on his belly for the rest of his life. So do snakes today. God also said there would be strife between serpents and mankind. They would bruise the serpent's head and the serpent would bruise the heal of people.
I see this lived out right where I serve. We live in copperhead country. The previous resident in the parsonage got bit by a copperhead in the backyard. A couple of years ago one of our women got bit on her hand turning on a water faucet. Over dinner Monday night, a man from our church told me killed 13 snakes on his property recently. I hear this story repeated by others.
For Adam, he got forced to toil, to work the land for food. No longer did God keep it readily available for him. Adam had to fight thorns and by the sweat of the brow to work the land for crops to take care of his family. The same is true today. Farmers fight droughts and storms to grow food.
Eve faced the pain of childbirth. Excruciating pain for her and all the women who followed her. Life comes through travail, and it all goes back to Eve's decision to eat what God forbade.
How many times did Adam and Eve regret their decision to believe Satan's lies? How many times did they mourn all that hey had and lost because of an act of rebellion. We still feel the repercussions of their sin to this day.
Sure enough, both Adam and Eve died. Did the lie of Satan cross their minds in the end?
Don't fall for his tricks. Don't get caught in his snares. Resist him firm in the faith. Remember he is a liar and deceiver. He cannot be trusted. He is bent on your destruction. He comes only to steal, kill and destroy. He never delivers on what he promises.
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