The Serpent - Day 1
“But thou, Lord, art most high for evermore…To shew that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.” Psalm 92:8, 15
Satan came to Eve in the garden in the form of a serpent. The serpent was an intriguing creature. Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.” Subtle is a word means '“clever”, or “crafty”. This could be either in a positive or negative sense. Only after God cursed the serpent does it slither on its belly. This is all we are told about the nature of this beast. So whatever the animal looked like before it was used by Satan, and however it moved about and acted, it was very unique in the animal world of God’s creation.
After the serpent was successful in causing Eve to doubt God’s Word and character, the temptation took hold of Eve, and sin was born. Genesis 3:6 says, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” She may have been deceived, but she acted on her own, yielding to her own appetite and her own self-interest. Adam, on the other hand, was not deceived by the serpent, but chose to eat and deliberately disobeyed God.
James 1:14-15 says, “But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” Eve was lied to; Adam acted on his desire to be independent of God. He wanted to choose for himself what was right and what was wrong for his life. This is indicated in 1 Timothy 2:14 which says, “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived…” That is why God holds Adam accountable, not Eve, for sin and death entering into the world, as indicated in Romans 5:12; “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin…”. Not only did Adam make the wrong choice, but he also failed to fulfill his role as protector of Eve.
Adam chose to do what pleased himself, not wanting God’s rule over him any longer. But why does God have the right to rule over us? Does God truly have the right to govern my life, to tell me what to do? He most certainly does! Because God is the creator, giver, and sustainer of all life, He has all the right.
“Thank you, Father, for your rule over me. Make me always remember that I have no right to act independent of You. Amen.”
