Genesis 3:1-5
The Fall
3 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’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Adam and Eve are in paradise and have been instructed to look after creation. Everything is good. Immediately, they find themselves experiencing what we might describe as spiritual attack. The serpent comes to them and he does two things. He misrepresents God’s command and he misrepresents God’s character. Neither is a full on lie, there is enough truth in it to make it seem reasonable but its intention is to lead Eve away from God. To start to doubt his command and to question his intentions.
The devil is deceitful but he is not creative and the tactics that he used in the garden are the same that he uses today.
“Did God really say that you can not have sex with anyone? Does he want you to be alone?”
“Did God say that you need to give the church your money? Does he need it more than you?”
“Did God say definitely call you to take that step of faith? He won’t catch you if it all goes wrong.”
“Will God really look after you? Will God really bless you? Will God really provide for you? No one is looking out for you except you.”
The Bible says that devil is a liar and that his desire is to kill steal and destroy. I bet that in that moment, it all felt very reasonable to Eve. She did not see the danger or the cost of her temptation. However, when we disobey and distrust God it creates distance in our relationship and leads us to darker and more broken places. This doubt led to disobedience and rebellion.
Perhaps the greatest tragedy is that if they had just asked God about it, I am sure that he would have explained it to them. Similarly, if you really don’t understand why God asks something of your or forbids something to you, rather than talk about it with a serpent, or questioning God’s intentions, you have access to Him and can pray. He is your father and he wants to talk to you. You can come to him and ask - why did you say that? Will you do this? He promises to guide you and to protect you. However, he can only lead you and look after you if you trust him. Trust is the foundation of every relationship.
What is the question of God that these doubts asks?
How can you combat them?
