The "Diabolical" Devil

With reference to Genesis 3, the question arises how Satan could successfully manipulate a perfect human being, untainted by sin and in perfect union with God to willfully fall into disobedience of God’s simply and clear command. In the narrative of Genesis 3 the serpent’s diabolical genius is at work. And from it we learn about why he keeps "getting" us.

First, the serpent gently led Eve to progressive departure from implicit trust in God. Satan did not start with outright denial of God’s Word. Instead, he led her gently into a process of doubting God’s purpose (3:1), to contradicting His Word (3:4) to actually doubting that God had her own interests at heart (3:5).

Second, the serpent aroused in Eve a desire for fulfillment apart from God. Having fractured her trust in God, the serpent implied to her that there was something she lacked, by telling her, “Your eyes will be opened” (3:5b). He then opened to her a potential world of knowledge; again with an indirect statement about God’s supposed secret fear, “you will be like God, knowing good and evil” (3:5c). He had led Eve toward a thought process of obtaining fulfillment apart from God. However, his real genius is seen in his final step in the procedure.

Finally, the serpent stepped back to allow Eve to foment in her own lust. Having done his work in putting the seed of doubt in Eve’s mind and arousing her own desires, the serpent is then interestingly not a part of the further narrative that leads up to and past the fall of Eve and Adam into sin. In 3:6, it is Eve’s thought process alone that led to her sin. The serpent’s work was done, and he shrewdly distanced himself from interfering in her final individual plunge into sin, knowing “each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire” (James 1:14). In fact, the serpent did not make Eve sin, he just encouraged her doubt and made it seem the reasonable course of action. Eve rationalized progressively that “the tree was good for food” (3:6a) – that firstly it would provide bodily nourishment; God indeed desired Adam and Eve’s wellbeing (2:16,17). She then rationalized that the tree was “a delight for the eyes” (3:6b) – God indeed had created trees for this very purpose, “God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food” (2:9), and therefore partaking would fit in with God’s express desire. Finally, she saw that “the tree was to be desired to make one wise” – and such a result would only be in the center of God’s will.

The serpent brought Eve to sin, not by making her choose sin over obedience, but by helping her paint in her own mind her need to think independently of God and thus see what actually was sin as the expedient course of action.

Let this reminder ring a warning bell in our own hearts. Don't try to wrestle with the devil. Resist him.