Chapter 6
The Temptation of Eve
“Then you rebelled against the commandment
of the Lord your God, and you did not believe
Him nor obey His voice.”
Deuteronomy 9:23
The story in Genesis of the temptation of Eve is quite often considered by many to be just that, a story. To those who believe it is only a story causes them to miss the very nature of God and His Kingdom. And in doing so, many confessing Christians fail to believe or even recognize the active work of Satan. But, to those who believe the Bible to be the Word of God, it represents the actual fall of man through the temptation of Eve by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, and thus our separation from God. They believe this act not only caused the original fall of man from grace, but it is the cause of all pain, labor, and evil in the world today. The result of Eve, and eventually Adam, succumbing to the temptation has been passed down through all generations, and thus all reap the rewards of that original sin. This in itself is a fact! But, do the Scriptures only tell an historical fact or do they provide lessons for today? So, we need to ask the question, “Is man’s position in his relationship with God today so different from that original sin we read in Genesis?” In order to answer this, it is necessary to determine why the serpent tempted Eve and not Adam.
The answer to this perplexing question is in the analysis of the story in Genesis. “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, has God indeed said you may not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, but the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God has said, you shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die. Then the serpent said to the woman, you will not surely die. For the 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. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave it to her husband and he ate. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, where are you? So he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded that you should not eat? Then the man said, the woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. And the Lord God said to the woman, what is this you have done? The woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I ate. So, the Lord God said to the serpent: because you have done this, you are cursed more than all the cattle, and more than any beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.” (Genesis 3:1-15).
In order to make a proper analysis of this scripture the following sequence of questions must be answered,
· Who and what is the serpent?
· Is God giving us a specific message?
· What was the reality of the dialogue between Eve and the serpent?
· What was the process of the temptation?
· How long did this dialogue take place?
· What was Eve’s justification for eating the fruit?
· Was Adam present during the process of the temptation?
But, in order to answer these questions, it is necessary to establish the intent and the full meaning of the original command from God in Genesis chapter two, verses sixteen through seventeen. First, what was the original command, and second to whom did God give that command? “And the Lord God commanded the man saying, of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.” Notice that God told the man, Adam, not to eat of the fruit. Eve was not present when God said not to eat of the fruit. Eve was not created until later. Therefore, it was Adam who told Eve that they were not to eat of the fruit of the tree, not God. This is confirmed when Eve repeated the command to the serpent. “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the which is in the midst of the garden, God has said you not eat of it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.” (Genesis 3:2-3). We see in Eve’s response that she added the words “nor shall you touch it” God did not tell Adam that they were not to touch the tree or the fruit. He said they were not to eat the fruit. This slight difference in the wording of the command is critical in this analysis.
The situation is like this. God told Adam not to eat of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the Garden. Adam told Eve they were not to eat the fruit. Eve told the serpent they, she and Adam, were not to eat of the fruit nor were they to touch the fruit. But, the serpent responded by telling Eve she would not die from eating the fruit, but that she would become like God knowing good and evil.
Shedding Myths
Before going into a detailed analysis as to why the serpent tempted Eve as opposed to Adam, it is best to clear the myths that surround these Scriptures. The first myth is that the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil was an apple. The second myth is that God’s action resulted in the origin of the snake. And, the third myth, and the one that has such a profound application to this analysis, is that the serpent was a snake that walked upright.
Tree of Knowledge. We have all seen pictures of Adam and Eve eating an apple; she ate of it then he ate of it. But, there is nothing in the Bible that indicates the fruit was an apple. In fact, there is nothing in Scripture that states what kind of fruit was produced by the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. But, we do know that it is a fruit we have today as God created all the trees by the end of the fourth day of creation, including those good to eat and those not so good to eat. So, just what kind of tree was this Tree of Knowledge of good and evil? Peter A. Michas in his book, God’s Master Plan, gives us some insight regarding the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, and its relationship to original sin. “It is known that in Greek mythology, the apple represented knowledge; as such, it was associated with Athena, the goddess of wisdom. Certain ancient statues of Athena even show her holding an apple in her hand. Therefore, it seems probable that the notion of the apple of being the forbidden fruit of knowledge originated from the Greek mythology rather than Hebraic sources. In order to determine the actual type of fruit involved, let us examine Biblical and Hebraic references.”
“Scripture states that they were ashamed and hastily sewed fig leaves together to hide their nakedness”. (Genesis 3:6-7). It is the author’s (Peter Michas) conjecture that they picked the closest leaves available to them at the time. The fig leaves, in fact, came from the tree of which they had just eaten! It does not seem likely that Adam and Eve went running through the Garden in their haste and shame looking specifically for a fig tree because of the size of its leaves. Assuredly, there were many varieties of leaves in the Garden to pick from, including even larger ones. From this we may deduce that the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil was actually a fig tree. The Torah (Vol. 1, p. 262) confirms this line of reasoning: When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, they realized that they were naked. Since the fruit they had eaten was a fig, they made loin clothes out of fig leaves.”
The Serpent. The serpent in Genesis is most often described as a snake. It is usually depicted coiled around the branch of a tree when talking to Eve, or slithering or coiled on the ground. In every case it is depicted as a snake having a head similarly to that of man, and in some cases depicted with legs, and thus had the ability to walk upright. Where do these positions come from? It could possibly be the interpretation of Genesis chapter three, verse one. “The serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field.” This leads many who read this to automatically believe that the serpent was either a beast of the field, or a member of the animal kingdom. Thus, it is assume that since the serpent is not man, it must be a snake or snake like since it is called a serpent. This is based on the literal interpretation of a serpent, which by definition is a long slithering creature that crawls on the ground. This concept appears to be supported by verse fourteen where God states that the serpent will forever be relegated to crawl on his belly and eat dust all the days of his life. But, is this analysis correct? Could these verses of Scripture be trying to tell us something different than first meets the eye?
As I stated earlier, some believe this is when the snake first appeared (more on this later). So, just who or what was the serpent referenced here in Genesis? Most commentaries state dogmatically that the serpent was in the form of a snake when Eve was tempted. They go on to state that the serpent walked upright until the curse in verse fourteen when God told the serpent, “…on your belly you shall go.” It is assumed that the serpent lost his legs at this point, and thus the origin of the snake, as we know it.
There are a number of problems with this concept. First, God created all living things during the six days of creation. Scripture says on the sixth day, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.” (Genesis 1:31). The word good from God’s perspective means perfection – nothing more could be done to improve on what He had created. Therefore, if God removed the legs of the serpent, who walked upright, then God would be creating a new creature, thus a second creation. This we know is not true as God was satisfied with the original creation in that He saw that it was good. So, if the interpretation of the facts are by some that God changed the serpent into the snake then those advocating that position that He did may be unknowingly making two erroneous assumptions. One is that God made a second creation, and the other is that when God stated “…it was good” does not mean the original creation was complete. If either of these assumptions were true, then God would not God!
The second problem this concept creates is in defining the true origin of the serpent. Was he created with all the animals and creeping things in days five and six? If he was created at that time, then in what form was he created? Was he part man, part beast, or part creeping thing? Scripture does not support any of these positions at all. “And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:25). Dr. Mace Baker states, “The Genesis record of creation indicates that God created six basic groups of animals. First, there is the beast of the earth. Second, we have the cattle. Third, we have the creeping things. Fourth, we have the fish of the sea. Fifth, we have the fowl of the air. And the sixth being translated as whales.” So, the snake must have been created in the third category, which in Hebrew is remes. Again Dr. Baker states, “Remes refers to all of the animals which do not have the normal appendages for locomotion, like those of mammals and the reptiles.”
And thirdly, there is nothing in Scripture that supports any concept that God, Satan or that anyone ever spoke through an animal or creeping thing or whatever. So, there must be some other more plausible explanation as to the origin and reality of the serpent - there is! The true identification and character of the serpent is described in Scripture, as we shall see.
Idioms, Parables and Symbols
The Bible makes extensive use of idioms, parables, and symbols in describing various situations and characters in Scripture. In doing so, it applies associative terminology to individuals to create the idea of character or association. This is especially true when Scripture makes reference to God, Christ, and even Satan. Herewith is a list for Christ:
· “Promised Seed.” (Genesis 3:15).
· “Prince of Life.” (Genesis 4910).
· “Lamb of God.” (John 1:29).
· “Star of Jacob.” (Numbers 24:17).
· “Great Prophet.” (Deuteronomy 18:15).
· “The Branch.” (Zechariah 6:12).
· “The Lion of the Tribe of Judah.” (Revelation 5:5).
There is also a list for Satan:
· “Adversary.” (I Peter 5:8).
· “Belial.” (2 Corinthians 6:15).
· “Crooked Serpent.” (Isaiah 27:1).
· “Devil.” (Matthew 4:1).
· “Dragon.” (Revelation 20:2).
· “Leviathan.” (Isaiah 27:1).
· “Old Serpent.”(Revelation 12:9).
· “Roaring Lion.” (I Peter 5:8).
Now we all know that Christ was not physically a star, nor was He physically a lamb, nor was He a branch of a tree, nor a lion. Christ is still Christ. These titles are metaphors representing His role in certain situations.