LIFE IN GOD'S GARDEN. GEN,3:16.

 SOMETIMES A NARRATIVE PROVIDES SEVERAL PRINCIPLES OR TRUTHS THAT CONTINUE TO POSSESS RELEVANCE, AS DOES THE NARRATIVE OF THE FIRST TEMPTATION, FOUND IN GENESIS 3: 16. THE ACTIONS OF THE NARRATIVE ARE FOUND IN A STRAIGHT FORWARD RECOUNTING OF THE TEXT. ' STORY LINE."
 NOW THE SERPENT WAS MORE CRAFTY THAN ANY OF THE WILD ANIMALS THE LORD GOD HAD MADE. HE SAID TO THE WOMEN, " DID GOD REALLY SAY,"'YOU MUST NOT EAT FROM ANY TREE IN THE GARDEN?"  THE WOMEN SAID TO THE SERPENT, WE MAY EAT FRUIT FROM THE TREES IN THE GARDEN, 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.'  YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE, " THE SERPENT SAID TO THE WOMEN. " FOR GOD KNOWS THAT WHEN YOU EAT OF IT YOUR EYES WILL BE OPEN, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL.  WHEN THE WOMEN SAW THAT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD AND PLEASING TO THE EYE, AND ALSO DESIRING FOR GAINING WISDOM, SHE TOOK SOME AND ATE IT. SHE ALSO GAVE SOME TO HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS WITH HER, AND HE ATE IT.
SATAN'S TEMPTATION OF EVE CAN BE CONCEPTUALIZED IN SIX STEPS THAT CAN BE SEEN IN SATAN'S TEMPTATION OF BELIEVERS TODAY. STEP ONE IS FOUND IN THE FIRST VERSE. THE HEBREW MAY BE PARAPHRASED IN THIS WAY.: NOW THE SERPENT WAS MORE CRAFTY THAN ANY WILD CREATURE THAT THE LORD GOD HAD MADE.
HE SAID TO THE WOMAN:' IS IT REALLY A FACT THAT GOD HAS PROHIBITED YOU FROM EATING OF ALL THE TREES OF THE GARDEN?  WHAT IS THE DYNAMIC HERE? WHY DID SATAN ASK THIS QUESTION? HE OBVIOUSLY KNEW WHAT GOD HAD SAID TO ADAM AND EVE, OR HE WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO ASK WHAT HE DID. FURTHERMORE, HE DELIBERATELY DISTORTED WHAT GOD HAD SAID, " IS IT REALLY A FACT THAT GOD HAS PROHIBITED YOU FROM EATING OF ALL THE TREES OF THE GARDEN? SATAN'S PLOY IS RATHER OBVIOUS: HE IS GETTING EVE TO TAKE HER EYES OFF ALL THE THINGS GOD HAD GIVEN HER TO ENJOY, AND TO FOCUS ON THE ONE THING GOD HAD FORBIDDEN. THERE WERE PROBABLY A THOUSAND PLEASURABLE THINGS EVE COULD HAVE DONE IN THE GARDEN, BUT NOW ALL HER ATTENTION WAS FOCUSED ON THE ONE THING SHE COULD NOT DO. EVE WAS NOW PREPARED.
 FOR SATAN'S NEXT STEP. IN RESPONSE TO EVE'S STATEMENT THAT GOD SAID THAT EATING OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WOULD RESULT IN DEATH., SATAN BOLDLY DECLARED: " YOU WILL NOT SURELY DIE."  THE RESULTS OF SUCH AND SUCH AN ACTION WON'T REALLY BE AS BAD AS GOD HAS SAID. THIS MIGHT BE MINIMIZING THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN/ IN TWO WAYS: FIRST, BY TELLING EVE THAT THE CONSEQUENCES OF SIN WOULD NOT BE AS BAD AS THEY HAD BEEN STATED TO BE, AND SECOND, BY EVENTUALLY FOCUSING HER ATTENTION SO COMPLETELY  ON THE TREE THAT SHE FORGOT ABOUT THE CONSEQUENCES  ENTIRELY. THE THIRD STEP SATAN TOOK ( RENAMING THE ACTION) IN VERSE 5 HE SAYS: " FOR GOD KNOWS KNOWS, WHEN YOU EAT OF IT YOUR EYES WILL BE OPENED, AND YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD, KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL. HERE SATAN PLANTED SUSPICION IN EVE'S MIND THAT IT WAS NOT BECAUSE THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WOULD INJURE HER THAT GOD FORBIDDEN HER TO EAT IT, BUT BECAUSE HE DID NOT WISH HER TO BE LIKE HIMSELF. SATAN DEFTLY TRIED TO REMOVE HIS TEMPTATION FROM THE CATEGORY OF SIN BY RELABELING IT. IN THIS PARTICULAR INSTANCE, PARTAKING OF THE FRUIT WAS RELABELED AS A WAY OF EXPANDING HER CONSCIOUSNESS. SHE WOULD BECOME A MORE COMPLETE PERSON IF SHE TRIED IT ONCE. BEFORE THIS TIME EVE HAD THOUGHT OF THE FORBIDDEN ACTION AS DISOBEDIENCE: NOW SHE SEES IT AS A NECESSITY IF SHE IS TO BECOME A COMPLETE AND MATURE PERSON.
 SATAN THEN QUICKLY ADDED ANOTHER ASPECT TO HIS TEMPTATION AN  ASPECT WHICH MIGHT BE CALLED MIXING GOOD AND EVIL. VERSE  READS: THE WOMAN SAW THAT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD. C.S. LEWIS HAS COMMENTED THAT EVIL IS OFTEN A PERVERSION OF SOMETHING GOOD GOD HAS CREATED. IN THIS INSTANCE SATAN ADDED POTENCY TO HIS TEMPTATION BY MIXING GOOD WITH EVIL: EVE SAW THAT THE TREE WAS GOOD FOR FOOD.  THE FIFTH ASPECT OF EVE'S TEMPTATION IS FOUND IN THE MIDDLE PART OF VERSE 6 " "SHE SAW THAT THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS PLEASING TO THE EYES."  THIS MIGHT BE CALLED MIXING SIN WITH BEAUTY. TEMPTATION OFTEN COMES WRAPPED IN THE FORM OF SOMETHING BEAUTIFUL, SOMETHING THAT APPEALS TO OUR SENSES AND DESIRES. IT IS OFTEN NECESSARY TO THINK TWICE BEFORE WE RECOGNIZE THAT A BEAUTIFUL OBJECT OR GOAL IS REALLY SIN IN DISGUISE. IN THIS INCIDENT EVE FAILED TO  DISCRIMINATE BETWEEN THE BEAUTIFUL PACKAGE AND THE SINFUL CONTENTS THAT THE PACKAGE  CONTAINED: FINALLY EVE TOOK THE SIXTH STEP, THE BIBLE TELLS US " SHE SAW THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WAS... DESIRABLE FOR GAINING WISDOM."  IN ESSENCE SHE SWALLOWED THE DEVIL'S LIE. THIS STEP MIGHT BE CALLED MISUNDERSTANDING IMPLICATIONS ALTHOUGH THIS MAY SEEM LIKE A LESS SIGNIFICANT  POINT IN THE TEMPTATION PROCESS, IT IS PERHAPS THE MOST CRUCIAL. IN EFFECT, BY ACCEPTING SATAN'S STATEMENT, EVE WAS CALLING GOD A LIAR, EVEN THOUGH SHE MIGHT NOT HAVE RECOGNIZED THOSE IMPLICATIONS OF HER ACTION. SHE ACCEPTED SATAN AS THE TRUTH TELLER AND GOD AS THE PREVARICATOR: BY PARTAKING OF THE FRUIT SHE WAS IMPLICITLY
 STATING HER BELIEF THAT SATAN WAS MORE INTERESTED IN HER WELFARE THAN GOD WAS, YIELDING TO THE TEMPTATION IMPLIED THAT SHE ACCEPTED SATAN'S ANALYSIS OF THE SITUATION INSTEAD OF GOD'S.