We continue our exploration of our text, shifting attention to the conversation between the extra-terrestrial beast, the serpent, and Eve.

Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. 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. Genesis 3:1-6

A quick comparison of Genesis 2:17 with Genesis 3:3 exposes the major rift that the serpent capitalizes upon.

Genesis 2:17 (KJV):

But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

Genesis 3:3 (KJV):

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

When our knowledge of what God has written or spoken is incomplete, imperfect, and dependent on second-hand information we become the subject or target for Satan’s wiles and treachery. Unfortunately, Satan’s apples are proverbially full of the worms of rebellion against God, always his ultimate objective; pitch us against God putting us in enmity against Him!

What will be your disposition to the word of God this year? Consider the words written concerning the Lord by Isaiah in Isaiah 50:4,5 (AMPC)

[The Servant of God says] The Lord God has given Me the tongue of a disciple and of one who is taught, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him who is weary. He wakens Me morning by morning, He wakens My ear to hear as a disciple [as one who is taught]. The Lord God has opened My ear, and I have not been rebellious or turned backward.

This scripture speaks to the only acceptable standard regarding our relationships with the Lord as His disciples; and save yourself from the wiles and deceit of Satan. Shore yourself up, spending time with the word of God because spiritual swindlers are all around!

Eve fell prey to the rebellion hawker, being persuaded by the serpent that she could be equal to God and so decide on what is good or evil just as he sought to do as revealed in Isaiah 14:14. Be wary of any and everything that draws you out of dependence upon God; such will put you in rebellion against God; it is not lack of ambition not to be anything beyond what God appointed or purposed you to be.

Staying in the place He appointed for you puts you in the centre of His love, doing only those things that please Him. Such a stance will put you outside the accepted norms of this present world. Selah.