“You won’t die!” the serpent replied. “God knows that your eyes will be opened… and you will be like God.”
He starts off with a clear lie, as we’ve already established the fact that if they eat, they will surely die. But do you remember how he started with a question that insinuated there’s more to the story than what God said?
Well… here is the great reveal: “Your eyes will be opened… and you will be like God.”
The fascinating part about this is that it was new information to them. God never mentioned this; He only mentioned death. Satan uses an “unknown truth” to further the relational fracture. This is the danger of a half-truth: it’s often more effective than a total lie because it’s easier to swallow. As far as Adam and Eve knew, this was a lie. Nonetheless, what was the serpent’s angle?
His goal was to dismiss or underestimate the consequences while overstating the gain. He leads them toward the knowledge while discarding the death. He tricks them into a perceived intermediate destination that blinds them to the ultimate path of destruction. He is the ultimate bait-and-switch salesman:
He sells the affair, but not the divorce or the broken family.
He sells the buzz, but not the hangover or the regret.
He sells the pleasure, but delivers destruction.
He sells the comparison, but not the envy that rots you to the core.
He sells the “right to be angry,” but not the bitterness that eats you alive.
He sells the venting, but not the bridge you just burned.
This ain’t no joke. “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy” (John 10:10). The “do’s and don’ts” in the Bible aren’t God holding out on us—they are what’s best for us! Satan twists God’s provision into restriction.
How many times have you made a bad decision, looked back, and said, “That 100% wasn’t worth it”? Adam and Eve are the first examples of this, and it continues to this day. But remember: the battle is won when we choose to trust God’s provision over the enemy’s promotion.
The Downward Spiral
Satan gave her the brush and she painted the picture of her own truth. It started with a question. She rationalized a life. Rationalizing is not accepting one big lie, it’s accepting one small lie one bite at a time:
Surely, I won’t die. > That tree is beautiful. > The fruit looks delish. > Being like God would be so cool.
She believed her truth. The most convincing lies are the ones we tell ourselves. Lies wouldn’t be so deceiving if they weren’t so close to the truth.
The Silence of Adam
Meanwhile, while humankind is about to come crashing down, the one guy who heard directly from God—our guy Adam—ain’t doing jack squat. He isn’t across the garden; he is right there.
He chose the comfort of the moment over the responsibility of the Truth. You see, there is a responsibility of hearing from God. So many want to hear, but few want to carry the responsibility of it. The world is a dangerous place, and it’s easy to point the finger at all the evil in our face, but the world is also just as dangerous because of those who look on and do nothing.
Where are you standing silently in your home or workplace while the Enemy whispers to those under your care?
What lies are you telling yourself?
What truth are you ignoring?
What sin are you rationalizing?