Today I continue my series of articles commenting on the concept and principles involved in the Armor of God, which the apostle Paul described in the New Testament. This is the topic of the Sunday school lesson I am currently teaching.
The Wiley Satan
I am often amused by the Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner who seems to dodge the wiles of the coyote. By living in obedience we also can avoid the traps that the devil sets for us. Proverbs 3:7 says, “Be not wise in your own eyes, "Fear the Lord, and depart from evil.”
If Eve had only obeyed God she would not have gotten into the trouble she had gotten into. In the same way we may not understand the reason for something but obedience to God can keep us out of trouble and bring results. At the marriage supper of Cana Mary told the servants, do whatever He says, they did and the problem of no wine was solved and a whole lot of more wine was provided.
Consider the wiles of the devil.
The word wiles is from the Old English which comes from magic, divination, akin to wiglian, to take auspices, wince, witch.
1. A sly trick; deceitful artifice; stratagem
2. A beguiling or coquettish trick
3. Craftiness, guile
(Webster’s New World College Dictionary, fourth edition p. 1637)
Genesis 2:15-17 gives the instructions of the LORD GOD to Adam.
“And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 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 3:1-6 shows the disobedience of Eve and Adam to the LORD GOD.
“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.”
Consider Eve in Genesis 3:1-6 and the command God gave to Adam in Genesis 2:16, 17.
1. Satan approached Eve through a serpent.
2. A question was asked of Eve by the serpent which was a minor misquote of God.
3. The serpent asked Eve, “Has God said you cannot eat of every tree in the garden?”
4. God had actually said, “Of every tree in the garden you may freely eat but of the tree in the midst of the garden you shall not eat of it, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.”
5. Then the serpent lies by saying, “You shall not surely die. God knows that the day you eat of it you will be as gods knowing both good and evil.”
6. When Eve saw that the tree was good for food, pleasant to the eyes, and desirable to make one wise she took of the fruit and ate it.
7. Eve then gave it to Adam, her husband, and he ate it.
Notice the wile!
1. Eve being approached with a false front.
2. Eve being told a close approximation of the truth exaggerating the negative.
3. Eve was told a total lie exaggerating the positive.
4. Eve was enamored by the wonderful prospects of food, wisdom, and pleasure.
5. Eve forgot and disregarded the truth; and she believed a lie and she disobeyed God.
God is warning and instructing us so that we will not fall prey to the wiles of the devil.
No comments:
Post a Comment