"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."
Genesis 3:4-5
The devil is a sly and blatant liar. He hates the truth and only uses it when he can bend it for his use. He wants us to think that we should believe him when he says a partial truth. But, any incomplete truth is a lie! Jesus knew of his lack of character well, and one day He said this to some dishonest Pharisees –
“Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning and abode not in the truth because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it” (John 8:44).
Satan’s character has not changed from the beginning. Sadly, when she met the serpent, Eve didn’t recognize him as the “father of lies” in disguise, or she may not have listened to him. When he started talking with her and undermining God’s Word, he promised two things to her.
1. No penalty for her if she will eat the fruit – “you won’t die!” (Genesis 3:3).
“The serpent uses the ambiguity of the penalty’s wording to make the woman less fearful and more apt to follow his solicitation” [1] (FSB).
2. There is an excellent reward for disobedience if you eat the fruit – “ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:4).
“The tempter also cast doubt over God’s character, suggesting that God was jealous, holding them back from their destiny (3:5). They would become like God when they ate—and God knew that, according to Satan. So Satan held out to them the promise of divinity—knowing good and evil” [2] (BKC).
“The serpent then challenged God’s judgment by claiming ‘you will not surely die’ and promised instead sophistication (that their eyes will be opened) and spiritual advancement (that they will be like God)” (NBC).
“Their eyes were opened; they did know good and evil, but not as gods. A complete lie is rarely effective in temptation. If Satan doesn’t couple it with some truth, there is little power in his temptation” [3] (EWC).
The devil is an expert liar and a specialist at twisting God’s Word. To Jesus, he said this as he tempted Him –
“…If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands, they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone” (Matthew 4:6).
Jesus was in no way fooled by him wresting the Scriptures. If the devil used that strategy with God’s Son, we ought to expect the devil and his followers to use the same kinds of lies with us.
“Satan and the flesh will present a thousand reasons to show how good it would be to disobey His command” [4] (Barnhouse).
He is never to be trusted! The devil promised Eve things that he could not give her. He laid the groundwork and then deceived her. He uses the same line today, “you can be a god!” Even with his foundation as a liar being laid, if we are naïve and do not guard our hearts against his onslaughts, he or his followers do the same thing to us.
Quote: “Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: Whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world” (1 Peter 5:6-9).
[1] FSB, John D. Barry, Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, et al., Faithlife Study Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), Ge 3:4–5.
[2] BKC, Allen P. Ross, “Genesis,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 32.
[3] EWC – David Guzik. Enduring Word Commentary, the electronic version in eSword.
[4] EWC, ibid.