Friday, September 9, 2016

EVE AND JESUS

Satan, if nothing else, appears to be consistent in his approach in trying to tempt humanity!  In the Garden of Eden, he appealed to Eve's "lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 Jn. 2:16)!  He did the same thing when he tried to tempt Jesus in the wilderness after He had fasted for forty days (Mt. 4:1-11; Mk. 1:12-13; Lk. 4:1-13)!

Genesis 3:1 - Satan wanted to know what the woman knew about the will of God, so he asks:  "Really, has God said You are not to eat of every tree of the garden?"

Genesis 3:2-3 - The woman misquoted God's instructions, saying:  "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 has said we shall not eat of it, neither shall we touch it, lest we die."

Genesis 3:4-5 - Satan knew that if she touched the fruit, she would not die, so he most likely lured her into touching it.  When she did not die, she must have begun to doubt God.  Satan then challenged God's motive; Satan told her God just wanted to maintain superiority over mankind, and ironically, in so doing, "the father of lies" (Jn. 8:44) called God a liar!  Satan said, "You won't die!  God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and you shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

Genesis 3:6 - Then, being deceived (Gen. 3:13) and believing Satan's word over God's, she saw the tree was good for food; she saw that it was desirable to look upon and, she wanted to be wise and to be like God (the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of life - 1 Jn. 2:16)!  Satan didn't fool Adam; we know this because he deliberately disobeyed God and it was through his defiance that sin entered into God's perfect world (Rom. 5:12)!

Satan's successful attempt at tempting Eve 4000 years earlier, was doomed to failure when he tried it on Jesus.  James wrote:  "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God:  for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man:  but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.  Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin:  and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death" (Jam. 1:13-15)!  Jesus was not only God manifest in the flesh (Jn. 1:1, 14; 1 Tim. 3:16), but He would live His life having never sinned (Heb. 4:15)!

Matthew 4:3 - "And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread."  Jesus had fasted for forty days and His flesh hungered.

Matthew 4:6 - "And saith unto 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."  Satan was trying to make Jesus prove Who He was, thus displaying pride!

Matthew 4:8-9 - "Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and showeth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me."  Jesus, seeing all the kingdoms of the world which were controlled at that time by Satan, was being "tempted to take a short cut" to becoming the King of kings and the Lord of lords of the whole world (Rev. 11:15; 19:16)!

There are many differences between Eve and Jesus, obviously, but perhaps the most significant difference between them was how they responded to Satan's temptation:  Eve did not know God's Word, and Jesus, not only being the Word, He knew it and used it to ward off Satan!

"Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against Thee."

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