The Enemy

Satan’s deceptive tactics were known at the time Paul wrote 2 Corinthians. Actually, as one examines Satan’s tactics throughout the scriptures one sees mankind’s greatest enemy using the same tactics again and again. After all, they’ve proven to be very effective. We like to stick with what works, why wouldn’t he?

In the Garden of Eden Satan held nothing back. He employed every tactic he currently uses to deceive mankind. A careful examination of his deception of Eve will give us what we need to identify him at work today.

Background to the Deception

On the sixth day of creation God made the beasts of the earth, the cattle, and everything that creepeth upon the ground (Genesis 1:25, ASV). But He didn’t stop there. Before the morning dawned on His day of rest the Godhead created man in His own image and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life (Genesis 1:26,27; 2:7). As the sixth day closed God looked upon all He had made and beheld that it was very good (Genesis 1:31). It wasn’t just good, it was very good. That which God had made was wholly and exceedingly good. There was nothing bad about it.

Genesis chapter 2 gives us some details about the creation that aren’t mentioned specifically in chapter 1. On the third day the earth brought forth grass, the herb yielding seed and the tree yielding fruit, which God looked upon and saw was good (Genesis 1:12). Genesis 2:9 tells us more about these trees yielding fruit: “And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.” On the third day of creation the tree of knowledge of good and evil was planted in the Garden of Eden! When God beheld His creation at the close of the sixth day, beholding its complete goodness, the tree of knowledge of good and evil was already rooted in the soil of the beautiful garden the Lord had prepared for Adam. This tree was not itself evil. Its name describes what it could do: the fruit it bore held the ability to impart the knowledge of good and evil to mankind.

At some point after his creation God placed the man in the Garden of Eden, to dress it and to keep it (Genesis 2:15). The first thing the scriptures record God doing after placing man in the garden was to command him not to eat of this particular tree. He was free to eat of every other tree, but the day he ate of this tree he would surely die (Genesis 2:16,17). The man was by himself when God commanded him to leave this tree alone. We know this, because the second thing God did after placing man in the garden was to make an help meet for him. He did this because the man was alone, and God knew this was not good (Genesis 2:18).

The stage is now set for Satan to enter the scene and reveal his tactics to us. The tree of knowledge of good and evil is growing in the garden in which the man and his wife are living. God has commanded the man to leave this tree alone, with the consequence of disobedience being death the same day His command is disobeyed. Man’s ultimate enemy now has all he needs to destroy him.

The Deception: Part 1

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said to the woman, Is it so that God has said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to 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 middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.” (Genesis 3:1-3, Modern KJV) Think carefully about this opening dialogue between Satan and the woman. What did God tell Adam? “And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, You may freely eat of every tree in the garden, but you shall not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. For in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16-17) Did God tell Adam that “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”? Yes, He did. Adam was free to eat of every tree EXCEPT one. Therefore, he was not free to eat of every tree of the garden. Satan quoted God’s commandment, although in a slightly twisted way. But the question he asked the woman required her to answer “yes”. And that she did. Sometime after she was formed from a rib taken from Adam’s side and the day the serpent appeared to her in the garden she came to know of the single commandment God had given them. How she learned of this commandment the Bible doesn’t say. But, she knew it and quoted it exactly.

Here we see Satan’s first deceptive tactic: he quotes God’s commandment.

The Deception: Part 2

To this point, all is well. God’s commandment has been quoted, the woman’s understanding of it confirmed, and no forbidden fruit eaten. Notice what man’s greatest enemy does next. Think again for a moment about the commandment God gave Adam. There was a definite and easily-understood consequence should he disobey it. The day he ate of the fruit of this tree he would surely die. The woman knew the consequence as well, and repeated it to Satan. But Satan’s evil purpose was to deceive the woman and thereby convince her to eat of the fruit of this tree. To do so he employs his second deceptive tactic: he changes the consequence of disobedience. After the woman finishes quoting God’s commandment and the consequence of disobedience Satan says, “You shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4) I’ve heard many sermons preached on the “three-letter word” Satan added in this verse, and rightly so. Satan is a liar, and the father of lies (John 8:44). But to me, the important point in Genesis 3:4 is not that he lied, but that we learn his second deceptive tactic is to change the consequence of disobedience to the commandments of God. Later we’ll apply what we’ve learned from this first deception and more clearly see how he works today.

Satan’s second deceptive tactic: he changes the consequence of disobedience to the commandment of God.

The Deception: Part 3

To this point, from the perspective of the woman, all is still well. She hasn’t touched or eaten the fruit she was commanded to leave alone. Satan hasn’t yet been successful in his evil purpose. So he employs his third and final deceptive tactic. Notice what he does next: “for God knows that in the day you eat of it, then your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be as God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5, MKJV) God never told Adam why he was not to eat the fruit of this tree. The woman, in her reply to Satan’s opening question, never mentioned why she was not to eat of this particular tree. Satan’s third deceptive tactic is to give the woman an explanation as to why God would command her not to eat of the fruit of this tree. Now the woman has a piece of information she didn’t have before. Nobody but God knows why He forbade the man and his wife to eat this fruit. Satan, however, takes it upon himself to give the woman a reason. And think about the reason he gave. Who wouldn’t want to have one’s eyes opened, knowing things only God knew? After the woman hears this I picture her saying to herself, “That mean old God!! He knew the fruit would give me something I want, and He just didn’t want me to have it. So he tried to scare me out of eating it by saying I’d die if I did!” (Please keep in mind these are my own thoughts and may have nothing to do with reality.) Whatever she was thinking, we know she looked upon the fruit in a different way after she heard Satan’s explanation. More on that in a minute.

Satan’s third deceptive tactic: he adds an explanation as to why God didn’t mean what it seems like He meant.

One more Tactic

I said in the previous section of this study that Satan employed his third and final tactic when he gave the woman an explanation as to why God wouldn’t want her to eat the fruit of this tree. That was the third of three tactics he used in his spoken deception of the woman. However, before he utters a word to her, we see him using another deceptive tactic he still employs today. He appeared to her in a form other than his actual form. Satan’s actual form is not that of a serpent. He is a spiritual being, and as such does not have flesh and bones (Luke 24:39). A little later in this study we will see Satan making good use of this tactic as we examine his efforts to deceive mankind today.

The Woman’s Response to Satan’s Deception

Before Genesis 3 the Bible says nothing about Adam or Eve’s thinking regarding the forbidden fruit. That changed after Satan’s explanation. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasing to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make wise, she took of its fruit, and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” (Genesis 3:6) John tells us there are three things which are of the world and not of God: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16). Notice how the woman looked at the fruit after Satan finished his deception. She saw it was good for food (the lust of the flesh), pleasing to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and desired to make one wise (the pride of life). Keep this in mind. We’ll see this theme again.

Satan’s First Deception: Summary

In the Garden of Eden Satan used every deceptive tactic he uses today. He appeared in a form other than his true form. He quoted God’s commandment. He changed the consequence of disobeying the commandment. Finally he gave an explanation for why God wouldn’t want man to do what he was commanded not to do. His deception worked. The woman ate of the fruit and gave to her husband, who also ate. That which God looked upon after creation was finished and declared as being wholly good was no longer so. Sin and its consequences had now entered the world. Satan succeeded in his evil purpose.

You now know how Satan works. As you go through life you must be on guard, for Satan continues to walk about as a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). He hasn’t changed his tactics. Next, as we seek to be fully prepared for our battle with Satan, let’s take a look at ourselves and see what vulnerabilities Satan exploits.