Genesis 3:1 Running from the Devil and Into the Arms of Jesus

                “Hebrew writers delight in puns.”  (Alter, 11)  That brings to mind an young-at-heart father that delights in bad jokes.  This joke, however, is much more serious and would foreshadow fear, worry, disgust, anger and sinfulness worthy of death if we read Genesis 3:1 with a Hebrew writer’s sense of humor and literary skills.  At the end of chapter 2 of Genesis, we see that Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed.  At the beginning of chapter 3, we read of a crafty or cunning serpent intent on deceiving man.  The Hebrew word for crafty or cunning (arum) sounds a lot like the word for naked (arumim) seen at the end of previous chapter and near the end of this passage.  In verse 2:17, God had said “from the tree of knowledge, good and evil, you shall not eat, for on the day you eat from it, you are doomed to die.”  (Alter, 8)  In verse 3:1, Satan, disguised as a serpent, asks a question that does not seem to lead anywhere, but, in fact, is part of a greater plan he has.  “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”  Of course God had not said as much, but the craftiness of this creature that God had made begins to shine through.

            I feel it is necessary at this point to remind the Christian to stay near to God.  Listen to what He has to say in His Word and through prayer.  Learn to recognize half-truths and total lies disguised as harmless temptations.  The devil “prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”  (1 Peter 5:8)  That “someone” is you.  And you.  And you.  Each of us.  He will most likely not come disguised as a talking snake or charging at you like a lion.  He will speak calmly and succinctly.  He will instill doubt, so do not enter into conversation with him.  Respect him, but do not feel obliged to hang around him.  Instead, do the opposite.  Run.  Eve should have run to wherever she could be closest to God or her husband Adam.  Run to God’s Word to discern if you are being lied to.  Run to the arms of Jesus and carry on your walk with him.  Satan is crafty and only wants to harm you.  God is all-knowing and His Word should always be trusted.

Works Cited

Alter, Robert, Genesis New York:  W.W. Norton and Company.  1996.  Print
The Holy Bible.  English Standard Version.  Wheaton, Ill.:  Crossway Bibles.  2007.  Print