The Word of God and the Voice of Satan - Genesis Lectures 8

Adam and Eve and the Fruit of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3)

Today, I would like to share the story from Genesis 3, where Adam and Eve eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

God told Adam,“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.”

Adam and Eve did not yet understand what death was.They had never seen it nor experienced it, but they believed that death must be something bad—why else would God command them not to eat from that tree?As long as they stayed within faith, trusting God’s word, they had no need to eat the forbidden fruit; the garden was full of many other trees.

But while Eve was talking with the serpent, a heart of unbelief toward God’s word began to quietly rise within her. While listening to Satan’s voice, unbelief slowly grew in her heart, yet she did not even realize what was happening.

Eve had never once doubted God’s word before. She had never thought, “Perhaps God isn’t right.”But through listening to Satan, she began drifting away from God’s word and unbelief arose without her noticing.

Finally, through the serpent’s conversation, when Eve said, “Lest ye die,” the serpent contradicted God:“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.”

In other words, Satan claimed that God lied to them because He didn’t want them to become like Him.

Of course, eating the fruit does not make anyone like God.After they ate it, they did not become divine. This is obvious. But deceived by the serpent, Eve began to desire, “Then I should eat it and become like God.”

Now Eve was caught between two voices:

• God said, “You will surely die.”

• Satan said, “You will not die—you will become like God.”

  
  

She was confused about whom to believe.Until then she had only heard God’s voice, and there had been no problem. But now she heard two opposing voices, and she could not accept both at once. She had to choose one and reject the other.

Sadly, she felt more drawn to Satan’s voice, which seemed more appealing.So according to her own judgment, she accepted Satan’s words and rejected God’s word. This became the root of human unhappiness.

Before stealing or committing adultery, before any outward sin, Satan first planted unbelief toward God’s word in the human heart.When a person hears God’s word but falls into unbelief, that word loses value in their heart. Then Satan deceives them and leads them into evil.

Eve turned away from God’s word and accepted Satan’s voice.By believing the serpent instead of God, she shifted from belonging to God to being deceived by Satan. This brought sorrow, pain, tears, and suffering into human life.

Returning to God

To return to God, we must reject the voices of Satan we have been following and accept God’s word by faith.

But we have lived so long under Satan’s influence—his voice feels familiar to us.When we try to listen to God’s word, it doesn’t feel comfortable.We know God’s word is good morally and logically, yet it appears unrealistic.

This is why many people do not receive God’s word in their hearts with faith.

However, just as Eve fell by doubting God and believing Satan, we can recover the blessing lost by humanity when we reject Satan’s voice and accept God’s word by faith.

Many people today read the Bible as simply “good teaching,” not as the living word of God. The reason? God’s word seems different from reality.

But the Bible says:

• “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

• “He that humbleth himself shall be exalted.”

• “He that loseth his life shall find it; but he that seeketh to save his life shall lose it.”

These words are completely opposite of the world’s way of thinking.So they are difficult to understand. Yet when we deny our own thoughts and accept God’s word, the word begins to work and act inside us. Then our relationship with God is restored.

Jesus said:“But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God” (John 1:12).To whom does He give this power?To those who receive His word by faith—whether or not it fits their own thoughts.

The Power of God’s Word in Our Lives

Satan told Eve that eating the fruit would open her eyes and make her like God. But when she ate it, was she really enlightened and made divine?No—she was deceived.She fell into suffering, shame, and fear.

Even today, Satan works to produce unbelief when we read the Bible.But if we continue to read and hear God’s word, we will realize that God’s word is right and our way of living has been wrong.

When we accept God’s word—whether it matches our feelings or not—it transforms our lives.The paradise of Eden turned into a thorn-covered land when man sinned, but even if your current life is filled with hardship, pain, and thorns, God’s word can restore it again into a garden.

Your environment is not the problem.Do not blame your circumstances.To escape unhappiness, you must set aside your own thoughts and accept God’s word by faith. When you receive it, that word begins to live and work in your heart.Just as God created the heavens and the earth by His word, His word will create new works inside you.Just as Jesus’ word calmed the stormy sea, His word will calm the storms in your life.And just as His word brought flowers and fruitfulness to barren lands, your life will also blossom and bear precious fruit.