Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
The easiest person in the world to deceive is the person who does not think that he can be deceived. Those who think they have all the answers and are not likely to be deceived are very likely to be deceived. It is those who understand that there is a dangerous world and a devil abroad who realize the need to weigh every thought, action, and idea in light of the truth, what Scripture says.
You see, subtlety is the serpent’s MO, his mode of operation. He plants a question and offers a lie instead of an answer. Think about Adam and Eve fresh from the hand of God. Could two people have ever been more perfect than Adam and Eve? There was no taint of sin. They lived in a perfect environment. They had a marvelous world, yet they were deceived.
The Bible says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” The Bible also tells us we are to be on guard against the “wiles of the devil.” The devil doesn’t need to fight you if he can deceive you.
Genesis 3:1 says, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” Notice that the devil led off with a question. The Bible says right off the bat that the serpent was subtle and sneaky. There is a lot going on here which we will not address, but the bottom line is that the devil’s mode of operation is to plant a question, then offer a lie instead of an answer.
Questions are not wrong or bad. God is not offended or intimidated by any question from any honest, seeking heart. Anyone with a submissive heart and an honest question can get the answer he needs from God. The devil panders to our ignorance. He questions God, and presents himself as an answer. He exploits the desires that God has Himself given to us.
For instance, when the devil tempted Eve with a question, verse 6 says, “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” Notice the progression: saw, desired, took, and then gave. That is exactly how sin is spread.
The Bible says about temptation in James 1:15, “Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.” The devil can use our own desires against us to bring us to sin. James goes on to say, “Do not err, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above.” In other words, God is a good God. Every good gift and perfect gift has been given by God. God will not withhold anything that will do you good. It is the devil who takes the very desires that we have and makes them the lord in our lives, the destruction of our future.
So, be sober, be vigilant, and be aware that you have an adversary whose main weapon today is subtlety. He wants us to think the wrong thing about God and he wants to ruin our lives by leading us to disobeying Him.