Satan Introduces Doubt, Lies, Deception to God’s Creation – Lesson 23 2025
Genesis 3 introduces us to one of the creatures in the Garden of Eden – the serpent. The serpent was not a supernatural being. In some way, Satan entered the body of the serpent and used the serpent to tempt Adam and Eve by crafting doubt, lies and deceit.
Genesis 3:1-6 KJV
3 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? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 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. 6 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.
The serpent was the instrument Satan used to do his bidding. We can conclude that the tempter was the Devil disguised in the form of a serpent. Though the serpent is not specifically identified in the Book of Genesis; he is clearly identified as the Devil and Satan in the last book of Scripture.
Revelation 12:9 KJV And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
Revelation 20:2 KJV And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years,
Genesis 3:1-6 helps us understand why there are so many problems in the world today.
God permitted the entrance of Satan into the Garden for the purpose of the temptation of Adam and Eve. However, God had given humankind the power of CHOICE. This does not mean that God wished Adam and Eve to sin, forced them to sin, or kept them unprotected from sin. Though they were tempted by a crafty and intelligent being, they did not have to sin! God told them the consequences ahead of time and they made the choice to disobey Him.
Ultimately, as with every sin, it is the person’s own decision. Scripture teaches that with every temptation God always provides a means to escape.
The Bible says:
1 Corinthians 10:13 KJV
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
The Serpent – Cunning and Crafty
Genesis 3… 1 Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Satan, the devil introduced doubt into the words God had said to Adam. The serpent by his question covered up his motive and guided Eve to DOUBT her trust in God. We cannot say that he lied because it was a question, but in fact Satan introduced false thoughts which he used to confuse her. The fact was that God had given all the trees except one to eat from. God had given mankind the power of choice.
Thoughts:
*Good for Food
*Pleasant to the Eyes
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 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. Genesis 3:4-5 KJV
Thought:
*Tree Desirable to Make One Wise
Satan entered the serpent, a real creature, for the purpose of deceiving Eve. The tempter used his craftiness to cause them to sin. God permitted Adam and Eve to be tested, but He certainly did not encourage them to sin nor force them to sin. They could have resisted the temptation, but instead they yielded to Satan and by doing so allowed Satan access into God’s newly created Earth. God gave Adam and Eve, humankind, DOMINION over the Earth. However, with the entrance of Satan and disobedience (rebellion), humankind’s dominion over the Earth was now compromised.
Satan is the deceiver of humankind. The Bible calls him ‘the prince of this world’, ‘the god of this age’ and ‘the prince of the power of the air’.
Jesus said to the religious leaders of His day:
John 8:44 KJV
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.
Next week, the discussion of Genesis 3 will continue and will focus on Eve’s response to the serpent, Satan, and move into discussion of the consequences of Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience.