God's Sabbath

240

E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

Satan followed this question with flattering compliments about Eve’s unsurpassed loveliness, in order to set the stage for the effect he desired to gain. He wanted her to imagine that there was nothing too good for a being of such exceptional beau ty as she. Eve found his propositions very pleasing, and made the mistake of lingering to hear more. While listening, Eve did not realize the real issues at stake. Sa tan was in fact suggesting that a problem existed in her life. He ar gued that, here she was, the most beautiful creature in existence, possessing an intelligence and reasoning power unknown in the animal kingdom, being denied the right to eat of this special and rather mysterious tree. To prohibit a cow or horse from eating of it may have been reasonable, but to forbid her was another matter. When Eve agreed that the Lord had forbidden her any right to the tree (see Genesis 3:3), Satan was ready to maintain that God in reality had a serious problem. Through the medium of the ser pent, Satan further declared that in order to solve this problem,

God had stooped to decep tion, by telling Eve and Ad am that they would die if they touched the tree. This was of course a lie, but the tempter succeeded in inducing Eve to believe it was true. In direct contra diction to God’s warning that they would forfeit their lives, he declared, “You will not surely die”. Genesis 3:4. Satan pretended that there were magical proper ties invested in the tree

When there is no real problem, the enemy tries to make us be lieve that there is one, even if it exists only in our mind.

which, if they ate of it, would elevate them to the level of God. The reason he gave for the Creator’s prohibition was that He did not wish Adam and Eve to know about this possibility. Satan in sinuated that God was so anxious to prevent them finding out about this, that He had resorted to falsehood to protect Himself, because He could not trust them to keep away from the tree if they knew of His jealously guarded position.