Eve vs. God: Opening the Door to Deception Through Misinterpretation of Scriptures

Sometimes, our approach to God’s instructions can work against us and open the door of deceit from the enemy against us. In my study of the Book of Genesis, which has been a rich and rewarding experience, I took some time to compare Eve’s recounting of God’s instruction to Adam about the forbidden tree with God’s actual instruction to Adam in Genesis 2. I made some interesting findings.

First, let’s review the two scriptures:

God’s instruction (2:16-17)

16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (ESV).

Eve’s Recounting (3:2-3)

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,
3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (ESV).

Comparison

God’s Instruction

1. Of every tree… freely (surely) eat

2. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…

3. You shall not eat of it

4. You shall surely die
   

Eve’s Recounting

1. We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden

2. But of the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden…

3. You shall not eat of it / neither shall ye touch it

4. Lest you die

Let’s Break It Down:

1. God gave Adam and Eve the liberty to eat freely from every tree in the garden.

Genesis 2:16 – And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat (NKJV).

When the serpent asked Eve about this, its question was directed completely opposite of what God had said.

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?

God said to eat of all. Satan asked, “Did God say not to eat of every tree?”

Eve’s response was also a deviation from God's instruction. She did not include that God said they should freely eat of every tree. She just mentioned that God said to eat of the fruit of the trees, leaving the conversation open for more questions.

Genesis 3:2 - And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden…

If she had replied the serpent with the exact words of God – freely eat of every tree – there may not have been the opportunity for more conversation, and she would have shown that she was certain and confident of God’s instruction. The serpent may have left her alone at this point.

Application

Believers need to know exactly what God’s word says. Sometimes, paraphrasing God’s word can be dangerous, preventing us from getting a full revelation of God’s instructions to us. God gave humans liberty right from the very beginning. His instructions are not for our bondage but for our good. So as we recognize the need to obey Him by not involving in sinful actions, we should also recognize the liberty we have in Him (Galatians 5:1).

2. God was specific in His instruction on the tree which they should not eat of.

There were two trees in the midst of the garden. It was only one which God specified that they could not eat of.

Genesis 2:9 - And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:17a - but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat…

Eve miscommunicated this instruction in a way that made it seem like she was confused about what the specific instruction was, which opened the door to more conversation by the enemy.

Genesis 3:3a - but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden

In fact, she allowed the enemy to help her “clarify” the instruction (vv. 4-5).

Application

When believers are not clear on God’s instruction or we act like we are not, or we fail to pay close attention to exactly what God’s word is saying, we open the door to the enemy to tell us what God’s word is saying; as we know that the devil never speaks a truth (John 8:44). This is why Paul advised in 2 Timothy 2:15 that we study God’s word like a competent workman who will not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. When believers know the word, Satan cannot cheat us.

3. When God instructed Adam in Genesis 2:17, He told them not to eat ...

Genesis 2:17 - …but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.

They were not to eat it. That was the only instruction about that tree: do not eat of it. When Eve was relaying the information to the serpent, whose business it wasn’t, she said God had said, “Do not eat it and do not touch it.”

Genesis 3:3 - but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it...

Exaggerating God’s word is as dangerous as understating it. It may seem to make sense that Eve added “do not touch it” because she felt touching it may make them eat it, and could have been the method that she and Adam employed to curb their temptation, which is fine. But saying God said something that He did not say, either shows a lack of understanding, or it proves deception, both of which the enemy will take advantage of. This is why proper biblical interpretation is important. Exaggerating the limitations of the tree may have also shown fear. God’s intention was not that they fear the tree. He just did not want them to eat it. God needed them to obey Him. Fear holds one captive, and there is no love in fear (1 John 4:18).

Application

When we obey God’s instruction, in love, we can live a sin-free life. Fearing the devil or sin or being afraid of the consequences does not produce the kind of love-relationship that God wants for us, and it does not help us obey God as we should. It is like a man who is driving a car and constantly looking in his rearview mirror because he is afraid that the car behind him will crash into him from behind. What happens eventually is that he crashes into something, because he is not keeping his eyes on the road.

When we as believers keep our focus on Jesus and pay no attention to the sin and the distractions around us, we get to reach our goal and live a life pleasing to God (Hebrews 12:2). When our focus is Jesus, our desire will be Jesus, and when our desire is Jesus, we will want more of Him and so we would focus more on Him. The cycle continues, helping us to grow into maturity, to the point where certain sins we struggled with are no longer a temptation.

4. The consequence of their disobedience would be death.

God told Adam, “But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17).

The Hebrew word “mûṯ“ translated as “surely” is the same word that was translated as “die”. “Mûṯ“ means “die” So, if it were to be translated as it was originally written, that portion should have read, “…in the day that you eat of it you shall die die.’’ God repeated it twice to express the certainty of the death that would happen if Adam disobeyed and ate the fruit of the forbidden tree. God did not mince words.

When Eve talked to the serpent about the consequences if they disobeyed, she thought God was joking, because she said – “lest ye die”.

Genesis 3:3 – “…but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”

The word Eve used here translated as “lest” is “pēn” in Hebrew and it means “peradventure”. “Peradventure” in English means “maybe”. It shows doubt and uncertainty; perhaps, if by chance, supposing, an uncertainty as to whether something is the case or not.

How does one understand something that was relayed so certainly to the extent of repeating the strong word “die” twice to mean peradventure? I believe that Adam and Eve did not understand the eternal impact of the consequences of their sin, and they did not need to understand, they only needed to obey God.

Application

These days, we have Christians thinking, “How much would sin hurt?” So, they try one sinful act, nothing happens, then they go the next step, not too bad, then they go again – until they are so deep in sin they cannot come out.

The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). This is a certainty. As certain as it was in Genesis. God did not mince words. He meant it and Adam and Eve should have taken that at face value. They undermined the extent of the repercussion of their sin and that cost the whole of humanity big time.

God wants to take His word at face value. Removing from His word, adding to it, undermining the consequences after disobedience, etc. show a lack of understanding of our identity in Christ and poor knowledge of who God is. This is why Paul’s charge to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15b is one that I do not take lightly. Shame and death can come from a poor understanding or a disregard for God’s word.

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

- 2 Timothy 2:15

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