Sin Enters

Rhythms.  Since I have last posted I have found hundreds of rhythms in God's Word.  Everywhere from the feasts to the law to the end times.  How glorious is our God!

The next rhythm I discover in Genesis (although I am sure I missed some and at some point in time the Lord will open my eyes and I will see), but for now I need to get writing them down again as I see them.

So, the next rhythm I see is how sin entered the world.  This rhythm remains the same today, as scripture supports.  Let's look at Genesis 3 - the serpent and God's description of how sin enters.  

3 Now the serpent was more subtle 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.

From these verses I detect a rhythm.  The rhythm of the great deceiver to encourage sin.  Let's look at these verses closely.

1) Questioning. Doubt.  Satan introduces doubt and mistrust by questioning the Lord God. Oh, my!  Look here!  We see the same rhythm of sin with Sampson and Delilah!

      2 Chronicles 9:1 And when the queen of Sheba heard of the fame of Solomon, she came to prove Solomon with hard questions at Jerusalem, with a very great company, and camels that bare spices, and gold in abundance, and precious stones: and when she was come to Solomon, she communed with him of all that was in her heart.

In a little while you will see the correlation, if you don't already.  But for now, notice how she first plies him with "hard questions", and since Jerusalem is named, that is significant.  Obviously these questions were regarding God and Faith.

2) Secondly, in Genesis we see Eve actively LISTENING to Satan, and even actively participating in a conversation with him!  In my life which involved a long period of abuse, I learned something mighty.  I learned you cannot even listen and for SURE never try to convince, argue or carry on a reasonable discussion.  You cannot discuss with sin.  For someone to understand sin there has to be conviction.  Conviction from God.  You can remind them or suggest, but NEVER enter into discussion or argument.  You will never convince them.  Only God can.

We cannot totally avoid Satan.  Earth is his domain.  But when we encounter him we do not need to listen.  We have the Spirit of God residing in us who is mightier than even Satan.  Use your resources!

3) Eve ended up, after listening to Satan's argument, doubting God and believing Satan, and actually eating of the fruit.

What implications this has for our lives!  I've heard it said a hundred times - "don't let even the slightest hint of sin in your house", but I never before realized how tragic it can be - NO!  It WILL BE!  We are to fill our lives with things of God!

4) The ultimate result - Eve led others into sin (Adam) and then follows the consequences.  

This all speaks so clearly to a mother's role in protecting her household from sin!!!  God can't be much clearer!  

So, ladies - put on your armor and call on God's protection and help to avoid making Eve's mistakes!

The cycle - Questioning, listening, believing the lies or doubting God's sovereignty, leading others to sin, and ultimately other consequences.

In all of this I rather avoided the important idea that Eve was deceived.  Satan is the father of lies.  He deceives.  It is what he does best. Don't let him in by listening to those lies!!  Follow the example given to us in 3 of the 4 gospels.  Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.