The Bible is full of questions. Sometimes the Biblical author himself asks questions, and sometimes the author reports someone else's questions.
Have you ever thought about the first question in the Bible? It is not a question from the Lord, nor from those who bear His image. That is a question from humanity's nemesis.
The purpose of the serpent in lying to God was to increase the attractiveness of the next temptation.
According to Genesis 3:1, the serpent said to the woman: “Did God really say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?”
This first question was a sharp sword. It was a shrewd tactic of manipulation and deception. It was a strategy aimed at derailing women's faith in God. The serpent said, “Did God really say this…?” And the purpose of his question was to upset Eve's heart. The harmful lies began to work.
Let's make a few observations about the beginning of Genesis 3.
First of all, the serpent wasn't even expressing the Lord's words accurately. That's part of the point. The deceiver was doing what he was doing by falsifying God's Word and God's meaning. Readers know that in Genesis 2:16-17 God said, every tree “You shall not eat of the trees of the garden, nor of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for in the day you eat of it you shall surely die.'' In other words, the serpent It begins in Genesis 3:1 by acting as if they are quoting what God said, when in fact they are intentionally misquoting what God said.
Second, the effect of the serpent's question is to portray God as stingy and stingy, poor in providing for his creation. Can you imagine a scenario where God created these wonderful fruitful trees and forbade Adam and Eve to eat from all of them? That is exactly what the serpent's words convey. “Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?” (Genesis 3:1).
Third, the serpent's purpose in lying to God was to increase the attractiveness of the next temptation. It is true that the forbidden tree had fruit that was good for the eyes and good for food (Genesis 3:6). If the serpent can frame God's commands as stifling, then temptation will seem freer and more appealing. The serpent needed to start by questioning what God (allegedly) said. However, we know that the serpent does not accurately represent the Word of God.
Fourth, the woman's answers to the snake's questions indicate that she was not immediately convinced by the snake's words. She corrected the serpent by saying, “You may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden” (Genesis 3:2). She learned this from Adam (see Genesis 2:16) or from divine revelation that was not reported by the Biblical authors.
The Bible's first question continues to resonate throughout the ages. Did God really say that?
And the serpent's strategy still resonates. He lies to the Lord and distorts what the Lord actually said. He questions the nature of God. He wants God's commands to be stifling and oppressive rather than soul-nourishing and life-giving. He wants seduction to shine in the deceptive light of intrigue and possibility.
Jesus said that the devil “does not stand in the truth, because the truth is not in him.” When he lies, he speaks out of his own nature. For he is a liar and the father of lies. ” (John 8:44).
The serpent questioned God's word because the serpent is a liar. Because he is the father of lies, he misrepresented the word of God. He condemned the nature of God. Because he openly spoke of his own malevolent nature.
The first question in the Bible was full of poison spoken by the enemies of God and God's people.
This essay is first published At Substack with Dr. Mitchell Chase.”Biblical theology.”
