CHAPTER 1
The Futile Attempt and Vain Imagination of Adam and Eve
In the book of Genesis, the book of the beginning of the creation of God, it is recorded that God created the heaven and the earth and all things therein by the word of His power. Then God blessed all of the creatures that He made, saying: "Be fruitful and multiply". That is, everything that flies in the firmament of the heavens, every living thing that moves in the waters, and those things in the earth. God said "Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind" and it was so. Thus, God saw that all that He made was good. See Gen. 1:1-25 After which God said "Let us make man in our image (character), after our likeness: And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
So God created man in His own image. In the image of God created He him; male and female created He them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish (Fill up) the earth, and subdue it: And have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Gen. 1:24-28).
As it is shown, Adam and Eve were given complete authority to have control over all the earthly creatures and to replenish (fill up) the earth. They were both well favoured by God, being made in His own image and likeness and treated as one flesh.
Adam was greatly respected by God in that, Adam was given the opportunity to name every living creature that God had made, including Eve, the mother of the whole human family, his wife, and in God's sight they were one flesh because she was taken from Adam, to cleave to each other. For God had said husband and wife shall leave Father and Mother and cleave to each other. In using the example of Adam and Eve see Gen. 2:18, 21-24.
As a result of man's wonderful creation by God, including the entire universe that He has made, the Psalmist, in his assessment and reflection of the greatness of God and His wonderful works which He did, declared: I will praise Thee (in his expression of gratitude), for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Marvelous are Thy works, and that my soul (self) knoweth right well. My substance was not hidden from Thee, when I was made in secret and curiously (intricately) wrought in the lowest parts of the earth, Ps 139:14-15.
Such were the thinking and expressions of David, as he thought of God's great blessings that were bestowed upon mankind. Having the divine nature of God within them and possessed with eternal life, thus enabling them to have constant fellowship with God, having the ability before the fall to reason and to think right, so that all the creatures that Adam had named were accepted by God, because the Spirit of God was endued within him so that he could name them right.
However, there was a creature called the serpent which God had created, and it was more subtle (cunning) than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made, which appeared to Eve in the garden of Eden.
This creature had given itself to Satan. It should be noted that this beast, in its first creation, was not a writhing reptile or snake that crept on its belly until it was cursed by God for the part it played in the fall of man.
This beast was used as an agent of the devil which had envied Adam and Eve for the dominion they were given by God over the entire earth, and in the seas, to execute their authority.
For this reason he cunningly beguiled Eve and twisted the Word of God concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Then Eve hearkened to the devil's lie and was deceived, which resulted in their transgression and subsequent spiritual and physical death, as well as all the consequences of sin, pain, sickness, child bearing with pain, labour with difficulties and all the causes of sin by their disobedience.
Thus, Satan tried to usurp God's authority on the earth as shown in his futile attempt to tempt the Lord Jesus in His forty days and forty nights fasting in the wilderness. Mt. 4:5-9
CHAPTER 2
The words of deception by the serpent to make Adam & Eve wise as God
The words of deception spoken by the serpent which misled Adam and Eve, that they would be wise as God, is the most deceptive of all deceptions, and cunning, which worked in their minds, "ye shall not surely die".
That statement from the serpent, that their eyes shall be opened and that they shall be wise as gods, knowing good and evil, brought their downfall. That disobedient response to God's command shows that we should be careful to what we give ourselves to hear, and what we are in agreement with. This account of that incident shows that it is foolish to think that we can be as wise as God, who created us with all His manifold wisdom, power and all other attributes vested in Him.
This was the sole purpose when it appeared to Eve in the garden of Eden. To dethrone them of their dominion given to them by God. Thus the serpent said to Eve, "Yea hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" And the woman said unto the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden. 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." And the serpent said unto the woman, "Ye shall not surely die, for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods (God), knowing good and evil."
Thoughts of those kinds are vain imagination which leads to negative behaviour that will lead us astray from God and ultimately His blessings, He has promised for our faithfulness and obedience to do His will.
The commands He gives are positive. They are given for upliftment in our lives. Those thoughts we should inculcate in our minds. They are Christ-like and they are positive thinking which will bring to us our heavenly rewards. Thus, deception and false beliefs outside of God's commands, was an evil seed sown and conceived...
