Genesis 3:5 “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.”
Here the serpent claims to know what God knows, and he offers to share the inside scoop on God’s thinking. His claim of access to inside knowledge had some basis in the facts of his own history, but he conveniently omits that his covetousness and envy of God resulted in his own demotion and degradation, not promotion and elevation, which was doubtless another reason he opted to disguise himself as a serpent in the first place. But we’re getting ahead of the story. For now, the point is that mostly-true lies are the most dangerous kind. God had already opened Adam and Eve’s eyes when He brought them into this world, and from that moment onward their life was a series of new and amazing discoveries. The serpent alleges, however that there are more and better things for Eve to see. He was only half right, for as we now know all-too-well in this evil world, some things are better left unseen.
Next the snake promises something only God can give: “You shall be as gods” he says. God had already made the man and woman like Himself as far as He saw fit, but the serpent downplays that here, suggesting that God made them deficient. "You deserve more" is the flattering implication, tempting the woman to be discontent with what God already gave and to covet what He wisely and lovingly withheld.
The serpent still works the same way today. He appeals to pride and introduces suspicion and mistrust. He wants you to believe that God is holding out on you, that His commands are limitations to your achievement and success. He presents God as shifty, arbitrary and selfish: in short, as untrustworthy. If only Eve had stopped to look around her for a minute and take note of all the evidence she had to the contrary.
How about you? Are you tempted to believe that obedience to God will deprive you of the good things of life? Don’t fall for the serpent’s half-truths and trickery. You can trust God with your happiness. Stop for a moment and take stock of all the good things He has done for you.
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