Satan's Strategy

Satan has always exhibited a hostile attitude toward human beings. From the beginning of Genesis, we can clearly see that when Satan was an angel with an attitude. Satan’s intent is to thwart God’s plans and purposes. The best picture of Satan’s strategy against mankind can be seen in his conversation with Eve. Satan intruded into the Garden of Eden with the specific intention of getting Adam and Eve to sin and thus to adopt his attitude of rebellion against God.

Knowing something of Satan, who expressed himself through the serpent, we can expect that he intended nothing good when he struck up a conversation with Eve. As we examine the conversation between Satan and Eve, we sense something of Satan's subtlety. He told no direct lie to Eve, but through half-truth and innuendo Satan led Eve to doubt the Lord. We can see Satan's basic approach to temptation by looking carefully at the conversation recorded in Genesis 3:1-5.

Satan: "Has God indeed said, 'You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?' "

Eve: "We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 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.' "

Satan: "You will not surely die" "For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

Satan sought to distort Eve's view of God. God told Adam, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat." The one exception was "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil" (2:16). Satan shifted the emphasis from God's generous provision of "every tree" to draw Eve's attention to the one tree from which she and Adam were not to eat. Adam and Eve had reason to appreciate God's generosity in providing so profusely. Satan's first remark encouraged them to focus on the prohibition, to cast the Lord as harsh and repressive.

Satan questioned God's word. Satan directly contradicted God, “You will not surely die.” Satan was casting doubt about the reliability of God's word. Eve chose to rely on her senses rather than on God's word. Eve’s response to Satan was to examine the tree. It seemed "good for food." The fruit smelled delicious. It was "pleasant to the eyes." It looked beautiful. Today too people tend to rely on their senses rather than on scriptures. If something feels good or is enjoyable, they assume it must be good, even though Gods word tells us it is really harmful. One of Satan's consistent strategies is to get people to choose on the basis of appearances and feelings and to reject the clear moral guidance provided in Scripture.

Satan suggested an attractive alternative. Satan suggests that God had a reason for the restriction other than concern for His creatures. Satan promised Eve that when the fruit of the tree is eaten, "your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” Most appealing of all to Eve was the fact that the tree was "desirable to make one wise." Eve wanted to be more than she had been, more than God intended her to be. Underlying the rebellion of both Satan and Eve was a desire for independence from God. People still mistakenly take that independence for "freedom," never realizing that it is only in allegiance to God and His will that any creature can find fulfillment and true happiness.