I was reading through Genesis this week, and something jumped off the page at me in the first verse of the third chapter.
“Now the serpent was MORE CRAFTY than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.”
It’s no joke. It means he is mercilessly skillful in underhanded agendas and evil schemes against us. He is cunning, deceitful, and sly. He is a master of betraying our common sense, and hustling us into spiritual treason and treachery.
And it’s important that WE KNOW OF THIS.
In the story of Adam and Eve, it plays out perfectly to his advantage. They are living in a beautiful garden, experiencing an unbroken relationship with God – and the enemy was intent on sabotaging it all.
Funny thing is, in his first attempt to trick Eve into eating some fruit from the forbidden tree, she doesn’t blink. She restates to him that God did tell them NOT to eat from that particular tree, and she would have no part of it. Her first defense mechanisms were solid and fortified.
But then, the story takes a bad turn, as Eve gets into a conversation with the enemy. The longer he can keep it going, the better chance he’s got in his ‘craftiness’ to lead her down the dark path of disobedience.
Eventually, she breaks. Verse six tells us that she “looked” at the fruit on the tree again, it was desirable to her and she ate it. That’s quite a contrast from her initial position of resistance!
That’s because he’s more crafty than the rest.
I think it’s an important reminder for us all… to know our enemy and to be aware of his agenda to take us right out of the game. He’s crafty to lead us in sin. He’s crafty to lead us in believing lies and half-truths. He’s crafty to lull us into a spiritual sleep and be snoring away in complacency while “life to the fullest” passes us by.
I’ve got to believe this is why 1 Peter 5:8-9 tells us;
“Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that the family of believers throughout the world is undergoing the same kind of sufferings.”
He may be crafty, but we have the ability to be alert of that craftiness and position ourselves to resist him and his strategies against us. Let’s do it!!
