Seven Covenants: The Temptation of Man

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Elinor Garrett
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1 Seven Covenants: The Temptation of Man I. Introduction A. A Biblical Theme 1. Covenant: An agreement between two or more parties outlining mutual rights and responsibilities Dispensation: Much like an act in a play, a dispensation is a period of history in which God administers His rule and authority over humanity through a specific revelation. Each dispensation brings humanity under an obligation to a new revelation and tests man in regards to that revelation. Each dispensation ends with a judgment for man s failure. B. Review 1. The creation of Man. - God creates the first man, Adam. - He is a living soul, distinct from the animal creation. - God s provides Adam with a home and a helpmate. - In the Garden, God plants two Trees, Life and Knowledge of Good and Evil. - Man is given a single, simple command do not eat of the Tree of Knowledge least he die. 2. The Temptation of Man - In this idyllic paradise we see the appearance of an intruder, the serpent. - Described as being the most crafty of creatures he speaks to the woman. 1 Allen C. Myers, The Eerdmans Bible Dictionary (Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans, 1987), 240.

2 Genesis 3:1 6 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, 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. Then the serpent said to the woman, 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. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. II. The Temptation of Man A. The Serpent s Attack 1. Misdirection - Disguise Satan came in the form of a serpent to hide his true identity. 2-2 Corinthians 11:14. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. 2. Question God s Word. And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (v. 1b) - In essence, Did God really say this? - The emphasis is on the restriction, whereas God emphasized His liberality. - Doubt He always seeks to instill doubt through questioning. - Luke 4:3. And the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. B. The Woman s First Response 1. Appeal To God s Word. 2 John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-), Ge 3:1 7. 2

3 - 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. - Luke 4:3 4. And the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. 2. Embellishment of God s Word. a. nor shall you touch it, lest you die. b. This is an inaccurate appeal to God s Word, something we ourselves must be careful to avoid. - 1 Corinthians 4:6. Now these things, brethren, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one against the other. C. The Serpent s Second Attack 1. Contradiction of the Word. a. The serpent directly contradicts what God has said. - Genesis 3:4. Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. b. Deception He is always a liar. - Remember what John 8:44 says of Satan, When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it. 2. Question of God s Character a. God is selfish, according to the serpent. - 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. 3

4 b. He uses this same tactic today when he moves people to question the goodness of God. - This is often the root of atheism, How can a good God allow the evil we see in the world today? - How can God let this evil happen to me? 3. Appeal to Pride a. The age old lie. - you will be like God b. This is the lie that is at the root of almost every false religion created by man. - Hinduism, Mormonism, New Age, Scientology, Word of Faith, etc. - Even evolutionists often few the end of evolution as semi divine. 4. Arousal of natural appetites. - The serpent now lets Eve s natural desires work on her to bring her into sin. D. The Woman s Second Response. 1. Self-reliance: So when the woman saw a. Encouraged by the serpent, the woman now attempts to evaluate the situation for herself. b. She discovers three good things about the fruit: - Genesis 3:6. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. c. These three relate directly to the categories of sin. - 1 John 2:16. For all that is in the world the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life is not of the Father but is of the world. 4

5 2. Yielding to desire: she took of its fruit and ate - The word for desirable (neḥmāḏ, v. 6) is related to a word that appears later in the command, You shall not covet (ṯaḥmōḏ, Ex. 20:17). 3 - James 1: Let no one say when he is tempted, I am tempted by God ; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death. 3. She becomes a tempter: She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate III. Application - Through out this event, Adam stood quietly by and did nothing to contradict the serpent or his lies. In the end, he too succumbs to the temptation. A. Temptation will come. 1. Everyone is tempted. - 1 Corinthians 10:13a. No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man. 2. Jesus was tempted. - Hebrews 4:15. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. 3. Temptation is allowed for a purpose. - What is temptation? Seduction to evil, solicitation to wrong. It stands distinguished from trial thus: trial tests, seeks to discover the man's moral qualities or character; but temptation persuades to evil, deludes, that it may ruin. The one means to undeceive, the other to deceive. The one aims at the man's good, making him conscious of his true moral self; but the other at his evil, leading him more or less unconsciously into sin. God tries; Satan tempts. 3 John F. Walvoord, Roy B. Zuck and Dallas Theological Seminary, The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1983-), Ge 3:1 7. 5

6 B. Temptation can be overcome. 1. There is a reward for overcoming temptation. - James 1:12. Blessed is the man who endures temptation; for when he has been approved, he will receive the crown of life which the Lord has promised to those who love Him. 2. God has promised a way out. - 1 Corinthians 10:13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. - However, we even strong believers fail. It was F.B. Meyer, I believe, who once said that when we see a brother or sister in sin, there are two things we do not know: First, we do not know how hard he or she tried not to sin. And second, we do not know the power of the forces that assailed him or her. We also do not know what we would have done in the same circumstances. C. How can temptation be overcome? 1. By correctly appealing to God s Word. - Luke 4:1 13. Then Jesus, being filled with the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness, being tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. And the devil said to Him, If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread. But Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God. Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. And the devil said to Him, All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours. And Jesus answered and said to him, Get behind Me, Satan! For it is written, You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve. Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. For it is written: He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you, and, In their hands 6

7 they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. And Jesus answered and said to him, It has been said, You shall not tempt the Lord your God. Now when the devil had ended every temptation, he departed from Him until an opportune time. - Psalm 119:11. Your word I have hidden in my heart, That I might not sin against You. 2. The three step process. a. Know, reckon, yield. - Romans 6:7 13. For he who has died has been freed from sin. Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him. For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present yourselves to God as being alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 7

DwellintheWord.net. Bible Study - Adam and Eve

DwellintheWord.net. Bible Study - Adam and Eve DwellintheWord.net Bible Study - Adam and Eve Life Lessons from Adam and Eve The story of Adam and Eve found in Genesis 2:15 3:13 is also our story and we can learn a lot from them. In the Beginning God