Genesis 3:1–3 (NIV84)
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
Temptation rarely arrives with a battering ram; it slips in through the side door with a seemingly innocent question. The serpent did not begin with a command to disobey. It began with a subtle question that twisted the truth: “Did God really say…?” Notice the craft in this approach. It does not immediately deny God’s word, but first insinuates that it is unreasonable, smuggling in the assumption that God’s command is something to be placed under our own critical judgment. The very moment Eve engages with this question, she has stepped out of her role as a creature and into the role of a critic. She has moved from the garden into the judge’s bench.
The goal of this first strategy is to create mistrust in the authority of God’s Word. Before any fruit is touched, the foundation of reality is shaken. Sin does not begin with the act of disobedience, but with the prideful assumption that we have the right, the wisdom, and the standing to adjudicate God’s commands. Once you begin to ask, “Is this rule really good for me?” you have already performed a coup in your own heart. You have replaced God with your own assessment of what is good. Eve’s response reveals the poison is already at work. She adds to God’s command—“you must not touch it”—magnifying its strictness and beginning to feel the self-pity that the serpent was hoping to provoke. The battle was nearly lost before it had truly begun.
Reflect, Share & Pray: When have you found yourself questioning the goodness or wisdom of God’s Word, and in doing so, placing your own judgment above His? Talk to God about it in humble repentance.
I think I have found myself questioning God’s goodness when I think about forgiving. Some people have just hurt me in ways that makes it hard for me to want to forgive. Forgiving definitely helps take the load off and the hurt and pain. I constantly try to put myself above them of being more right than wrong and judge but that is not what I should be doing. Instead of holding a grudge and trying to show them up, I need to put my pride and ego away. I see a good way of doing that is to do my dirt that I have and ask for repentance. Lord, I know I am a terrible person and I need you. To be honest, I lose sight of how much I need you. Please help remind me of your Word and wisdom. I pray that I come to you, to trust you, to follow your word and live a life of goodness from you. Help me to come back and repent to be a stronger believer so that I may glorify you. Thank you Lord. In Jesus name, Amen
I think for me God’s word tells us to love one another. I have a hard time to love someone when they have done something in the past to me that has hurt me or when we may differ in opinions. I just don’t see how I can love someone if we differ in so many things that causes arguments or turmoil between us. God tells us to love them though and that I need to practice that. Christ loved everyone and we should follow His practice b
-Thomas
I can relate to Eve’s moment of questioning. There have been times when I wondered whether God’s way was really the best way especially when His Word seemed to go against what felt right or what others around me were doing. For instance, during seasons when I felt overlooked or treated unfairly, I’ve caught myself thinking, “Does forgiving really help? Shouldn’t I stand up for myself more?” In those moments, I was doing exactly what Eve did by placing my own sense of fairness above God’s wisdom. Looking back, I realize that the more I entertained those doubts, the more distant my heart felt from God. The issue wasn’t the act itself, but the quiet mistrust growing underneath.
Heavenly Father, forgive me for the times I’ve doubted Your Word or questioned Your goodness. Teach me to trust that every command You give is for my protection and peace. When I’m tempted to rely on my own judgment, remind me that true freedom comes from obedience to You. Strengthen my faith and keep my heart anchored in Your truth. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen
Amy T
When have I found myself questioning the goodness or wisdom of God’s Word, and in doing so, placing my own judgement above His? Well, like Vic, all I can say is, where do I begin?? Unfortunately, I spent most of my life doing just that. And, unfortunately, even many of my years as a believer as well😔 And I always got the results of that. Turns out,.He knows better after all😏
Besides my years in active addiction, one major example of this is when I decided to pursue a relationship that was clearly not in line with what God wanted for me. I knew it wasn’t, and, as a matter of fact, I intentionally kept many of the details about it hidden from those closest to me for this very reason. Without going into detail, things did not work out very well, to say the least, and inevitably led to more pain, misery, and heartache than I can adequately describe here. However, God used this experience as well to draw me even closer to Him, and, in turning away from that path and back to Him, one of the biggest blessings of my life came out of it. Today, I really don’t question God’s goodness or wisdom. Whenever I do something not in line with His will, it only calls into question my own goodness and wisdom🤔 And that is certainly lacking.
Father, thank You for being so faithful, even when we’re not! Forgive my stubbornly self-centered ways! “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me,” (Ps. 51:10). Thank You for bringing beauty from the ashes of my past sins in Your glorious redemptive work, and always leading us back to You! Amen.
I think of two things when I think of how we sin. One is from Dr. Hai, who said, “Don’t ever underestimate your power to justify your sins,” and another about how we should never put ourselves in a position to sin because we become hardened to it or once we’re in it, we can’t get out on our own. Sometimes I get very angry and have vengeful thoughts like wanting someone to learn their lesson the hard way or being too justice-minded, and I have to remind myself of God’s grace toward me and how I truly wouldn’t want to act on those thoughts. There are times when I let my anger win in my words instead of letting love lead. I pray that God continues to work in me, softening my heart and helping me reflect His grace even in moments of frustration. Kim
From Hoa
Today’s reading challenges us to reexamine our hearts. It makes me think about times when I find myself questioning God’s goodness. I confess I have done this when facing challenges. Growing up, my mom, siblings, and I started going to church when I was in middle school. My dad didn’t agree with the idea of God. He gave us a really hard time for going to church every Sunday. For almost 10 years, this went on and I would pray that God will change his heart. Often times, it got really difficult and I would question if God was really there.
Dear God,
Thank you for answering our prayers for my dad. Thank you for softening his heart. Thank you for the opportunity to pray with and for him in the hospital weeks before he passed away. Thank you for healing his soul. Lord, will you forgive my doubts of your goodness. May your wisdom continue to lead and guide me.
The question for me is how many times have I questioned God or when am I gonna stop questioning. I definitely have questioned the unbelievable goodness of God. It sometimes can be so undoubtedly true that I couldn’t believe it’s freely given until crucification of Jesus Christ. My background and experience as an unbeliever still affect my dicernment when I am supposed to make a decision based off of God’s wisdom. And my judgement is always proved to be wrong. I’m tired of myself prone to questioning what God says in Bible. I want Holy Spirit to help me quiet my heart down to listen, pray and trust, and to assure that my soul is restful and peaceful under God’s wings.
My Mormon neighbor is a really good guy. We surf together, he’s super kind, moral and selfless. “How can this guy not be going to heaven?!” I demand of God..
Then the Holy Spirit brings to my recollection my Redeemer’s declaration:”I am the way the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.”
There is no other way. If there was, God wouldn’t have remained silent when his son asked for the cup of His wrath to be taken from him if there was any other way. So I am left with the hard work of praying for my neighbor’s Salvstion and finding ways to minister to him and earn the relational capital to speak truth into his life.
“Father I know that there is no other name under heaven by which men can be saved. It’s because you have a jealous love for us that detests when we prostitute ourselves before false gods. Holy Spirit give me the faith to trust in the Father’s manifold tender mercies and his patience and long-suffering.”
For a long time, I had a “default” assumption that gay people were those who acted feminine or wore makeup. But when I first met a friend who looked completely masculine yet was homosexual, it shook my understanding of God’s Word. I began to question the Bible’s authority on sexual orientation. The more I got to know him and heard his story, the more I started to suppress the truth and take on the prideful mindset that love should be accepted regardless of gender or orientation. I ignored the reality that sin entered the world and distorted the perfect order God created. Like Eve, I tried to find ways to go around God’s Word, to defend and to rationalize a human, fleshly version of love by blending it with biblical compassion. But I’m thankful for the Holy Spirit and His gentle correction that led me back to the truth of God’s Word in Romans “For although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened” (Romans 1:21). Through that truth, I was able to see through the lies that the enemy paints under the disguise of “love.” That experience also helped me in my daily life to view the events and issues happening in our society through a more biblical, Christ-centered worldview, grounding my thoughts and convictions in God’s unchanging truth rather than human reasoning.