By: J.M.G — 2022
“Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God has made…” (Genesis 3:1).
This “serpent” was the same evil that 1 Chronicles 21:1 mentions: “Now Satan stood up against Israel, and moved David to number Israel.” It was that deceiving serpent that moved David to take a census. This was a sin in God’s sight. We find this act of disobedience in 2 Samuel 24:1:
“Again the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel, and He moved David against them to say, ‘Go, number Israel and Judah!”
God did not cause David to disobey, but the “snake” did. God allows evil in Paradise to test and try our hearts. Satan has been tempting humankind to SIN! David’s census was not against any law of God, but David’s reason to the census was wrong – PRIDE! David had pride in his army but Israel’s true strength came from the LORD of Armies.
Take heed! We too can fall for Satan’s deceits, his temptations: God tests, Stan tempts. Even David’s commander, Joab, was troubled by David’s pride to number his army.
Oh, I’ve done things out of pride, arrogance, self-centerness. David put self-confidence in action: his faith was not in the LORD of armies but in himself and his army.
Joab gave David a way out of the trap Satan laid but David did not heed his advice. The good that came out of this was David’s repentance: “So David said to God ‘I have sinned greatly, because I have done this thing; but now, I pray, take away the iniquity of Your servant, for I have done very foolishly!’” (1 Chronicles 21:8).
What we need, desperately NEED today is a “Repentance Revolution.” The church, the state, the family unit is in Satan’s trap and can’t free themselves. We’ve become an EVIL nation, an ABOMINATION. Sin has a domino effect, once a sin is committed, a series of sins ensue and following these a series of consequences follow. God will forgive us, but sometimes we may have to pay! David pled for the LORD’s mercy but God still made him pay for his actions. (Read v. 9-15).
“It is Good!”
When the LORD God created the earth He put man (Adam/Eve) in the place called the “Garden” (Genesis 2:8). In this Garden was the “Tree of Life” and the “Tree of Knowledge of good and evil.” Both Evil and Good were in what we call the “First Paradise.” In that Garden/Paradise was the evil serpent, aka the devil/satan, cunning, deceitful. In Hebrew Satan means adversary of God and man. The New Testament defines him as the devil/ diabolos (Greek), meaning slanderer. He is also called Apollyon, Beelzebub, Belial = prince of this world. There is the debate whether the Garden serpent was Satan or just a symbol of evil. It certainly was a symbol of evil. Paul referred to the cunning serpent in 2 Corinthians 11: 3. No matter, evil was in Paradise as well as good.
The word “Paradise”(Greek paradeisos), of Persian origin, found only three times in Scripture – Luke 23:43; 2 Corinthians 12:4; Revelations 2:7 – referring in each case to Heaven. There is a similar word in the Hebrew Old Testament pardes, translated “forest” or “orchard” or “park” (Nehemiah 2:8; Ecclesiastes 2:5; Song of Solomon 4:13).
The Old Testament Greek (LXX) uses the word 46 times; it is used of the Adamic Eden (Genesis 2:15; 3:23). Paul used it, identifying it with the third Heaven (2 Corinthians 12:4); Ecclesiastes 44:16 identifies Paradise with Heaven into which Enoch was translated.
Note: Because of disobedience the couple were expelled from Eden (Genesis 3:22-24). Verse 24 tell us, “He drove out the man (Adam/Eve); and He placed a cherubim at the east of the Garden of Eden, and a flaming sword… to guard the WAY to the Tree of Life.” So, the only WAY back to Eden/Heaven/Paradise is to go thru the “Sword that Cuts and the Fire that Burns!
Are you ready?