“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1)
One day a serpent began to talk with Eve in the Garden of Eden. He asked her, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1) The question didn’t seem suspicious to her, but as far as we know, she had never dealt with temptation before, so she didn’t have the “street smarts,” so to speak, to suspect he had some sinister motive in asking the question. Which he did.
Say a young kid you know is on your street. A strange car stops. The driver starts to talk with him. Are you suspicious? You should be. People should always be watchful for predators. You call out, “Billy, are you ok? Who is that?” If it’s someone he knows, great. The person in the car should be glad you asked. But if it’s a stranger, and Billy isn’t savvy enough to suspect he has a sinister motive, you need to be.
The serpent had the worst of motives. He hated Eve and Adam and God. He wanted them to sin and lose fellowship with God. He asked the question to get her to doubt God’s word was really God’s word: “Yea, hath God said,…?” He also slandered God’s nature by saying God was withholding something good by forbidding them to eat of the tree: “Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)
1 Peter 5:8 tells of the devil’s evil intentions: “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:” The words, “Yea, hath God said…?” are arguably the most hateful words ever said, because they were spoken by one whose ultimate aim is to destroy mankind in hell for eternity. They were spoken to rob us of eternal truth and eternal hope.
You don’t need a Bible to see God’s glory, power, and sovereignty. We see it in creation. “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1) “For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead;” (Romans 1:20) Nature also tells of God’s love for us. God gave us lovely, fragrant flowers; delicious, wholesome food; and stunningly beautiful scenery.
God also gave us the Bible to know Jesus as Saviour, know more about Him, and have fellowship with Him. It also tells of tactics Satan uses to tempt us and draw us away from God. Paul said in 2 Corinthians 2:11, “Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices.” One tactic is to try to discredit the Bible. Remember, “Yea, hath God said…?” This tactic is exposed early in the book for a reason. When people ridicule Scripture and try to discredit it, now you know where they got the idea.
Jesus promised, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away.” (Matthew 24:35) God’s word is a powerful instrument on people’s hearts. “For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword,” (Hebrews 4:12) The Bible convinces people of their sin and condemnation. It tells of Jesus’ atoning death, burial, and resurrection. It draws them to receive the Saviour for a life-changing eternal decision, and serves as a lamp to their feet and a light to their path.
The Bible gives us eternal truth and eternal hope: “The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.” (Isaiah 40:8) “Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.” (Romans 15:13) To see how to have this sure, eternal hope by receiving the Lord Jesus as your personal Saviour, please go to www.clevelandbaptist.org, click “Helpful Links,” then “How Do I Go to Heaven?”
Brian Miller 5/17/2026