Too often, Scripture is read without putting ourselves in the circumstance or taking the time to consider the brevity of the words being conveyed. A good example of this is Genesis 3. In this account, Eve is tempted by the serpent. Temptation is not out of the ordinary or unexpected. What is out of the ordinary and unexpected, at least for us in this time, is that the serpent would speak to Eve.
In my yard on the one side of the house there is a narrow, grass pathway between the house and brush. Often times, a black snake enjoys sunning itself in the pathway. Apparently, the snake also enjoys being in close proximity to the brush. From time to time, I will be coming around the corner of the house and see the snake laying there. Every time this happens, I am startled and stop in my tracks. The snake also appears to be startled and quickly slithers into the brush.
One afternoon, I pondered this undesirable meeting with the snake and wondered to myself what my reaction would be if the snake spoke to me. I’m not sure if startled would do justice as a description of what I can only imagine my reaction would be. Jumping out of my skin, dropping anything in my hand, and running the other direction as fast as I could is probably more accurate!
Have you ever considered why Eve did not jump out of her skin, drop the fruit she was picking, and run? If a talking snake is something you and I have never encountered, then why was she so calm and collected? More than that, why did she engage in conversation with the snake? From my vantage point, if the black snake in my yard spoke to me and if I did not run the other direction screaming bloody murder, I can only imagine that my reaction would be warily asking, “What do you want?” After all, in my opinion, every snake has only selfish motivations for everything they do.
The answer seems to be that talking snakes, and perhaps talking animals, were not unusual or unexpected or out of the ordinary. I have italicized these words because they are important for us to understand temptation. If temptations were presented to me in the form of a talking snake startling me as I rounded the corner of my house minding my own business, it would be easy to identify the encounter as temptation, and it would be even easier to run the other direction as fast as I could.
Temptation, however, rarely comes in a form which is unusual or unexpected or out of the ordinary. Genesis 3 highlights for us how Satan works. He uses the usual, the expected and the ordinary to trap us and catch us in his snare. And because we’re not expecting it, it’s not unusual, and it’s not out of the ordinary, we are much more easily succumbed to these types of temptations. The truth is that temptation often comes to us at a point when we are weak, tired, worn down, disappointed or upset. And temptation often attacks our most vulnerable characteristics. In those moments, what would be wrong with enjoying a little pick-me-up?
Like this post? Subscribe to stay up to date on new posts.