Yea, Hath God Said?

In Genesis 3:1 the Bible says that the serpent said to Eve, "Yea, hath God said?" This account tells of one of the most devious means Satan has in his arsenal, implanting doubt in the minds of men and women.  We can't know all that may have happened in the Garden of Eden, but we do know what is written in scripture.  God had said to Adam in Genesis 2:16-17 (KJV) "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  You and I know what God had said to Adam because we read it in the Bible.  But Eve, Satan's target, apparently only knew what Adam had told her.  I can hear him now, "Eve, DON'T YOU EVER eat of this tree.  God said in the day we eat of it we will die, so DON'T EVEN TOUCH IT!" At least that sounds like what Adam might have said to his wife. I don't remember reading that they shouldn't touch the tree. Only they were not to eat of it.


Again, we don't know how long Adam or Eve had been in the Garden, we only know what is written in the Book of Genesis.  However long it may have been, when the devil, (he is identified in the Book of Revelation 12:9 as "that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world...") put doubt into Eve's head as to what God had said, he followed up with a blatant lie, "thou shalt NOT surely die!" The devil only added one word to God's Word and Eve was deceived.  Now we don't know what the outcome might have been if Adam had refused to eat of the forbidden fruit.  All we do know is that the Bible says that Eve, "did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Thus sin entered into the world and death by sin came upon all of Adam's posterity. (see Romans 5:12)


The devil has not changed his tactics. He still tries to implant doubt as to whether God means what He says.  There is another scripture that fits here, Ecclesiastes 8:11 "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." The devil has a vast multitude of people the world over convinced that because God's judgment is not executed speedily, it won't be executed at all.  Not true! Jesus said of the devil in John 8:44 "...there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own" for he is a liar, and the father of it." You cannot, you must not believe the devil for his only purpose in speaking to you is to make you believe a lie and be damned. (see 2nd Thessalonians 2:8-12)


The Bible says in Psalm 33:4, "the word of the LORD is right; and all his works are done in truth." You can believe what God has said in His word. I love that chorus we used to sing, "The Word of God Is Right Hallelujah to the Lamb."  Much more could be said but I won't at this time go any further on this subject.  Suffice it to say that God is True and what He said in His word is right and you will never go wrong following it.Don't delay, do it today!