Adam and Eve, Satan and the Serpent

Have you ever heard the saying two’s company and three is a crowd? If you are like me then you heard the saying when you were the crowd the other two were talking about. In the Garden of Eden there were two that made the company, Adam and Eve. Satan’s presence turned the company into a crowd and the serpent turned the crowed into a mob. The story of the fall of Adam and Eve is found in Genesis 1 and 2. I will tell the story in my own words.

Once upon a time right after the creation of Adam and Eve everything was very good. Adam and Eve would hang out with God in the evening and the birds and squirrels, deer and gazelles would gather around as well. God would usually ask them how things were going and Adam and Eve would talk to God about the fun they had playing in the stream and eating sweet berries and tasty watermelon and things like that.

Then one day when Eve was walking through the woods by herself a serpent strolled up to her and started makin conversation. The serpent was a crafty and wily creature so he was the right choice for Satan to use in this situation. The serpent says to Eve, “Hey sweet thing what’s a nice girl like you doin in a place like this?” Eve says, “Hello Mr. Serpent how are you doing today?” “Not so bad pretty lady,” the serpent responded, “Hey I happen to notice that you and Adam dine out a lot around here. “Could you recommend any tree restaurants that I could take the Mrs. to on a Saturday night?” Eve points to several trees the she and Adam frequent and explains to the serpent what she likes most about each of them.

Then the serpent says, “Hey you guys get to eat everything in the forest don’t you?” Eve states that she and Adam are permitted to eat from every tree and fruit except the one tree in the middle of the garden. That tree is verboten. The serpent says, “What a jip. “Why can’t you chow down on that one?” Eve says, “God told us not to even touch that tree or, its fruit because if we do we will die? “We don’t know what it means to die, but we don’t think it’s a good thing. “Besides, there are so many things on the menu.”

The serpent says, “I think God is holdin out on you guys” “How so?” “If He really loves you like He said He does then He would let you go to town on that tree.” Yes if only He loved you as much as He loves the other creatures here. “Take the squirrels for example. “They get to eat as many nuts as they want and I don’t see God telling them to go to Weight Watchers.” “And just look at the deer they are chompin on every branch in sight. “God didn’t put up any ‘No chomping’ signs that I can see. “I guess you guys aren’t as special as you think.

“Besides, God knows something about that tree and He is afraid you will find out His secret if you eat its fruit.” Eve says, “What are you talking about, what is God’s secret?” The serpent says, “God knows that tree has magical powers and if you guys go there for brunch you will see things that you have never seen before. “In fact, I can safely say that you will see Adam for all he’s worth.” Then Satan starts chuckling to himself.

Eve began to think about what the serpent has said and wondered if God really did love Her and Adam. Maybe the serpent was right; maybe God was all talk. She began to look around the garden and realized that all the other animals were permitted to roam around and eat anything they wanted to eat. Eve began to feel sorry for herself and figured the serpent was correct in his observation. God did jip Adam and Eve.

Then Eve thought, “Yes it does look tasty, I’ll bet it would make a nice pie. “I could bake one for Adam and put on whip cream and his favorite blueberries.” So she did and after they gobbled up the fruit they both realized that from now on things were going to be very different.

The story of Adam and Eve is really the story of each of us. We are no different from either of them. In our minds if something looks good and it taste good then it must be good, even if it isn’t. We see the people who live near us and conclude that they have a lower mortgage, a bigger TV, their kids are healthier and their grass is greener, therefore God must love them more then us.

There is an old Indian proverb that says: Before you judge a man, you must first walk in his moccasins. Your neighbors have their own problems and are probably looking at you and thinking the same thing about you that you are thinking about them.

Eve had paradise, but thought God was cheating her out of something special. The tragedy is that in the end she and Adam lost everything while trying to gain the only thing they were not permitted to have. Let that be a lesson for all of us.