In The Beginning ...

When Eve was presented with temptation by the serpent in Genesis 3, the serpent made a statement about what God had said.

Genesis 3:1 He said to the woman, 'Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden''?

Eve responded by saying "You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it."

Interestingly, what God "actually" said was "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in that day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

What I find interesting is that Eve misquotes God just as the serpent misquoted God. She did it in two ways. First she did not correctly identify the tree how God identified it. She just called it a tree rather than "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil." Secondly she added that they were not allowed to touch it.

Had Eve correctly remembered and applied God's word, she might have thought more before taking a bite. She might have realized what she was getting herself into.

I think this is just the first of many examples that show us the importance of knowing and correctly applying the Bible, the Word of God. That's why at Calvary Chapel we study the Bible from beginning to end. It would do us all well!

Pastor Tom