It’s one of the oldest stories in the book. God gives in abundance, and we focus on the things He withholds.
In Genesis 2, Adam and his wife (Eve) were given this fulfilling, beautiful life with everything they could ever need. God was their source for knowing what was good for them. He had just declared His creation as good, and after breathing life into the creature made in His image, He declared it “very good.”
Peace and harmony were ever-present. Contentment abounded.
And yet, in Genesis 3, we read about Satan speaking through a crafty serpent lie after lie.
“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” (v. 1)
“You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (v. 4)
A choice had to be made. Who to believe? The God who declares what is good and is the source of all knowledge, or a talking serpent that deceives and lies about the Creator?
We still face this choice today, don’t we? Whose word do we really believe?
From the moment Satan spoke those four words, “Did God actually say…?” human beings created in God’s image have had a slanted image of God. We question His goodness. We embellish His Word to make it harsher and stricter, or to suit our fleshly desires. We don’t take Him for Who He says He is. We make Him out to be an option for truth rather than the very source of truth.
We question God’s goodness
Satan pointed out God’s prohibition rather than His abundant provision to the woman1. God gave them every tree in the garden except one. He knew the one tree wasn’t good for His people, and commanded Adam not to eat of it. He even warned Adam that the day he would eat of it, he would die2.
Satan knew God gave them in abundance, but he focused on not having the one tree. Don’t we do this today? God provides for and meets our needs and yet not having the one thing causes us to question His love for us.
For some, this may look like:
- God hasn’t given me a spouse, so I can’t possibly feel whole and secure with who He’s created me to be.
- God hasn’t allowed us to bear children, so we aren’t content with caring for and loving every other person (young, or otherwise) He’s placed in our lives.
- God hasn’t healed me of my current affliction, so I forget about all the other times He healed and cared for me. I forget His promise to heal all of His children from all afflictions once sin is no longer present in the new heaven and earth. I forget about the abilities I do have by focusing on the ones I don’t have.
- And so on! I’m sure you have your own version of this. I do!
It’s our fallen nature to focus on what God withholds from us and make it a bigger concern than it has to be. If we aren’t careful, we could create an idol. The tree we can’t eat from becomes the only tree we desire, and our view of God shrinks.
We sometimes use whatever God withholds from us to determine how great of a God He is, rather than choosing to believe He withholds for good purposes because He’s a good God.
The woman, who had never thought to question God’s goodness before, chose to listen to the serpent and consider herself as a source of truth. She chose to determine what was good for herself, and she chose to disobey God. But this isn’t the end of her story3.
We can choose to believe God’s Word
We can choose to believe God’s Word, which says,
For the LORD God is a sun and shield;
The LORD bestows favor and honor.
No good thing does he withhold
From those who walk uprightly.Psalm 84:11
and
The LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.
Job 1:21b
This Thanksgiving and beyond, let’s remember to give thanks for God’s abundant provision in our lives. May we not focus on limitations and restrictions, or something we feel God is withholding from us, but may we instead point our hearts and minds to gratitude for a loving God who gives us what He knows is truly good for us.
Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good,
For his steadfast love endures forever!Psalm 107:1
Let us have thankful hearts for God and how He cares for us. Like a feast offers an abundance of food, let our feasting this Thanksgiving reflect God’s abundant provision and love for us.
The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.
John 10:10
All scripture references are from the English Standard Version, unless otherwise noted.
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- I believe Adam was also close by and heard the conversation. See Genesis 3:6. ↩︎
- Though Adam and Eve did not physically die the day they ate of the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, an animal did die on their behalf. See Genesis 3:21. God made the first substitutionary sacrifice recorded in the Bible right there in the garden of Eden. Spiritual death also occurred that day, as their relationship with God was tarnished by sin. Physical death occurred later. ↩︎
- She was given a new name – Eve, which means “to live” or “to give life.” Through her offspring, God promised a future Savior (Genesis 3:15) who would defeat that crafty serpent with a fatal blow. ↩︎
Anna Moore 
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