The Bible begins with God speaking and with God speaking in very clear terms. The first chapter of the Bible presents God speaking eleven times. “God said…God said…God said…God said…God said…God said…God blessed them, saying…God said…God said…God said to them…God said” (Gen. 1:3, 6, 9, 11, 14, 20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 29). Of the 31 verses in that first chapter, God speaks in 13 of them.
In chapter two, we read “God said” in verse 18, and even greater still, verses 16-17 read, “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, ‘Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”
Did the woman know about what “God said”? Most certainly. The woman said, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die’” (Gen. 3:2-3). Did you notice what the woman said? She knew exactly what “God said.”
That makes the devil’s efforts even more audacious on this occasion! The first chapters are filled with “God said” and the woman knew clearly what “God said,” yet the devil still cunningly queried, “Has God indeed said?” (3:1). The devil knows the answer to that question! And the devil is not worried whether you know the answer to that question! All he wants to do is to plant a little seed of doubt or a little seed of displeasure at what God has said! And once “the devil” has “put it into [your] heart” (John 13:2), he’s got you where he wants you. And he uses that same tactic today.
Perhaps the devil has caused you to question or doubt or find displeasure in certain things that “God has said.” It’s as if the devil is putting into your heart the same kind of question that he used on Eve: “Has God indeed said…do not forsake the assembling of the saints?” “Has God indeed said…do not lie to another?” “Has God indeed said…do not look upon a woman to lust after her?” “Has God indeed said…give as you have been prospered?” “Has God indeed said…abstain from fleshly lusts that war against the soul?” “Has God indeed said…obey the elders who rule over you and be submissive to them?” “Has God indeed said…do good unto all men?” “Has God indeed said…be patient with all?” “Has God indeed said…esteem others better than myself?” “Has God indeed said…teach others the gospel?” “Has God indeed said…seek first the Lord’s church and His righteousness?”
The devil still works the same way he did in the beginning. He runs at you right in the face of what “God said” and tries to get you to ignore it. Don’t let him win!