The third chapter of the book of Genesis in the Bible is about the fall of man. It is also the first instance that we come to know of the serpent. This animal is shown as the craftiest of all the other animals that had been created. It managed to trick the naive Eve into eating the fruit that God had forbidden. Using its craftiness, it was able to convince her to partake of the forbidden fruit, which as a consequence led to the fall of man. This paper will outline its own counterarguments to the serpent’s arguments during this episode.
Counterarguments
The serpent asks Eve “ Did God really say, ‘ You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?” Here, the serpent simply asks her if God commanded them not to partake of all fruits from the garden. The way this question is rephrased indeed demonstrates its craftiness. This is because God had instructed them to partake of all the fruits in the garden, except the fruits from the tree at the center. However, it can be said that the serpent was aware of this command although it wanted to mislead the woman. This set the tone for the trick itself (Bible Gateway).
Ater Eve had told the serpent the actual instructions, it told her that they shall surely not die after partaking the fruit. On the other hand, their eyes will be opened and that they will be like God himself. Their eyes were indeed opened as they realized that they were naked. However, his argument that they will be like God was way off the mark. This is because God is a supernatural being with the ultimate control over heaven and earth, since He created them. Humans are also His creation. How can a creation be just like the creator? Humans have made numerous discoveries, but they have not managed to create another human being with feelings, able to talk and sense, breathe on their own and reproduce. Knowing good and evil is simply not enough for one to be like God. It runs much deeper than that. It entails creating the universe, all animals and humans, using soil and by word of mouth. This is impossible to humans. Therefore, his argument to Eve was misleading.
The woman finally succumbed to this temptation; of being like God, thanks to the serpent’s ill advice. She ate the fruit and gave her husband also. The serpent, Adam and Eve were each given punishments that will follow them all days of their lives. However, let’s assume that I was in EEve’s shoes at this time, with the serpent and his scheme coming to me in the garden.
If I was asked what exactly God instructed concerning the fruits, I will of course tell it the truth. However, I’ll refuse his proposition that once I eat the fruit I’ll be like God. This is because God had done much to me at the time; He had created the man, all animals and birds, tree, the universe and most importantly, I, from the man’s ribs. Surely, He must be so great; a greatness that cannot be marched. Even the suggestion that I can be like Him cannot be tolerated. I would have asked the serpent “ why haven’t you then eaten the fruit to be like God Himself?” This fact would make me not eat the fruit. Additionally, His threat of death as punishment for eating the fruit is frightening enough for me to even get close to the tree.
Conclusion
The serpent said only two sentences to the woman. However, these were enough to convince her to partake of the forbidden fruit. It was very cunning indeed! This is the episode that signaled the start of the struggles of mankind. Using her intuition, she could have ignored the serpent’s advice.
