So was it really an apple?
What exactly was it that the serpent used to tempt Eve? Well, it really wasn’t the fruit at all.
First he asked her a question . . .
Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?
She elaborated on God’s instructions . . .
Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, “Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.”
The serpent told her she had been misled . . . by God.
You won’t die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.
And you know what happened next, right?
When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it-she’d know everything! – she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
And then what happened?
We’ll save that discussion for another day. It’s really important when it comes to the relationships between women and men. (For a preview, read Genesis 3, The Message.)