More Than Medicine
More Than Medicine
DWDP: Gen 3; 2-6 Why we DONT Converse with Talking Snakes
The seduction in Eden wasn't just about forbidden fruit—it was about our fundamental trust in God's character. Dr. Papa takes us deep into Genesis 3, reimagining the fateful conversation between Eve and the serpent with fresh insights that challenge our understanding of temptation's mechanics.
Through vivid storytelling, we witness Satan's calculated timing—arriving before Adam and Eve could potentially conceive children without sin natures—and his masterful manipulation as he interrupts an intimate moment between the first couple. The serpent's seemingly innocent question opens the door to humanity's greatest tragedy.
What exactly went wrong? Dr. Papa identifies Eve's critical mistakes with piercing clarity. First, she engaged with temptation rather than fleeing from it—a pattern we still repeat today. Second, she subtly altered God's word, adding restrictions He never imposed while diluting His generosity. These distortions made God seem harsh and withholding, exactly as Satan intended.
But Adam bears the greater responsibility. His sins of passivity and complicity—standing silently by as his wife was deceived, then willingly joining her transgression—spread death to all his descendants. Instead of exercising his God-given authority to protect Eden, he surrendered it without resistance.
The good news? Jesus Christ stands as the "second Adam," succeeding where the first failed. Where Adam was passive, Jesus actively laid down His life. Where Adam brought death, Jesus brings eternal life. This powerful contrast reminds us that while we inherit Adam's fallen nature, we can choose Christ's victory.
Ready to strengthen your resistance to temptation? Listen now and discover how maintaining unwavering faith in God's actual words—without addition or subtraction—becomes your shield against the enemy's ancient but unchanging tactics.
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Welcome to More Than Medicine, where Jesus is more than enough for the ills that plague our culture and our country. Hosted by author and physician, Dr Robert Jackson.
Speaker 2:Papa, can you tell me a story? Do you really want me to tell you a story? Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Well, you go, get your brother and your sisters and I will tell you a story. Welcome to Devotions with Dr Papa. Gather around, grab your Bibles and let's look into the written Word, which reveals to us the living Word which is our Lord Jesus Christ.
Speaker 2:We're now in Genesis, chapter 3, and we're starting with verse 2. The woman said to the serpent From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat, but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, god has said you shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die. The serpent said to the woman you surely will not die, for God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate, and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. May the Lord add his blessing to the reading of his word.
Speaker 2:But now let me ask you a question how long did the primeval couple get to live in utopia before the serpent appeared on the scene? Have you ever wondered that? How long did they get to enjoy the Garden of Eden? Just the two of them in the beautiful, beautiful garden, enjoying life, working in the garden, enjoying the flowers, enjoying the fruit of their labor and enjoying their relationship together and walking with God, before this serpent named Lucifer appeared on the scene with the very first temptation. Well, my suspicion is that he appeared before any kind of intimate relations occurred between the two of them. Now, why would I say that? Well, lucifer couldn't take the risk that Eve could conceive and bear a son, or any kind of child for that matter, male or female, a child without a sin nature, because that would be a disaster from his perspective, from Lucifer's perspective. So it went something like this this is my allegory Adam kept ogling his new bride, who was extraordinarily beautiful, attractive and the sweat was beating up on his forehead, in eager anticipation of the two of them being alone together.
Speaker 2:So Adam says you know, these animals talk too much. Let's go to my secret garden and Eve just giggles and says I'll follow you. Adam says you see those red flowers, those are tulips. Eve questioned him how do you know? I named them, silly girl. Oh, I forget. You named all kind of things, didn't you? Yes, I named you too, remember? Now follow me. Tiptoe through the tulips. Oh, that'd be a great name for a song, tiptoe through the tulips. And she says what's a song? He says I'll tell you later. Now, then walk through those big ferns. As Eve walks through the ferns, she gasps with delight and astonishment oh, adam, this is beautiful.
Speaker 2:As she takes in his secret garden with a bubbling brook, a mossy floor, tall ferns, all in a big circle, with singing birds and, most importantly, privacy. And she asks do those birds talk? No, no, he says reassuringly, they just sing. Now we can be alone, he says. And just then there comes a knock at the door. Adam says what now?
Speaker 2:In frustration, eve parts the ferns and standing there is a brightly colored serpent standing on two legs and he says hi guys, I was in the neighborhood and heard y'all were setting up housekeeping and I just wanted to Welcome you to the neighborhood and bring a little housewarming gift From within the ferns. Adam shouts Tell him to come back tomorrow. The serpent asks Ma'am, shouldn't you be wearing an apron or something? Eve inquires what's an apron? The serpent responds Never mind, you'll figure it out.
Speaker 2:Hey, I was talking with some of the other critters, and the scuttlebutt is that the big guy just put some serious restrictions on you guys. Surely he didn't tell you not to eat from any tree in the garden. Well, eve corrected him. No, no, he said. We couldn't eat from the tree in the. We couldn't eat from the trees in the garden, but from the tree in the middle of the garden. And she lowered her voice. You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you shall die. Adam shouted from inside the garden Will you please hurry up? The beautiful snake lowered his voice and he looks around suspiciously, really and truly Pshaw, suspiciously, really and truly Pshaw, you won't die. The big guy knows, as soon as you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you'll become like him. Knowing everything he knows, even good and evil.
Speaker 2:Now, by this time, adam has walked up and he has heard the last part of the conversation and he has become exhilarated at the thought of becoming like God, like God, the both of them, as if in a trance, walked slowly to the tree in the contemplated the wisdom it would impart. She slowly reached out her hand as her husband watched, holding his breath. Lucifer stared at her with unblinking reptilian eyes from behind a tree. Eve slowly brought the fruit to her mouth and took a bite and handed it to her husband, who was with her. The serpent turned his back, smiled and walked into the dark gloom of the garden, his mission accomplished. Thousands of demons rejoiced and a myriad of angels groaned, and the Lamb, who was slain from before the foundation of the world, prayed, saying Father, not my will, but yours be done.
Speaker 2:Now let me ask you a question. What was Eve's first mistake? I would submit to you that her first mistake was dialoguing with temptation, entertaining temptation, dwelling upon temptation. For you know that in 2 Timothy, chapter 2, the Bible tells us to flee from youthful temptation. Let me actually read you that whole passage. 2 Timothy 2 and verse 22 says Now flee from youthful lust or youthful desires and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. So there's a challenge there to flee and a challenge to pursue. You see, there's just some things that we don't do. We don't talk to the devil or his emissaries, his representatives. Eve was talking to the devil. Eve was talking to the devil, dialoguing with the devil. We don't listen to his lies and we don't linger over his proposals. And how many times have you made that mistake? I know I have and I know you have. We resist the devil by maintaining faith in God's Word. You know, the book of Ephesians, in chapter 6, in verse 16, tells us very plainly when God says In addition to all taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one, faith in what? Faith in God's Word, faith in God's Word, faith in God's promises. And you see, whenever we choose to listen to the lies of the evil one, we're choosing not to believe in the promises of God's Word. And the challenge is to always choose to maintain faith in God's Word rather than listening to the lies of the enemy of our soul. Eve's first mistake was dialoguing with the devil, listening to his lies, lingering over his proposals, rather than choosing to trust in the promises of God's Word. God's statement was very plain. He told her plainly that if she touched, I'm sorry if she ate from that fruit, that she would surely die. Satan lied to her and said surely you will not die? And the second mistake she made was that she altered God's Word. You see, god actually said that of all the trees you may eat freely, and what she said was that of the fruit of the trees you may eat, and then she added you may not touch it. She added to God's Word and then she deleted from God's Word. She subtracted, and then she added to what God said. She subtracted and then she added to what God said, and what it ended up doing was making God seem to be less generous and more demanding than he really was. Be careful. Be careful, little man, when you add to God's word, as do the modern cultists, or delete from God's word, as do the modern cultists, or delete from God's Word, as do the modern liberals. Understand clearly that God knows the end from the beginning. There's nothing hidden from God. He is eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, and he says exactly and only what he means to say. Every word of God is tested, says the Proverbs, and he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. There's no excuse when a finite man tries to change the word of God, which is forever established in heaven. We know that the grass withers and the flower fades, but the Word of our God endures forever. In fact, in Revelations, chapter 22, verse 16 and 19, the very, almost last two verses in all of Scripture. Let me read those to you. Revelation 22, verses 18 and 19, says to us I testify to everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book. If anyone adds to them, god will add to him the plagues which are written in this book. And if anyone takes away from the words of the book, of this prophecy, god will take away his part from the tree of life and from the holy city which are written in this book. You see, it is a very dangerous thing to add to or detract from the word of God. And that was a serious mistake that Eve made in the very beginning. She both added to and deleted from the statement the word that God had made. But then what was Adam's sin? You see, adam's sin was both passivity and complicity. What should Adam have done? I submit to you that when this beautifully colored serpent, this subtle and clever serpent, tried to seduce his wife, that Adam should have stood up, tall and strong, stuck out, his chest bowed up, flexed his muscles, exerted his authority, put his finger right in the middle of that snake's chest and said who do you think you are? And he should have reached out his big, strong hand and put it around the neck of that serpent and choked him out and then thrown him out of his garden, because the snake had no authority there, he had no power there. He should unprepared. And he was passive. And more than that, he was complicit as his wife was being beguiled by the serpent, as she was duped by a slick, shrewd, fast-talking snake, thick, shrewd, fast-talking snake. Adam was complicit and he joined in her sin. And that's why in the book of Romans it says that in Adam all die. It doesn't say in Eve all die. It says that in Adam all die. And why is that? It's because Adam was the man, he was the one in charge, he was the head of the house, he was the one to whom all dominion authority was delegated. And when he sinned, the curse was passed on to all of his descendants, all of his posterity, to all of his generations. But be of good cheer, my friend. Jesus Christ is the second Adam and in him, all can have life, life eternal. Because Jesus, who is the second Adam, overcame sin, overcame Satan and overcame the grave. Jesus was not caught flat-footed, he was not passive, he was not complicit, no one took his life from him, but he freely gave his life. He laid down his life for you and me and he is the conqueror, he is the overcomer, he is the Lion of Judah. Yes, he was the Passover Lamb, but he took his life up again and he is now the Lion of Judah. He is our deliverer, he is the Deliverer, he is the Conqueror, he is the Passover Lamb who has now become the great Lion of Judah. And he is our King, the King of all the ages, the King of glory, the King of all kings, the R ruler of the kings of all the earth. And he will one day return riding on a great white horse, with faithful and true written on his thigh, and he will come to receive us all unto himself. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Do not be afraid, do not be discouraged. Our King is one day soon coming again to receive us unto Himself. The first Adam was passive and complicit. The second Adam will bring to us life eternal. Blessed. Blessed be His name. You're listening to Devotions with Dr Papa. If you like what you hear, I pray that you would follow, like or share or download it. Tell your friends. We'll be back again next week. Until then, may the Lord bless you real good.
Speaker 1:Thank you for listening to this edition of More Than Medicine. For more information about the Jackson Family Ministry, dr Jackson's books, or to schedule a speaking engagement, go to their Facebook page, instagram or their webpage at jacksonfamilyministrycom. This podcast is produced by Bob Sloan Audio Production at bobsloancom.
