The serpent, identified as Satan, the Devil, in Revelation 20:2, is described as more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made, as seen in Genesis 3:1. This reference to Satan as a serpent is a metaphor, invoking an understanding of his sly, crafty, and shrewd nature. Satan's cunning is evident in his approach to Eve, targeting her as the weaker link since she did not receive God's prohibition directly, unlike Adam. He subtly softens the severity of God's command, misquotes Him, and draws Eve into a conversation that focuses on the forbidden tree without mentioning it directly. Satan contradicts God's warning of death, undermining His credibility by ascribing self-serving motives to Him. The Hebrew word for serpent, nāhāš, meaning "shining one," supports the idea that Eve was tempted by a glorious, shining angel rather than a physical snake. This aligns with descriptions of Satan as a magnificent creature, brilliant with light, making Eve an easy mark for beguilement due to her innocence. The curse in Genesis 3:14, where God tells the serpent it shall go on its belly and eat dust, is another metaphor emphasizing Satan's humiliation and defeat. Additionally, Genesis 3:15 uses figurative language to describe a spiritual struggle, indicating that the woman's offspring will crush Satan's head, symbolizing the ultimate defeat of his ambitions and schemes, while Satan's bite at the offspring's heel represents a short-lived suffering. Eve's conversation was not with a snake but with Satan, who embodies the attributes of a serpent. During the temptation, Eve misrepresented God's words by omitting key terms, adding restrictions, and altering the certainty of death into a mere possibility. This misrepresentation contributed to the success of Satan's deception in the temptation of the first Adam.

Satan has plagued mankind since Adam and Eve disobeyed and lied to God. Though Adam and Eve were created perfect and had lived a life of fellowship and communion with God, they failed so easily when confronted by the wiles of the devil. The subtlety of the enemy, with the insinuation that God was unfair to man, proved too much for them, and they succumbed to temptation. If Adam and Eve, in that perfect state, failed, it underscores the profound challenge humanity faces against such a cunning adversary without the strength and armor provided by God.

The critical turning point in mankind's history came as our first parents, Adam and Eve, allowed themselves to be turned from God. The serpent declared to Eve that ignoring God's command would not incur the death penalty, but instead would grant her God-like knowledge, inserting doubt about what God had said and meant. The serpent's temptation muted the impact of their choices on their relationship with God, a relationship in which they saw Him, heard Him, spoke with Him, and had complete peace with Him. Before their sin, their fellowship with Him was undefiled, and they were in God's presence without shame. After they sinned, shame and improper fear entered their minds, and they hid from their Creator, indicating they had been accustomed to spending time with Him in the Garden. Eve fell for the serpent's misdirection, which blunted the penalty God had promised and suggested that she and her husband choose for themselves what is good and what is evil. Despite God being right there in the Garden with them, they did not seek clarification from Him, acting without wisdom and failing to value His perspective.

God's chosen saints should realize that while Satan designs temptations to exploit human weakness, Almighty God allows trials to perfect faith and prove loyalty. Consequently, every temptation provides a choice between life or death, blessing or curse. In James 1:13-15, we learn that dealing with temptation is a process, beginning with raw desire, resulting either in resistance and growth or in sin and death. God sets limits on the work of Satan, the accuser, as seen in the positive conclusion of Job's trials. We see a massive contrast between Adam and Eve's failure and Christ's victory. While Eve gave in to the lust of the eyes, Jesus overcame Satan's threefold test—hunger, faith, and power by prayer, fasting, God's Spirit, and Scripture, proving that yielding to legitimate desires becomes sin if pursued outside the will of Almighty God. While temptation is universal, it is not irresistible; no one is ever forced to yield. Furthermore, God promises to provide strength and a way to escape (I Corinthians 10:13). While society excuses sin as weakness or disease, Scripture contends that responsibility rests on the individual. Scripture provides examples of both failure and faithfulness. Failures include Lot, Achan, the rich young ruler (overtaken by greed and materialism), Saul, Absalom, Herod (overtaken by ambition), Peter (overtaken by self-preservation), and Israel (by idolatry). But victories include Job's endurance, Joseph's purity, David's restraint, and Christ's resistance. Temptation reveals whether our hearts will trust God or surrender to selfish desires. We can resist temptation only through deliberate preparation, guarding our hearts, setting boundaries, relying on God's spirit, and clinging to His Word. With God's strength, His chosen saints can endure, resist, and gain eternal life.