I love questions. I spent the better part of yesterday afternoon answering questions about what we are doing and why we do it. I think those kind of questions are good for everybody.

But, there are some questions that are not good.

The serpent in Genesis three asked those questions and made insinuations which were deadly.

What were those questions and insinuations?

First, the serpent asked questions that raised doubt in the minds of Adam and Eve. The serpent asked, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’ ”

Here is temptation in its most subtle form. The serpent misquoted God and indicated to the Eve and Adam that God must be doing something wrong. To her credit, Eve answered that God had not prohibited eating of the trees in the garden but only the tree in the midst of the garden. She even added that God had said not even to touch the tree (which is not recorded in Genesis three).

The serpent apparently sought to put doubt in their minds.

Almost every temptation implies doubt about God and God’s Word. The serpent fostered this in the way he asked the question.

Second, the serpent next disagreed with God’s creation of the world. He told them that they would “not surely die.” He implied that God didn’t know what He was talking about or that His creation was not good.

Third, possibly the serpent’s most destructive temptation involved God’s goodness. He implied that God wanted to withhold good things from the man and woman. He insinuated that God is not good and not caring. Instead of describing God as all wise and all caring, the serpent pictured God as selfish and unconcerned.

We face this insinuation repeatedly. We are told that God is withholding good things from us.

These questions and insinuations led Adam and Eve to rebellion. They do the same for us.

How do we confront this? We do so with the Word of God and by knowing God as He really is. When we spend real time with God and when we seek His Word, we begin to know God. To know Him is to trust Him as well.