The Fall: “When the woman saw

that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate” (Genesis 3:6).  It was the perfect storm for Eve. The Serpent had cast doubt onto what God had said (verse 2), told her an outright lie (“you will not surely die” – verse 5), and she was hit with a stronghold of temptations. It consisted of a combination of three interdependent, familiar temptations.  John identifies them as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” He adds they are “not of the Father but of the world” (1 John 2:16).

The word lust here has to do with a strong desire or craving, unrestrained passion, especially for what is forbidden.  The lust of the flesh then, is anything that caters to our to the worldly nature. It was “good for food!”  We need food of course, but lust for food leads to gluttony and drunkenness. More generally it is talking about all bodily appetites.  Sexual lust is certainly there, but it includes all that is connected with indulgence,  unbridled passion, anger, rage, jealousy etc.  Much of the world lives for little more than this.

“It was pleasant to the eyes:” The lust of the eyes is about all that appeals to the eyes; the things money can buy;  things of beauty that inflame us.  Other things that come to mind include clothes, jewellery, gorgeous homes,  furniture, cars, boats, yachts etc.  The words translated here as pleasant and desire (verse 6) and also covet,  are very close in the Hebrew. To covet is to desire in a bad sense of out of control selfish desire. “Do not to covet” is one of the ten commandments of course (Exodus 20:17). In the New Testament, covetousness is called idolatry (Colossians 3:5).

The pride of life (“desirable to make one wise”),  is literally "arrogant assumption," boasting, the thirst for honour and applause, high titles etc. (Matthew 23:6).  As already mentioned, the serpent had tempted Eve “You will be like God” (3:5). The wisdom Eve was desiring from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, was forbidden (2:17). James tells us the wisdom that comes from “envy and self-seeking in our hearts, does not come from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.”  He says “where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there. But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy” (James 3:14-17). This was not the wisdom Eve was desiring. It is worth asking ourselves what do we desire (lust after)!

Father, echoing “the day that you eat of it you will die,” we read that  the mind set on the sinful nature is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace (Romans 8:5, 6). This side of the fall in order to have life, we need with the help of the Spirit, to put to death both the deeds and the desires of the sinful nature (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24). Thank You again Lord that when we do these things, You work both in our desires, and in the wherewithal to do  Your will  (Philippians 2:12, 13). We have all blown it Lord! Thank You for forgiveness when confess (1 John 1:9).   For these and many other things we give You thanks and praise in Jesus Name Amen