Pastor Maselo Mosomane
“…for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”Genesis 3:5
Let us go back to the Garden and pick up some important nuggets. We’ve learned how the pattern of man’s fall came about. The serpent who personified Satan deceived the woman and she ate. In turn she took some fruit and gave to her husband who was with her and he too ate. The woman was deceived. The clincher Satan used to get her cooperation was the promise – “you will be like God.”
“You will be like God.” Maybe the question may arise; which god? Which god did the serpent really referred to? We see it in our text today. “…for God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” The word “god” in that sentence is spelled with a capital “G” suggesting that Satan was referring to God of heaven. Though grammatically this interpretation makes a lot of sense, it leaves more reason to go on searching and comparing Scripture with Scripture. Throughout the bible; is there anywhere where it is stated that one will be like God when he rebels against God? Do we have an example of one who rebelled against God and became like God? Do we have any evidence where rebellion turned anyone into the image of God? Think about it.
When we search the Scripture we come across a portion that flashes more light to this subject. Isaiah 14:13-14 says this about Satan (the uninvited guest who gate-crushed in the garden); “…for you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation on the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ ” Satan said; “I will be like the Most High” Throughout the Scripture the title “Most High” refers to God Almighty of heaven. In other words; when Satan said “I will be like the Most High” he was actually saying I will be god. Satan wanted to be God. He was polluted with pride and ambition and rebelled against God. In real terms, he led a coup in heaven. He organized one third of the angels of heaven who were serving under him and waged war against God. He wanted to topple God and crown himself God. But “… war broke out in heaven: Michael and his angels fought with the dragon and the dragon and his angels fought, but they did not prevail, nor was a place found for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old called the Devil and Satan who deceived the whole world; he was cast to the earth and his angels were cast out with him” Revelation 12:7-9.
When Satan rebelled, he was cast out of heaven and thrown to the earth. Rebellion does not make anyone like God. If fact; when you rebel, the more unlike God you become. When the first people were created; they were created like God. “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him male and female He created them.” Genesis 1:27. They were created in the image of God in the day that they were created. When Satan came they were already like God. There was no need for them to aspire any likeness or similarity with God. But Satan deceived them and turned them into his own image.
We don’t know but it sounds like Satan said to her; “see how cunning I am?” If you listen to me you will be like me. Do you have any idea who I am? I am god. You too can be god. God is deliberately delaying the process. I can fast-track it for you. See how all-knowing I am? I know everything that God knows. You will be like me. I was once in heaven – I know everything that is there. You too can be like me – knowing the difference between good and evil.
One thing we must not forget is that Satan is a retrenched angel. He lost his position in heaven when he rebelled. Another thing we must know is that there is no retrenchment package in heaven when you are laid off. God owes you nothing – instead you owe Him everything. This incident made Satan poor. He is now in the world and he controls the world system – the world system and not the systems of the earth. All that is in the earth still belongs to God. Man was created to have authority over all that God had created until that day Satan disturbed man’s government. Man was created into a rich estate and God put him over everything. What happened that day? A poor angel came to earth and robbed man.
When Satan deceived man, he made him like himself. He made man rebellious. Because of this rebellion man was driven out of the Garden of Eden and he started to lack. All that happened to Satan in heaven happened to man in the Garden. Satan rebelled against God. Man rebelled too. Satan was cast out of heaven. Man was driven out of the Garden of Eden too. Satan left heaven with nothing that day. Man too left the Garden of Eden with nothing. Satan became poor. Man became poor too. In whose image is man then?
Despite the promise made to Eve by Satan; instead of becoming like God, they became like Satan – a rebel; an outcast and poor. Satan is poor. If he wasn’t poor he wouldn’t have to lie, steal and rob. This is what he did to gain control of the rich earth – he came to steal, kill and destroy.
To be like Satan is to be poor. When we yield to his lie we make him god over our lives and we become poorer. Man was driven out of the place of abundance (Ezekiel 28:13) and he started to scratch the ground for a living. Every time we listen to Satan we become like him. It is this act that robs us of our entire heritage and drives us to our knees in poverty. Adam and Eve rebelled and scratched the earth for a living. The same happens to us when we rebel against God; we scratch the ground for a living. Even those we regard as rich; they must scratch the surface for what they have. If they stop scratching they become poor.
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