Satan and an alternative worldview

In this section we will be looking at Satan and his influence on man and the world.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?" The woman said to the serpent, "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman. "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. Genesis 3:1-5

Note that the serpent speaks boldly of 'God' (the distant creator) instead of "the Lord God" (creator and covenant partner).
Though God allowed men to eat freely of all the trees save one, the serpent asks whether God had forbidden men to eat from every tree. How did he know about the prohibition at all, and then get it so wrong? The very way the question is put suggests malevolent intent. The serpent is seeking to damage the relationship that Adam and Eve had with God by causing them to question and doubt.
Eve corrects the snake's mistakes: "We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, 'You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.'" Note that she also uses the term "God" instead of "the Lord God."
Note that death ('taamuwt' - the Semitic root for death & dying) is, in Hebrew thought, not just the cessation of biological life. It is existence as opposed to life, this existence coming about through separation from God. Physical death is not the end of existence, but of life as we know it. Death is a change of place or conditions in which conscious existence continues. This began at the fall; the full fruition is an everlasting lost eternity.

Satan

Satan is the Hebrew word 'satan' transferred to the English. It is derived from the verb which means "to lie in wait", "to oppose," "to be an adversary." "opponent;" hence the noun denotes an adversary or opposer. Devil (diabolos) is transferred from the verb meaning, "to thrust through," "to carry over."

Scripture speaks of the personality of Satan. Personal pronouns are applied to him (Job 1:8,12 Zech 3:2; Mt 4:10; Jn 8:44). Personal attributes are ascribed to him (will, Isaiah 14:13f; cf.1 Tim3:6; and knowledge, Job 1:9f); and personal acts are performed by him (Job 1:9-11; Mt 4:1-11; Jn 8:44).

In Job 1:6-12; 2:1-7 he is mentioned as mixing with the angels where it would appear he no longer has a rightful place.

In piecing together information from both Isaiah 14:12-15 and Ezekiel 28:11-19 (both of which clearly go beyond current issues to speak of this angelic being) we see that 'Lucifer' (helel - brightness, morning star Is 14:12-14) speaks of an angelic being (cherubim) who sought to take glory and praise due to God unto himself in a failed attempt to ascend to heaven and make himself like the Most High.

Despite his failure, Satan speaks to Eve through the physical body of a serpent and plants seeds in her thinking which lead to doubt and separation from God due to sin.

In the five 'I wills' of Satan we see pride - the desire to live an autonomous life, free from the restraints of God, taking what rightfully belongs to God and seeking to make it his own. The 'I wills' are:

The subtlety of Satan is seen in how he seeks, at times, to work behind the scenes, evidenced in his attempt to dominate Peter (Mt 16:21-23, 2 Tim 2:25-26).

This is a short session - please look up some of the verses quoted after point five (to make.) and think about them.

What do they tell you about God?