If Eve didn't know that it was possible for someone to lie, how could she discern that the snake was lying to her?
Thinking about this tickles my perspective of Faith.
Genesis 3:1 - 24
ESV - 1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'? 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden.
Anonymous
For follow-up discussion and general commentary on the topic. Comments are sorted chronologically.
Guy Whitlock
Once God spoke His command to Eve, anything uttered by anyone or anything else that is counter to God's Word is sin. There is no opportunity for discernment. I pray that this response is helpful to you.
Danny Hickman
The premise of this question is faulty; Eve had to know either the serpent or God was deceiving her. they were giving her opposing viewpoints; and the devil was in the details. (Pun definitely intended) This was for all the marbles! We're talking about life and death!
There was no ambiguity about who was who. She knew who God was! She knew he was the supreme power!
The premise here is, since they were new in town and had not yet been lied to, they don't know what a lie is, so they have somewhat of an excuse for falling for a lie. That's very generous; it's also a very weak defense! I hope no one ever goes before God with that kind of illogic!
The man and the woman knew they were being told that God had deceived them. The serpent made it really clear that God told them what he had said because he didn't want them to be equal with him; he was holding out on them. (We learn later in scripture that Eve was deceived but Adam wasn't).
So why did she eat? See above: she was deceived! Lied to! Bamboozled! Hoodwinked! Led astray!
So why talk about Eve? Because of Adam! He was right there. He wasn't deceived; (1 Tim 2:14) He chose to disobey, listening to his wife; she convinced him to join her in eating the forbidden fruit. (Gen 3:17). God said he 'heeded the voice of his wife.'
There is no defense for what they did! If there was one, this attempt wouldn't make the 'Hot 100.'
So, since they have no excuse, we don't have one! We were born in iniquity. Jesus saves, no excuse!