WHO TOLD THE FIRST LIE?
In the Holy Bible, the second and third chapters of Genesis give the order of events leading us to find out who told the first lie. We find them in the story of the garden of Eden. Many Bible students have been led to believe the first lie was told to Eve by the serpent: "Ye shall not surely die." That was NOT the first lie.
By comparing THE WORDS OF GOD SPOKEN TO THE MAN (Adam) with THE "WORDS OF GOD" WHICH WERE REPEATED BY THE WOMAN (who was later to be named Eve), this study will attempt to reveal the FIRST LIE by pointing out THE FIRST LIAR.
THE ORDER OF EVENTS RELATING TO THIS SUBJECT IN THE GENESIS STORY:
GOD MADE MAN: "And Yahweh Elohim formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Genesis 2:7).
GOD PLANTED THE GARDEN OF EDEN AND PUT THE MAN THERE: "And Yahweh Elohim planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed" (Genesis 2:8).
GOD MADE TREES GROW OUT OF THE GROUND (OUTSIDE and INSIDE the garden of Eden): "And out of the ground made Yahweh Elohim to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the TREE OF LIFE also IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN, and THE TREE of KNOWLEDGE of GOOD and EVIL" (Genesis 2:9).
GOD PUT THE MAN IN THE GARDEN: "And Yahweh Elohim took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and keep it" (Genesis 2:15).
GOD GAVE THE MAN THE LAWS: "And Yahweh Elohim commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but OF THE TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL, THOU SHALT NOT EAT OF IT; For in the day that thou EATEST THEREOF thou shalt surely die" (Genesis 2:16-17).
GOD MADE THE WOMAN AND GAVE HER TO ADAM: "And Yahweh Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which Yahweh Elohim had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man" (Genesis 2:21-22).
THE SERPENT QUESTIONED THE WOMAN: "Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Genesis 3:1).
THE WOMAN QUOTED THE LAW TO THE SERPENT (AS SHE KNEW IT): "And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, BUT OF THE FRUIT OF THE TREE WHICH IS IN THE MIDST OF THE GARDEN, God hath said, YE SHALL NOT EAT OF IT, NEITHER SHALL YE TOUCH IT, lest ye die" (Genesis 3:2-3).
THE SERPENT'S FIRST STATEMENT: "And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die" (Genesis 3:4).
The first lie has often been taught to be this first statement by the serpent to the woman: "Ye shall not surely die." But, that was NOT the first lie. You can discover the first lie in the scriptures for yourself:
FIRST, consider God's commandment given to Adam in Genesis 2:16-17, which must be noted, is AFTER God put the man in the garden, and BEFORE God made the woman for Adam, with verses 21-22 showing us that THE WOMAN COULD NOT HAVE OVERHEARD GOD TELLING THE MAN THE COMMANDMENT.
SECOND, compare what you found in 2:16-17 with the woman's quote in 3:2-3 where she spoke WHAT SHE BELIEVED God had said. (Notice this is BEFORE any statement by the serpent, who had only questioned the woman about God's rule regarding the trees of the garden in 3:1.)
THIRD, it is important to state: IT WAS NOT the woman who was the liar. (For proof, consider 1 Timothy 2:13-14: "Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." This statement would also seem to say that the woman was not the one to change the law when she repeated what she believed it to be.)
This comparison reveals that God's commandment to the man HAD BEEN ADDED UNTO, AND DIMINISHED FROM:
THE WORDS OF GOD WERE ADDED UNTO: "...neither shall ye touch it..." Note: Adam was told to dress and keep the garden. That would mean all the trees would need to be touched (Genesis 2:15).
THE WORDS OF GOD WERE DIMINISHED FROM: The woman wasn't told that the tree with the forbidden fruit was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. She was told not to eat of the "tree in the midst of the garden."
(To see which tree is in the midst of the garden see Genesis 2:9.)
THE COMMANDMENT SEEMS VAGUE. Could she have been unsure which tree contained the forbidden fruit?
Adam was the one given the commandment directly from God. Had Adam passed the law to the woman wrongly? The first lie, as mentioned in John 8:44, isn't recorded as such, but the woman's quote of it INFERS that ADAM, as the first false teacher, TOLD THE FIRST LIE.
Jesus Christ, Moses and Jeremiah warn all people who study God's word to keep it pure, whether they are hearing it or speaking it. (See: Deuteronomy 4:2; 12:32; Matthew, chapters 23 and 24; Revelation 22:18-19; Jeremiah 23:9-40).
All of us who share the scriptures with others must be aware of this warning. It is a big responsibility to keep ourselves out of that family of false teachers (serpents) by preserving TRUTH to our best ability.
