Genesis 3:2-5
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.
And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
 
The woman knew the rules. God had set the standard before He created her, and her husband had informed her, upon their meeting, of the only requirement that they must meet in their paradise. He had told her that there was one tree in the garden from which they may not eat. I have often wondered if she thought about what would happen in the instance that they ate from that tree. I wonder if the first couple had conversations about avoiding that tree. Regardless, she knew better than to eat the fruit from that particular tree.
 
The woman's failure in her conversation with the serpent included adding words to God's command that He did not say. She told that serpent that she and her husband were commanded not to eat NOR TOUCH IT. As we read scripture, we can see for ourselves that the LORD never said anything to the man about touching the fruit. My thought about this interaction between the serpent and the woman is that he may have caught her by surprise. Maybe she did not know that the serpent could speak because he had never spoken before, and she was caught off guard, not prepared to give a precise answer to what he would say. This is not to defend her, but just to speculate about what was going on in her mind at that moment. Maybe she thought that adding the "we can't touch it" clause to her response would fortify her position.
 
The enemy of our souls knows God's Word as much as we do, if not more. He knew what the law was in the garden. He only challenged the woman then as he continues to do now, in order to lead her to sin. Did you notice that the serpent did not approach the man? He went to the "...weaker vessel.." (1 Peter 3:7). His intention for her was not good, and it continues not to be good. The tempter is set on our destruction. He wants us to sin and fail and doubt God and bring judgment upon ourselves. He lives in his sinful, fallen state and he wants to bring as many believers and unbelievers with him as possible.
 
The serpent, in turn, told the woman a lie. He told her that not only would she not die if she ate the fruit, but there would be an advantage for her: her eyes would be opened, and she would be an all knowing god. This statement is in direct opposition to the Word of God. There is no way that we can benefit from disobedience to God. The woman had no idea what she was about to do. Romans 5:19 says, "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous." The act of the man in the garden that opposed God's command brought the entire world spiraling into sin and death. The serpent led the woman to believe something that was not true. Matthew Henry writes that the first couple were "...fools as to venture upon the security of one that had himself become a bankrupt..." They placed their fate on the word of the one who had led a revolt in heaven and had himself been expelled from the kingdom of heaven.
 
The moral of this part of the story is that women are easily fooled by the evil one. God gave her a covering, the man, for protection from that which might bring her harm. In obedience to God, she must submit to that covering, lest she do herself great harm. Ephesians 5:22 says, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the LORD." Colossians 3:18 says, "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the LORD."
 
Women of God, be careful not to allow the enemy of our souls to whisper lies in your ear