Eve and the Serpent

The Bible teaches many valuable lessons. The Old Testament tells of a people who continually made mistakes. It begins in Genesis with Adam and Eve. In this little fable, Eve was in the Garden of Eden, and God told her, “Don’t eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.” Eve accepted this. But, then, along came a friendly, charming serpent, who said to her, in a confidential tone, “Eve, did God really say you shouldn’t eat the fruit of the garden?” And that’s where Eve made her first big mistake. Instead of saying, vigorously, “Yes, God did say that! Get out of here! You’re up to no good, and I won’t listen!”, she turned, and doubted her ability to hear God’s voice. The serpent continued talking, knowing that she was listening and, therefore, partially mesmerized. It then became more aggressive, and ended boldly saying, “Who is your God anyway? Is He really all-powerful? Do you have to obey Him?”

This is what mesmerism is all about. The serpent mesmerized Eve, because she stopped to listen to it. She should have resisted immediately. And where did Eve finally find herself? Spiritually naked, outside the Garden of Eden, stripped of all the good she had been given. Well, frankly, I don’t think any of us want to find ourselves in that position.

This story is an object lesson for mankind. When the serpent voice begins to whisper, “Who do you think you are? You’re not much good. You may have done something right once, but next time you’ll fail. God doesn’t even know you.” Don’t listen! Put it out! Put it out! The first whisperings of the serpent may not seem too bad, but as they go on, they get worse. So why let it start, and take the chance of being mesmerized by some scurrilous lie?

Who’s talking, when you hear a negative suggestion? Is it God who loves you? I think not. When you hear this negative conversation about yourself, or about someone you’re associated with, put it out! It wants you to think wrongly about things, because it’s a well known fact that we receive what we believe. Let’s refuse to be victims. God has given us dominion, and the power to overcome these lies.

These Old Testament stories are examples for us of the unreliability of the human mind, and show the mistakes that it can make. The remedy for this, is Christian Science. The truth about these Bible stories is revealed in Mrs. Eddy’s book, Science and Health. It teaches us that we are God’s children, created for His glory. We are not mortals, condemned to suffer.

The power of God is great enough to bring any wall of error down. Mrs. Eddy says, “Everything good or worthy, God made. Whatever is valueless or baneful, He did not make, — hence its unreality.” (S&H p. 525) This helpful statement annuls evil’s rantings.

Don’t listen to the serpent voice that tells you, “I’m just one. What can I do?” One with God is a majority. You can do everything, if you will line yourself up with Him, let Him be the power, trust Him, hold fast to good; and never give up. Often when we are on the verge of winning, error will say, “Give up.” And that’s the very time to put it out! Keep on keeping on, and tell error where to go! God gives us the victory, here and now.

Mrs. Eddy gives us a wonderful promise in Miscellaneous Writings: “He who has named the name of Christ, who has virtually accepted the divine claims of Truth and Love in divine Science, is daily departing from evil; and all the wicked endeavors of suppositional demons can never change the current of that life from steadfastly flowing on to God, its divine source.” (p. 19).