A small error makes a big difference. Check this out. If you started walking on a straight path toward a destination and were one degree off course when you started, after one hundred yards, you would end up 5.2 feet from your destination. Not that big of a deal, right? However, in that same scenario, you’d be off by 92.2 feet after a mile. If you were driving in a straight line from San Francisco to Washington, D.C., and started just one degree off, you’d miss the nation’s capital by 42.6 miles. One more…in a rocket going to the moon, one degree off at blastoff would cause you to miss the moon by 4,169 miles.[1] A small error makes a big difference. We see that in the first temptation.

Genesis 3:1-3
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’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

There are four important observations we need to note in these verses.

First, notice God’s name in Genesis 3:1, Lord God. The Hebrew name for God, Elohim, describes his power, sovereignty, and authority. He is the “Mighty Creator.” Elohim is the plural form of El. The plural form is used as a “plural of majesty” or a “plural of intensity” to elevate the greatness of God’s person. The Hebrew name for Lord is Yahweh. This describes the Creator as a personal God who breathed into man the breath of life and made the way for us to have a personal relationship with him. Elohim is the powerful Creator. Yahweh is the personal God of covenant. Notice Satan, in his first question, only uses the name Elohim. He can’t deny God’s power, but he refuses to mention the personal relationship we can have with Yahweh.  

Second, in the woman’s response, the precise meaning of God’s Word is not communicated. Granted, God gave the direct command about the tree to Adam, so perhaps Adam was not clear in his communication with Eve. Regardless, in her response to Satan, she makes three changes.

• Eve responded, “We may eat of the fruit….” However, the Lord’s original instruction said you may “surely eat of every tree….” She downplays God’s gracious provision. By much? No. But remember, one degree off makes a big difference.
• Eve added to God’s instruction. The Lord said, “you shall not eat” from the tree, and Eve added, “neither shall you touch it.” She seemed to include a law for herself.
• Eve downplayed the penalty. The Lord said, “…you shall surely die.” Eve lessened the power, in her words, “lest you die.” Allen Ross notes that there is no violation in paraphrasing Scripture, and these changes “are within the legitimate range of interpretation.”[2] However, he explains, “if the precise wording of the original commandment is weakened, the appeal to sin grows stronger. ‘Lest you die’ carries the meaning of God’s warning, but it does not clearly retain the certainty of the penalty of death.”[3]

The warning inherent in this passage can’t be overstated. So much of today’s dangerous and heretical teaching is close to the truth. But that one degree off causes people to miss the truth altogether…and, for some, tragically miss the destination of heaven, where we will enjoy an eternal relationship with the Lord.

Father,
Help us be students of your Word. Help us to take it seriously. Don’t let us dilute it or add to it. Help us take you at your Word and gain victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

[1] https://whitehatcrew.com/blog/a-mere-one-degree-difference/
[2] Allen Ross, Creation and Blessing (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 1998), 135.
[3] Ibid. 135.