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The fall of man is recorded in Genesis, chapter 3. This was when sin entered the world for the first time. According to the account of Creation in the previous two chapters of Genesis, it was a perfect world without sin, and everything Adam and Eve needed to sustain them was in the Garden of Eden. 

Chapter three tells us how the serpent lent its body to be used by Satan, and Satan beguiled Eve. Satan began by sowing doubt in Eve’s mind about the word of God. He cunningly questioned the authorship, authority, and accuracy of God’s word, and he caused Eve to question the same. Eve fell to the subtlety of Satan and plummeted the human race into world of sin and darkness for the first time.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)

What led to Eve’s disobedience? What caused her to eat the fruit from the only forbidden tree in the Garden of Eden? 

First, she saw. Her gaze was directed fully upon the forbidden fruit. Instead of focusing on the perfect garden she called home, and all of the things God had given her for sustenance, she turned her gaze to the one thing that was bad for her. And she didn’t stop with just one look, for the aim of Satan was to turn her look into lust. Often we say, “there is no harm in looking!” But so many times, temptation comes through the eye gate. Eve saw that the tree was good for food (the lust of the flesh), that it was pleasant to the eyes (the lust of the eyes), and that it was a tree to be desired to make one wise (the pride of life). 

I think we can all agree that it does, indeed, “hurt to look” at times. The first sin ever committed started with just a glance. May we be careful what we allow into the eye gate!