ODJ: sock puppet and frenemy
June 25, 2010
Even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
READ: Genesis 3:1-7
Do you use a sock puppet to secretly keep track of your frenemies? Plan to spend your staycation watching vlogs and webisodes?” If you’re not sure what all that means, turn to the latest edition of the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. The book of words has just added more than 100 new ones. Two new entries caught my attention: sock puppet and frenemies. A “sock puppet” is a false online identity used for deceptive purposes. A “frenemy” is someone who acts like a friend but is really an enemy.
The words sock puppet and frenemy definitely describe Satan. The evil one came to Eve as a frenemy, telling her what a friend might say. “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?” (v.1). Don’t worry about the consequences. God is exaggerating. You won’t die! (v.4). God is withholding something better from you! (v.5).
The sock puppet misquoted God’s words to subtly cast doubt on His goodness. God’s command applied to only the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Genesis 2:16-17)—not to all trees. “You won’t die!” was a direct challenge to what God had emphatically warned: “You are sure to die” (v.17). Soon Eve, too, felt it was okay to modify God’s clear instruction: “You must not . . . even touch it” (3:3). Totally deceived, Adam and his wife chose to disregard God’s instructions and warnings. Their actions created eternal consequences for all creation—the birth of evil, the presence of sin, and death.
Satan is no friend. He’s a sock puppet and a frenemy. Speaking from personal experience (Luke 22:31-34), Peter warns: Satan is your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. Stay alert. Watch out! (1 Peter 5:8). —K.T. Sim
How have you been carefully studying the Scriptures to verify that what you’ve been taught is the truth? (Acts 17:11). Why is it vital that we don’t mishandle God’s Word?
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