Eve ate because Satan convinced her that the forbidden fruit would make her like God, appealing to her eyes, appetite, and pride.
Eve already lived in paradise with a sinless husband, yet the one thing she lacked was the knowledge and status of God. The fruit looked good for food, was beautiful to the eye, and promised wisdom, and Satan's lie "you can be like God" became the core of the temptation. Les notes she was evidently alone and caught in a moment of weakness, so she took and ate before fully realizing what she was doing.
Genesis 3:6 — This verse directly records Eve's threefold motivation for eating and the act itself.
Genesis 3:6 gives the immediate record of Eve's decision. She saw three things about the tree: it was good for food, it was pleasant to the eyes, and it was a tree to be desired to make one wise. She took of the fruit, ate, and then gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. The passage ties her action directly to the tree's outward appeal and to her desire for wisdom. Scripture elsewhere identifies the categories of temptation that arise from the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life (1 John 2:16) — which are the same categories Eve's action illustrates. The Bible does not narrate Eve's internal thoughts beyond what Genesis 3:6 states; it simply records what she saw, desired, and did.
Les emphasizes that Eve already had everything: a perfect, sinless husband, a beautiful paradise environment, no sickness, death, disease, thorns, or discomfort. But she was not satisfied, and Satan detected that. With nothing material lacking, the only thing left to offer was the opportunity to become like God, which appealed to her pride and her desire for power and control. The fruit itself was attractive — good for food and pleasant to the eye — and it promised wisdom. Les describes the temptation in three categories: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. The real basis of the whole temptation was not simple appetite or beauty; it was the lie that she could be like God. Les also teaches she was likely alone when she ate; Adam was evidently absent, and she was caught in a moment of weakness before she fully realized what she had done. This contrasts with Adam, who was not deceived and who had to deliberate whether to join her. Adam knowingly chose to eat to stay with Eve. The fall came because the human desire to be one's own god provided the opening Satan needed.
Scripture records three things about the tree: it was good for food, it was pleasant to the eyes, and it was a tree to be desired to make one wise (Genesis 3:6). Les says the fruit was beautiful, appearing like some form of grape-type fruit rather than an apple, and it appealed to the eye. The deeper draw was pride — the prospect of being as wise as God — and ultimately the promise that she could be like God, which would mean power.
Les teaches that Adam was evidently absent when Eve first partook of the fruit. She was caught in a moment of weakness, and before she even realized what she had done, she had eaten. Adam came on the scene afterward, already knowing what had happened, and faced a different decision.
Les says the basis of the whole temptation was "You can be like God," and that would give her power; it fed her pride. The appeal to pride is also seen in the tree being desirable to make one wise. This same quest for power and self-deification is what Les says fuels human ambition and is still proclaimed today.
Les uses John's triplet — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — to describe the universal areas of temptation every human being faces almost daily. Eve was the first example: the tree appealed to food (lust of the flesh), appearance (lust of the eyes), and wisdom (pride of life).
Les says Adam was in a totally different state of mind than Eve. He was not deceived. He had to deliberate between losing fellowship with his Creator and staying with his wife, knowing she had already eaten. He knowingly, of his own free will, chose to eat and stay with Eve.
The Same Lie Today
Eve had everything materially, but the one thing she could still desire was to be like God — controlling her own destiny. Les says this is the same lie still taught today.
The Appeal of the Fruit
Eve wasn't satisfied, and Satan told her there was something better. The fruit itself was beautiful and appealed to her eye and pride through the promise of wisdom.
Adam's Deliberate Choice
Les notes Adam knew what eating would cost and had to deliberate between losing fellowship with God and losing Eve.
Universal Temptation
Eve had a sinless husband and a perfect life, yet obeying Satan promised more. Les frames her temptation as lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life.
Eve's Moment of Weakness
Les teaches Adam was absent when Eve ate; she was caught alone in a moment of weakness and ate before she fully realized what she had done.
The Basis: Be Like God
Les says the basis of the whole temptation was "you can be like God," which promises power and feeds pride.
Adam Chose Eve
Adam, in contrast to Eve, ate knowingly and deliberately to stay with Eve rather than lose her.
The Only Thing Left
Adam and Eve had every imaginable blessing, so the only thing Satan could offer was the one thing they lacked: being like God.
Genesis 3:6: 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.
This is the foundational passage showing exactly why Eve ate and how the fruit appealed to her physical sight and desire for wisdom.
1 John 2:16: For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Les uses this verse to explain that Eve's temptation falls into the three universal categories that every person faces.
Les teaches that the core appeal was the promise that she could be like God. Since she already had a perfect husband and a perfect environment, the one thing left was godlike wisdom, power, and control. That promise appealed to her pride and caused her to reach for what was forbidden.
Les teaches that Adam was evidently absent when Eve first partook. She was caught in a moment of weakness and ate before she fully realized what she had done. Adam came on the scene afterward, already knowing what had happened, and made a deliberate choice to join her.
Les thinks the fruit was not an apple but some form of beautiful grape-type fruit. He relates that the tree was attractive to the eye, which was part of its temptation.
Yes, according to Les. He says every human faces the same three temptations almost daily: the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. He also warns that the same lie Satan used on Eve — that you can be like God — still appears in modern teaching.
Watch the Teaching: Genesis 2-3 Bible Study: How the Fall of Man Changed Everything