The Danger of 'Harmless' Friendship: Part 1

Genesis Chapter 3:1 introduces a characteristic of a wicked fellowship: subtlety. Depending on context, this word has been defined in various ways. In our context, subtlety is derived from the Hebrew word ‘ȃrȗm’, which means to be cunning, clever, shrewd, manipulative, deceptive, crafty, and so on.

How can you expect a relationship to bear good fruit when one party is crafty? Adam and Eve entered into a relationship with the Serpent, a cunning creature. I don’t believe it was a one-day encounter that led to the fall; rather, it likely took a considerable amount of time. They may have been interacting periodically, without the serpent revealing his true colors and intentions.

Anyone who enters into an association with a hidden agenda does so for selfish gains to the detriment of the unsuspecting party. Mr. Serpent concealed his true nature from this loving couple; he never shared his background with them. If he ever did reveal his history, it was a fabricated biography, one that portrayed him as an irreplaceable friend.

Cunningly, Mr. Serpent gained the trust of Mr. and Mrs. Adam to even greater heights. Mr. Adam trusted Mr. Serpent to the extent of comfortably leaving him alone with his wife, Eve, while he was absent. Having the freedom to stroll around the Garden of Eden with Eve was a significant win for Mr. Serpent.

As Mr. and Mrs. Adam continued to associate with the Serpent, they regarded him as their wise philosopher. The Serpent seemed to know even those hidden matters that were meant to remain private between Mr. and Mrs. Adam. For instance, there were days when he would recount what they had discussed the previous week. On another occasion, he mentioned the color of their soap dish, despite never having visited their house before. To them, this was wisdom to be admired.

On a beautiful Sunday evening, Mr. Serpent visited this lovely couple to have a conversation as they passed the time, so to speak. At some point during their conversation, Mrs. Adam asked the Serpent where he learned all the wisdom he seemed to possess. Mr. Serpent gladly responded, “You’re perishing because of a lack of wisdom.” “What do you mean?” Mr. Adam retorted. “You know what?” Mr. Serpent answered, “Since the time I came here, I have observed and seen that you don’t have some of the right nutritious foods on your menu.” He continued, “There are different classes of foods, and each class has its contribution towards the well-being of a man.”

Mr. Serpent took the time to teach each category of food. He placed particular emphasis on locally available foods that help boost libido for both males and females. There was a special class that he named ‘pure wisdom giving food’. Among the foods in this special class are fruits. “There are so many fruits in this Garden that can give you wisdom,” Mr. Serpent said. He continued, somewhat disdainfully, “Sometimes I wonder why people like you can live without these fruits in your diet!” “Imagine I am alone in this world; I don’t have a companion, but I know more than you two combined. Don’t you feel ashamed of yourselves?” Mr. Serpent pressed on.

“Why don’t you leverage your numbers and enrich yourselves with all this world can offer?” At this point, Mrs. Eve Adam became very interested, and she asked, “How do we leverage our numbers, if I may ask?” Mr. Serpent responded, “Now you’re talking; you don’t have to be with your husband all the time.” Sometimes you can take a walk alone to familiarize yourself with the geography around you,” Mr. Serpent continued to advise joyfully.

He then turned to Mr. Adam and said, “You know that I am a very busy man; however, I can sacrifice my precious time while you’re occupied to take your wife around the garden. There, she will learn many things and then share them with you later. How do you see this suggestion?” Before Mr. Adam could respond, his wife, Eve, exclaimed, “Yes, that’s a good idea! Please, my dear, say yes, say yes, my dear.” Mr. Adam was overwhelmed by his wife’s enthusiasm and yielded to her pleas.

Adam and Eve agreed to set Wednesday as the convenient day for this travel date. “We have agreed on a Wednesday as the ideal day when the three of us can tour the garden, and even beyond the garden. Is that fine with you, Mr. Serpent?” “Uhm, I’m not sure this is the best day for this tour. Fridays are usually the best days for such geographic tours. I’d advise we do it on a Friday. Of course, I know Mr. Adam is normally busy on Fridays, but we can leave you to attend to your business while I go with Eve, your wife.” “No, no, no. I can’t afford to miss this historic tour; it’s a wonderful life adventure I’d like to experience,” Mr. Adam interjected. “I agree with you, my friend, Adam; however, wisdom has taught me that you shouldn’t be absent from your business on the last day of the week,” Mr. Serpent responded, somewhat politely.

“You know what? You seem to forget faster than gossip in a church choir! I advised you to leverage your numbers for faster growth, increased productivity, and excellence. You can begin practicing this as early as now,” Mr. Serpent continued to advise the couple, assertively. He went on to say, “Leveraging your numbers is like a male who can multitask.” Because there’s no male with such ability, and Adam, as I know him, cannot claim possession of this ability, you shall therefore divide your tasks according to each person’s special potential.” “From what I know, Mr. Adam, you are quite uncomfortable carrying pieces of luggage, unlike your wife, Eve.”

Intuitively, Mrs. Adam realized their discussion would take longer than anticipated. “May I prepare a cup of coffee for us so that we can sit down without any hurry to discuss this further?” Mrs. Adam muttered in Adam’s ear. “Go ahead, my dear sweetheart. However, don’t add the usual spices because of our visitor,” Mr. Adam replied audibly as she made her way to the kitchen. “Or are you comfortable with coffee combined with cinnamon, ginger, and a hint of clove?” Mr. Adam asked, facing their visitor, Mr. Serpent. “Coffee with sugar?! No way!” Mr. Serpent exclaimed, shock rippling through him as if the offer had scorched his tongue and lodged in his throat.

Suddenly, Mr. Serpent began to cough like an old engine trying to remember how to breathe. “May I bring you some water, please?” Mrs. Adam’s soprano voice shot from the kitchen with breathless speed. “No need for that, thank you, I will be fine,” Mr. Serpent replied. “Let’s go back to the coffee offer. It’s not that I turn it down out of contempt or lack of appreciation. No, no, no. For your information, I don’t consume sugar or any products containing sugar. If there’s something warm, dark, and with a trace of blood, I will gladly take that instead,” Mr. Serpent continued, disclosing his dietary preferences to his host.

“Let me tell you, my friend, Adam. If you all make me your teacher, learn my lifestyle, and adopt even one percent of it, you will be very great in this world,” Mr. Serpent advised. “For instance,” Mr. Serpent wanted to say something. But suddenly, Mrs. Adam interrupted, “Excuse me, allow me to interrupt the conversation a bit. The coffee is ready, and I want us to bless it before we continue.”

After the brief prayer of thanksgiving, Mrs. Adam began serving the coffee. “Kindly return the other cup to the cupboard. Unfortunately, our visitor will not take a cup of coffee. Today I have learned part of the food he eats. And it’s indeed a shame we cannot have it for him now. Hopefully, we will host him well on his next visit,” Mr. Adam said to his wife. After serving the coffee, Eve looked at their visitor and said, “We can now continue with our discussion. Before I interrupted, you were telling my husband something, but I cut you short. What was it?”

Mr. Serpent responded happily and began to narrate, “It’s good that you’re here, Mrs. Adam. I was sharing my lifestyle with your husband before you interrupted. You cut me off while I was giving an example of what I eat. Besides anything with blood, I enjoy special fruits. Have you heard of nootropic fruits? I know none of you has ever encountered that term.”

He went on to say, “According to research, these fruits are rich in nutrients vital for improving and maintaining cognitive function, mental clarity, memory, focus, and overall brain health. You will learn this as you continue to associate with a well-educated and well-exposed friend like me. I commit to giving all I can to help you succeed in the world. I’m not doing this to gain anything from you; it’s out of my great love for you.”

With great composure, Mr. Serpent continued, “Before you left to prepare some coffee, I wanted to show you how blessed you are together. I want to teach you about the power and impact of leverage. If you understand this, it will propel you to greater heights of success in life.” “Kindly share with us everything that we need to know without any fear of anything. Or what do you say, my dear Eve?” Adam reacted. Eve nodded in affirmation.