At that, Satan attempted to undermine respect for God’s law, saying: “You positively will not die. For God knows that in the very day of your eating from it your eyes are bound to be opened and you are bound to be like God, knowing good and bad.” (Genesis 3:1-5)

¹⁸ By his argument that God’s law to Adam was not good for man and by challenging what God said would be the outcome for disobedience, Satan was calling into question God’s rulership. He did not question the fact that God is ruler. Rather, the issue that Satan raised centered on the rightfulness of Jehovah’s rulership and the righteousness of His ways. Deceptively, Satan argued that man would make out better by acting independently, making his own decisions rather than submitting to God’s direction. (Genesis 3:4, 5)