SCRIPTURE: GENESIS 3
BIBLE VERSES:
““You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4-5)
“And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Genesis 3:11-13)
“So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[a] and hershe will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” (Genesis 3:14-15)
“To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband,and he will rule over you.” (Genesis 3:16)
“To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your foot until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” (Genesis 3:17-19)
“So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[e] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.” (Genesis 3:23-24)
THE FALL OF MAN (vs. 1-24)
The serpent was the most crafty among any of the wild animals. So, Satan came to Eve in the guise of a serpent. Satan is a deceiver, a liar and a murderer. He uses lies to attack human mind. The tactic he used to question God’s word was when he said to the woman: Did God really say you must not eat from any three in the garden?” (v. 1). then he denied His word when he said: You will not surely die” (v. 4). And he substituted his own lies by saying: “For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing the good and the evil” (v. 5). Satan like to be like the “Most High”. That was why he was cast down from heaven.
Eve saw the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the yes and desirable for wisdom. So she took some and ate it and also gave it to Adam. After eating, both of them realized that they were naked and sewed fig leaves to cover up themselves. When the Lord called them, they hid themselves from the Lord because they were naked. Then the Lord knew that they have eaten the forbidden tree. When God reprimanded them, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. As a consequence, punishment were given. To the serpent, it will crawl on its belly and eat dust all the days of its life. God will put enmity between the serpent and the woman and between its offspring and hers. The woman will have offspring who will crush its head and it will strike his heel. To the woman: she will endure pain in childbearing and be subjected to man’s rule. To Dam, he will experience painful toils, eat by the sweat of his brows and he will return to dust. The Lord God made garments of skin to cloth Adam and Eve. Then he banished them from the Garden of Eden to work on the ground.
THOUGHTS:
God’s word to Adam: “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden, but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil for when you eat of it, you will surely die (Gene:16-17) What Eve said to the serpent: “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden but God did say:”You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden and you must not touch it, or you will die” (v.3)
HOW DID EVE CHANGE GOD’S WORD?
- She took away God’s word by omitting free to eat.
- She added “touch it”
- She changed the word: “You shall surely die” into “you will die”
Be careful not to subtract, add or change God’s Word.
Eve ate the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because she saw that the fruit was good for food, pleasing to the eyes and also desirable for gaining wisdom. Satan also uses these tactics to tempt us into sin. The lust of the flesh (good for food), the lust of the yes (pleasing to the eyes) and the pride of life (desirable for gaining wisdom). We must be careful to avoid his deceptive ways.
EFFECTS OF SIN:
- Guilt, fear, shame and broken fellowship with God
- For women: Pain in childbirth and subjection to husband. For men – sweat and toil of work and the obstacles of nature.
- For man and women – they will die and return to dust.
Adam and Eve tried to cover their sins and shame with leaves. This pictures that human works and effort are not accepted by God. Instead, he clothed them garments of skin which signifies salvation. There must be shedding of blood and offering of innocent life for the guilty in order to be save.
HOW TO RESIST SATAN’S TEMPTATION:
- Pray for strength to resist.
- Run away
- Say NO!
When Adam sinned, he blamed Eve. Then Eve blamed the serpent. When we commit sin, we often try to excuse ourselves by putting the blame on others. The best remedy is to admit and confess it to the Lord and ask God for forgiveness.
ACTIONS TAKEN BY EVE WHEN SHE COMMITTED SIN:
- She listen to Satan (sense of hearing)
- She looked at the trees (sense of sight)
- She took the fruit (sense of touch)
- She ate the fruit (sense of taste)
- She gave it to Adam (sense of touch)
The phrase “You will strike his heel” refers to Satan’s repeated attempt to defeat Christ during his life on earth. The phrase “He will crush your head” refers to God defeating Satan by offering salvation to the world through Jesus Christ.