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Studies in Genesis, Facing Their Sin, Lesson VIII, Genesis 3:7-13
We continue our study in chapter 3 of the book of beginnings where we witnessed a conversation between a talking serpent and Eve, the first woman, Adam’s wife.
She, a woman of innocence, is no match for this subtle beast of the field who is there to bring corruption into this perfect place.
This place called Eden, inhabited by two newly created beings, who knew not of any concept called sin nor of the knowledge of good and evil.
She alone with her husband have been given freedom to enjoy the fruits of this beautiful garden with one exception and that exception is what the serpent wishes to discuss.
So the question to her is Ye, hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Notice how that question is phrased.
The answer of course is Yes we may not eat of every tree of the garden for there is one tree that God tells us not to eat.
The question is phrased to immediately focus on the negative of their lives pushing away all the positives for no mention is made by the serpent of the numerous trees and bountiful fruit of which they may eat to their fill.
This of course is always the modus operandi of the devil.
It is also the modus operandi of the natural heart.
Try restricting your children and wait for the response which on occasion is, “You never let me do anything” which pushes away from thought the multitude of things with which their lives are filled.
So instead of resisting the devil, instead of remembering the goodness of God, Eve listens to the subtle beast and begins to think.
For it is written in Genesis 3:7,8, 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. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
This tree was different from all the others she reasoned for it was good for food, or so the serpent told her for she had not yet tasted its fruit.
But it was also pleasant to the eyes and a tree to be desired to make one wise.
This tree still fills the world and all of these things appealing to the flesh call to the natural man whose eyes were opened by the decision of Adam and Eve in the garden.
The seeds are sprouting in Eve as her dialogue with Satan is repeated in her mind and she is beginning to fall to his wiles.
She is turning his way and by this action is automatically turning away from God.
For you cannot have both as many teach today.
And because of this turning, all the world to come turns Satan’s way but God, then and now, calls us to turn back in what is called repentance through His Son and in the power of his Spirit.
Eve forgot the tree of life, that tree that was also good for food and pleasant to the eyes for she was enticed by Satan’s words that this forbidden tree would also make one wise.
But wise only in a worldly fashion, wise to the ways of the world but never wise to the ways of God.
It was a tree of sight and a tree of blindness for it gave sight to their nakedness, before which they were blind.
But now the world was open to them but the doors to heavenly things were closed.
So contemplation on Eve’s part was complete and decision time was here.
A choice had been given her to make.
Hadn’t this beautiful creature, this serpent in the garden told her Ye shall not surely die?
God told her to eat freely of all the trees but one, but this was not enough for Eve.
So she, wanting no limitations, quickly snatched the fruit and ate of it.
and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. 7 And the eyes of them both were opened.
It is quite amazing how little is given about Adam’s thoughts and contemplation but perhaps he had none.
The words “and gave also unto her husband with her” may be the clue.
Are we to picture both Adam and Eve together during this conversation with the serpent?
Is it possible that Adam was there in silence listening to his enticing words while the serpent engaged Eve in conversation?
She took of the fruit and did eat and gave also unto her husband.
It will not be until verse 16 of this chapter that Adam is to rule over his wife because of her sin.
In their innocence as they ate the fruit there seemed to be no hierarchy established and both could do as they pleased for they had no need of rule of one over the other.
But they pleased to leave their innocence and to come to know good and evil.
The garden living was soon over as God banished them into the world where they were to be immersed in the knowledge of good and evil.
The choice was made!
They got what they wanted but they lost what they had!
They now had the knowledge of good and evil but they lost their perfect Garden in which they walked with their Creator.
Young people, all people, take this warning from this teacher of God’s word.
When making decisions always include in those decisions a contemplation of what you will lose by attaining that which you want.
By this one choice this couple had sacrificed the permanent on the altar of the immediate.
They had sacrificed the idyllic life provided to them by their loving God for a life full of troubles and death.
And think of the billions who came after, also with lives full of trouble and death because of their choice.
We may think of decisions of little consequence but small decisions many times result in life changing effects.
As in Romans 5:12 Paul writes, Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
And from our last two lessons we know that, that death is separation from the One with whom they walked in the garden in the cool of the day.
For in the day they ate thereof they died.
And fellowship with their maker was no more.
Sin always has its consequences for our God has built into his creation an automatic response for nature itself so declares that when a seed is sown it always comes forth with fruit that identifies the seed.
Be sure your sin will find you out as the fruit always finds out the seed.
God said to the first couple, in the day you eat of that tree ye shall surely die.
They ate and looked at themselves and in their mind they were quite alive but it is interesting they now saw themselves as naked.
The tree of the knowledge of good and evil had opened their eyes to nakedness, a concept unknown to those living in innocence.
This was new but now with a natural mind they simply gathered leaves and covered their nakedness.
And so goes the world as it always tries to cover nakedness with leaves and pushes aside God’s covering.
That precious blood of the one who will bruise the serpent’s head, our wonderful Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Yes, they were quite alive physically but something had happened for they quickly hid themselves from the one with whom they had so pleasantly walked in the garden.
This hiding was the clue that death had indeed occurred, spiritual death which is separation from God.
Physical death for Adam and Eve is far into the future but as they hid in the perfect garden they were dead indeed for their deed with the serpent guaranteed that death.
Genesis 3:8-13, And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? 10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. 11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
God has given fingers to us all, a gift so great, of so much value we would not give them up for anything.
Just lose one finger and the other nine will so miss that member in trying to continue the hand’s function.
But one function of fingers that God shows us in this passage is when fingers are used to point.
I remember as a boy being reminded by my South Dakota pioneer mother in a stern voice.
(Do mothers still have stern voices?)
But she would say, don’t point, for pointing is rude.
I don’t know if this is still taught in this age where even the word etiquette meets a blank stare but Adam and Eve had no mother to tell them not to point.
For in answer to God’s question their finger obeyed their sinful heart and quickly arose pointing at others to blame for their hiding from God.
Things were different now, for they had been found hiding among the trees from the face of their Maker.
God knows all things for He had been witness to the transaction at the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
He knows that death has occurred but He comes to the garden to begin the process of bringing life to the dead.
Adam and Eve’s action bring separation but God’s actions are to bring about reconciliation and restoration and He begins this immediately.
Satan, inhabiting the serpent, asked questions designed to bring about death but God’s questions are about bringing life.
God questions, and we being made in the image of God are also to question.
Parents are to question to cause their children to think about their condition for one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is for them to know their state and status before God.
For how is a child to be saved if the child does not know he or she is lost?
This business of puffing up children with grandiose praise ignores their true condition.
Certainly praise where praise is due but children are sinners too!
So God asks questions of Adam and Eve but no questions are asked of Satan for God has no plan for his restoration.
Of Adam God asks three questions.
Where art thou? Who told thee that thou wast naked? And Hast thou eaten of the tree?
Adam answers the first and third questions but no answer was given as to who told Adam he was naked.
Adam knew where he was for he had hidden from God for he was afraid, again something new that comes with his new nature.
And he also knew he had eaten but as to the question of him being naked something new had also occurred in him.
And that was something called conscience, something that comes from God to those with this new nature, the nature to know good and evil.
And Adam’s conscience, described in verse 7 as their eyes being opened brought them to know that they were naked.
So the new nature of Adam is working well for it not only tells Adam of his nakedness it brings the pointing finger to the fore for it points to the only other person there, the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I did eat.
First in answer to your question God, It was you who gave me this woman and it was she who enticed me with this fruit causing me to eat it.
You are to blame and she is to blame.
Yes I did eat of it but it was you two who put everything in place to bring this about.
Had it not been for you two nothing would have happened.
My how quickly Adam’s new nature has taken hold.
There is no lingering death from the innocent Adam to this dead Adam for his new sinful nature reveals him as a fitting candidate of Proverbs 16:2 which reminds us that:
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits.
Adam lived an innocent life in the garden but now he knows good and evil and is able to practice good and evil and the evil overcomes good.
So Adam sees his ways clean and others having ways that are not.
He now has a heart that is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked, so desperately wicked that it even accuses God of wickedness blaming God for his sin.
But God is the father and the father has two children.
Both are to be questioned for both have disobeyed, so finishing his questions with Adam He turns to Eve.
Genesis 3:13, And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
So Eve continues the blame not seeing herself in a bad light she too points the finger and the serpent receives the point.
He did it, he is to blame!
I was beguiled which means I was enticed, lured, wooed, charmed, captivated, mesmerized, hypnotized and fascinated.
Watch out Eve for these words will bring upon you another to rule over you, rule by the one who blamed you for his fall.
We see then the weakness of Eve and those to follow her.
A weakness to be easily beguiled. |