Blogging Through The Bible

Blogging Through The Bible: Genesis 3:9-15

When we left off last time in our journey through the Bible, the man and woman have just eaten the fruit. We began to see some of the first consequences of sin: loss of innocence, shame, loss of intimacy. This loss of intimacy manifested itself by the man and woman making loincloths out of fig leaves to hide from each other, but even more importantly in their hiding from God as they heard him in the garden. That takes us to where we are today in verse 9…

God asks the man, “Where are you?”

Obviously, God knows all things, so he didn’t really need to ask this question, or the question that follows for that matter. He knows where man is, he knows what has happened. He asks these questions I believe for a couple of reasons. One, he wanted the man to think about where he was. To contemplate what had happened. It’s sort of like when I see my kids doing wrong, I will ask them, “What are you doing?!?” Obviously I know what they are doing, but I want them to stop and think about what they are doing, and to help them to see that this is not what they should be doing.

It’s the same thing with man. God had commanded man not to eat the fruit, yet he did. He disobeyed God. He did wrong, and he knew it. He hid from God…He was afraid, and rightly so. Disobedience of God has costly consequences, and God had already informed the man and woman what those consequences would be. Death.

Man told God he was afraid. He knew he was naked, so he hid. God then asked man how did he know he was naked, who told him? “Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you  not to eat from?” (3:11)

Here, man has an opportunity to confess his sin and disobedience. Which I believe is the second reason for these questions God is asking.  I’ve often wondered how things might have been different had man confessed his sin…I suppose we will never know…But we do know how the man responded, and if you’re like me, you see yourself in this story. Instead of acknowledging his sin, the man blamed the woman, and even God himself. “The woman YOU gave to be with me– she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate.” (3:12) Man is essentially saying, “It’s not my fault God! You gave me the woman, if she hadn’t been here, this never would have happened! She ate the fruit first, then I ate it.”

God then turns his attention to the woman, and asks her what she has done. She takes the same approach as the man. Instead of accepting responsibility, she blames the serpent, “He deceived me, and I ate.” (3:13) This was certainly true, but the serpent wasn’t force-feeding her. She ate the fruit because she wanted to. The same was true for the man.

God then turns his attention to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.” (3:14)

But here is where things get good…

“I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” (3:15)

If we’re unfamiliar with the Bible, this last verse might seem a bit strange or confusing…But, this is actually one of the most important verses in the Scriptures. Genesis 3:15 is the first prophecy of the coming Messiah. We know that to be Jesus Himself. Right after man has sinned and sin and the curse has entered the world, we have a glimmer of hope. The Gospel is being preached to us right here…

There will be hostility between the serpent and the woman, and between her seed (her children) and the seed of the serpent.Yet, God says He (The seed of the woman) will strike the head of the serpent. This is a picture of Satan’s defeat. The defeat of sin. A blow to the head is a death blow. Satan will be crushed by the seed of the woman…We know this ultimately to be through Christ. But we also see a glimpse as to how this would happen…”You (the serpent) will strike his heel.” The seed of the woman would be wounded. Here we have a picture of the cross. We know that Jesus was nailed to a Roman cross…We know that he died there…But we also know that he didn’t stay there. Death couldn’t hold him, and after three days he rose from the dead after satisfying the penalty for sin…Which we’ve already seen from our studies is death. So here in Genesis 3:15 we have a clear reference to Christ, his cross, and how Satan will ultimately be defeated. Amazing!

I had intended to go further, but I find myself in that familiar position of not wanting to stretch this out too long, and knowing that I can’t do the rest of the chapter justice in just a few words…so, keep a watch for the next post. We will pick up in verse 16 next time.

Blogging Through The Bible: Genesis 3:1-8

Today we look at Genesis 3, one of THE pivotal chapters in Scripture. In the first two Chapters we’ve looked at creation. In Chapter 1 we had the “big picture” view, then in Chapter 2 we zoomed in on the Garden of Eden and the creation of man. There has been one constant so far…Everything has been good, or God even went so far as to say “very good.” (1:31) So, creation in it’s original condition is very good. All things are as they should be. There is no pain, there is no death, there is no sin. Even relationships are perfect. (2:25)

Sadly, we will see in our passage today, things did not stay this way.

Genesis 3:1 starts out with the serpent. Now, we aren’t told here that the serpent is Satan, but other areas of Scripture certainly help us to identify the serpent with him. (Revelation 12:9, 20:2, Romans 16:20 also helps make the connection) The picture we get of this serpent certainly shows us that something about this creature is amiss. The bible says that he was the most cunning of all the wild animals. The serpent goes on to ask Eve a question, “Did God really say, “You can’t eat from any tree in the garden?”

How many bad decisions start out with, “Did God really say?” The Word of God is sure, perfect, and good. If the Word of God says it, you can take it to the bank. But this is how Satan operates…he plants a seed of doubt in your mind. “Did God really say?…” He then misquotes God. He asks did God really say you can’t eat from ANY tree in the garden. He wants the woman to feel as if God is somehow depriving her of something good. But we know that isn’t what God said. Of all the trees God planted, there was only one that they were told not to eat of.

The woman responds in verse 2, but as we see, she gets it wrong too. She adds to what God had actually said. She got the first part right, “But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, “You must not eat it…” Well yes, He did, but then she adds, “…or touch it, or you will die.”

God never told Adam or Eve not to touch the fruit. He simply said not to eat it. So, she already is on shaky ground. Whether it is carelessness on her part, or whether Adam has inaccurately communicated God’s Word to her, I don’t know. But we see here that Eve does not have a firm grasp of God’s Word, and ignorance of God’s Word always leads to trouble.

We see from her statement, that even though she hasn’t taken it as far as the serpent did…she still feels somewhat deprived. She can’t even touch the fruit! Or so she believes…She did though get the part right about death.

Again in verse 4 we see the serpent continuing to plant doubt in her mind, “No you will not die..” , says the serpent, “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

So, the serpent follows up a lie with a half truth. It is true that once they eat of the fruit, they will be like God. They will know good and they will know evil. But, the serpent says that they won’t die. This is a half truth. They wouldn’t die physically immediately after eating the fruit, but they would die Spiritually. They would be separated from God. Their sin and disobedience would drive a wedge between them and God. And one day, because of this sin and disobedience, they would indeed die physically.

After hearing the Serpent’s words, the woman looked at the tree, and she saw that indeed the tree was good for food, and it was delightful to look at…The Bible also says that it was, “desirable for obtaining wisdom.”

Sin initially is always desirable. It is pleasurable to the eyes, and it promises us more than what we feel like we already possess. Eve wanted to taste the fruit…it looked good. She wanted to be wise, she wanted to be like God in knowing good and evil. Perhaps God just didn’t want her to have that…perhaps God was holding out on her. Perhaps she knew better than God what she needed, and what was best for her.

Does this sound familiar to any pattern of sin you’ve ever experienced in your life?

Here’s the rub. She was already like God. She was created in His image. She already had all she needed. God had provided her and Adam with all that they needed for food. She even already knew about good and evil, if only she had understood. She knew good. She knew God. God is the definition of good. She had never experienced evil, but certainly anything contrary to the good that was in God is evil. God had already told Adam about death…so she understood the consequences of disobedience to God…which is the definition of sin, the root of evil.

Then the woman eats. Not only does she eat, but she also gave some to her husband who was with her and he ate it.

Here we see another problem. Adam was the one charged with watching over things. Adam was the one given dominion over creation. The woman was to be his helper. Adam was actually the one told not to eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Certainly, it can be inferred that it was his responsibility to pass the message along to his wife.

It would seem that Adam failed on a couple of fronts. First, Eve didn’t accurately know what God had said about the fruit..which caused her to be more susceptible to Satan’s lies. Second, if Adam was with her the entire time, why didn’t he take charge of the situation? Why didn’t he step in and correct her, and say what God actually said. Third, why would he allow her to even entertain these thoughts? Fourth, why would he obey his wife rather than God?

We often blame Eve for being deceived by the serpent, but Scripture actually places the blame on Adam. It was through Adam that the curse of sin entered the world. (Romans 5:12) Adam didn’t sin because he was deceived, actually he sinned with understanding! (1 Timothy 2:14) Eve desired the fruit, but apparently so did Adam! And because of these misplaced desires, the world will never be the same.

Verse 7 tells us that then, “the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked…”

Genesis 2:25 tells us that Adam and Eve were naked but felt no shame. This as we said speaks to the perfect intimacy they shared with each other, and with God. Because of their sin and disobedience, this is no longer the case. Now they knew they were naked, so they “sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.” This intimacy is forever gone as a result of their sin. For the first time they knew shame and they sought to hide their bodies from each other…But it doesn’t stop there.

Verse 8, “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden…and they hid themselves among the trees of the garden.”

Not only is their a loss of intimacy between the man and the woman, but also between them and God. Not only does shame exist between themselves, but also between them and God. Where once Adam walked with and spoke with God, now he seeks to hide himself from him. As we said earlier, a wedge has been driven between God and man. The relationship has been broken. Sin has entered the world…

This is the world we find ourselves in. A world infected with sin. A world separated from God. A humanity hiding from God and denying the truths of His Word. In many cases it has even gotten to the point of denying his existence.

If the Bible ended here, what a tragic ending it would be. But praise God this isn’t the end of the story…And praise God there is hope. We will see that next time…I hope you’ll join me!

Blogging Through The Bible: Genesis 2:10-25

We ended off our last time on our journey through the Bible at Genesis 2:9, so let’s pick up today in verse 10.

Verses 10-14 speak of a river that flows from Eden and divides into four other rivers. As I picture this scene in my mind, and the pre-curse earth, I certainly picture paradise. Especially as it talks about the gold one finds in the land of Havilah. It almost seems as if we are getting a preview to what awaits the child of God in heaven.

After these few verses we get into the meaty part of Genesis 2…

Verse 15 tells us that God placed man in the garden to work it and watch over it. As I said previously, God created man for work not sloth. For many of us, our ideal is to be able to sit around and do nothing, to have no obligations. We’ve all seen cartoons where the guy is sitting on the cloud playing the harp. Sadly, that’s the view some of us have of heaven. But it’s not biblical,  nor is it reality. Man was created for a purpose…In the big picture, those of us who are steeped in Scripture know that the ultimate purpose for man, his chief end as the Westminster shorter catechism tells us is to “glorify God and enjoy him forever.” But part of how we glorify God, is in how we work. How we fulfill our obligations…AND how we enjoy his good gifts and the fruit of our labors.

In verse 16-17, we get back to one of the trees that we spoke of last time. The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God tells man that he was free to eat from ANY tree in the garden, except that one tree…for on the day that he ate of this tree he would die. In literary terms, I believe we see here a foreshadowing of what is to come…In these verses though, once again we see God’s generosity as the provider for his creation. He supplied man with more than enough to sustain him…He could eat freely from ANY tree of the garden. God blessed man and blessed him bountifully…If only Adam had understood the beauty of the blessing and what he COULD have for all eternity…If only Adam had paid closer attention to God’s warning against eating from this one forbidden tree…But I’m getting ahead of myself.

Ultimately though, I don’t believe it was so much about the fruit or the trees. I believe it was mostly about obedience and disobedience. Would Adam obey God? Would Adam take seriously the Word of the Lord? Would Adam rejoice in the good gifts that God had provided, or would he seek happiness outside of the Word of God? Would Adam trust that God knew what was best, or would he try to take control of his own destiny and seek something better than what God had already provided? I think we all know the rest of the story…but, let’s not jump ahead. (Really having a hard time reining myself in!)

Verses 18-25 begins the narrative of the creation of the first woman, Eve. I love this part of the story.

The narrative begins, “It is not good for the man to be alone…I will make a helper as his complement.”

So, God already knows it isn’t good to be alone. He has already decided to make a helper for Adam. Now, it is important to note that when God is talking about a “helper” for Adam…he isn’t talking about someone to be subservient to Adam. He says this helper would be his “complement”…This helper would be one who would walk side by side in the garden with Adam. This helper could provide Adam with what he didn’t have. This helper would complete him. I think verse 24 backs up this statement, “…and they become one flesh.”

Here we see the perfect illustration of the way in which God designed relationships. The way that God designed marriage. Marriage is to be one man and one woman, working together to fulfill God’s purposes. But I’m starting to get ahead of myself again…

God has already decided to create the woman, but before he does, he creates every wild animal and livestock and he brings Adam out to name all of the creatures. Again we see the awesome privilege given to man to watch over creation and to exercise his dominion over it…

But as Adam is naming the creatures, he realizes that there is no helper for himself…He saw all of the other creatures, and we know that God created them male and female…and Adam said, “hmmm…something here is not like the other.” All of the other creatures already had mates. God told them on day five to “be fruitful and multiply.” (Genesis 1:22) Adam noticed that he didn’t have a mate…(I can’t help but wonder what that conversation was like.)

I think we see here an important principle that we should address about how God works. God already knew the plan…He knew that he was going to create the woman. Woman wasn’t an afterthought for God. He knew that it wasn’t good for the man to be alone…But before he provides the woman, he shows Adam his need for the woman. He shows Adam that he is lacking…THEN He provides. Perhaps we see here a glimpse into the big picture. God reveals to us our absolute dependence upon him…then he provides. If we didn’t see the need, then how could we give thanks and praise Him for what we didn’t know we NEEDED in the first place…

Think about it, God provided for Adam all the food he needed…but it’s all Adam had ever known…He didn’t know what it was like to not have food. Is this one reason he didn’t appreciate what God had already provided…

Honestly, I’m not sure…this is merely speculation. But, as it relates to the woman…we most definitely see that God first reveals the need, then he provides. And, as we know Adam was very appreciative…When he first lays  his eyes upon his new wife he says, “This one, AT LAST, is bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called “woman,” for she was taken from man.” (verse 23)

In verse 24, as I said earlier…we see God’s design for marriage, “…a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife and they become one flesh.” Man and woman complete each other(with God at the center of course). This isn’t to say that if you are single, you can’t be a complete person…In this case, you’re simply looking to God to complete you. And for some, this is indeed the better choice as the Apostle Paul says in 1 Corinthians 7. But, for most of us, God’s good plan is for us to marry, and “be fruitful and multiply.” (Genesis 1:28)

Verse 25, the last verse of Genesis 2 says, “Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.”

I believe this is again foreshadowing what will happen in Chapter 3. Verse 25 is the picture of a perfect marriage. We see innocence and perfect intimacy. We see a marriage with no shame. We see a man and a woman who were free to enjoy each other without anything to hide. I think this is true physically, emotionally, and spiritually. This is the perfect picture of not just a perfect marriage relationship, but a perfect relationship in general…and the perfect relationship with God. And I think this type of relationship is the type of relationship that all of us desire…both with our spouses, but even deeper than that with God. Isn’t this the type of relationship that Christ, our perfect example had with his Father? What a beautiful picture of what is possible, and not only is possible, but awaits us when we enter into His presence, thanks to the work of Christ on our behalf…BUT, more on that later…

Up next, Chapter 3!