Genesis 3

Genesis 3

3:1 Thinking of all the "wild animals" you know, would you consider any of them "crafty?" Would that term even cross your mind??

3:1 Here is the first words of the evil one in the Bible. "Did God really say...". This is a temptation that crosses all our minds when we are confronted with a decision. What DOES God say about it? The only problem is that typically when the question comes up it is because we know what the right decision is and don't want to do it. What were Adam and Eve being confronted with? There was a command given, only one. Do not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In computer hacking terms, this was Satan's one and only attack vector, and he used it. Social Engineering at its finest.

3:4 Thus we see that the woman (and the man) knew the command. The confrontation was not one of ignorance, but one of willful choice.

3:5 What exactly were Satan's motives for saying this? Certainly he was tempting them. Was this a lie? It was a lie of omission in a way. Will they die physically from eating the fruit of the forbidden tree? No, well, not immediately. Will they be like God knowing good and evil? Yes. So what was wrong about this? First, the death here means two things: spiritual separation from God (effectively spiritual death), and the aging process. Second, it was misleading enough to cause the woman (and the man) to second guess what they were told. But the question remains, what was Satan's motive? The only answer is hatred.

3:6 We see in a very visual way here the idea of desire being conceived (James 1:15). It seems so innocent, but often sin is clothed in innocence.

3:8 This is a lesson. When you sin, do not hide from God as Adam and Eve did. Rather, confess your sin to Him and "He is faithful and just to forgive us our sin and cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 John 1:9). And do not be blind to the fact that God is omnipresent and omniscient. God walked in the garden away from Adam and Eve in just the way to stir in them the feeling of guilt. Note that this doesn't mean that God causes our guilt, rather God reveals our guilt to us. And the guilty feeling is not a bad thing if it draws you to repentance.

3:10 This substantiates the idea that the man and woman were ashamed of their nakedness because of God and not because of each other.

3:11 The accusation and...

3:12 The redirect. This sounds like me when I'm being accused. Adam isn't denying that he indeed ate, rather he's making an excuse. Does this make it better? Not at all.

3:13 True enough, but it still doesn't change the fact that the sin has fully matured and has already led to death. (James 1:15)

3:15 This is the first prophesy in the Bible. God says the seed of the woman will crush the serpent, and the serpent will wound the seed of the woman. This speaks of the cross of Christ and His resurrection.

3:16 I have a hard time interpreting the idea that part of the curse is man ruling over the woman. The role each gender plays is crucial, and 1 Corinthians 11 talks about headship and how this same idea symbolizes the Trinity. Apparently the question is not a unique one. In looking at this, I found an 11-page paper written on this one question: Here.

3:18 Keep in mind, prior to this time there were no thorns and thistles. Evolution teaches that thorns and thistles evolved as a means of protection. Once again, it cannot be both ways.

3:19 So, they will die after all. Imagine being Adam just then and hearing this from your best friend.

3:21 The animals used to make the clothing can be considered the first animal sacrifice. It is sad to think, but it feels like a parting gift.

3:22 This same tree of life that was then taken from them will once again be made available to us in the new heavens. Revelation 22:14 talks about the event itself, but several times prior to that in the book of Revelation mentions this same tree.

3:23 So Adam was made from the ground outside the garden and then brought in? A more careful reading of Genesis 2:15 does in fact confirm this.