The serpent
was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he
asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the
trees in the garden?”[i] (Genesis 3:1, NLT)
The man and
woman, our parents Adam and Eve, were living in the Garden God made for them.
Genesis 2 verses 9 and 10 give these details about the Garden:
The LORD God made all sorts of
trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced
delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil. A river flowed from the land of Eden,
watering the garden and then dividing into four branches. (NLT)
. . . “Trees
that were beautiful and produced delicious fruit.” I picture trees of varying
shades of green with peaches, pears, apples, mangoes and oranges hanging low so
Adam and Eve could reach out and take whatever they wanted. It was an ideal
setting.
God told
Adam and Eve, “You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the garden—except
the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure
to die.” (Genesis 2:16-17, NLT)
The serpent
comes into this ideal setting.
We know him
already.
Genesis 3
is the first mention of him in Scripture, but at the mention of his role here
in the story of Eden we know him. He has
whispered to us in our doubts, accused us in our guilt and tormented us in our
fears. We are not on friendly terms with
him. We see his work in the wars, diseases and brokenness of our world.
Dread comes
over me as I anticipate the rest of the story.
Why, oh why, did Adam and Eve make the choice they did?
The serpent
lies to the woman.
Directly
contradicting God he says, “You won’t die!” (Genesis 3:4, NLT)
What did
the woman know of death? She had never
seen it. Why did she believe the serpent
over God?
Verse 6
tells us: “The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its
fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she
took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was
with her, and he ate it, too.” (Genesis 3:6, NLT)
Let’s
consider some of the things that were lost at that moment.
First, they
immediately knew they were naked. They
felt shame. Innocence was lost and with
it the pure unclouded enjoyment of life’s greatest pleasures.
Second,
their relationship with God was broken.
They hid from God.
Third,
their relationship with each other was broken.
Fourth,
they suffered the curse: 1) pain in childbirth, 2) discord in marriage, and 3)
hardship in living.
“You won’t
die,” said the serpent.
Almost,
every person born of woman since that day has died, including Adam and
Eve.
The serpent
lied.
He lied to
gain control of the world. He lied to
destroy God’s creation. He lied in order to kill Adam and Eve.
He is still
doing the same today. He lies to control
the world. He lies to destroy God’s
creation. He lies to kill you and me.
This is the
tragedy of sin.
The woman
was deceived so her guilt was not as great. She still suffered the
consequences. The man made a deliberate
choice. His guilt was greater, so he bore the weight of guilt.
Whether we
are deceived or make a deliberate choice, the consequences of sin in our lives
are horrible.
What is
God’s role in all of this? Where was God?
Let’s take a look at these questions.
First, God
was there. He warned them. He told them
the truth.
Second, God
came looking for them. They hid from God
so God called out to them. God reached
out to them. It was not Adam and Eve who
sought out God.
Third, God
promised a Savior.
In verse 15
God says, “And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between
your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike
his heel. (Genesis 3:15, NLT) The offspring spoken of here is Jesus. Colossians 2:15 says of Jesus, “he disarmed
the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory
over them on the cross.” (NLT)
Fifth, God
provided clothing for them.
Verse 21
says, “And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.”
Adam and Eve had tried to cover themselves in their shame, and apparently had
made a poor job of it. God, in His
kindness, made them their first set of clothes.
Sixth, God
kept them from the tree of life.
In verse 22
this is recorded: Then the LORD God said, “Look, the human beings have become
like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from
the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!”
What would
be so tragic about living forever? Let
me tell you what I believe. Have you
ever wondered why the angels who sinned cannot be saved? They cannot die. Romans 6 verse 7 gives this interesting
information, “For one who has died has been set free from sin.”[ii]
(ESV)
If Adam and
Eve had been allowed to eat from the tree of life, they would have lived in
their sinful state forever just like the devil and his angels. It was the kindness of God that banished Adam
and Eve from the garden and protected them by not letting them eat from the
tree of life.
Jesus paid
for our sins by dying, and was raised to newness of life, never to die
again. Romans 6:3-7 explains:
. . . when we were joined with
Christ Jesus in baptism, we joined him in his death? For we died and were
buried with Christ by baptism. And just as Christ was raised from the dead by
the glorious power of the Father, now we also may live new lives.
Since we have been united with him
in his death, we will also be raised to life as he was. We know that our old
sinful selves were crucified with Christ so that sin might lose its power in
our lives. We are no longer slaves to sin. For when we died with Christ we were
set free from the power of sin. (NLT)
This is the
incredible greatness of God’s grace.
Where sin
brought tragedy and death, grace brought life, victory and hope. This is the hope we enjoy as believers.
God warns us. He tells us the truth.
God seeks us out.
God provided a Savior, who clothes us with His righteousness and has opened the way to the tree of life.
God warns us. He tells us the truth.
God seeks us out.
God provided a Savior, who clothes us with His righteousness and has opened the way to the tree of life.
[i]
Scripture quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible: New Living
Translation. Copyright 1996, 2004, 2007 by Tyndale House foundation. Used by
permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois
60188. All rights reserved.
[ii]
Scripture quotations marked ESV are from The ESV Bible (The Holy Bible, English
Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good
News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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