Humanity’s Purpose and Failure

The Big Picture

God Creates - We see God create something out of nothing. Keep in mind, it says that we are image bearers of God which means His likeness is within us and we must show that likeness. God is Pleased - Throughout this first chapter and the beginning of the second, we see that God is pleased with His creation. He says it is good. God’s Purpose for Us - We see that we are made in the image of God. This statement has so much meaning and depth to it because it relates to God. God Rested - Does God need to rest? No. But why does He do it? God’s Word - Obviously, creation is related to this but His words have and are powerful. Out of His words the world came to be. Out of this word, would it become flesh and live among us, to be the savior of the world. The Trinity - We see so much of God creates this and that and you might think singular. All of a sudden when God says to create man and woman, He says “our” image. We know this now, but who is the our? God’s Redemptive Plan - As we read the old testament, let us not forget how in when we read the old testament, the plan was to always point to Jesus.

Be reminded of scripture connects back and points to Jesus

Play by Play

1. The Creation of Man and The Garden Eden (Genesis 2:4-18)

Genesis 2:4-7 - The story first starts with looking at the creation of the heavens and the earth, prior to bushes, plants, or even rain. The author of this book, who most scholars would agree that it is Moses, the guy who delivered the Israelites from Egypt, he is going into more detail of the process leading up to God creating man. It says in says in verse 4:

Genesis 2:4 “In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Last chapter went over the overview of how God created everything and now we go into the details of God creating man.

Genesis 2:7 “Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

Quick note, I love how God breathed us into life. We are not lifeless bodies, but we have a spirit. Jesus does the same thing at the end of John before he departs to His disciples, He breathes on them a new spirit, the Holy Spirit.

**John 20:22 ”**And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Genesis 2:8-9 - We see how God is creating a paradise filled with beautiful trees, plants, and a heavenly place. Many scholars will say that this is the first sanctuary and a later verse in Ezekiel 28:13 echoes some of this. You’ll see later that was in this place, His presence subdued it. Later you’ll see Him walking.

In the old testament, you would have the tabernacle. There were many laws governing this place and ceremonies that were complex. But the point of this tabernacle was actually to restore what the Garden of Eden was. God with us. We experience that now through the Holy Spirit but Adam and Eve experienced it when they first were created.

Genesis 2:10-14: A river flows out of Eden to water the garden, and it divides into four rivers, named Pishon (Pie-shon), Gihon (Ghee-hon), Tigris (Tie-gris), and Euphrates (you-FRAY-teez).

Genesis 2:15-17: God gives the man the responsibility to cultivate and care for the garden. He commands the man that he may eat from any tree in the garden except for the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, warning that eating from it will result in death.

God knew from the beginning what Adam and Eve would choose. However, He still gives them a choice.

2. The Creation of Woman (Genesis 2:18-25)

2:18: God observes that it is not good for the man to be alone, so He decides to make a helper suitable for him.

2:19-20: God forms every animal and bird and brings them to the man to name, but none are found to be a suitable helper for him. Dogs can only be great companions for so long.

2:21-22: God causes the man to fall into a deep sleep, takes one of his ribs, and creates a woman from it. The man (Adam) recognizes her as "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh" and names her Woman because she was taken out of Man.

2:23-25: The chapter ends with a description of the relationship between the man and the woman. Let’s read this verse:

Genesis 2:24 - “Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh”

Jesus affirms this in Matthew 19:4-6

Matthew 19:4 He answered, "Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female,

Matthew 19:5 and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'?

Matthew 19:6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

Bonus Question: What does the Bible say about Gender?

This verse in Genesis 2:24 and also how God is specific in the genders he created is not what the world likes. You quote something like this and they will say that you are offensive and unloving. Gender is whatever I decide to choose. I understand that we all have desires and many of these people may have a desire to be another gender or be with the same gender. But we must be reminded, although desires can be good, they must be in the right context. The desire to love someone and to have a suitable helper is what Adam felt and needed, and we see God created a woman from His rib. However, that desire must be in the right context. Scripture says, Genesis chapter 1 and 2 says that there are two genders: Male and Female. It says that a man must will become one flesh with His wife, not his husband. The world will try to change the definition, but the Bible is clear on this stance and you will see this time and time again of what the Bible says about marriage and our sexual identity. Be reminded, we are made in the image of God, and that includes our gender. You or people around you may have contrary desires, but that doesn’t make it right. God made you in His image and knew you before you were even formed in your mother's womb. (Jeremiah 1:5). Also though be reminded: These people who are going this route and struggling and making choices contrary to what scripture says, they are still made in the image of God. Would you love them and not treat them like an outcast. Could you be there friend while still holding the truth? Share the gospel. They need Jesus. They need to be reminded of the perfect image of God, Jesus. (Of course to dwell in those people, you need your core group, however we need to be reminded that humanity is made in the image of God)

3. The Temptation and Fall (Genesis 3:1-6)

Read verses:

Genesis 3:1-7

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,

3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.

5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths

3:1: The serpent, known as Satan, described as more crafty than any other animal, speaks to the woman. He questions God's command, asking if God really said they must not eat from any tree in the garden. 3:2-3: The woman clarifies that they may eat from the trees in the garden, but not from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil, or they will die. 3:4-5: The serpent contradicts God, telling the woman that she will not die, but rather that eating the fruit will open her eyes, making her like God, knowing good and evil. 3:6: The woman sees that the tree is good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom, so she eats the fruit and gives some to her husband, who also eats. 3:7: Immediately, their eyes are opened, and they realize they are naked. They sew fig leaves together to cover themselves.

What was the root that lead to this action? Pride. They wanted to be like God. The New Testament says we are called to be like God in the sense to be like Jesus, but that is out of sacrifice and service, not through greed and envy.

Why was this tree there? Got questions, a really good website for you all to go to for questions you may have says a quote that answers this well: ”For love to be proved genuine, God gave Adam and Eve and all succeeding people the freedom to choose. We can choose to love or not to love, to obey God or not to obey Him, to do good or evil. If the human will had never been allowed to be tested and proved, then people would be nothing more than robots. God could have created us to love and obey Him automatically. He could have put a fence around the Garden of Eden and never allowed humanity to be tempted. But God’s desire was and is for people to love Him sincerely, obey Him willingly, and worship Him wholeheartedly (Deuteronomy 10:12–13; Matthew 22:37; John 14:15; 1 John 4:19).”

This fall completed: Romans 5:12, in the New Testament says this:

“Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned”

The Awareness, The Punishment, the Hope (Genesis 3:7-24)

The Awareness

This passage ends up being so sad. After they eat, after they have sinned, they now have a different perspective of life. The first emotion that fills them is shame.

Genesis 3:7 “Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.”

Continue reading

Genesis 3:8-10

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Genesis 3:11

11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

When I read this, I read in a way of a parent talking to a toddler: This reminds me of when a child wouldn't have any fear wearing their cape to school or bring their stuffed animal until another kid makes fun of it and they come home and never then bring it to school.

The Punishment (16-24)

God pronounces consequences for the woman: pain in childbirth and desire for her husband. God pronounces consequences for the man: hard labor and eventual death. God banishes Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. To this day, no one can find it.

The Hope (13-15)

God curses the serpent to crawl on its belly and creates enmity between the serpent and humanity.

14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.

15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

What does enmity mean? This offspring will bruise your head. "Bruise the head" means to deliver a fatal or critical blow, leading to defeat. "Bruise the heel" indicates a less severe but still painful injury.

Discussion Questions:

What was the responsibility of Adam? Why did God create Eve? What does the Bible say about gender and marriage? (You can spend some time and build some more questions on this) What was the sin that caused them to eat from the forbidden fruit? Why was this so awful? What was the awareness that came? What was the Punishment? What is the hope?