Genesis 3:1-13 "The Fall of Man"

Good evening, Calvary Chapel Lake City!

Let’s get started in our study this evening in Genesis. Please open your Bibles and turn to Genesis 3. Genesis 3:1-13 this evening.

We find ourselves in the final chapter where mankind is in the Garden of Eden…

“Mankind” being just Adam and Eve at this point in the history of man.

Looking back in Chapter One, Moses wrote about all of God’s creative work in the first six days of creation.

And, in Chapter Two, Moses expanded upon… especially Day 6 of creation…

Where God put Adam in the garden to tend and keep it.

And, commanded in Genesis 2:16–17 “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Note those verses because we will circle back to them in a bit.

God also blessed Adam with a helper comparable to him… the first woman… Eve we will see she is named, according to V20 in our passage tonight.

To which we see they become ‘one flesh’… a picture of their marriage.

And, we could wish that the Bible were only two chapters long… Gen 1 and 2… and that we still lived in Eden where all life existed in proper order…

According to God’s original design… no suffering or disease…

No struggle to exist… and perfect harmony with all creatures…

And, above all… no sin, nor death.

Praise God… the Book of Revelation promises a return to the perfect state upon us entering eternity.

But, presently, we look around and we know the world in which we live greatly contrasts Eden… and Chapter 3 of Genesis tells us why.

Genesis 3 tells the origin of “The Fall of Man” which is our message title tonight.

Tonight we will see the temptation and fall of man. And then next time the curse of man.

Let’s Pray!

In reverence for God’s word, please stand as I read our passage.

Genesis 3:1-13 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ” 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day 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, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. 8 And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden. 9 Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Praise God for His word. Please be seated.

Genesis 3 helps us understand how evil entered the world. Perhaps not all the reasons WHY, but at least HOW.

To date, Adam and Eve… had not transgressed the commandment of God.

They walked in harmony with God, but then… some unknown time later… days, weeks, years… impossible to say…

… but along came an agent external to Adam & Eve… an agent who would whisper in their ears… persuading them to rebel against the command of God… which would unlock the sin nature within themselves.

Let us now consider our enemy… the serpent who would be the carrier of this temptation… and understand his motive…

Starting in V1 we are introduced to the Serpent… a once high ranking spiritual being… a cherub…

Satan is definitely NOT mankind’s friend. I feel sorry for Satan worshippers. They are greatly deceived to worship one hell-bent on mankind’s destruction.

Satan has numerous titles and characteristic mentioned in Scripture… which reflect his evil character which opposes God and his creation.

He is called a “serpent” in Gen 3…

Beelzebub, the ruler of the demons (Matt 12:24)… pointing back to a false god of the Philistines from 2 Kings 1

The Tempter (1 Thes 3:5)

The Wicked One (Matthew 13:19, 38)

The Accuser of the Brethren (Revelation 12:10)

Likened to a “Roaring Lion” (1 Peter 5:8)… seeking whom he many devour

Jesus called him the “father of lies” (there is no truth in him) and “a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44)

Given an inch with Job… Satan killed all ten of Job’s children and destroyed his livelihood. He’s a murderer.

There are three titles point to Satan’s authority in the world—

The ruler of this world (John 12:31)

The god of this age (2 Corinthians 4:4)

The prince of the power of the air (Ephesians 2:2).

2 Cor 11:14 states, “Satan transforms himself into an angel of light...” … highlighting his tendency to deceive.

In Isa 14:12 he is called “Lucifer” meaning “shining one” or “morning star.”

Now… his key titles are seen in…

Revelation 12:9 “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

At the mid-point in the tribulation, war in heaven breaks out between Michael and his angels (fulfilling Dan 12:1) and Satan and his angels (rather demons) are cast out of heaven… which ushers in the Great Tribulation… which you get a clear sense of reading the context of Rev 12:7-12.

Satan in the Great Tribulation will not have access to heaven like he did in Job 1-2, and he will know his time is short

The key titles for Satan are repeated in Revelation 20:2 “He laid hold of the dragon, that serpent of old, who is the Devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years;”

Just after Jesus 2nd Coming… with his armies in heaven following (the church)… An unnamed Angel (I like to call him ‘Angel Bob’)… binds Satan… showing Satan only has authority as given by God… and that time has come to close… for he will be bound during Jesus literal thousand year reign.

In these two verses… all of the important titles for Satan are given…

The “Great Dragon” or “Dragon” applies to his rule over the empire he controls in the end time.

We only see Satan called “dragon” in the Book of Revelation… but 13x in that book.

“Serpent of Old” references to Gen 3… our passage tonight… where Satan tempts Eve.

“Devil” which is used 35x in the NT alone… Gk. diabŏlŏs which by def. means “a traducer” (there’s a $5 dollar word)… alternatively… “slanderer, false accuser, malicious gossip.”

And, the devil is the “accuser of the brethren.”

“Satan” is his personal name… which is used 55x in the Bible (Old & New)… Hebrew for “adversary” or “opponent”… as in the arch-enemy of good… who opposes God and slanders His creation.

Satan will also in the end times form an unholy Trinity… Satan, Anti-Christ, and False Prophet.

Which not only stands in opposition to the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Satan stands in opposition to Jesus who is Prophet, Priest, and King…

Walvoord (quoting Charles Coates)… wrote, “Satan is seen in three characterizations in opposition to Christ. As accuser of the brethren, he is in opposition to Christ as priest; as the one who brings forth the first beast [Anti-Christ], he is in opposition to Christ as king; as bringing forth the second beast, the false prophet, he is opposed to Christ as prophet.”

And, the root of Satan’s opposition seems to stem from the same temptations he lays before mankind…

Satan wants to be like God, and he suffers from ‘lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes and the pride of life.”

And, in two passages speaking about judgment of an earthly king… the passages seem to speak beyond the kings to Satan himself.

First… let’s read in Isaiah about Satan’s pride… in what’s called the FIVE “I WILL” Statements of Satan…

Isaiah 14:12–15 “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! How you are cut down to the ground, You who weakened the nations! 13 For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’ 15 Yet you shall be brought down to Sheol, To the lowest depths of the Pit.”

A heart of self-idolatry and pride led to the downfall of Satan.

When one’s will rises above the will of God… and seeks to dethrone God… and rob Him of His glory… expect a fall.

Be careful Christians… because so many people fall for the same exact reason as Satan… pride.

Fascinating 700 years later… God responds to Satan…through the prophet Ezekiel… and tells of his downfall…

Ezekiel 28:12–17 “‘Thus says the Lord God: “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. 13 You were in Eden, the garden of God; Every precious stone was your covering: The sardius, topaz, and diamond, Beryl, onyx, and jasper, Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold. The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes [He played instruments] Was prepared for you on the day you were created. [Satan was created… He is NOT equal with God, but created by God] 14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers [Satan was an anointed guardian Cherub. Cherubs are in God’s “inner circle”… they have the closest access to God and guard His holiness. A description of them is found in Ezk 1 & 10] ; I established you; You were on the holy mountain of God; You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones. 15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created, Till iniquity was found in you. 16 “By the abundance of your trading You became filled with violence within, And you sinned; Therefore I cast you as a profane thing Out of the mountain of God; [Some wonder if this is the origin of sin entering the garden? Perhaps the first entrance of a sinner, BUT there is a sin nature present with Adam… with our without Satan] And I destroyed you, O covering cherub, From the midst of the fiery stones. 17 “Your heart was lifted up [pride] because of your beauty; You corrupted your wisdom for the sake of your splendor; I cast you to the ground, I laid you before kings, That they might gaze at you.”

And, so when we read in Gen 3 of this encounter with Eve and the serpent… KNOW that from the very beginning…

God created a beautiful cherub named Satan… full of wisdom and perfect in beauty… who became prideful and wanted to rob God of His throne.

Satan was cast down from heaven to earth… and it would seem that a third of the angels followed him (according to Rev 12:4).

And so as Satan slithers up to Eve… don’t think this is a casual conversation.

He comes with evil and murderous intent in his heart… seeking destruction…

Satan knew there would be a death consequence for disobeying God…

And, so he strikes up conversation… cunningly with Eve… note that… not with Adam…

And with his silver serpent tongue… Satan twists God’s word.… creating doubt and circumvents Adam… whom God established as the leader.

Very crafty indeed.

Look again at V1 “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

Of all the beasts that would be brought before Adam… and named by Adam… there were none more cunning than the serpent.

Some translations substitute other descriptors for cunning: shrewd, crafty, subtil…

The word in Hebrew ʿārûm, means “wise and understanding.”

When used with a positive connotation, we might say “prudent or clever.”

But Satan is painted using a negative connotation for ʿārûm… cunning or crafty.

And we see one cunning tactic Satan employs is he goes to Eve instead of Adam.

NOT that she is less than, but she was not set as the one in authority.

God made Adam first… God then made Eve from the side of Adam… and she was assigned by God to be a “helper comparable to Adam.”

This is NOT reflective of one gender being superior… or more intelligent…

But, it does reflect God’s design.

In 1 Tim 2:13-14 we read, “For Adam was formed first, then Eve. 14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

The context Paul was teaching Timothy, centered around authority…

One verse earlier Paul wrote, “I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man…”

And, then Paul cited the Genesis 2 & 3 account that Adam was formed first to support God’s design for authority.

And, the danger when authority is reversed.

Satan, being cunning… intentionally avoids Adam… which strikes at both God‘s order and Adam’s head ship.

Had God put Eve in the position of authority, than we would likely be reading that Satan did the reverse and approached Adam.

Satan’s attack struck at God’s design for authority…

And, we’ll just keep focusing on Satan tonight… and Adam’s failures… because that just feels safer than continuing to talk about women not having authority over men.

Which from a Biblical perspective was specific to leadership in the home and church, but not in the world.

Moving on.

The second tactic was Satan’s question… which is the first question asked in the Bible.

And, the question came from Satan and attacked God‘s word.

Satan twists God‘s word and makes what was a blessing to sound like a prohibition.

God said, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat...” except for one.

Satan, mis-quoting God, says, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden...’

Satan frames God’s prohibition in a negative light.

And, how does our flesh respond to prohibitions? It rebels.

Upon reading “You shall not covet”… Paul wrote, “… sin, taking opportunity by the commandment, produced in me all manner of evil desire.”

Romans 7:9–11 “I was alive once without the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died. 10 And the commandment, which was to bring life, I found to bring death. 11 For sin, taking occasion by the commandment, deceived me, and by it killed me.”

Paul also wrote the “law is holy,” but when our sinful nature hears the law… it’s drawn to break the law.

I don’t know if Satan knew man had this nature yet… I’m sure over time with observation he would figure it out.

But from Satan’s own personal experience… he was rebellious… prideful… tempted to sit on his own throne?

Satan’s not that creative… crafty and effective (in a negative way), but he basically tempts mankind with the same temptations he was tempted with.

And, know this about God and His commands… as Paul wrote, “the commandment, which was to bring life… “

When God says, “don’t”… it’s not that God intends to be a party pooper…

He says don’t because that thing you are thinking about doing will cause you harm.

Guardrails keep us from driving off a cliff.

When a parent tells a child “don’t touch the hot stove”… that’s NOT out of hatred for the child. It’s out of love.

And God does the same thing for us in giving us restrictions.

We need to guard our minds from the deceptions of Satan and the world. Paul… confronted the Corinthians for putting up with false teachers preaching another Jesus… they received a different spirit… and received a different gospel.

They didn’t stand against it, but tolerated Satan’s agents who seduced them… and when Paul confronted them… in part he said this…

2 Cor 11:3 “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Paul was afraid the Christians in Corinth would be led astray just like Eve… that their undivided devotion to Christ would be corrupted.

The tactics of the enemy from Genesis are the same today. We need to be aware of these.

He seeks to isolate us as a roaring lion…

His agents… his false shepherds seek to steal, kill, and destroy… they are thieves.

J. Sidlow Baxter wrote, “Satan uses all manner of stratagems to turn souls from the truth: a sieve to “sift” them (Luke 22:31), “devices” to trick, “weeds” to “choke” (Matt. 13:22), “wiles” to intrigue (Eph. 6:11), the roaring of a lion to terrify (1 Pet. 5:8), the disguise of an angel to deceive (2 Cor. 11:14) and “snares” to entangle them (2 Tim. 2:26).”

He seeks to confuse and trick us like Eve in the garden… and fortunate we have this moment of Adam and Eve’s folly… to meditate upon and learn from…

Look at vv 2-3 “And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”

If you’re wondering, “how was that Adam’s folly? I don’t see him at all in those verses.”

Well V6 makes a note that Adam “was with her”…

If he was with her this whole time of temptation… where was his voice? Where was the needed leadership from him?

If Eve was alone here in V2… and later was with Adam… well wouldn’t that be just like the roaring lion Satan… seeking whom he may devour.

Morris wrote, “the approach of Satan to the woman was a masterpiece of effective subtlety.”

And, notice Eve did not know God’s command well, for she said they were not to “touch” the fruit, but that was not the command...

… they were not forbidding to touch, they were forbidden to taste.

Now… Adam was given the command directly by God, not Eve. Eve likely received command from Adam.

And, perhaps Adam said, “Eve don’t eat from that tree… in fact don’t even touch it.”

Or was this just Satan’s influence? For in V3 Satan mentions touching the fruit.

Hard to say who added to God’s word here… either Adam was bad at telling… or Eve was bad at listening or remembering… or Satan intentionally added to confuse.

Have you ever been there when someone quotes scripture… and you recognize the verse, but cannot remember it word for word?

It makes you feel a little off balance. It catches you off guard.

It sounds mostly right, but later you discover it was a little wrong.

Don’t be proud in those moments. Just say, “One sec. I want to look up that verse.”

Then, open your Bible app… and verify.

A little humility and a desire to be accurate with the word goes a long way.

Because… God prohibits ‘adding to’ or ‘taking away’ from His word… and God promises rebuke to those who do… so verify accuracy… and be accurate when quoting scripture.

Deut 12:32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.” (c.f. Deut 4:2)

Pro 30:6 “Do not add to His words, Lest He rebuke you, and you be found a liar.”

Rev 22:18 “If anyone adds to these things, God will add to him the plagues that are written in this book.”

And, look… if you or I were approached by someone… especially demonic Satan… who came with strategy to tempt you… we might be caught off guard as well.

And, so… it may just be better to have strong boundaries…

Had Eve just said “No” to this conversation… and Adam stepped up and said “Go” to Satan.

They likely would have fared much better.

Paul guided and warned the Corinthians in 1 Cor 10:12-13 “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall. 13 No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.”

Some of the worst moments of folly in my life was when I worked in insurance and was surrounded by unbelievers who gloried in sin.

I was delusional to think I would be a light in the world.

But, over time… I was compromised. My light got dimmer and dimmer… until I was back slidden in alcoholism.

I forsook the way of escape.

Jesus ate with tax collectors and sinners, but they were not His inner circle. He had boundaries.

He was in the world, but not of the world.

Hebrews 4:15 “For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin.”

Jesus embraced the way of escape… sometimes fleeing those who wanted to make Him their political savior… and getting alone with God in prayer.

With Satan… during His temptation… Jesus quoted scripture and said “Away with you, Satan!”

Had Adam only done the same.

Adam and Eve… in what seems to be their first encounter with Satan… would learn the hard lesson of what it means to allow a serpent to whisper temptations… and then to obey that voice… instead of the voice of God.

vv 4-5 “Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Satan now continues his tactics.

This third strategy of Satan in saying “you will not surely die.”

This directly contradicts God’s word. Is God’s word trustworthy? Is it relevant? Is it inerrant?

Satan loves to attack the word of God.

Proverbs 30:5 “Every word of God is pure; He is a shield to those who put their trust in Him.”

Eve needed the shield of faith ‘to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.’ (Eph 6:16)

And, then… the next tactic… Satan loves to attack God’s character… His goodness.

God knows your ‘eyes will be opened’… ‘you will be like God.’

‘God is withholding something good from you Eve!’

He is essentially calling God a liar.

Satan is saying that there will be no consequence to disobey God’s word and he spouts that same lie today… and tricks people today to question the good and loving nature of God.

But the truth is the desire to be like God was exactly what led to Satan’s fall… as we read in Isa 14.

Someone has said, “The wreckage of earth and a million billion graves attest that God is true and Satan is the liar.”

V6 “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.”

More than any world war or devastating tragedy of mankind…

V6 is the darkest moment in human history.

This is the moment when Adam and Eve rejected God’s word… and exercised their free will… and chose sin.

And, from this… the worse pandemic known to mankind enters the world… which is that of sin…

There is no vaccination for it. No immunity. No human treatment. It’s a global issue and everyone feels the weight of it.

And, there is only one cure… salvation through faith in Jesus Christ.

The seeds that Satan planted in the minds of Adam and Eve were seeds of masterful deception.

This is the same pattern used today… as we see in 1 John 2:16 “For all that is in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—is not of the Father but is of the world.”

Lust means “cravings” or “desires.”

And, Adam and Eve yielded to the threefold temptation:

The lust of the flesh (good for food),

… the lust of the eyes (pleasant to the eyes),

… and the pride of life (a tree desirable to make one wise).

And, this is the same pattern how Satan tempted Jesus…

Luke 4:2–3 Jesus was “… tempted for forty days by the devil. And in those days He ate nothing, and afterward, when they had ended, He was hungry. 3 And the devil said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, command this stone to become bread.”

This temptation was aimed at Jesus’ starving flesh…

Luke 4:5–7 “Then the devil, taking Him up on a high mountain, showed Him [eyes] all the kingdoms of the world in a moment of time. 6 And the devil said to Him, “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish. 7 Therefore, if You will worship before me, all will be Yours.”

This temptation was aimed at Jesus’ eyes that beheld all the world that could be His by circumventing the cross.

Luke 4:9–11 “Then he brought Him to Jerusalem, set Him on the pinnacle of the temple, and said to Him, “If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down from here. 10 For it is written: ‘He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you,’ 11 and, ‘In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.’ ”

This temptation questioned Jesus’ divinity and suggested He put God to the test… Satan said, ‘prove you’re God’… it was aimed at Jesus’ pride…

Of course we know Jesus defeated Satan ‘in the power of the Spirit’, through the word of God, and by commanding, “Away with you, Satan!”

For He who is in us is greater than he who is in the world. (1 Jn 4:4)

Satan tempted both Even and Jesus with the threefold temptation (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and pride of life)…

Adam & Eve succumb… Jesus overcomes.

Adam & Eve are banished from the garden and suffered judgments.

Jesus was ministered to by Angels and approved for ministry.

Follow in the footsteps of Jesus.

During the tribulation, the martyred saints will defeat Satan as well…

And, here’s how… Revelation 12:11 “And they overcame him [Satan] by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony, and they did not love their lives to the death.”

They believed in Jesus… they shared their testimony of faith… and loved God more than their very lives… even to death.

And they receive the benefits of God’s saints which are described in Rev 7:14-17.

But, the original fall of man… and fall of many people…

… begins with an internal fleshly desire (lust of the flesh)…

.… that manifests itself upon interacting with the world and seeing (lust of the eyes) that which the flesh desires…

… and then the pride of life convinces you that you can walk the road of temptation and not fall.

There is a common Hebrew word in famous temptations and falls of people in Scripture.

And, that word is ra'ah - ‘to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider.’ [It implies examination and contemplation]

Eve’s temptation by Satan: We just read Gen 3:6 “So when the woman saw [ra'ah ] that the tree was good for food...”

To avoid conflict with their herdsmen, Abram gave Lot his choice of land.

Gen 13:10 “And Lot lifted his eyes and saw [ra'ah ] all the plain of Jordan...”

Lot chose with his eyes… and pitched his tent near wicked Sodom… where he would dwell…

And, Lot would lose everything.

Dinah’s Rape by Shechem: Genesis 34:1–2 “Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to see [ra'ah] the daughters of the land. 2 And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, prince of the country, saw [ra'ah] her, he took her and lay with her, and violated her.”

One step toward the world and her life was forever changed.

Destruction like this doesn’t always happen this quick, nor is it always so damaging and violating, but don’t think that the enemy wishes well for you.

Samson and the Philistine Women: Judges 14:2 “So he went up and told his father and mother, saying, “I have seen [ra'ah] a woman in Timnah of the daughters of the Philistines; now therefore, get her for me as a wife.””

Also, Judges 16:1 “Now Samson went to Gaza and saw [ra'ah] a harlot there, and went in to her.”

Samson never was able to reign in his temptation… and it led to his death.

David and Bathsheba: 2 Samuel 11:2 “Then it happened one evening that David arose from his bed and walked on the roof of the king’s house. And from the roof he saw [ra'ah] a woman bathing, and the woman was very beautiful to behold.”

And, much death… and destroyed relationships resulted from falling into this sin.

Scripture guides us to know HOW Satan tempts us… gives us the truth in how destructive falling into temptation is… and INSTRUCTS us in avoiding temptation…

Praise God for Godly examples like Joseph, Job, Esther, Daniel and his friends, Jesus, the Martyred Saints…

We have many examples of those who rose above temptation… and wise are we to do the same.

Wrapping up V6… Eve was deceived by Satan and ate the fruit… and gives the fruit to Adam and he also ate.

We read earlier that “Adam was not deceived… he fell into transgression.” 1 Tim 2:14

Adam knew God’s command… and disobeyed regardless. Eyes wide opened… he ate and transgressed God’s command.

Adam had been given dominion over the garden to “tend and keep it”… keep means “watch” or “guard.”

But Adam was passive and silent to Satan and to Eve.

Silent male leadership is weak male leadership. There’s a way to do it.

Ephesians 5:25–26 “Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word,”

If only Adam would have stuck to God’s word.

This was a failure of Adam’s leadership. Adam rejects God’s command… and the God-given order in allowing his wife to lead.

We see this in Genesis 3:17 when God curses Adam.

God said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake.”

Husbands are called to lead and sometimes that means telling his wife and family, “No.”

There is a danger when this authority is reversed.

And, this is a struggle… God foretold the struggle as He cursed Eve in Genesis 3:16 “Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

Eve overstepped Adam’s authority during the fall, and in the curse, God said woman would desire to control her husband, but he would rule over her.

continuing on V7 “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.”

Instead of gaining wisdom, they now feel shame over their nakedness…

They were to be fruitful and multiply… and fill the earth…

But now they realize that they have contaminated their children with the seed of rebellion.

The knowledge they gained was of their own disobedience.

And, so they make an attempt to hide their guilt… sewing itchy fig leaves as coverings.

But, there is no man-made covering… no good work… no self-righteousness that can cover our sin.

Only God can clothe us… and He does so with sacrifice… as we will see in V21… and as we know in Jesus.

Hebrews 4:13 declares “And there is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.”

Which is what Adam & Eve do next.

V8 “And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden.”

Adam and Eve hide from God because that is part of our sin nature.

Nobody taught them to hide. This is just part of their nature.

We do the same thing today… we try to sin in secret… and we try not to get caught and be exposed.

Numbers 32:23 declares “… you have sinned against the Lord; and be sure your sin will find you out.”

There is no secret sin… it comes to light.

And, the biblical model is NOT to hide from God.

The Biblical model is for us to confess our sins to God and one another.

1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

James 5:16 “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed.”

Sinners often are under the weight of sin… it holds them in bondage… and it’s freeing to either confess…

Some people are so fearful of exposing their sin that they never confess, and ironically are relieved when they get caught.

But, it’s better to just confess and to not hide from God.

Proverbs 28:13 states, “He who covers his sins will not prosper, But whoever confesses and forsakes them will have mercy.”

V9 “Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?””

This is not hide and seek.

God addresses Adam… note God doesn’t ask for Eve…

Adam as the head… he alone must give an account to God.

And, this question where are you?

It’s not about location… God is all knowing… He knows where Adam is.

This is not a question even for God… it’s for Adam.

It’s a searching question.

Adam, where are you in relationship to Me?

Adam is called to examine himself and search his own soul.

How many Christians drift from God?

Hebrews 2:1 states, “Therefore we must give the more earnest heed to the things we have heard, lest we drift away.”

Drifting naturally happens without an anchor to something solid. If we are not securely set in the superiority of Jesus and the grace of the Gospel, we will drift with the currents of the world, the flesh, and the devil.

vv 10-11 “So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

God came to them in the cool of the day… likely for communion and fellowship…

But, Adam is fearful because of sin…

Have you eaten? Adam had an opportunity to confess his sin and ask for forgiveness…

But instead Adam blame shifts…

vv12-13 “Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 And the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.””

Skirting responsibility and blaming others is as old as the fall in Eden.

Adam blames God and then Eve… and she blames the serpent.

One scholar said, ‘Mankind needs four things to survive: air, food, water, and someone else to blame.’

It’s worthy to note that Paul places the blame squarely on Adam’s shoulders suggesting his headship as the first Adam.

Romans 5:12 “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin...”

Adam knew that he and Eve were transgressing, and did not flee this lust.

The blame of the fall squarely lands on the shoulders of Adam because he was the leader.

Scripture commands us to put off the old nature and to put on the new nature…

The old man blame shifts… the new man confesses sin and asks forgiveness.

And, God faithfully forgives.

And God does forgive Adam and even prepares an offering for them, but forgiveness doesn’t mean there’s no consequence.

Which we’ll see next time… as they are cursed and expelled from the garden.

And, in some way God even uses the bad of the fall for good… without the fall… there would be no unity with Christs suffering… no in-dwelling or baptism of the Holy Spirit…

Perpetually we would be in Eden… and never set foot in glory.

We may be fallen, but we’re not hopeless… as we look to the last Adam… Jesus… the Lord from heaven who gives us life.

Praise you Lord.

Let’s pray!

If you need prayer for anything, we are here to pray with you.

May God go before you as you close out this week.