Genesis - Week Six

Introduction

This study should address...

What does the Bible say?

What does the Bible Mean?

How can we apply that to our lives

Legend

Important

Questions

References

Personal Thoughts

Chapter 2

Verses 18-25

Genesis 2:18–25 ESV

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.” Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

“Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field.”

By naming the animals, Adam is showing his dominion and authority over the animals.

Continuing God’s work of bringing order to chaos, the overarching theme of creation

There is unique fellowship between humans that can not be replaced by any other animal on earth

Adam required an equal where he could share with the challenges and abilities of himself

First scientific act of mankind, kinda cool

This is one argument against a literal six-day creation

If these events all take place on Day 6, then there doesn’t seem to be enough time for Adam to be placed in the garden, becoming alone, name all the animals, be put to rest, woman to be created, and them to be together

“So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.”

Woman is made from man

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2

The woman is made from the side (tsela' in Hebrew) of the man. Usually used in architectural contexts (

Not made from something above him or below him, but from his side as they are equal

Man gave up a part of him in order to gain something greater

He was rendered complete through the creation of his wife

Jordan Peterson points out that while “ezer” translated helper is used throughout the Bible to refer to a helper and is even used of God, “ezer kenegdo” is used here and connotes something of like “striving with” or “aiding against”

He referred to this as a beneficial adversary. Not someone subordinate but an equal

To dance requires both people pushing against each other to guide the whole

Thus we develop and grow through healthy challenge

“‘This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.’ Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.”

Adam’s closest relationship is with this woman that is like him and of him

There is a sense of relief and joy at his discovery of her

They can now become one and be complete in each other.

Everyone has a natural call to marriage, but some are given a supernatural call to chastity - Mother Natalia

Heterosexual monogamy

The obligation to one’s husband or wife overrides even their duty to their parents

This is a covenant formed between man and wife

We “leave” to form a new family, “hold fast” by remaining faithful in all ways, and become “one flesh” in perfect union in all aspects of one’s life

Divorce is a clear deviation from God’s design, a separation of flesh

Sex is something to be enjoyed Proverbs 5:18–19 “Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice in the wife of your youth, a lovely deer, a graceful doe. Let her breasts fill you at all times with delight; be intoxicated always in her love.”

But something to be enjoyed in the proper context as a commitment of love between man and wife

There even seems to be an emphasis on sex as a means of uniting the relationship over procreation

Sex away from procreation is acceptable and good, procreation from sex is not

They were unashamed in their nakedness, a childlike innocence once again

Personally, this is where I see the beauty of sexuality and also of nakedness which leads to my previously stated views.

It is also quite sad for me to see how disordered our sexuality has become and in such a widespread way

There is a Hebrew wordplay between “naked” and “crafty” in the next verse

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 2

In light of the later events, the use of this Hebrew term here, arom, involves wordplay—the serpent is described as crafty (arum in Hebrew;

ESV Church History Study Bible Notes: Voices from the Past, Wisdom for the Present Chapter 2

If the integrity of man had remained to this day such as it was from the beginning, that divine institution would be clearly discerned, and the sweetest harmony would reign in marriage. The husband would look up with reverence to God; the woman in this would be a faithful assistant to him; and both, with one consent, would cultivate a holy, as well as friendly and peaceful, intercourse. Now, it has happened by our fault, and by the corruption of nature, that this happiness of marriage has, in a great measure, perished, or at least is mixed and infected with many inconveniences. Hence arise strifes, troubles, sorrows, dissensions, and a boundless sea of evils; and hence it follows that men are often disturbed by their wives and suffer through them many discouragements. Still, marriage was not capable of being so far vitiated by the depravity of men that the blessing that God has once sanctioned by his word should be utterly abolished and extinguished. (John Calvin, Commentary on Genesis, vol. 1)

Chapter 3

Verses 1-7

Genesis 3:1–7 ESV

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’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 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.’ ” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 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. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

What sticks out from this passage?

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.”

The serpent is suddenly introduced with no real background, other than as a beast of the field

The ESV Study Bible Chapter 3

the Hebrew term ‘arum does not carry the negative moral connotations of the English words “crafty” and “cunning.”

The Hebrew used for “serpent” is nachash which means snake

The serpent here is not connected to Satan until Rev 12:9; 20:2

However, this snake here is personified by being ‘cunning’ and using human speech

So, are we dealing with an actual snake?

Why was Eve not surprised when the serpent spoke?

This character had already rebelled prior to Chapter 3

“He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

Immediately calls into question God’s command

Genesis 2:16 “And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,”

The Spurgeon Study Bible: Notes Chapter 3

“Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals.” The only way to repel Satan’s subtlety is by acquiring true wisdom. Again I repeat it: man has none of that in himself. What then? Herein is true wisdom. If we would successfully wrestle with Satan, we must make the Holy Scriptures our daily resort. Out of this sacred book we must continually draw our armor and our ammunition. We must lay hold on the glorious doctrines of God’s Word—make them our daily meat and drink. So will we be strong to resist the devil and joyful in discovering that he will flee.

Satan is above all else a deceiver, and one of his common tactics is twisting and using God’s Word. He did here, he did it in the desert, and he will do it to us.

This is why it is crucial to live in the Word and know it well

The serpent avoids using God’s personal name “Yahweh”

He speaks to her in her isolation

ESV Church History Study Bible Notes: Voices from the Past, Wisdom for the Present Chapter 3

Very dangerous is the temptation, when it is suggested to us, that God is not to be obeyed except so far as the reason of his command is apparent. The true rule of obedience is that we, being content with a bare command, should persuade ourselves that whatever he enjoins is just and right.

“And the woman said to the serpent … ‘lest you die’”

The woman largely repeats Gods command, but with modifications

Whats the difference?

She doesn’t name the forbidden tree

And she adds that they can not even touch tree

Perhaps she sees God’s command as open to human modification

“But the serpent said … ‘knowing good and evil’”

God here is ‘elohim’ in Hebrew which can be translated to be Plural or Singular

in Genesis 3:22, “Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—””, it is plural referring to either the Trinity or the divine council.

What does it mean to “know good and evil”?

Adam and Eve would have presumably had the ability already to decide between right and wrong because of the original command

The serpent is now directly contradicting God’s command, and calling it into question

Then he adds on by making the tree to be something worth the risk of disobeying God

He creates discontentment

In a sense of irony, man and woman are obeying a creature they were created to have dominion over in order to disobey God

The serpent is speaking half-truths, they do gain knowledge but it only enslaves them, and are not killed but kicked from the garden and left to die.

“So when the woman saw…and he ate”

All the trees of the garden were good for food and pleasant to the sight (Gen 2:9), yet Eve has focused her attention on the forbidden tree

The sin began in the eye by sight

Adam was rebellious against God’s command about the tree, and he failed in his responsibility to “keep” the Garden and the woman

It is actually unclear whether Adam was present during this conversation

The serpent was able to tempt Adam through Eve

“Then the eyes of both…made themselves loincloths.”

Both sinned

They discover shame, hide themselves, and blame each other

One act has brought immediate discord and pain

Their bodies which were once their glory were now their very shame

Verses 8-13

Genesis 3:8–13 ESV

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. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

What sticks out about these verses?

“And they heard the sound…among the trees of the garden”

Anthropomorphic depiction of God “walking” in the Garden

Could also be the first theophany (appearance of God where Humans can see)

Faithlife Study Bible Chapter 3

at the windy time of day Translating this phrase is difficult. The Hebrew term used here, ruach, is normally translated “spirit” or “wind” (see note on 1:2), but is often translated here as “cool.” This may mean that it is intended to evoke the unmistakable power of God’s presence.

This is supported by an interpretive clue that may be found in the word “day” (yom). Akkadian has an equivalent word, umu. Aside from meaning “day,” umu can also mean “storm.” This clue indicates that the phrase here should possibly be understood as Adam and Eve hearing God coming “in the wind of the storm.”

They felt their shame and hid from God, something that happens to me often

The world became divided leading to shame, even internally the man was ashamed

Shame and depression and negative internal feelings are now a part of this world

They can be caused by our personal sin, but they are also simply results of the disordered creation and sin of the world

“But the Lord God called … ‘Where are you?’”

“Man” and “You” are both singular showing that God was confronting Adam specifically as he was head of the relationship

Their sin had driven them away from God and yet God seeks them

God is aware of what has transpired but uses this question to make Adam aware of his lostness

“And he said … ‘…and I ate’”

Adam was afraid due to the shame of appearing naked before God

This reveals his guilt

God again asks a question not to gain knowledge, but to allow Adam a confession

Initially, Adam confesses to shame, but not to his sin

Adam shifts blame to Eve who shifts blame to the Serpent

Satan can tempt us to sin, but we are the agents that commit sin

Thus, we do carry guilt for our sins

Adam even finds fault with God as God provided this “helper” that led him to sin; however, Adam still carries the guilt for his sin despite his wife’s temptation

We can have a tendency to do this

James 1:13–15 “Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one. But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin when it is fully grown brings forth death.”

There is no true confession or penitence from Adam or Eve

The Garden which was a place of freedom between Man and Woman and God, now has become man’s prison. They hide behind the trees they were gifted from their creator whom they once desired to commune with

In one act, the whole scene has changed

How can you relate to this sequence of events?

General References and Sources

Study Bibles

ESV Study Bible

ESV Church History Study Bible

ESV Literary Study Bible

Spurgeon Study Bible

Faithlife Study Bible

Commentaries

Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary

Matthew Poole’s Commentary

Dennis Prager’s Rational Bible on Genesis

David Atkinson, The Message of Genesis 1-11

John Davis, Paradise to Prison

Church History

Augustine, City of God

Augustine, Confessions

Aquinas, Summa Theologica