Day Two

Fall

The Temptation and the Fall!

Genesis 3:1–24 NASB 2020

Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ” The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing good and evil.” 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 desirable to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate. 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 waist coverings. Now 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. Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me some of the fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” Then the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all the livestock, And more than any animal of the field; On your belly you shall go, And dust you shall eat All the days of your life; And I will make enemies Of you and the woman, And of your offspring and her Descendant; He shall bruise you on the head, And you shall bruise Him on the heel.” To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply Your pain in childbirth, In pain you shall deliver children; Yet your desire will be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; Cursed is the ground because of you; With hard labor you shall eat from it All the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; Yet you shall eat the plants of the field; By the sweat of your face You shall eat bread, Until you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return.” Now the man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might reach out with his hand, and take fruit also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—therefore the Lord God sent him out of the Garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Adam was the first man. God formed Adam (from the Hebrew word adam, meaning “mankind”) from the dust of the ground and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 

Eve​ was the wife of Adam, mother of the human race.

Cunning

Concept

Skill in achieving one's ends by deceit or evasion, often condemned in biblical texts.

Original sin is the doctrine that, as a result of Adam’s fall, all mankind are sinners by nature, having a propensity to sin that underlies every actual sin.

The doctrine of humanity encompasses the origins, nature, corruption, and restoration of human beings as image-bearers of God. Human beings were created good yet succumbed to Satan’s temptation to sin and rebellion, thus falling away from fellowship with God and from his original purposes.

Adam and Eve lived in a condition that is described as “paradise” or the “garden of Eden.” They were “naked” but “not ashamed” (Genesis 2:25 “Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.”), because they knew nothing of the experience of evil, sin, or corruption. They were, however, mortal—and God warned them not to eat of the tree of moral knowledge, because if they did so they would die.

Protoevangelium (“first gospel”) prot-e-van-gel-i-um.

(Gk prōtos, “first,” + euangelion, “gospel”)

the first mention of God’s promise of salvation. God sought out Adam and Eve after the fall and confronted them. Amid God’s words of judgment, he promised deliverance. God cursed the serpent, Satan’s instrument: “I will put 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 “I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.” ). Satan will deal the woman’s offspring, the Redeemer, a blow. But he will deal Satan a fatal blow, wounding his head. As God’s plan unfolds, we learn that Eve’s offspring is Jesus, the eternal Son of God, who became a genuine human. Satan inspired (John 13:2 “Now when it was time for supper, the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas, Simon Iscariot’s son, to betray him.” ) and energized (v. 27) Judas to betray Jesus to death on the cross. However, God is stronger than the devil, and one purpose of the Son’s taking on flesh and blood is so that he could die to destroy the devil and deliver God’s people (Hebrews 2:14–15 “Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.”)

Sin חַטָּאת khata hatta

Sin (act) — an act or feeling that transgresses something forbidden or ignores something required by God’s law or character; whether in thought, feeling, speech, or action.

Matthew 1:21 “She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.””

Matthew 12:31 “Therefore, I tell you, people will be forgiven every sin and blasphemy, but the blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.”

Matthew 26:28 “For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.”

Mark 1:4 “John came baptizing in the wilderness and proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins.”

1 John 4:10 “Love consists in this: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins.”

Ephesians 2:2 “in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler of the power of the air, the spirit now working in the disobedient.”

In Genesis 3, the serpent tempts the woman to disobey God by questioning His goodness and promising wisdom from the forbidden fruit. This leads to the fall of humanity, resulting in shame, fear, and separation from God. The serpent is cursed, and despite the consequences of sin, a promise of hope remains for redemption.

The sad truth is that when people add to the word of God, they create confusion and trouble. Gen 3:4–5 The serpent, recognizing the woman’s confusion, found a point of attack. Knowing that the woman would not die by merely touching the fruit, he boldly contradicted what she had reported to be God’s command. He then skillfully lied (John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he tells a lie, he speaks from his own nature, because he is a liar and the father of lies.” ) by distorting God’s word (Matthew 4:6 “and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down. For it is written: He will give his angels orders concerning you, and they will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.”” ), implying that God had prohibited people from eating the fruit only to keep them from becoming as knowledgeable as he. The woman was now fully deceived (1 Timothy 2:14 “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.” ).

As the serpent had indicated, the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew, but instead of producing godlike power, the knowledge brought only a sense of human inadequacy, fear, and shame.

Genesis 3:7–8 “Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.”

Gen2:9 God took the initiative in reaching out to sinful humanity. This pattern—humanity sinning, then God seeking out sinners—becomes the primary theme of the rest of the Bible. Its ultimate expression is found in Jesus Christ, who came to seek and to save people alienated from God because of their sin (Luke 19:10 “For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”” ); in him God once again walked on the earth in search of sinners. The all-knowing God asked Adam, Where are you? for Adam’s benefit, to encourage Adam to face his sin. Gen 3:10 When Adam heard God, he was afraid. Rather than walking with God as righteous men of later generations would do (Enoch, Gen 5:22; Noah, Gen 6:9), Adam hid from him.

Gen 3:11 Through the use of two direct questions God brought Adam to accountability for his sin. God does not overlook sin, but he can be gently firm in confronting it.

Gen 3:12 Adam answered neither of God’s questions; instead, he sought to shift the blame for his sin first to the woman, and then to God.

Gen 3:13 The woman passed the blame to the serpent and admitted that prior to eating, she was deceived (1 Timothy 2:14 “And Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and transgressed.”).

Gen 3:14 Though accountability began with God’s confrontation of Adam, judgment began with the serpent. Because of the serpent’s key role (being used of Satan) in bringing sin into the human experience, it would be permanently consigned to the position of ultimate shame, under the foot. Just as conquered kings were made to lie on the ground under the foot of their conquerors (Joshua 10:24 “When they had brought the kings to him, Joshua summoned all the men of Israel and said to the military commanders who had accompanied him, “Come here and put your feet on the necks of these kings.” So the commanders came forward and put their feet on their necks.” ), so now the serpent would live under the feet of humanity.

Gen 3:15 Hostility between the first woman and the serpent would be passed on to future generations. This verse is known in Christendom as the protoevangelium, or “first good news,” because it is the first foretelling of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Using an emphatic Hebrew construction, God announced here that a male descendant—He—would someday deal the serpent (meaning Satan) a fatal blow.

Note: The NT writers understood Jesus Christ to have fulfilled this prophecy (Hebrews 2:14 “Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil—” ; 1 John 3:8 “The one who commits sin is of the devil, for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God was revealed for this purpose: to destroy the devil’s works.” ). In an extended sense, the NT also indicates that God would work through the church—those indwelt by the Spirit of Christ—to destroy the works of the devil (Romans 16:20 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.” ). The assertion that the snake would only strike his opponent’s heel (as opposed to head) suggests that the devil will be defeated in the ensuing struggle (Revelation 2:2 “I know your works, your labor, and your endurance, and that you cannot tolerate evil people. You have tested those who call themselves apostles and are not, and you have found them to be liars.” , Revelation 2:7–10 ““Let anyone who has ears to hear listen to what the Spirit says to the churches. To the one who conquers, I will give the right to eat from the tree of life, which is in the paradise of God. “Write to the angel of the church in Smyrna: Thus says the First and the Last, the one who was dead and came to life: I know your affliction and poverty, but you are rich. I know the slander of those who say they are Jews and are not, but are a synagogue of Satan. Don’t be afraid of what you are about to suffer. Look, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison to test you, and you will experience affliction for ten days. Be faithful to the point of death, and I will give you the crown of life.”).

Gen 3:16 Even though the woman had been deceived into eating the forbidden fruit, she was still held accountable for her act. Notably, however, the word cursed is not contained in God’s words to her (vv. Gen3:14, 16). Two penalties were imposed; both struck at the heart of a woman’s roles in life. More than would have been the case had sin not entered creation, bearing children would add to the sum of painful effort in the universe (God said he would intensify, not originate, woman’s labor pains). Marriage would also be marred; though the woman’s desire would be for her husband, sin would mar God’s plan for marriage and create tormenting inequalityb and subjugation. The latter is a description of the ravaging effect of sin on a husband-wife relationship, not a prescription for abusing one’s wife.

The NT teaches that marriage should reflect the relationship of Christ with the church (Ephesians 5:24–25 “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives are to submit to their husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself for her” ) and be characterized by a husband’s understanding of and respect for his wife (1 Peter 3:7 “Husbands, in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with a weaker partner, showing them honor as coheirs of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.” ).

Gen 3:17 Because Adam listened to and obeyed his wife in preference to what God commanded (Gen 2:17), a curse would strike at the heart of a fundamental relationship in his life as well. Adam’s relationship with the ground would now be damaged by sin. All the days of his life he would experience painful labor (cp. the woman’s labor pains, v. 16) as he worked to bring forth the fruit of the earth. Because of sin, all creation is cursed and longs for its day of deliverance (Romans 8:19–22 “For the creation eagerly waits with anticipation for God’s sons to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to futility—not willingly, but because of him who subjected it—in the hope that the creation itself will also be set free from the bondage to decay into the glorious freedom of God’s children. For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together with labor pains until now.” ).

Gen 3:18 Prior to the first couple’s sins God is only recorded as having put trees in the garden (2:8–9); now there would also be thorns and thistles. Prior to sin, humanity had only to reach up to get food; now they would have to bend their backs to gather plants of the field.

Gen 3:19 The simple plucking of fruit in order to eat food (lit “bread”) would now be replaced by backbreaking labor and the sweat of the brow. Working daily in the soil, Adam would be continually reminded that he was dust and that he would return to dust.

Gen 3:20 The new name Adam gave his wife emphasizes the woman’s life-giving role that counteracts the curse of sin, which is death. Yet the divine order calls for a reciprocity exhibited in male servant leadership and female submission, both of which are modeled in Jesus himself.

Gen 3:21 By making clothing from skins, the LORD God graciously provided for humanity’s need in a way superior to what Adam and Eve had done with fig leaves. The use of animal skins anticipates the OT system of animal sacrifices (Lv 1; 3–7; Nm 15:1–31). In the NT, the apostle Paul spoke of a day when God would clothe his people with immortality (1Co 15:53–54; 2Co 5:4), thus providing the complete undoing of the curse of humanity’s sin.

Gen 3:22 Because of sin, people now knew good and evil experientially. Since the gift of life was directly tied to obedience, man’s sin meant that the penalty of death must be enforced. Expulsion was at the same time an act of mercy. Banning the humans from the tree of life allowed for their redemption rather than for them to live a life of perpetual sin in an unredeemed condition.

Gen 3:23 As the Hebrew text ironically expresses it, the LORD God sent Adam from the garden so that he would not send forth (“reach out”; v. 22) his hand for the garden’s fruit.

Gen 3:24 Following their sin, the first couple went east, a direction associated with departure from God in numerous biblical examples. Other instances of eastward movement in Genesis include Cain’s journeys after judgment (Gen 4:16), humanity’s migration toward Babylon (Gen 11:2), and the migration of Keturah’s sons ( Gen 25:6). Cherubim are used as an artistic motif in the tabernacle (Ex 25:18–22; 26:1) and are also mentioned in Ezk 10 and Ezk 11. The ironies continue as the man who was once commanded to “watch over” the garden (Gn 2:15) is now banned from the garden.

Gen 4:1 Adam and Eve now begin to fulfill God’s original command to them, to “be fruitful” and “multiply” (Gen 1:28). Eve, whose name means “life,” now becomes the life-giver. Eve knew that the child was more than the result of her and her husband’s love; he came into being with the LORD’s help.

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Read Romans 1:21–25 “For though they knew God, they did not glorify him as God or show gratitude. Instead, their thinking became worthless, and their senseless hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man, birds, four-footed animals, and reptiles. Therefore God delivered them over in the desires of their hearts to sexual impurity, so that their bodies were degraded among themselves. They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served what has been created instead of the Creator, who is praised forever. Amen.”

v.21 Because of human willfulness, people’s knowledge of God became clouded and their thinking became darkened. Without contact with God, the human heart loses contact with reality, misses the purpose of one’s existence, ignores God, and becomes ungrateful. People are supposed to glorify God as God but instead find all sorts of created objects to worship. Part of the wrath of God is revealed in humanity’s loss of intelligent thinking.

v.22 A classic example of human foolishness is found in Is 44:9–20 where human cleverness ends in stupidity.

v.23 Many people think that the history of religion developed along an evolutionary model. In this view, humanity originally held animistic beliefs and then progressed to polytheism, to tribal deities, and then to a single creator God. From there we progressed to a vague philosophical monotheism in the Enlightenment, and finally we are now embracing atheism in the age of science. But this is not true to the early history of religion. Instead of starting in polytheism, the Bible says humanity started with knowledge of the one true God and then declined into polytheism as humans were separated from God and fractured from one another. Paul warns that loss of knowledge of the true God resulted in the worship of images resembling mortal man. Even in the modern age we have seen dictators worshiped as gods, and the Bible says this sin will be repeated climactically in the end times (2Th 2:3–12; Rv 13:1–18).

v.24 Because they rejected the truths of God revealed in creation, God punished the Greco-Roman world by delivering them to the desires of their hearts. A similar scenario played out in the life of King Ahab of Israel, who continually rebelled against God (1Kg 16:29–33). As a judgment, God permitted a lying prophetic spirit to deceive Ahab to his doom (1Kg 22:22–23). The ancients were enmeshed in polytheistic idolatry, and in their devotions to their false gods they practiced all sorts of immorality.

v.25 The loss of the knowledge of God in the mind and heart leads to an exchange of the truth for a lie. Something created is served and worshiped rather than the Creator, and judgment is the result (Ps 81:12; Ac 7:42).

5. Read Hebrews 2:14–15 “Now since the children have flesh and blood in common, Jesus also shared in these, so that through his death he might destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil—and free those who were held in slavery all their lives by the fear of death.”

It was necessary that the eternal Son became a man. First, it was appropriate that the Son should have a ministry completed in suffering, which all humans experience, so that he might identify with us and bring many sons and daughters into the presence of God. People who have accepted Christ’s sacrifice on their behalf can be referred to as “children” of God because the Son of God has made them his brothers and sisters.

Three OT verses to show that the Son is present in the gathered church (Psalm 22:22 “I will proclaim your name to my brothers and sisters; I will praise you in the assembly.” ), that the Son trusts the Father (Isaiah 8:17 “I will wait for the Lord, who is hiding his face from the house of Jacob. I will wait for him.” ), and that the church can come before the Father because it is united with Christ (Isaiah 8:18 “Here I am with the children the Lord has given me to be signs and wonders in Israel from the Lord of Armies who dwells on Mount Zion.” ).

Second, the Son became a man and suffered death so that he could destroy the one holding the power of death—that is, the devil. It is by virtue of Christ’s death on our behalf that we are freed from the fear of death.

Third, the Son became a man and suffered death so that he could serve as a faithful high priest in service to God. The only person who can serve as a mediator between God and man is the one who is both God and man. It is by reason of his faithfulness as a man who was tempted and suffered that he could make atonement for the sins of the people. Not only did he suffer divine retribution on our behalf, but he is able to help us because he is like his brothers and sisters in every way except sin.

Main theme for Genesis 3 The main seed theme is the truth of human sinfulness. But Jesus!

The pivotal moment of the fall of Adam and Eve, marking the beginning of a profound conflict between two kingdoms: the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. The serpent tempts Eve, leading to doubt, deception, and ultimately disobedience, which results in the curse of sin affecting all of creation. This fall signifies a shift from a state of goodness to one of brokenness, disrupting humanity's ability to reflect God's image. The consequences of their actions extend beyond themselves, impacting the entire created order. However, amidst the curse, there is a promise of redemption through the eventual arrival of a messianic figure who will defeat the serpent, offering hope and a pathway to restoration. This narrative sets the stage for the ongoing struggle between good and evil throughout the biblical storyline, emphasizing the themes of sin, judgment, and the promise of salvation.