The Fall and the Promise

The Fall and the Promise

Introduction

Introductory Thought

What is the power by which the saint can serve God? Fear is not enough as humanity learned in Adam and Eve. True power for holy living comes in the love of the serpent crusher and the victory he won for his people.

Main Idea of the Text

Satan (the serpent) tempts’ mankind to fall, and the fall of mankind brought two realities into the word: the curse that ends in physical death for every person and the promise of a redeemer to crush the power of the enemy under his heel.

Main Idea of the Sermon

The fall cost mankind a relationship with God and immortality, the consequences of sin is death, God has promised from the beginning that he would send a redeemer into this world that would reconcile his people to himself.

Purpose

Dear saint, as we take a moment to meditate on this text and explore the consequences of the fall into sin, I hope that you will not fail to notice God’s plan for redemption spring from the page; is not it an incredible thing that while humanity was falling into sin God promised to save?

Transitional

Let’s start with considering the crafty serpent, while the focus here must be the actions and inaction of the man and woman, the serpent is a catalyst in the story and therefore bears a little scrutiny.

Body

Main Division (The crafty serpent) (Ge 3:1)

Explanation

The text tells us that “the serpent was more crafty than any other beast.”[1] The word crafty here is עָר֔וּם (aroom)[2] it means to be cunning or clever. It is important to consider here what is meant. It is not a bad thing to be clever, should the intent of that clever action be for good. However, Calvin explains, “Moses does not so much point out a fault as attribute praise to nature, because God had endued this beast with such singular skill, as rendered it acute and quick-sighted beyond all others. But Satan perverted to his own deceitful purposes.”[3]

Illustration

Why it that when a toddler is silent the mother is worried? She knows with trained instinct that there is something clever happening. But, it is not the cleverness that is the problem, clever thinking is to be encouraged. Rather, it is the intent the cleverness is set on which worries her.

Application

We must see the hostel intent of this most clever enemy and be on guard. Over and over from Job to Jesus saints have fallen afoul of this enemy’s clever intent. Indeed, only Christ himself escaped this enemy’s crafty temptations without sinning.

Transitional

As we move on in the text, we notice the words, and “he said to the woman.” The enemy has craft and a target. The target is the women here, but each day you must know the target is you.

Main Division (The Fall) (Genesis 3:2–7)

Explanation

The woman had heard God’s command, “[y]ou shall not eat of the fruit of the tree.”[4] The enemy, being too clever for a frontal assault, tempts the woman to reveal her reason for respecting God’s command. Which she does straight away, saying, “lest you die.”[5] At this point the enemy understood that the woman’s devotion did not stem from love or loyalty but out of fear. Seizing the chance, the enemy replies, “[y]ou will not surely die”[6] and he baits the trap with a tasty promise, “you will be like God.” Because the woman’s obedience came from fear and not devotion, once the fear was removed there was no longer reason for obedience. The man is standing right there and approving because it says, “and she also gave some to her husband who was with[7] her.”[8]

Illustration

Boys often take their siblings toys, but never when father is looking. The fear of father keeps them in line. They are not obedient out of love for father or sibling, if that were the case, they would obey with joy even when there was no fear.

Application

Saint, this is a time for you to note in yourself this very same tendency. How many times have you held back from sin only because of the death you know will follow? When the savior says “[i]f you love me, you will keep my commandments”[9] he knows the depth of the statement. Those that love him dearly will run from sin out of love for him.

Transitional

The awful proclamation follows, “for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”[10] Death has come to humanity and it would be the bleakest of pictures had not God offered hope. The hope that says, he shall crush the head of the serpent.

Main Division (the promise) (Genesis 3:15)

Explanation

Consider the hope offered as we focus our remaining time on verse 15. It is not possible to share the volumes of text written of this single verse. This section of scripture is titled the protoevangelium (the proto gospel) because in it is the first promise of redemption to us, to fallen mankind. God promises a man, who will be of the woman, to “bruise [the serpents] head.”[11] Jamieson comments powerfully stating, “[t]he serpent’s poison is lodged in its head; and a bruise on that part is fatal. Thus, fatal shall be the stroke which Satan shall receive from Christ.”[12]

Illustration

Look past the crushed head for a moment to the words of the Apostle Paul: “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved.”[13] Paul was in a Roman world. That word conqueror referred to the triumph of generals coming home from war.

Application

That triumph is for all those in Christ. No one can take them out of his hand, because they are his and he is the crusher of the enemy. Calvin again reminds, “[b]y which words he signifies that the power of bruising Satan is imparted to faithful men, and thus the blessing is the common property of the whole Church”[14]

Transitional

Now we must conclude with thoughts on this great victory and what it means for us?

Conclusion

Main Idea of the Text

The fall separated man from each other, from himself, and, worst of all, from God. Mankind was left with no recourse, no hope, no way of escape; only death physically and death spiritually. Then the promise. The one that would unite all God’s people back to their God. The serpent crusher, who is none other than Jesus Christ.

Main Idea of the Sermon

Saint, you have been recused from death. The worst death, because not only would this body die but your soul was dead as well. You have been made more than a conqueror in Jesus Christ. As Paul told the Romans, “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.”[15]

Response

Dear Saint, I hope that you can see from the fall of humanity that devotion to God out of fear is never going to produce in you a life of holiness. Rather you must serve him out of love. If you love him, you will keep his commandments. He has given such a reason to love him in that from the very beginning he set his life-giving mercy on us, and provided for us a champion to the fight we could not win.

References

[1]. Ge 3:1, All scripture citation are ESV unless otherwise noted.

[2]. The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017

[3]. John Calvin and John King, Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 140.

[4]. Ge 3:3.

[5]. Ibid.

[6]. Ibid.

[7]. Charles Hodge, Systematic Theology, vol. 2 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 127.

[8]. Ge 3:6

[9]. Jn 14:15

[10]. Ge 3:19

[11]. Ge 3:15

[12]. Robert Jamieson, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown, Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible, vol. 1 (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997), 19.

[13]. Ro 8:37

[14]. John Calvin and John King, Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis, vol. 1 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 171.

[15]. Ro 16:20

Bibliography

Calvin, John, and John King. Commentary on the First Book of Moses Called Genesis. Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010.

Hodge, Charles. Systematic Theology. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

Jamieson, Robert, A. R. Fausset, and David Brown. Commentary Critical and Explanatory on the Whole Bible. Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997.

Logos Bible Software 8.15

The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017.