Sermon Tone Analysis

Genesis 3:8-13

Over the years there have been quite a few excuses given to police and insurance companies when people are behind the wheel.

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Alexander Pope coined the phrase “To err is human...” but someone also once said—to blame it on others is more human.

Will Rogers once quipped that there are 2 ears in American history: the passing of the buffalo and the passing of the buck.

Accepting responsibility is foreign to the fallen nature.

We see it often in politicians, employees, employers, families—b/t husband and wife & children.

This is the condition that has come to every person who has lived (studied 2 weeks ago “original sin”):

This is the condition of the human heart (in desperate need of divine surgery—heart transplant).

Scripture addresses the root of all our problems—including the inherent ability to pass the buck.

Jesus Himself said:

What is blame-shifting but ultimately deceit?

This is what the fallen human heart has become so accustomed to doing.

The Bible is full of examples:

David—sin with Bathsheba (2 Sam 11-12)

Hear David’s experience with concealing his sin:

Ps 32:3-4;

Aaron and the account of the golden calf: (Ex 32:21-24)

Saul was commanded to completely destroy the Amalekites:

1Sam 15:15-24;

The lawyer who asked Jesus what shall I do to inherit eternal life?

(Lk 10)—then wanting to justify himself “who is my neighbor?”

All humans have a canning ability to cover transgressions…this is one thing we have inherited from our first father—Adam.

In the aftermath of the fall, we have a general statement by Moses of the conduct of 2 people who have transgressed God’s command and as we all must, they had to face their Creator who sees all and knows all.

Notice their behavior in vs. 8:

Man Hides

The heard… probably reference to an evening breeze—which under any other circumstance would have been a time of rich fellowship and communion with Yahweh—yet they hid (or tried).

Not only did sin cause an immediate hindrance to their intimacy as husband and wife…but the resulting shame and guilt resulted in their hearts trying to deceive them into thinking they could hide from God:

God Seeks

In the first account of hide and seek: God is the seeker—vs 9.

These are the 1st words spoken by God to fallen humanity.

Note that God is giving Adam the opportunity to take responsibility for his sinful actions and has come to the garden like a gentle father—who of course fully knew what has transpired.

Now, understand God is not asking b/c He didn’t know but wanting Adam to face up.

Derek Kidner makes the observation that God asks a question rather than giving another command: “Where are you?”

He does so in order to draw Adam out of hiding rather than commanding and driving him out of hiding.

This gentleness is evident many times:

Jesus is the Good Shepherd who leaves the 99 to find the 1 lost sheep.

Here is the picture of God in all His gentleness drawing Adam out of hiding (its a question that is used with Cain (Gen 4:9).

And now its as though we’re entering the courtroom.

The Arraignment

Adam knows he could not successfully hide himself from the presence of the God who is all seeing.

So with the shame and guilt-ridden conscience he emerges from behind the tree and begins to explain: Vs 10.

Notice Adam’s response: “I was afraid...” and rightly so.

The Heb term is the general word for “fear” (and used positively for those who in right worship fear God—Ps 128:1 “1 How blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, Who walks in His ways.”)

But here the term is also used for that of terror and terribleness—particularly when guilty man stands before the holy God who is righteous and just.

This is where Adam found Himself (I was afraid of you).

That is actually the proper response of the sinner before God:

Many people are hiding from God. They’re trying to hide among the trees of this life—anything that would provide momentary security but there is coming a day when God will summon you to appear before Him to give an account.

You cannot escape God’s judgment:

Those who hide will be summoned…but you can take responsibility for your sin and it will be forgiven you b/c of God’s gracious provision.

The Examination

God proceeds to examine Adam (no mention of Eve at this point).

Adam’s response was not an admission of guilt so God asks “who told you...” b/c there is only 1 way that nakedness would become a shameful condition (this was the sign of a healthy martial union 2:25).

God’s question was again the opportunity for Adam to confess his sin.

It was also an explanation why Adam had experienced the shame and guilt which caused him to hide from the presence of God in the first place.

That was because he stood in defiance of God’s command.

Now, God has given each one of us a tremendous gift—the conscience.

Described by Richard Sibbes (17th C Puritan) “the soul reflecting upon itself.”

MacArthur writes “entreats us to do what we believe is right and restrains us from doing what we believe is wrong.”

Now, when the conscience is violated—that’s when you have feelings of guilt.

In general terms, every person stands guilty before God:

The conscience is violated, producing the feelings of guilt and there are virtually and unlimited variety of options as to what you can do about those guilty feelings.

Ignore them—for the heart tries to convince that there is no guilt.

Medicate to try and by-pass the conscience—alerting you that something is not right—just turn it off.

Others try to numb the conscience thru drugs and alcohol which eventually catches up to the person who feels even more guilt.

God says every man stands guilty before Him.

And the only way to effectively remedy guilt is what Adam needed and every person that has lived—to be forgiven (the very essence of the gospel is that it deals with your guilt—and it does it God’s way.)

The Plea

This was Adam’s chance to own His sin, to acknowledge that his guilt was b/c of his defiance to God’s command.

But he followed the corruption of his heart:

vs 12—These are the words of a man who is spiritually dead (confirming what God warned).

Adam’s excuse is wickedness at its core—and far from his public declaration of loyalty in

She was his helper (azer kenigdo)…a beautiful intimacy, oneness and joy.

This woman was the center of the created universe.

One commentator simply states “what infamous treachery!”

“I’m not at fault God—don’t blame me…its her!” What do you think happened to their marital bliss?

God’s grace overcomes that but they lost Paradise.

But Adam’s treachery wasn’t completed as he ultimately claims God is at fault—the woman YOU gave me.

There must have been something wrong with the way you created her that such a dangerous creature would cause this.

God turns to the woman and asks “what is this you have done?”

Eve’s response likewise failed to take responsibility.

While she didn’t blame Adam she passes the buck to Satan (serpent).

Let me pass along something that Martin Luther wrong about this part of Genesis 3.

He notes 3 important lessons from this defiance of God’s command:

Sin is Progressive

It compounds itself and becomes more extensive and in making excuses we run awahy from God:

“Let us learn, then, that this perversion and stupidity always accompany sin and that sinners accuse themselves by their excuses and betray themselves by their defense, especially before God … Let us learn, therefore, that this is the nature of sin: unless God immediately provides a cure and calls the sinner back, he flees endlessly from God and, by excusing his sin with lies, heaps sin upon sin until he arrives at blasphemy and despair.

Thus sin by its own gravitation always draws with it another sin and brings on eternal destruction, till finally the sinful person would rather accuse God than acknowledge his own sin.

Adam should have said: “Lord, I have sinned.”

But he does not do this.

He accuses God of sin and says in reality: “Thou, Lord, hast sinned.

For I would have remained holy in Paradise after eating of the fruit if Thou hadst kept quiet.”

This is in reality the meaning of his words when he says: “I would not have fled if Thy voice had not frightened me.”

Adam (though he admits he ate) he denied his guilt and passed the buck to the woman and ultimately God—compounding his own sin.

Sin Is the Same Everywhere

“Now Eve, too, is put before us as an example; and when she is corrupted by sin, she is not one whit better than Adam.

Adam wanted to appear innocent; he passed on his guilt from himself to God, who had given him his wife.

Eve also tries to excuse herself and accuses the serpent, which was also a creature of God.

Indeed, she confesses that she ate the fruit.

"But the serpent," says she, "which Thou hast created and which Thou hast permitted to move about in Paradise, deceived me."