Note: When doing a study on a book in the Bible you use a lot of resources. The major influence for me on this study of Genesis is The Genesis Record by Henry Morris.
Genesis 3
We will begin studying tonight Genesis 3. This is considered by many to be the most important Chapter in the Book of Genesis. Without it the beginning of Mans sin is not explained. Without it then we cannot understand our need to be forgiven of a sinful nature. But with it we see Christ's divine purpose is dying on the cross.
1. Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea,
hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
Let us go back to 2:16. Someone please read this verse. Now what is the difference than what the serpent says and what God actually said?
Satan is a deceiver and he tries to deceive us this way. Mixing words and trying to change what God is actually saying. This is the reason that we have so many different religions that use the Bible but are not Christians. They are deceived by Satan into believing that what they interbreeding is true but it is not. Now I don't want to give Satan all the credit. You see most of the time these people are looking at the Bible looking for their own way anyway. They have already got their ideas they just want to find some verse to support it no matter who said it.
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of 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 hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye
touch it, lest ye die.
Again someone read verse 16, 17. Now what is the difference between what God said and what Eve here says that God said. God did not say that she could not touch it but that she could not eat it only.
Satan sees deception. Hes got her believing that this is a harsh and selfish God. And now she is focusing on this one tree.
Why did God chose the woman? women are compassionate and emotional. the woman had gotten her information from man. second hand
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your
eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and
evil.
So here the serpent denies the Word of God. Even though God said they would die then the serpent says no. God is a liar. No. God is just hiding something from you and he doesn't want you to be like him. You won't die but you will have knowledge. Knowledge of right and wrong. Shoot you will be like a God
6. And when the woman saw that the tree [was] good for food, and
that it [was] pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to
make [one] wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and
gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Three appeals. To the physical desire(looked good for food)
Jesus-turn stones to bread
To the intellectual curiosity(looked good for pleasure)
Jesus- all this world could be yours, if
To the disposition to self-assertion(be your own person)(could make you
wise)
Jesus-show me who you really are, show me your power
I John 2:16 For all that [is] in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
Satan tempts us on these three still today.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that
they [were] naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made
themselves aprons.
Yes their eyes were open but were they as Gods? No. Were they equal to God? NO.
I believe that they were actually lower than their state before. They were ashamed of their nakedness. They had never been ashamed before why now. So they tried to cover themselves with fig leaves. They tried to hide their nakedness
8 And they heard the voice 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 amongst the trees of
the garden.
Adam now is separated from God. He is out of the fellowship with God. But let us notice that even though he is out of God's fellowship he still recognize Gods voice. Have you ever seen this in a sinner. People who were raised in church but never really devoted themselves to him and fell away. They recognize Gods voice. Whenever they are in a service they can still recognize God. This is why I have tried to have patience with people who are non-Christians. I figure if I preach Gods word and live the life before them then God will convict them and they will recognize him. It takes patience.
9. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where
[art] thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was
afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself.
11. And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou
eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest
not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with
me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What [is] this [that]
thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and
I did eat.
Here we see the passing of the buck. The man blames the woman. Men today still have a tenancy to do this. Woman blames the serpent. Let us notice that so far there is no desire for forgiveness. They do not ask for forgiveness. Why do you think? Maybe they don't feel that they are wrong. Maybe they think it is the others fault. But there is no desire here.
14. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast
done this, thou [art] cursed above all cattle, and above every
beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt
thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou
shalt bruise his heel.
Here God gives his judgment to Satan.
It is believed by many that the serpent walked on legs before the fall. Some interpret this verse to mean that the serpent was put on its belly to eat the dust of the earth. But we also see in other verses of the Bible such as (Ps 72:9, Is 49:23, Mic 7:17) the phrase "lick the earth" is used. This was a phrase of humiliation. It could also mean that the serpent will be humiliated. Just by the way it has to move and slide on its belly.
We see that God said there was going to be an enmity between the serpent and the woman. Harshness. This is true of the serpent. Most people are scared of the serpent and also of Satan. Most people believe that there is an evil force and there is enmity there.
We see that the woman's seed shall bruise the serpents head while the serpent was bruising the woman's seeds heel.
Why is just the woman's seed here being used? and not mankinds seed? or mans seed?
Is 7:14 prophecies of this coming birth. So Christ was bruised on the cross. His body was bruised. He died. But then he conquered all through his resurrection. He rose from the dead and bruised sin, death, and Satan. (Is 53:5)
16. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow
and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;
and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, and he shall rule over
thee.
First we see Gods judgment upon the woman. Sorrowfulness during conception. There shall be pain and travail. We see this throughout births of the children in the Bible. But there is a way to make it better.
John 16:21-AV A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because
her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child,
she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born
into the world.
1Timothy 2:15-AV Notwithstanding she shall be saved in
childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness
with sobriety.
Also we see where God expresses to the woman that the man shall rule over her. She should not be liberated from her husband but to make decisions together.
17. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the
voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I
commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed [is] the
ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat [of] it all the
days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust
thou [art], and unto dust shalt thou return.
Then God pronounces his judgment to Adam. Now man will have to work. There shall be thorns and thistles to hurt man. This will happen until man dies. This is what we must understand. It is not God who causes us sorrow but it is man who causes us sorrow. We will die because man is sinful. We will die because man is fallen. We will return to the ground. God does not cause sorrow but he allows it.
20. And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the
mother of all living.
21. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats
of skins, and clothed them.
Here we see what is believed to be the first sacrifice. Man chose fig leaves as covering but God chose an animal.
22. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of
us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand,
and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of
Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
Man had the knowledge of Good and evil. They understood the concept. Man has always wanted to be the judge of Good and evil from the beginning of time. But today these ideas are corrupt and evil. Man must make sure that they use God's judgment for good and evil and not mans.
God took man away from the tree of eternal life. If man would have stayed there then sin would have stayed for eternity. But God wanted to overcome this so man had to die
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the
garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every
way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
God stuck a sign up.
