Professional Documents
Culture Documents
An Exposition of Genesis Chapter 3
An Exposition of Genesis Chapter 3
As we know, animals are unable to talk with man. So how is it then, that this serpent is talking? The answer is that the snake is possessed b Satan. Satan is known as the !old serpent" in #evelation 1$%& and he possesses the abilit to talk to humans'See (atthew )%*+1,). Satan in this verse is tr ing to lead the woman to doubt the goodness oGod b making it seem that God -orbade her -rom eating o- ever tree. .-tentimes, Satan tries to lead us to doubt the goodness o- God b tr ing to /$+3) The woman then replies to Satan and tells him what God said in Genesis $%10. She lets Satan know that the penalt -or disobedien1e is death. Sin1e the wages o- sin is death'See #omans 2%$3), and sin1e sin is the transgression o- the law'See 1 3ohn 3%)), the prin1iples o- God4s ten 1ommandment law had to e5ist be-ore 6e verball spoke it in 75odus $,. v)+8) At this point, Satan blatantl tells 7ve two lies. 6e tells 7ve that she will not die even though she transgresses God4s law about the tree. It is -rom this lie that the idea o- man having an immortal soul spread throughout humanit . .n top o- that lie, Satan tells 7ve that eating the -ruit o- the tree will 1ause her to enter upon a higher state o- e5isten1e. Trul , 3esus spoke the truth when 6e 1alled Satan the -ather o- lies'See 3ohn *%))). 9 this we know that lies originated -rom Satan, and not God. /2) 7ve desired the -ruit -or three reasons. The tree had the abilit to give her the wisdom o- whi1h Satan spoke, it was outwardl attra1tive, and it was able to satis- her appetite. Thus 7ve sinned b 1hoosing -alse wisdom'See 1 :orinthians 1%$1) as opposed to 1hoosing to obtain whi1h :hrist o--ers'See :olossians $%3). She also sinned b obe ing her passions o- sight and appetite over obe ing the word o- God through her reasoning powers and thus -ell where :hrist was vi1torious 'See (atthew )%)+1,). A-ter 7ve sinned, she then be1ame Satan4s agent to tempt her husband to sin, and sadl , he gave in as well. /0+*) Satan4s predi1tion was 22; 1orre1t. The 1ouple4s e es were opened. The did end up knowing good and evil. 6owever, the did not be1ome gods. This lets me know that Satan 1an mi5 his lies with some elements o- truth. <oti1e also that the 1ouple does something a-ter the reali=e their nakedness. Instead o- going to God with their nakedness problem, the tr to adorn their bodies in order to remed their mistake. This 1an be the e>uivalent o- a 1over up in whi1h the situation looks oka but in realit the root o- the problem is not taken 1are o-. Instead o- 1oming to God with their problem'?salm 3$%8), Adam and 7ve sought to hide the problem'whi1h was the truth about themselves) -rom God. This lets me know that de-ault human nature is ashamed and proud. 6uman nature does not like the shame that 1omes along when one4s -ault is e5posed. 6uman nature also likes to tr and take 1are o- a problem instead o- humbl going to someone who knows how to take 1are o- the problem. <evertheless, it is onl b humble 1on-ession and repentan1e that humans 1an obtain -orgiveness -rom God'3ames )%*+1,). v&) God, who knows the end -rom the beginning'Isaiah )2%1,) asked Adam about 6is lo1ation. 6is -irst words were not words o- 1riti1al denun1iation or 1ondemnation. The were words whi1h gave Adam an opportunit to let God know about 6is 1ondition. As I meditate on this thought, I 1an see how it is that the goodness o- God leads men to repentan1e'#omans $%)).
v1,) Adam was a-raid be1ause Adam knew that he was now naked. 6e was aware o- his own 1ondition. <evertheless, Adam 1hose to hide -rom God when God was near. Adam, who was a-raid and naked, 1hose to hide. This is what de-ault sin-ul human nature tends to do when it is naked and a-raid. /11) God then asks Adam how did he -ind out about his own nakedness. God also asked i- Adam disobe ed 6is 1ommand to not eat -rom the -orbidden tree. Again, we see that although God knows all things, 6e asks humans who 1ommit sin >uestions that give them the opportunit to 1on-ess and admit their sins. In other words, the wa God relates to sin-ul human beings is b 1reating a situation in whi1h the 1an have the opportunit to go through the a1t that pre1edes -orgiveness'1 3ohn 1%&). v1$) Again we see the wa de-ault human nature a1ts when it disobe s the :reator. Adam 1hose to 1ast blame upon 7ve b sa ing that she was the reason wh he disobe ed. Adam also puts some o- the blame upon God b blaming 6im -or marr ing himsel- and 7ve. @rom this I glean that de-ault human nature does not like to take the responsibilit -or wrongs or mistakes. I- de-ault human nature sins or makes a mistake, de-ault human nature will attribute the -ault to God, another human, or 1ir1umstan1es. /13) God asks 7ve what did she do. 7ve hersel- e5plains what she did b 1asting the blame upon the serpent whi1h in turn 1asts some o- the blame upon God be1ause 6e 1reated the serpent. In either male or -emale, de-ault human nature seeks to 1ast blame upon God, another human, 1ir1umstan1es, or even animals -or being un-aith-ul. /1)+18) God 1urses the serpent and promises that there will be enmit , or hatred, between both the woman and the snake as well as the woman4s 1hildren and the snake4s 1hildren. God de1lares that the woman will de-eat the serpent eventuall in spite o- the -a1t that the serpent will do some damage to the woman. /12) God punishes 7ve b giving allowing her to go through great pain during 1hildbirth. I see this as a mer1i-ul punishment be1ause 7ve never had a 1hild be-ore the -all. Thus, she never had an !eas " 1hildbirth with whi1h she had to 1ompare the more pain-ul 1hildbirth. God also gives 7ve a submissive role to pla in the post+sin marriage relation. /10+1&) God 1urses the ground -or man4s sake be1ause Adam listened to his wi-e instead o- listening to his :reator. 6e also tells Adam that sorrow will have to a11ompan him during his meals. .n top othis, Adam would have to work hard with a stubborn soil in order to provide himsel- with more -ood. Adam also had vegetables added to his -ood 1hoi1es. Aastl , Adam will eventuall die and be1ome dust on1e again. /$,+$1) 9e-ore Adam and 7ve were -or1ed to leave the garden o- 7den, God 1lothed them with 1oats that were made o- animal skin. I am sure that this 1oat that was given to Adam and 7ve was a perpetual reminder that their sin 1ost the li-e o- something inno1ent. This obBe1t lesson ma have pointed Adam and 7ve to the promise o- the Aamb who was to take awa the sins o- the world'3ohn 1%$&). v$$+$)) God drove Adam and 7ve out o- the garden be1ause the garden 1ontained a tree whi1h would perpetuate the li-espan o- Adam and 7ve. God did not want the lives o- sin-ul human beings to go on -orever. God also pla1ed :herubim at the east o- 7den so that Adam and 7ve would be met with resistan1e i- either o- them de1ided to tr and enter the garden o- 7den on1e more. :on1lusion% Chen man believes and lives b words that are not in a11ordan1e with truth, he subBe1ts himsel- to miser and death. @ortunatel , God is willing to help su1h people, even i- it 1osts 6im pain.