Genesis 3 - The Temptation and Fall of Man

 

 

Reading from the Amplified Bible (AMP) version..

• "And the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?" v.1 
• "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it." v.6 
• "Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings." v.7 
• "And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden." v.8 
• "And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree]." v.13
• “And I will put enmity (open hostility)
  Between you and the woman,
  And between your seed (offspring) and her Seed;
  He shall [fatally] bruise your head,
  And you shall [only] bruise His heel.” v.15

• “By the sweat of your face
  You will eat bread
  Until you return to the ground,
  For from it you were taken;
  For you are dust,
  And to dust you shall return.” v.19 
• "And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing [how to distinguish between] good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat [its fruit], and live [in this fallen, sinful condition] forever”—therefore the Lord God sent Adam away from the Garden of Eden, to till and cultivate the ground from which he was taken." v. 22-23

My personal observations and reflections...

• DECEPTION. Some time may have passed in the Garden of Eden, and now we see that the enemy has come to “deceive” (trick) man. I am very certain it is Satan (the fallen angel who rebelled against God), who have disguised and chosen the serpent because it was “more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made.” (v.1)

Through speaking and asking a question, the serpent tempted the woman. I am imagining the tone is persuasive and convincing. The woman knew God’s commandment and even stated it back to the serpent that they “may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden”, or else they will die. But, the serpent was persistent in its deception, and still tried to lure her into eating the forbidden fruit.

• “YOU WILL BE LIKE GOD”. This is a great irony used by the serpent to deceive the woman. The man and the woman was already like God in a way because of what God said back in Genesis 1:26 “Let Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) make man in Our image, according to Our likeness [not physical, but a spiritual personality and moral likeness]; and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the cattle, and over the entire earth, and over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” Lying, crafty serpent!

• DISOBEDIENCE. Finally, the serpent got the woman lured, by not practicing her God-given authority “over everything that creeps and crawls on the earth.” She believed the lies, and completely disregard or disobeyed what God has commanded them. Personally, it makes me think and ask myself-- how much do I fear (revere) God in my life? I want to be more obedient, and more firm in standing to His truths. 

The man was equally disobedient because he followed the woman, more than following God.

• SIN. The moment they ate the fruit, sin started, and they immediately felt “shame”, even “malice”. Guilt. Thus, they covered themselves with fig leaves.

• DEATH. Though the man and the woman did not instantly die physically in their disobedience, death happened in some sorts. The perfect, harmonious relationship with God was no more, and they got separated from Him spiritually. *I can tell from my own experience that I was “spiritually dead” before, when I did not have a personal relationship with God through His Son Jesus, yet.

• “WHERE ARE YOU?” This really caught my interest..😱 I’m thinking, surely, God knew everything that has happened, and no one can hide from His presence, and yet the Lord God was walking “in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day.” (v.8) He did not punish the man and the woman right then and there, instead He allowed the man and the woman to confess and explain themselves. Wow.. what a gracious, loving and merciful God.😭 The serpent/Satan asked questions to deceive, God asked questions to help, heal, and rescue. I feel like this is also how God is to me, and every sinner, He is seeking and pursuing us.

• SUFFERING. Consequences of sin.

• “SEED” in v.15, what does it mean? Who is that? Adding footnotes about it here because I find it really AMAZING!😮 “Many consider this verse the protevangelium, the first announcement of the gospel. This is the first prophecy about the Messiah (Christ), who through His death on the cross and resurrection would ultimately defeat Satan, the power behind the serpent, with a death blow. See Is 9:6; Matt 1:23; Luke 1:31; Rom 16:20; Gal 4:4; Rev 12:17.”

• ^“The Lord God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” (v.20) If this is not love, I don’t know what is. God even made proper clothing for Adam and Eve, before sending them out of Garden of Eden. This could also mean an animal “sacrifice” as an atonement for the sin; however it was not clearly mentioned.

• God had to send Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden because He did not want them to live forever as a sinner; He had to get them away from eating the fruit of the Tree of Life. God’s original purpose of His creation is for everyone and everything to be in perpetual harmony and enjoyment (no death, no suffering) with Him. That is how heaven will feel like. What the first man and woman failed to do, God has offered a solution through His Son Jesus. For mankind to be reconciled with God, and attain eternal life, and spend forever with Him.❤️

 📷Photo by Mark Furches
http://markridesthedivide.blogspot.com/2016
"Mark Rides the Divide - Continental Divide-Southern Tier Bicycle Travelogue 2016"

Read the Bible here:
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis+3&version=AMP

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