The fall of man

• 1^st – The Temptation… vs. 1-5 (4 points)
  • 1^st – Who was the Serpent… vs.1
    • The serpent here is no ordinary animal – this is none other than satan (meaning adversary) …
      • Serpent – [נָחָשׁ] – used 31x in OT – describes a snake – but it does have a dark intonation…
      • Almost the identical word [נָחַשׁ] – means to practice divination / sorcery!
      • Whether satan possessed a serpent / or took the form of a serpent – we do not know
      • But perhaps he chose this form because the serpent was the most CUNNING (sensible)…
      • CUNNING – used 11x in OT – 8 of those times it is translated as prudent (Proverbs)…
      • The idea being the serpent was perhaps the most intelligent / trustworthy of animals…
      • Take note that Eve does not even hesitate when it speaks – VERY intelligent!
      • The impression most have of satan is a red horned – pitchfork wielding – ugly monster
      • But that description actually comes from the Greek God Pan – god of the underworld…
      • Likely satan spread this description of himself – so people would not recognize him!
      • Satan is not ugly – God created him as the perfection of beauty…
      • Ezekiel 28:12 – “You were the seal of perfection, Full of wisdom and perfect in beauty…”
      • Paul would go on to say that satan can appear as an Angel of light – II Corinthians 11:14
      • It is possible he was even the worship leader in heaven – for a short time – Ezekiel 28:13
    • Satan had rebelled against God – believing that he was equal with God…
      • Isaiah 14:12-14 – “How you are fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! For you have said in your heart: ‘I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the congregation On the farthest sides of the north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds, I will be like the Most High.’”
      • PRIDE was the original sin – PRIDE was the SIN of satan!
      • Pride already knows it all / Pride does not say sorry / Pride is never wrong…
      • And if allow ourselves to be prideful – we will also fall from HEAVEN!
      • I Peter 5:5 – “God resists the proud, But gives grace to the humble.”
    • God cast satan out of heaven…
      • Revelation 12:4 – 1/3 of all the angels [stars] rebelled along with satan against God…
      • How many angels are there – we do not know – but innumerable – Hebrews 12:22
      • As a result – God cast them out of heaven – they were banished to the earth…
      • Luke 10:18 – “[Jesus] said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven…”
      • He and the angels that followed him suffered quick reprisal for rebelling against God…
      • He fell like a flash of lightning – so quick if you had blinked you would have missed it!
      • Satan is not the equal of God – God has no equal – God has absolute power over satan!
    • Having fallen from Glory – he now looks to destroy the work of God…
      • There is a final judgment that awaits these fallen angels – Jude 1:6
      • When they will be cast into the Lake of Fire prepared for them – Matthew 25:41
      • And satan knows his time is short so he seeks to destroy what God cherishes most – us!
      • II Corinthians 4:4 – “Satan, the god of this evil world, has blinded the minds of those who don’t believe, so they are unable to see the glorious light of the Good New…”
      • Satan knows his time here is coming to an end – so he is trying his hardest…
      • He is going to get violent – hold nothing back – to try and keep people from God!
      • We need to be wise – not underestimate the dangerous enemy we face!
      • I Peter 5:8 – “Be careful! Watch out for attacks from the Devil, your great enemy. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for some victim to devour.”
    • He is the LIAR – he is the father of lies…
      • John 8:44 – “The devil… was a murderer from the beginning [Garden of Eden], and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it.”
      • Nothing that the devil says is true – everything that comes from him is a lie…
      • He lies and tells you sin is fun – just give it a try – get you hooked like a drug dealer…
      • He lies and tells you once you have sinned – you cannot go back to God!
    • He is the devil – false accuser…
      • Satan loves to remind us of our past – the accuser of the brethren – Revelation 12:10
      • He has all the evidence he needs – all our sins / our immoral past!
      • But God who is THE judge of all men – has forgiven us – who then can accuse us!
      • Romans 8:33 – “Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies.”
    • He is the TEMPTER…
      • Luke 4:1-13 – satan even tried three different times to TEMP Jesus!
      • Revelation 12:9 – “The great dragon [literally a large serpent] was cast out, that serpent of old [ophis – same as 3:1 in LXX], called the Devil and Satan, who DECEIVES the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”
      • Which brings us back to our study in Genesis 3 – when satan first deceived!
  • 2^nd – The question… vs. 1
    • Up until this point in the Bible every sentence has ended with a period…
      • Everything that has happened has been a statement of fact – and was VERY good…
      • Until satan tempted Eve and asked – did God say – question mark!
      • His tactics have not changed – he still tries to get us to doubt the Word…
      • He tries to keep us from listening to the Bible – from believing the Word!
    • Misquoting the Word of God…
      • God never said – you shall not eat of EVERY tree of the garden…
      • He said of EVERY tree of the garden you may freely eat – except the tree of KNOWLEDGE…
      • It is the same tactic he used with Jesus in the wilderness temptation – Luke 4:9-12
      • Satan quoted from Psalms 91:11-12 tempting Jesus to jump from the top of the Temple…
      • Satan knows the Word of God – and he is willing to misuse it – to confuse people…
      • Satan did not misquote the Psalm – what he did was take it out of context!
        
      • Most errant doctrines / many of the cults / and untold confusion about the Word…
      • Comes from a misuse of the Word of God – taking it out of context…
      • Context is critical when it comes to properly interpreting the Bible!
      • We need to be wise – get into the Word of God – and see if what is said is true!
      • Acts 17:11 – “They searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so.”
  • 3^rd – The response from Eve… vs. 2-3
    • Eve knew the Word – she knew that God told they could eat of the fruit of the trees…
    • With the exception of the tree of KNOWLEDGE – if they ate that they would die…
    • But Eve also added to the command – God never told them not to touch the tree…
    • They were only commanded not to eat of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil…
    • But it may have been a wise addition – the best way to avoid temptation is to stay away!
    • If we know something God has told us not to do – better to stay away…
    • Do not play with sin – do not put ourselves in a place where we can be tempted!
    • II Timothy 2:22 – “Flee also youthful lusts; but pursue righteousness, faith, love, peace with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”
  • 4^th – Challenging the Word of God (a lie mixed with a little truth) … vs. 4-5
• You will NOT surely die – DIE is repeated twice here – DIE imperfect / DIE infinitive…
  • This was an outright lie – this is EXACTLY what God had said – Genesis 2:17
  • Eating the fruit would directly result in both physical and spiritual death!

• God KNOWS that in the day you eat your eyes will be opened…
  • This is the first use of the word KNOW in the Bible – and it comes from satan…
  • Satan wants to distract us from have a relationship with (KNOW) God…
  • And one of his best tactics is to get us pursuing KNOWLEDGE rather than GOD!
  • The common convention today is – those who go to church are blind / fool …
  • And those who pursue knowledge – go to universities – will have their EYES OPENED!
  • But the truth is most higher education has one purpose – to DESTORY FAITH…
  • The students are told there is no right or wrong – it is all relative – Judges 21:25
  • Romans 1:22 – “Professing to be wise, they became fools [morons]…”
  • Do not mistake knowledge for wisdom – universities might give LOTS of knowledge…
  • But the knowledge of men – if we listen – can blind us to our need for Jesus…
  • That is not wisdom – that is foolishness – because it keeps us from God!
• They will become like God (Elohim) – SIN OF SATAN – they would know GOOD and EVIL…
  • That was true that they would know GOOD and EVIL – just like God…
  • But it was a truth mixed with a lie – that was meant to TEMP and DECEIVE…
  • Satan was suggesting God was trying keeping something GOOD from them!
  • God was keeping them from SIN – from SEPARATION – and from DEATH!
  • Satan will always try to make sin look GOOD – but he does it by lying (father of lies) …
  • For sure sin is enjoyable – if it were not there would be no temptation to sin…
  • But it is enjoyable only for a short time – Hebrews 11:25…
  • No matter how we choose to sin – in the end there are consequences – Galatians 6:7
  • Like having a boyfriend / girlfriend – till an unexpected baby comes along!
  • John 8:34 – “I say unto you he that commits sin is the slave of sin…”

• 2^nd – The choice… vs. 6-8 (4 points)
  • 1^st – Eve saw the tree… vs. 6
    • It was good for food – lust of the flesh / it was pleasant to the eye – lust of the eyes…
      • Pleasant – used 20x in OT (first here) – means to longs for or lust after…
      • It was desirable to make one wise – PRIDE of life…
      • I John 2:16 – “All that is in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–is not of the Father but is of the world.”
    • The fruit ticked all the boxes – it was everything sin can be!
      • Eve did not wake up that morning and think – I want to ruin all of humanity today…
      • She was tempted by something because she genuinely thought would make her happy…
      • We are the same – we think – if I can only get that perfect figure then I will be beautiful…
      • If I can only get that next promotion – then I will have enough money…
      • If only I look at that picture on the internet – then I will be satisfied!
      • But we are DECEIVED – these desires are not from the Lord!
  • 2^nd – The obvious question is where Adam was when this was taking place… vs. 6
    • We are not told – perhaps he came up toward the end of the conversation…
    • It is also possible that Adam arrived after Eve had already eaten…
    • Regardless of when Adam arrived – he knew eating the fruit was wrong!
    • Eve was deceived by satan – but Adam ate rebelling against the command of God!
    • I Timothy 2:14 – “Adam was not deceived, but… fell into transgression.”
  • 3^rd – The result of their choice – the EYES of both were OPENED… vs. 7
    • Just as satan had said their eyes were opened – but not in the way they expected…
      • They were not LIKE God – instead they know SAW their SIN before God…
      • They were NAKED – this is not just a reference to a lack of clothes…
      • They saw that they no longer were clothed by the righteousness of God…
      • They were now dependent on their own righteousness – good works…
      • So THEY sewed fig leaves (VERY itchy) together to cover themselves!
    • Matthew 22:1-14 – Jesus gave the parable of the wedding feast…
      • There was a man who came to God – wearing the wrong clothes…
      • Rather than showing up forgiven by Jesus – Revelation 3:5 – clothed in white robes…
      • This man came in his clothes – his righteousness – his own good works…
      • When God questioned him – the man was speechless – then cast into outer darkness!
      • Everyone will one day stand before the Great white throne – Revelation 20:11
      • There are only 2 options as to what we can WEAR as we stand before a Holy God…
      • We can stand in our own clothes and be judged – FILTHY RAGS – Isaiah 64:6
      • Or we can be clothed in FORGIVENESS – in the white garments given by Jesus Christ!
  • 4^th – In the cool of the day (ruwach yom) – afternoon breeze… vs. 8
    • The Lord God would come to meet with Adam and Eve every afternoon (lago lago) …
    • But this day when they heard the sounds of the Lord coming to meet with them…
    • They HID from His Presence – FACE – they did NOT want to see the Lord!
    • When we choses to rebel against God – we are convicted of our sin…
    • We no longer want to be in His presence – we feel dirty / naked…
    • We want to hide – we want to stay away – we do not want God to see us…
    • Sin separates us from God – keeps us from being in His presence!
    • Isaiah 59:2 – “Iniquities have separated you from God; and your sins have hidden His face from you.”
• 3^rd – Finding what was lost… vs. 9-13 (5 points)
  • 1^st – The Lord God called to Adam – where are you… vs. 9
    • The first question in the Bible was satan casting doubt on the Word of God…
    • The second question in the Bible is God looking to restore what was lost!
    • God does not want us to stay in a place of sin – He wants to restore us…
    • He wants us to confess and repent so that He can forgive us!
    • Luke 19:10 – “The Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which was lost.”
  • 2^nd – WHY did God need to ask…  vs. 9
    • God knows everything – He knew what had happened – He knew where they were…
    • Hebrews 4:13 – “There is no creature hidden from His sight, but all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account…”
    • He asked so that they could have a chance to repent – to confess their sin!
    • When someone gets drunk – wakes up the next morning with a splitting headache…
    • Of course they swear they will never do that again because they are miserable…
    • So why is it that after a month / week / day – it happens again!
    • If we do not turn from our sinful ways TO JESUS – we will not change…
    • True repentance is seen through a transformed life – no longer doing the same things!
    • Not that we are perfect – but we are different – desiring to live for Jesus!
    • II Corinthians 7:10 – “For godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted; but the sorrow of the world produces death.”
  • 3^rd – Adam was afraid… vs. 10
    • Afraid – [יָרֵא] – first time used in the Bible – came as a result of the voice of God…
    • Adam was afraid because he knew he deserved the judgement of God for his disobedience!
    • True fear – comes from knowing that the judgement of God is coming – Hebrews 10:31
    • But the next time FEAR is used in the Bible is Genesis 15:1 – do NOT fear!
    • The passage where Abram believed God and it was accounted to him for righteousness!
    • The greatest fear of all men is the fear of death – some say because it is an unknown…
    • But the truth is we fear it death because in our hearts we know we will be judged!
    • The solution to FEAR is FAITH – because through FAITH we are FORGIVEN!
  • 4^th – God asked Adam if he had eaten from the tree… vs. 11-12
    • Who told you are naked – did you eat from the tree I commanded YOU not to eat…
    • Rather than take the blame and confess his failure – he passes the blame to the woman…
    • Not only was Adam blaming Eve – he was blaming God – the woman YOU gave me!
    • So many times – when we fail – we want to blame anyone but us – even God…
    • If we take the blame – then it means that we have to change…
    • It is far easier to just pass the blame onto someone else – ANYONE else!
    • But until we accept responsibility – there is nothing God can do to restore us!
  • 5^th – God next asked Eve – what is this you have done… vs. 13
    • Rather than take the blame and confess – she passes the blame – serpent…
    • She admitted to having been deceived by craftiness of the serpent – II Corinthians 11:3
    • So many times – I have heard people blame their sin on satan…
    • It is true that satan loves to see us sin – loves to see us make mistakes…
    • He even can have a hand in tempting us to make the wrong choice…
    • But in the end we only have one person to blame – we choose to sin!
    • James 1:14 – “Each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.”

• 4^th – The consequences of sin… vs. 14-19 (3 points)
  • 1^st – To the Serpent – cursed more than the cattle or all the beasts of the field… vs. 14-15
    • On your belly you will go – and shall eat the dust of the earth…
      • Now whether or not snakes used to have feet (or talk for that matter) …
      • We do not know – it might just be that this refers to the snake satan indwelt
    • What we do know is that God gives the first prophesy in the Bible – about the fate of satan…
      • The SEED (singular) of the woman – women do not have SEED (Hebrew term) …
      • This is not doubt referring to the virgin birth – points to Jesus Christ – Isaiah 7:14
      • The SEED of the serpent may very well be talking about the antichrist – 1 John 2:8
      • He shall bruise your head – and you shall bruise His heel…
      • Speaking of the cross – at Calvary satan bruised Jesus…
      • But at the cross Jesus crushed the head of satan – He defeated sin!
      • Romans 5:12-15 – “Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin… much more the grace of God through Jesus Christ abounded to many.”
      • In light of the first sin – God shows us His plan for salvation…
      • One man sinned brought all of us under the curse of sin…
      • But through one man (Jesus) God showed Grace and gave forgiveness of sin!
  • 2^nd – To the woman – pain in childbirth – desire for her husband… vs. 16
    • First – SORROW in childbirth – this does not speak of pain – although God also adds…
      • Pain in childbirth (apparently not part of the original plan)…
      • SORROW – 3x in OT – likely speaks of brining children into a FALLEN world…
      • Eve brought sin into the world – and her children would have to live in that world…
      • But through another woman – Mary – salvation also came into the world – Jesus Christ!
      • So while it might bring SORROW to think of bring innocent children into a fallen world…
      • It is also through our children that we can also bring light back into the world!
    • Second – your DESIRE shall be for your husband – but he will rule you – TWO thoughts on this…
      • One is that a woman DESIRES to be married / be under the authority of her husband…
      • The other is that a woman will DESIRE to rule over her husband…
      • DESIRE – only used 3x in OT – also in Genesis 4:7 – sin DESIRES to rule over you!
      • The idea here is that woman will want to have authority over their husbands…
      • But they will be commanded – Ephesians 5:22 – to be under their authority!
      • Seems the better interpretation – if it was their desire – God would not have to command it!
  • 3^rd – To the man – cursed ground – hard work.…
    • Frist all of creation was cursed as a result of the disobedience of Adam…
      • Before the sin of Adam and Eve – the world was perfect – there was no death…
      • After the sin – death entered the world – the whole of creation fell into decay…
      • All animals die – trees die – the very world itself began to slowly decay and die – entropy…
      • But the world waits for the day it will be redeemed from the curse of sin!
      • Romans 8:21 – “The creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God…”
    • Second by the sweat of your face…
      • In TOIL (same word as SORROW) you will eat of it all the days of your life…
      • Every time Adam worked in a now cursed field and a thorn and thistle grew…
      • He would be forced to remember what was LOST in the garden of Eden!
      • Working was in the original plan of God for man – caretaker of the garden…
      • The consequences for Adam was to work HARD for food all the days of his life…
      • SWEAT – only here in OT – to violently sweat!
      • To sweat to survive until the day he died and returned to the dust of the earth!
      • It is interesting that if you ask a man what his role purpose in life – provide!
      • Yet the Bible NEVER says that – we are required to work – it is the curse – Genesis 3:19
      • But god never tells us we are to PROVIDE – God provides – Luke 12:32-33
    • We reap what we sow…
      • The point is that we do not get away with sin – it comes with consequences
      • When we choose to so what God says is bad for us (touch the fire – get burned)
      • There will be consequences for our actions – but there is also hope!
      • Galatians 6:7 – “Whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
        

• 5^th – The hope of salvation… vs. 20-24 (3 points)
  • 1^st – Adam called his wife Eve… vs. 20
    • This is the first time we are given her name in the Bible (used only 4 times) …
    • EVE – the root of the names means to breath – she was the MOTHER of ALL life!
  • 2^nd – God clothed Adam and Eve… vs. 21
    • At this point they are both clothed in fig leaves – their own covering…
    • God sacrifices an animal (sheep) so He could cloth them!
    • If we choose to confess our sin – repent – God clothes us in His righteousness…
    • Our sin gets taken away by the blood of the lamb – Jesus Christ!
    • All we have to do is cry our and ask for forgiveness – I John 1:9
  • 3^rd – The Garden was sealed… vs. 22-24
    • Behold the man has become like one of US (plurality to God again) knowing good and evil…
      • The concern was Adam and Eve might eat the fruit from the tree of life…
      • If they did so they would remain in their fallen state (not die)…
      • So angels (cherubim) were placed on the east side of Eden to guard the way to the tree…
      • And Adam and Eve were kicked out of Paradise – removed from the presence of God!
      • The Tree of Life will appear again in Revelation 2:7 / 22:2 / 22:14
    • The title deed to the earth had just been handed to satan (the god of this world)…
      • The curse of sin had come upon all creation – death had entered the world…
      • Adam and Eve were removed from the Garden of Eden never to return…
      • But the hope had been given of the restoration of all things that were lost…
      • The promise that through the woman would come the savior…
      • The one who would take away the sin that they had brought into the world!