Genesis 3:1-24
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,a hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
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.
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.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasantb 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.
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.c
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the coold of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
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.
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.
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.
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.
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve;e 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.
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.
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.
CHAPTER 3
The Fall of Man
1. The serpent and the woman (Genesis 3:1)
2. The fall and the immediate results (Genesis 3:6)
3. Jehovah Elohim questions Adam (Genesis 3:8)
4. His question to the woman (Genesis 3:13)
5. The curse upon the serpent (Genesis 3:14)
6. The first prophecy (Genesis 3:15)
7. The sentence upon the woman (Genesis 3:16)
8. The sentence upon the man (Genesis 3:17)
9. The faith of Adam and God's answer (Genesis 3:20)
10. The expulsion and the guardian cherubim (Genesis 3:22)
Another actor is now introduced, the adversary of God. His person and his history are not revealed here. The last book of the Bible speaks of him as “the great dragon, that old serpent, called the Devil and Satan” (Revelation 12:9). Our Lord called him “the murderer from the beginning and “the father of lies.” He used a creature of the field to deceive the woman and to ruin the restored creation by the introduction of sin, The word “serpent” is in the Hebrew “nachash,” which means “a shining one.” It is evident that this creature was not then a reptile like the serpent of today. The curse put the serpent into the dust. This creature Satan possessed and perhaps made still more beautiful so as to be of great attraction to the woman. He transformed himself in this subtle way, “The serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety” (2 Corinthians 11:3), “And no marvel; for Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light” (2 Corinthians 11:14). Of this marvellous being having access to the garden of Eden we read in Ezekiel 28:13 .
Some brand the opening verses of Genesis 3 as myth. If it were, all else in God's Word concerning man and his redemption would collapse. Others look upon it as an allegory, but it is a historical fact and this revelation gives the only explanation of the origin of evil and its existence.
Speaking to the woman Satan awakened doubt in God's Word. In speaking of God he avoided the word “Jehovah,” but only spoke of God. Then he acts as the accuser of God and uttered his lie, which, as the father of lies he still continues, “ye shall not surely die.” The crime of the devil by which he fell, that is, pride, is also shown in the words “ye shall be as gods.” The woman listened to the tempter's voice. She saw it was good and that it was pleasant; she desired, she took, she ate and gave unto her husband. It is the beginning of the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life. (Compare with the temptations of the last Adam, the Lord Jesus, in the wilderness.)
Their eyes were opened at once. They discovered their nakedness and made themselves coverings from fig leaves. When they heard the voice of Jehovah Elohim they hid themselves. Shame and fear were the immediate results of the fall. What the first parents did to hide their nakedness by sewing fig leaves together is still the natural man's occupation. Man attempts by the labor of his hands, by his religious profession and morality to cover his nakedness.
Jehovah Elohim came to seek that which was lost. Adam did not seek the Lord, but the Lord sought him and Eve.
The curse was then pronounced upon the serpent and the earth was cursed on account of man and sentence pronounced upon the man and the woman, The evidences of all this are about us. The sentence “dying thou shalt die,” that is physical death, the wages of sin, was not executed at once.
The first prophecy in Genesis 3:15 announces the seed of the woman, Christ, and His triumphant work over the serpent and his work as well as the death of the seed. Out of this first prediction all prophecy is developed. Space forbids to enlarge upon this great verse.
Adam believed God's Word for he called now his wife “Eve.” The word Eve is Chavah in Hebrew, and means “life.” God answered his faith by making unto Adam and Eve clothes of skin. Jehovah Elohim must have slain an animal, perhaps a lamb, to provide the skin. The first blood must then have been shed and the Lord provided the covering for Adam and Eve. Its meaning as a type needs no further comments.
They were driven out of Eden so as to avoid the possibility of taking of the tree of life and live forever. This is used as an argument that man through the fall lost his immortal soul. It only refers to the body. If they had eaten of the tree of life they would have lived forever in the body and physical death would then not have been possible.
The cherubim are not symbols but actual beings. We find them elsewhere revealed, Psalms 18:10; Ezekiel 1:5; Ezekiel 10:1; Rev. 4-5. The flaming burning sword is symbolic of the holiness of God.
With the third chapter of Genesis the waiting of the heavens and of the earth began: Heaven waiting to send Him forth to deal with the question of sin and the earth waiting for redemption and deliverance. What marvellous Chapter s these first three Chapter s of the Bible are! The entire Word of God rests upon them and is linked with them.