Genesis 3 describes the event , George Whitefield rightly said, “Moses unfolds more in that chapter than all mankind would have been capable of finding out of themselves though they had studied it to all eternity.” Arthur W. Pink wrote It is indeed one of the most important chapters in all the Bible, and it should be pondered by us frequently with prayerful hearts. Furthermore he wrote, “Here we are shown how sin entered the world, together with its present effects and dire consequences. Here are revealed to us the subtle devices of our great enemy the devil.
We are shown how we permit him to gain an advantage over us. On the other hand, it is a most blessed chapter, for it reveals the grace and mercy of God, and assures us that the head of the serpent will yet be crushed by the victorious Seed of the woman Rom. 16:20, telling us that His redeemed will also participate in Christ’s glorious triumph. Thus we see that in wrath our God from the commencement “remembered mercy”!
In verses one to seven explains where sin came from. Verses seven and eight where God approached Adam and Eve concerning their sin Verses fourteen to eighteen explain the curse of sin on mankind. Where in verse twenty-one explain the solution to sin or the future salvation plan for mankind. Its extreme brevity calls for the, careful weighing of every word and clause, and their implications.
C.S Lewis “The safest road to hell is the gradual one – the gentle slope, soft underfoot, without sudden turnings, without milestones, without signposts.” As Jack Baur played by Kiefer Sutherland in the hit series 24, ” When you cross the line and always starts off small steps, before you know it, you’re running as fast as you can in the wrong direction. Just to justify we you started in the first place.
The Fall
Satan disguised himself as a snake the most the most cunning or wiser of all the wild animals. Not the snake’s present post of sin. Where it crawl on its belly describe in Genesis three verse fourteen.
Satan approach Eve who was near forbidden tree and asks questions “Did God really say; ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” Where Eve should have fled from Satan cunningness She conferred with him which was both foolish and fatal, as the outcome showed Satan is much wiser than her. His evil influence had already begun to affect her
Eve responds by uttering these words, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.” Where God said, “ You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, but you must not eat [from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.” Note what Eve said you much not touch and omitted You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, and replace with We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden or another omission was certainly Eve left out.
Arthur Pink wrote ” Eve’s omission of that word “freely” was both significant and ominous—indicating that the generosity of the divine provision was not influencing her heart as it should have. But on the other hand we do not agree with those who charge her with adding to God’s word in verse 3. For while the “neither shall ye touch it” was not distinctly expressed in Genesis 2; 17; nevertheless, it was clearly and necessarily implied.”
Concerning touching in verse three Arthur Pink , “ Eve, then, was quite right in concluding that the divine commandment forbidding them to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil included not touching it, for the act of eating involves not only desire and intention but also touching, handling, plucking, and placing the fruit in the mouth. “
He sense she was doubting God’s command do not eat forbidden fruit he moving in on the kill or closing the deal. Perceiving his advantage, now that he had gained Eve’s ear, the tempter grew bolder and flatly contradicted the divine press on uttering these words, “Ye shall not surely die”. Perhaps eating the forbidden fruit himself displays that it did not kill him As scripture declares, When someone hears the words of this oath, he may consider himself exempt, thinking, ‘I will have peace although I follow my own stubborn heart.’ This will lead to the destruction of the well-watered land as well as the dry land.
Closing the deal by uttering these words “No, God knows well that the moment you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods who know what is good and what is bad.” Than Eve saw the fruits was good to eats, pleasing to the eye and desiring to gain wisdom also desiring to be like God or angels. She ate the fruits; however, she was still alive. However, God gave the commandment to Adam found in Genesis 2; 16. The Hebrew for man is aw-dawm’ a Noun Masculine, meaning mankind or Adam first man in verses 19, 20, 22, 25 the same aw-dawm concerning Adam. Where in verses 22,25 ish-shaw, a Noun Feminine meaning for woman, wife, female also found in Genesis 3;13. However, Adam did warned her concerning the forbidden fruit. Ultimately she was responsible for disobeying God commandment by eating the fruit. The serpent did not put it in her mouth even thou he tempt her, but he cannot force her. She ate the fruit willing. Arthur Pink pen wrote, “By Eve’s own free act she took of the fruit; therefore she could not blame no one but herself. Once she yielded to temptation, and then she became the tempter of others—seeking to drag them down to the same level.
The ultimate goal for Satan was used Eve to get to Adam Matthew Henry pertinently pointed out, “Satan tempted Eve that, by her, he might tempt Adam by her. Than she gave it to Adam instead refusing it he ate it. Even thou she was deceived Adam was not. Perhaps that she was still alive influence his decision to eat the forbidden fruit.Calvin wrote,” He will be found to have sinned voluntarily, and to have departed from God, his Maker, by a movement of the mind not less free than perverse. Because Adam ate the fruit sin enter the world effected mankind Arthur pink wrote, “While the root of a tree remains healthy and unharmed, the whole of it flourishes. But, if an ax strikes and severs the root, then the whole of the tree suffers and falls—not only the trunk but all the branches—and even its smallest twigs wither and die. Thus it was with the Eden tragedy. When Adam’s communion with his Maker was broken, all his posterity were alienated from His favor Sin effected both men and women
Furthermore, he wrote,” Thus, man apostatized from God. It was a revolt against his Maker, an insurrection from His supremacy, a rebellion against His authority. He deliberately resisted the divine will, rejected God’s word, deserted His way. So he forfeited his primitive excellence and all his happiness. Adam cast himself, and all his posterity into the deepest gulf of anguish and wretchedness. This was the origin of human depravity. Genesis 3 gives us the divinely inspired account of how sin entered this world, and supplies the only adequate and satisfactory explanation of both its six thousand years’ history and of its present-day condition. As scripture declares, “ But death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin after the pattern of the trespass of Adam who is the type of the one who was to come.” In short, all mankind will die Furthermore, scripture states, “For if by that one person’s transgression the many died. In Adam all will die. King Solomon declares, “I have discovered that God made people upright, but they pursued many schemes.” In short, There is no one just not one !
Because Adam and Eve fell into sin they died spiritually and eventually will die physically; however, because God hated sin they would separated from God known second death. Arthur Pink wrote, “When God told Adam, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,” He signified, first, to die spiritually that is, to be alienated from the source of divine life. Second, in due course, to die physically: the body shall go to corruption and return to the dust. Third, to die eternally, to suffer “the second death” Rev. 20:14, to be cast into the lake of fire, there to suffer forever.
Verse seven states Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed a fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. NKJV Study Bible wrote, “The serpent was right—they knew good and evil (v. 5). This is the awful truth about a skilled liar—the deception comes mixed with truth. Their eyes were opened. They discovered that they were naked. All of a sudden with no one around but the two of them, they were ashamed (see 2:25). Their lovely naiveté was now replaced by evil thoughts, and they covered themselves with fig leaves. John MacArthur wrote, “The innocence noted in 2:25 had been replaced by guilt and shame. Calvin wrote, “And the eyes of them both were opened. It was necessary that the eyes of Eve should be veiled till her husband also was deceived; but now both, being alike bound by the chain of an unhappy consent, begin to be sensible of their wretchedness, although they are not yet affected with a deep knowledge of their fault. They are ashamed of their nakedness. “
Arthur Pink wrote, “When God said, “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,” something far more dreadful than the loss of physical even spiritual life was involved, namely, the “second death,” eternal punishment and suffering in the lake of fire. Conversely, the promised “life” included more than physical immortality or even the confirmation of spiritual life; namely, everlasting life, or unclouded fellowship with God in heaven forever.”
God Approached Adam And Eve
Verses eight to ten 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?
10 And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.”
11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate.”
13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?”
And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.”
Instead of approaching God, they hid and ran from God. When God asked Adam, Have you eaten from the fruit from the tree in which I commanded you not to eat?” Instead of admitting sin and taking ownership when he ate the forbidden fruit. Adam said, “The woman whom You gave to be me, she gave me from the fruit, and I ate.” Instead of taking the responsibility for his own actions he tried to shift the blame on to his wife, or blame God since create both male and female, A godly or spiritual leaders would’ve protected his wife or family from any potential danger lurching in the wind. He was blaming everyone but himself.
Eve did admit that she toke the fruit and admitted that serpent deceived her, however, she was equality responsible for eating the fruit and giving one to her husband, She was still accountable for her own actions and could’ve said no or avoid the area. Randy Alcorn penned these words in Lord Foulgrin’s Letters, “If you can keep Fletcher from saying a definitive no to a temptation, you’ve won. Whatever is not a no is merely a postponed yes.” God created in both Adam and Eve and gave them the know-how to chose. They both chose to disobey God.
Instead, of submitting to Adam spiritual leadership Eve chose to exceed Adam headship and was eying the forbidden tree. Its worth noting that within every person DNA we tend to ignore the warning signs when we should walk the other away we tend to approached the edge of evil and we’re unaware of it danger, and we eventually take the bait fall into the devil trap.
Dr. Charles F. Stanley wrote, “Sin impels us to blame others for our disobedience and folly, but God holds us personally accountable for what we do.”
Dr MacArthur studies Bible; 3:11 Adam’s sin was evidenced by his new knowledge of the evil of nakedness, but God still waited for Adam to confess to what God knew they had done. The basic reluctance of sinful people to admit their iniquity is here established. Repentance is still the issue. When sinners refuse to repent, they suffer judgment; when they do repent, they receive forgiveness.
3:12 The woman whom You gave. Adam pitifully put the responsibility on God for giving him Eve. That only magnified the tragedy in that Adam had knowingly transgressed God’s prohibition, but still would not be open and confess his sin, taking full responsibility for his action, which was not made under deception (1 Tim. 2:14).
3:13 The serpent deceived me. The woman’s desperate effort to pass the blame to the serpent, which was partially true (1 Tim. 2:14), did not absolve her of the responsibility for her distrust and disobedience toward God.
The Curse
14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly
And eat dust all the days of your life. 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your seed, and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.16 He said to the woman:I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children in anguish.Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you. 17 And He said to Adam, “ÒBecause you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor all the days of your life.18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.”Ó
First, the Bible clearly state that creation is deteriorating for example, Jesus said in Matthew 6:19-20 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth, and rust destroy it” Hebrews 1:10-12 And, “You, Lord, In The beginning laid the fountain of the earth, and the heavens are the works of your hands; they will perish they will ” Roman 8; 22 define it bests, ” For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth.”
Just look at creation itself is it evolving or is it deteriorating? Creation is slowly declining before eyes. The Second Law Thermodynamics prove that creation is dilapidating. \Scripture states, you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, dust you shall return.”Ó The Book of Common Prayer uses this phase, “earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust ” is spoken as part of a eulogy at many funerals; however, scripture does not state it .
If you’re doubting Thomas who utters these words to his colleague “ÒUnless I see in His hands the imprint of the nails, and put my finger into His sides, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe “Ò If do not believe everything you read Than let your eyes do the talking look at creation itself the prove in pudding. For example, houses, apartments building. If left unattended they would stay the same, or would they slowly deteriorating before your eyes?
Examine the slums in all towns, small and large cities throughout the world they speak for themselves. Closer to home my mother lives in the west mountain it was beautiful home. However, no one was living in the basement and it not an attended it became a storage place for junk overtime it became pigsty. The wiring was way out-of-date.
Several of brothers decided to do some about it. They took junk away tore the walls down, hire an architect, and they assemble a team plumber, electrician, and a contractor, and a build pleasant little apartment known as The Haven.
A friend mine mother has a garden in her backyard, and it left unattended it look like wasteland.
The church I attend is while over a century. The wiring is outdated, the structure is run down, its in need of mayor renovation. If anything mayor break down occur. The costs bring up to code will likely cost four to five million dollars. If God weren’t in control of His creation, it would return to nothing. In short, creation does not improve as evolutionist theorizes but it is decaying.
Because man disobeys God it effected the whole human race. For average human perspective it seems very small matter when Adam ate the forbidden fruit; however, it was no small matter in God’s eyes. Satan method is gradually drawing us way from God. His, goal is getting us slightly off course. Over period time sin would bit by bit became worst and worst we would way off course.
For example; Adam and Eve first son Cain murder his younger Abel in Methushael became father of Lamech he had two wives Adah and Zillah, Genesis 4; 19, plus he was a bully; He said these words, ” I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.
John MacArthur Study Bible The serpent was uniquely cursed by being made to slither on its belly. It probably had legs before this curse. Now, snakes represent all that is odious, disgusting, and low. They are branded with infamy and avoided with fear. Cf. Is. 65:25; Mic. 7:17.
3:15 After cursing the physical serpent, God turned to the spiritual serpent, the lying seducer, Satan, and cursed him. bruise your head…bruise His heel. Christ, a descendant of Eve, and those in Him), which began in the garden. In the midst of the curse passage, a message of hope shone forth—the woman’s offspring called He is Christ who will one day defeat the Serpent. Satan could only bruise Christ’s heel (cause Him to suffer), while Christ will bruise Satan’s head (destroy him with a fatal blow
3:16 conception…pain. This is a constant reminder that a woman gave birth to sin in the human race and passes it on to all her children.
3:17, 18 Cursed is the ground for your sake. God cursed the object of man’s labor and made it reluctantly, yet richly, yield his food through hard work.
3:19 return to the ground. I.e., to die (cf. 2:7). Man, by sin, became mortal. Although he did not die the moment he ate (by God’s mercy), he was changed immediately and became liable to all the sufferings and miseries of life, to death, and to the pains of hell forever. Adam lived 930 years (5:5).
The Solution
21The Lord God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.
Matthew Henry wrote, “That clothes came in with sin. We should have had no occasion for them, either for defence or decency, if sin had not made us naked, to our shame.”
Who sinned Adam and Eve or the animals? Remember mankind fell into sin not the animals. Than why did God slay the animal and use the skin of the animal to covered Adam and Eve body? Found in Genesis 3; 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. God in His grace is providing a substitute for mankind way, and the skin is meaning covering mankind sins, since hate sin. Since Adam and Eve fell into sin where Eve was deceived by Satan and Adam listened to his wife, and they ate the forbidden fruit.
Than God pronounce a curse on Adam and Eve than He slew an animal and uses the skin to cover their bodies to cover their sins and It was means of covering up their private parts since lust entered the picture. As well as atoning both Adam and Eve sin. The skin was means of shielding their sin from God God’s eyes since He detested sin. As well atoning Adam and Eve sins where blood was required to atone Adam and Eve from their sins.
Did the animal deserve to be slain because of theirs sins? Of course not! Adam and Eve committed the terrible deed the animal kingdom where now part of the curse.
Than why were they sacrifice because someone else’s sinful acts? Because God was holy and righteous and loathes sin and require a person who committed no sin take humankind. As scripture declares, . He made the One who did not know sin to be sin [for us.
Throughout the Old Testament alter were built as means sacrificing the animals where the animals were slain, and blood was spilt as means atoning humankind for theirs sins. For example, an altar was built after flood, found in Genesis 8; 20
Four thousand year late God sent His Son Jesus Christ to take the place of mankind. Where He willingly went to the cross and sacrifice Himself and took mankind sins and His Father wrath. To bridge the gap between mankind and His father
Reformed Bible Study 3:21 garments of skins. God’s durable “Òtunics”Ó contrast with the inadequate attempt by Adam and Eve to cover their shame (3:7). His provision also entailed killing an animal, perhaps suggesting a sacrifice for sin (3:7 note; Lev. 17:11).
John MacArthur Bible Study; 3:21 tunics of skin. The first physical deaths should have been the man and his wife, but it was an animal—a shadow of the reality that God would someday kill a substitute to redeem sinners.
Warren Wiersbe Bible Study; New clothing (v. 21). God’s response to Adam and Eve’s faith was to remove their flimsy man-made garments and clothe them with acceptable garments that He Himself provided (Isa. 61:10). Innocent animals had to die so that the man and woman might have a new beginning and be back in fellowship with the Lord. It’s a picture of what Jesus did for sinners on the cross when He died for a sinful world (2 Cor. 5:21).
Believer Commentaries This pictures the robe of righteousness which is provided for guilty sinners through the shed blood of the Lamb of God, made available to us on the basis of faith.
Arthur Pink wrote, “Where sin abounded grace abounded much more. The finished work of Christ not only provides for the cancellation of original sin, but acquits from the accumulated guilt of all our sins. Moreover, believers in Christ are not merely pardoned but justified exonerated, pronounced righteous by the law. They are not only restored to their unfallen state, but given a title to enjoy the full reward of Christ’s obedience.”
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