The devil contradicts Gods word by falsely assuring Adam and Eve, you shall not surely die.. When God made clothes for our first parents, he made them warm and strong, but coarse and very plain; not robes of scarlet, but coats of skin. And to dust you shall return.. Thank you for registering. For out of it you were taken; See also God's care for our first parents, notwithstanding their sin. iii. Any angel of the lowest rank could have dealt with Adam. ii. It was true your eyes will be opened, and this was fulfilled (Genesis 3:7). The stronger ones in a chain must expect an attack against weaker links and support them against those attacks. That bruised heel is painful enough. His incarnation, or coming in the flesh. This does not mean God did not have a name for Eve, but we are told what the name is in Genesis 5:2: He called them Mankind. i. The goal of becoming God is the center of so many non-Christian religions, including Mormonism. Because you have heeded the voice of your wife: It wasnt just as if Adam took Eves advice. And it was only true in Eves mind that the tree was desirable to make one wise. (2-3) Eves iv. A verification email has been sent to the address you provided. WebThe temptation from the serpent. He asked it because He allowed Adam to make the best of a bad situation by repenting right then and there, but Adam didnt come clean and repent before God. WebThe temptation from the serpent. God put marks of displeasure on Adam. The Gospels In our courts of law, we do not require men to answer questions which would incriminate them, but God does; and, at the last great day, the ungodly will be condemned on their own confession of guilt (Spurgeon). Historical Books He became obedient unto death. ii. Till you return to the ground, Satan questioned whether it were a sin or not, to eat of this tree. He shall bruise your head, Adam bears the name of the dying body, Eve of the living soul. ii. ii. b. He tempts them to seek preferment, as if they were fit to be gods. The Lord God did not ask the serpent anything, for he knew that he was a liar, but he at once pronounced sentence upon him. (Spurgeon). On this occasion, Satan chose to indwell the body of a pre-curse serpent. Yet Adam is not himself cursed, as the serpent was, but only the ground for his sake. Now the curse on Eve makes it much harder for her to submit and flow with Gods institution of male headship in the home. The greatest potentate of evil was here doomed to cringe and crawl, and his seed have never forgotten their fathers posture. (Spurgeon). If sinners will but consider where they are, they will not rest till they return to God. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, We can almost picture Adam telling Eve, See that tree in the middle of the garden? By his death he gave a fatal blow to the devil's kingdom, a wound to the head of this serpent that cannot be healed. (Genesis 3:21) God clothes Adam and Eve in the skins of animals. Few of us are willing to simply say as David did, I have sinned against the LORD (2 Samuel 12:13). And Adam called his wifes name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. In this vivid way, Jesus bore the curse for us. WebGenesis 3:19 Clarke's Commentary. This shows the falsehood of the tempter, and the frauds of his temptations. He turned aside quickly. Yet death being dreadful to nature, even when life is unpleasant, that concludes the punishment. e. Has God indeed said: Satans first attack was leveled against the Word of God. He had no corrupt nature within, to betray him; but had a freedom of will, in full strength, not weakened or impaired. God commanded the serpent to slither on the ground instead of walking on legs like any other animal. Luke-Acts They saw the happiness they fell from, and the misery they were fallen into. WebGenesis chapter 3 tells the story of the fall of man through the temptation of Eve and the entrance of sin into the world. Read full chapter. b. In response, God issues three individual ''curses'' which affect humanity to this day. The two angels come to Sodom. You will not surely die: Satan first wanted Eve to forget all about what God said about the consequences of sin. Let those that are meanly clad, learn from hence not to complain. She was not even pregnant yet. d. You will be like God, knowing good and evil: The final enticement was the most powerful because it was how Satan himself fell, wanting to be equal with God. ii. Minor Prophets It was the ground that was cursed due to Adam's sin, so that he had to toil by the sweat of his brow throughout this earthly life to provide what was originally bestowed in plentiful supply. d. They sewed fig leaves together: Their own attempt to cover themselves took much ingenuity, but not much wisdom. God passes sentence; and he begins where the sin began, with the serpent. (Genesis 3:1) The serpent begins his temptation. Thus the devil was from the beginning a murderer, and the great mischief maker. iii. Uneasiness and weariness with labour are our just punishment, which we must patiently submit to, since they are less than our iniquity deserves. In toil you shall eat of it His sufferings and death; pointed at in Satan's bruising his heel, that is, his human nature. It is the fruit of this enmity, that there is a continual warfare between grace and corruption, in the hearts of God's people. And still the devil draws people into his interest, by suggesting to them hard thoughts of God, and false hopes of advantage by sin. We can speculate that God did not destroy it, but left it to the effects of the curse and suppose that it generally deteriorated from its original condition, blending into the surrounding geography. Poole says the woman wasnt surprised at the serpents speaking because Adam and Eve had free conversation with angelic beings that often appeared in the form of men. Adam and Eve were now miserable comforters to each other! This is because she did not receive the command to not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil directly from God but through Adam (Genesis 2:15-17). This signified the shutting out of him, and all his guilty race, from that communion with God, which was the bliss and glory of paradise. Often neglected in favor of more "exciting" prophecies, this first prophecy holds the fundamental principles for understanding the nature of Satan's relationship to Christ and the church, woman's relationship with man, man's relationship with nature, and sin's role in human suffering. Then the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. There is often nothing you can do about yesterdays sin (though in some cases you may be able to make restitution). range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed As a result of the fall, man no longer rules easily; he must fight from his headship. (Genesis 3:10-12) Adam tries to explain his sin. It was as if God could not wait to announce His plan of salvation, to bring deliverance through the one known as the Seed of the woman. You are cursed more than all cattle, And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?. Those who by sin go astray from God, should seriously consider where they are; they are afar off from all good, in the midst of their enemies, in bondage to Satan, and in the high road to utter ruin. When he gave me the fruit, I ate of it.. War is proclaimed between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. He promises advantage from their eating this fruit. e. Made themselves coverings: After making their coverings, Adam and Eve waited. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs. A great deal of sin comes in at the eye. The New Testament 1. A gracious promise is here made of Christ, as the Deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. Now the creature Satan used to tempt Eve would be a low, groveling creature. 1. Despite that, Adam and Eve needed only a bit of prompting from a talking serpent to (1) The serpent begins his temptation.. Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD 2. WebGenesis 19 The Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah A. Thus men's frivolous pleas will, in the day of God's judgment, be turned against them. Believe this (Spurgeon). But while the heel is bruised on earth, the Head is in heaven. General Epistles All the days of your life. You are cursed more than all cattle: The first part of the curse is directed at the animal that Satan used to bring the temptation. Clothes came in with sin. Satan will often attack a chain at its weakest link, so he gets at Adam by tempting Eve. iii. Web3. In virtually all cultures, adults cover their genital areas, even though other parts of the human body may be more or less exposed from culture to culture. 3. The flaming sword was pointed against Satan to keep him from destroying the way of access to the altar, which God had set up. (Barnhouse). i. The womans desire is to control her husband (to usurp his divinely appointed headship), and he must master her, if he can. Rebellion against God is not better when motivated by a romantic impulse. Beings engaged in evil designs have no other way of going, but with tricks, devices, concealments, double meanings. Your sorrow and your conception; in pain you shall bring forth children: The first curse upon women is a broad one. Major Prophets When we know and remember the consequences of sin, we are more likely to give up the passing pleasures of sin (Hebrews 11:25). iii. John 3:16, Jesus faith love), The Whole Bible But their eyes were instantly opened to their own sin and rebellion. Because she was the mother of all living: Adam named her Eve, even though she was not a mother at all at the time. ii. This prophecy also gives the first hint of the virgin birth, declaring the Messiah the Deliverer would be the Seed of the Woman, but not of the man. For this reason, women should take special care in which man they marry. c. The LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden: We dont know if Adam and Eve wanted to stay in the garden of Eden. He chose to be with Eve instead of obeying God. It has been observed that women bring forth children with more pain than just about any other creature. The principle of Galatians 3:13 is established as we consider that Jesus bore each aspect of the curse upon Adam and Eve in its totality: Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. General Epistles ii. Wisdom Literature Though Adam and Eve and their descendants were prevented from eating the fruit of the tree of life (by Gods mercy), they could still come there to meet God. They that would not eat the forbidden fruit, must not come near the forbidden tree. Then the LORD God said, Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. Prophets b. Web19 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. It was a memorable discourse indeed, with Jehovah himself for the preacher, and the whole human race and the prince of darkness for the audience. (Spurgeon). Matthew Henrys Bible Commentary (concise), Matthew Henry Bible Commentary (complete), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. c. The eyes of both of them were opened: The way they saw themselves changed, but also the way they saw the entire world was now different. Unto But to this point, she was called a female (Genesis 1:27), a helper comparable (Genesis 2:18), a woman (Genesis 2:22, 23), and a wife (Genesis 2:24, 25; 3:8). Sooner or later it will bring shame; either the shame of true repentance, which ends in glory, or that shame and everlasting contempt, to which the wicked shall rise at the great day. Wisdom Literature Minor Prophets By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.. d. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you: The idea is to contrast the womans desire and the husbands rule over her. Under the cover of the serpent, the devil is sentenced to be degraded and accursed of God; detested and abhorred of all mankind: also to be destroyed and ruined at last by the great Redeemer, signified by the breaking of his head. WebGenesis 3 tells the story of paradise lost by the willfulness of human sin. Adam, being the head, is the problem here. They have more care to save their credit before men, than to obtain their pardon from God. Man's food shall become unpleasant to him. Major Prophets Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? But God made them coats of skin, large, strong, durable, and fit for them: such is the righteousness of Christ; therefore put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. The devil tempts them, persecutes and slays them; and so bruises the heel of Christ, who is afflicted in their afflictions. Humanity was originally given every perfect thing they could need or want, and virtually no restrictions. We can see the precise truth of Pauls statement in 1 Timothy 2:14, that Eve was deceived when she sinned. iii. He was nailed to the cross; he hung there in thirst and fever, and darkness and desertion (Spurgeon). Eve tried to become a god by rebelling against God. Gods judgment on Satan is for him to always know defeat. It may be that Adam and Eve were previously clothed in Gods glorious light, and the immediate loss of this covering of light left them feeling exposed and naked. b. Adam and his wife hid themselves: This shows that Adam and Eve knew that their attempt to cover themselves failed. This may well be true, but it makes Adams sin not one bit less rebellious. She couldnt rightly say, the devil made me do it.. Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding. The devil implies that man is independent of God our Creator. Perhaps there is a note of sarcasm by God here (as Elijah used in 1 Kings 18:27), regarding Satans empty promise to become like gods. Our good works are like monopoly money great for monopoly, but not legal tender. They saw a loving God provoked, his grace and favour forfeited. Adam and Eve made for themselves aprons of fig-leaves, a covering too narrow for them to wrap themselves in, Isaiah 28:20. i. Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? We are still made in Gods image, so we want to be in the presence of God and hear His voice, while at the same time, we are afraid of Him. Her words, you shall not eat it and lest you die are close enough, but she added to the command and put words in Gods mouth when she said, nor shall you touch it. I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; a. I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid: Sin made Adam afraid of Gods presence and afraid of Gods voice. Labour is our duty, which we must faithfully perform; it is part of man's sentence, which idleness daringly defies. b. ii. God came to them with care, coming before the darkness of night. Gods plan wasnt defeated when Adam and Eve sinned because Gods plan was to bring forth something greater than man in the innocence of Eden. And how admirably the satisfaction of our Lord Jesus, by his death and sufferings, answered the sentence passed on our first parents! When men deny the Scriptures and the truth of God, they always go to work in an underhand, mean, and serpentine style: Upon thy belly shalt thou go. If guilty man begins to plot for his own advantage, scheme for his own glory, and aim at perverting the truth, you will notice that he never takes a bold, open, manly stand, but he dodges, he conceals, he twists and shifts: Upon thy belly shalt thou go. Sin is a mean and despicable thing. And you shall eat the herb of the field. Because you have done this, The serpent was more cunning than any beast. Though he is the tempter, we are the sinners. God came to them with truth, showing them their lost condition. 2023 Christianity.com. Verse Genesis 3:19. Barnes' Notes on the Bible Here begins the judgment. Satan assaulted our first parents, to draw them to sin, and the temptation proved fatal to them. WebAs Genesis 3:20 records an instance of humble, apprehending faith in the divine word, so here we have a manifest act of mercy on the part of God, indicating the pardon and acceptance of confessing, believing man, rejoicing in anticipation of that future victory over the serpent which was to be accomplished by the seed of the woman. God gave His approval of the sense of shame which had led our first parents to cover their nakedness. (Leupold). By saying the woman whom You gave to be with me, Adam essentially blamed God for the sin saying, You gave me the woman, and she is the problem. Adam wasnt content to blame Eve; he had to blame God also. For dust you are, Minor Prophets By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. This same word for desire is used in Genesis 4:7 of the desire of sin to master over Cain. And more than every beast of the field; iii. He will always reach for victory but always fall short of it. Sin is failure to do what God has commanded us. Yes, I am sure he has, and it is well said; and by his grace I will abide by it. i. i. It is sin to exchange the truth of God for the lie (Romans 1:25). 2. Minor Prophets The serpent (Lucifer) deceives EveShe and then Adam partake of the forbidden fruitHer Seed (Christ) will bruise the serpents headThe roles of woman Let us, therefore, always think well of God as the best good, and think ill of sin as the worst evil: thus let us resist the devil, and he will flee from us. d. She also gave to her husband with her: Not only did Eve sin, but also she became the agent of temptation for Adam. However, Lots wife glances back, and she is turned into a pillar of salt. WebGenesis 3:16-19. Mankind can no longer stay in the ''very good'' garden, and is banished. This is the last historical mention of the garden of Eden in the Bible. WebChapter 3. Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one's mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year. Poetical Books The devil, as he is a liar, so he is a scoffer from the beginning; and scoffers are his children. Behold our Lord in his human nature sore bruised: he was betrayed, bound, accused, buffeted, scourged, spit upon. ii. Let us not look on that which we are in danger of lusting after, Romans 5:19; disobedience to a plain, easy, and express command. Having food and a covering, let them be content; they are as well off as Adam and Eve. Man has, perhaps, far more cunning than any mere creature but Satan has more of cunning within him than any other creature that the Lord God hath made, man included. (Spurgeon). And I will put enmity Your desire shall be for your husband, In an echo of the flood story, God destroys Sodom for the wickedness displayed earlier in the chapter. It was Eve's weakness to enter into this talk with the serpent: she might have perceived by his question, that he had no good design, and should therefore have started back. By his death he gave a fatal blow to the devil's kingdom, a wound to the head of this serpent that cannot be healed. Christ baffled Satan's temptations, rescued souls out of his hands. This speaks of an inherent challenge in embracing the husbands role as leader of the home and family. See here what is commonly the folly of those that have sinned. God Himself ate first of the fruit of the tree, and then He created the world. i. Satan was, in his own thinking, majestic and triumphant over Jesus on the cross, but he failed. Adam sinned willfully, having abdicated his leadership position. If Satan doesnt couple it with some truth, there is little power in his temptation. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and love; if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness. i. It is an ill sign with men when they cannot be brought frankly to acknowledge their wrong-doing. (Spurgeon), And the LORD God said to the woman, What is this you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.. (1-3) Lot convinces the angelic visitors to stay with him. Historical Books The serpent deceives Eve. That Satan has power to enter into living bodies is clear, for he did so upon a very large scale with regard to men in the days of Christ Being compelled to have an embodiment, the master evil spirit perceived the serpent to be at that time among the most subtle of all creatures; and therefore he entered into the serpent as feeling that he would be most at home in that animal (Spurgeon). The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, It is the history of Sodom's ruin, and Lot's rescue from that ruin. i. The Lamb of God has made for us a garment which covers our nakedness so that we are not afraid to stand even before the bar of God. (Spurgeon). Despite that, Adam and Eve needed only a bit of prompting from a talking serpent to disobey their good Creator. e. Enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: The second part of the curse is directed against Satan himself. Please see Blue Letter Bible's Privacy Policy for cookie usage details. Fig leaves have something of a prickly quality, which would make for some pretty itchy coverings. a. When cherubim are represented on earth (such as in the tabernacle, Exodus 25:10-22), they mark a meeting place with God. The Whole Bible GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point iv. The devil's instruments must share in the devil's punishments. WebGenesis 3:14-19. This is not because there is something intrinsically unclean in our sexuality, but because we have both received our fallenness and pass it on genetically through sexual reproduction. This was how the LORD had fellowship with Adam and Eve, in a very natural, close, intimate way. Not in the dead of night when the natural glooms of darkness might have increased the terrors of the criminal, not in the heat of the day, lest he should imagine that God come in the heat of passion; not in the early morning, as if in haste to slay, but at the close of the day, for God is long-suffering, slow to anger, and of great mercy. (Spurgeon). Or, perhaps the idea focuses on mans greater knowledge (though in a bad sense) now that he has the experiential knowledge of evil. If we are born naturally rebellious against God, we are also born cautious and afraid of Satan. i. Leupold on walking in the garden in the cool of the day: The almost casual way in which this is remarked indicates that this did not occur for the first time just then There is extreme likelihood that the Almighty assumed some form analogous to the human form which was made in His image.. He excused the fault by laying it on his Robbins is also recognized as a leader in the New Age movement. In her mind, she thought she was doing something good for herself. Notice is given concerning Christ. Major Prophets This is why we are called to never give place to the devil (Ephesians 4:27). Satan tempted Eve, that by her he might tempt Adam. One must be hardened to willingly and knowingly serve Satan. Thus is the plaster as wide as the wound. Now work has a cursed element to it, with pain and weariness a part of work. It is good to feel guilty when you have done something wrong, and having no sense of guilt or shame is worse. I. The representation of Satan as a serpent makes the idea of Moses saving Israel by lifting up a bronze serpent all the more provocative (Numbers 21:8-9), especially when Jesus identifies Himself with that very serpent (John 3:14). No condition will of itself bring content, unless the mind be brought to it. Satan and the flesh will present a thousand reasons to show how good it would be to disobey His command. (Barnhouse). iv. If this fruit is something good for her, why doesnt God want her to have it? i. God confronted Adams problem squarely. Jesus, in taking on humanity, brought Himself near to Satans domain so Satan could strike Him. In contrast, we should be like Jesus, who came as a servant (Matthew 20:28). Sin brought pain to childbirth, and no one knew more pain than Jesus did when He, through His suffering, brought many sons to glory (, Sin brought conflict, and Jesus endured great conflict to bring our salvation (, Thorns came with sin and the fall, and Jesus endured a crown of thorns to bring our salvation (, Sin brought sweat, and Jesus sweat, as it were, great drops of blood to win our salvation (, Sin brought sorrow, and Jesus became a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, to save us (, Sin brought death, and Jesus tasted death for everyone that we might be saved (, Barnhouse, Donald Grey "Genesis: A Devotional Exposition" Volumes 1 and 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1973), Boice, James Montgomery "Genesis: An Expositional Commentary" Volumes 1, 2, and 3 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1987), Ginzberg, Louis "The Legends of the Jews" Volumes 1-7 (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1968), Leupold, H.C. "Exposition of Genesis: Volumes 1 and 2" (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1976), Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990). Pauline Epistles The way God came to Adam and Eve is a model of how He comes to lost and fallen humanity ever since. As with every temptation, God had made for Eve a way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13). WebGenesis 3:19 Catholic Bible: You will have to work hard and sweat to make the soil produce anything, until you go back to the soil from which you were formed. Adam and Eve must have been terrified as this once-beautiful creature called a serpent was transformed into the creeping, slithering, hissing snake we know today. a. The serpent deceived me, and I ate: When confronted by God, Eve didnt necessarily shift the blame when she admitted the serpent deceived her and then she ate. This is because, in this picture, the serpent (a personification of sin and rebellion) is made of bronze (a metal associated with judgment, since it is made with fire). d. He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden: Cherubim are always associated with the presence and glory of God (Ezekiel 10, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4). The curse of death shows that the result of Adams sin extended to the entire human race.