So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (Gen.3:6-7, ESV)
After her discussion with the serpent, Eve noticed 3 things. 1) the tree appeared to be good for food. 2) the tree was delightful to look at. 3) the tree could give her wisdom.
A wax pear looks like good food to eat…it may be pretty to look at…and if you bite it, you’ll know pretty quickly the difference between real and fake (in other words, you’ll be a bit wiser).
She believed the lie that she would not surely die, but become like God, knowing good and evil. Eve then did a relatively simple thing. She reached out her hand, picked a fruit off of the tree, and took a bite. Simple…natural even! The only problem was, this was the only thing that God had instructed her not to do!
Guys, before you get too smug that it was the woman who brought sin into the world, note that “she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.” The dialogue may have occured between Eve and the serpent, but Adam was privy to the conversation. At no time did he step up and say, “No! Don’t eat that fruit!” Even if he were not immediately with her, I highly doubt that he wouldn’t have recognized the fruit when Eve brought it to him. Adam was equally guilty in disobeying God’s command…possibly more so, since it was to Adam that the command had originally been given!
Tasting of that fruit set in motion a chain of events, starting with an understanding of right and wrong, good and evil. It even appears to have made some things evil that had, up until that moment, been good. They recognized their nakedness for the first time. For the first time, shame was felt. Pure, unadulterated joy was gone for good. No longer would they have perfect happiness or peace.
The serpent had promised Eve that the forbidden fruit would give her knowledge of what good and evil are. In that respect, he was telling the truth. What the serpent had failed to mention, however, was the great cost involved – shame and guilt in the short term, death and decay in the end.
The consequences of that one sin were, however, far from over…
But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Gen.3:4-5, ESV)
Now that the serpent has planted a seed of doubt, he strengthens it. He had started out by questioning something that God had said, now he goes on to flatly deny what God has said. “You will not surely die…” “It’s just a piece of fruit…isn’t fruit good for you? It won’t kill you to take a bite…”
Doesn’t that argument sound familiar? “I’ll just try meth once…I won’t get addicted!” “I’ll only cheat on my spouse this one time…she’ll never know.” “It’s only a white lie…” How often do are we deceived (how often do we even deceive ourselves) into believing that our sin is only a little one and there will be no consequences?
But sin always has consequences. Perhaps we won’t see them immediately, but the consequences are there. Sin is instant gratification…and long term loss.
The serpent continued to add sugar to his poisoned words when he said, “…God knows that when you eat of it…you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” This is partially correct. Adam and Eve would, upon eating the fruit, begin to see some actions as “good” and other actions as “evil”. In short, they would gain knowledge. But I’m not so sure that this new knowledge was the main part of the temptation. “…You will be like God…” was, I suspect, the main part of the temptation here. That is probably the biggest temptation that each of us face every day! We may not go around thinking, “I want to be God” or even “I want to be like God”. However, we sin because we desire to make our own decisions. We want to be the captain of our own ship. We want to be the “top dog”. “Don’t tell me what to do…I’ll decide for myself!” God is the creator and sustainer of the universe. When we strive to free ourselves of God’s control, we are in essence setting ourselves up as gods in opposition to Him. When we countermand God’s commands, we put ourselves ahead of God.
We wouldn’t sin if there were no benefit to it. If the only result of sin was pain and sorrow, we’d learn pretty quickly to do right all the time. But sin always carries at least the promise of some reward. The question is…at what cost?
And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Gen.3:2,3, ESV)
On first glance, it appears that Eve did a pretty good job of responding to the serpent’s question. The serpent had exaggerated God’s command, indicating that all the trees were off limits, but Eve corrects this idea to indicate that all of the other trees are, in fact, allowed to them. She put the serpent in his place. “The restrictions aren’t nearly as severe as you make them out to be! We can eat of any tree we want, with this one exception…”
Had she stopped with the fact that they could eat of all the trees but one, she might have been OK. But she continued talking…saying that not only were they not allowed to eat of this tree, but God had commanded them not to even touch the tree. Did he? I don’t remember that being part of God’s original instruction about this particular plant!
The serpent had planted a seed of doubt. He had alleged that the commandment was so restrictive that Eve couldn’t help but notice the gross exaggeration. I’m sure that the serpent knew that Eve wouldn’t believe his whole lie…but yet his poisonous words were definately having their effect, because now Eve had started to exaggerate the commandment!
Doubt was now firmly implanted in Eve’s mind. The serpent was now ready to make his next move…
[an aside: to counter my own argument above...it is possible that Eve's words were not an exaggeration of the commandment. It is possible that the full restriction on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil did include instruction not to touch the tree, but for whatever reason, the full commandment was not recorded in Gen.2:17. If this is correct, then Eve's response was much more innocent than I made it out to be in my above article. However, the eventual result of her dialogue with the serpent remains the same.]
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Gen.3:1, ESV)
The seed of doubt is sown! As I mentioned in my previous post, there’s a good chance that Adam and Eve already had some curiosity about the forbidden fruit, but until this point, they were content to leave it be. There is no indication of the time-lapse between the end of Chapter 2 and the beginning of Chapter 3, so we don’t know if it was a matter of hours or perhaps years had gone by. Regardless of the time-lapse, the fact is that Adam and Eve had done as they had been instructed, and contented themselves with the abundance of fruit that they were entitled to. But now the serpent stepped in and acted as a catalyst to bring the first couple’s curiosity to a head.
Up until now, Adam and Eve had communed only with each other and with God. Up until now, the only experiences they had had were good. Up until now, they had had no reason to doubt anything that their creator had instructed or commanded them. Up until now, what they had had always been enough.
But now, a new player has emerged on the stage. A serpent – simply described as “more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.” If we use the rest of Scripture to interpret this passage, it becomes pretty clear that the serpent was much more than a mere creature, but Satan (the devil) himself (see Rev. 12:9). This new player introduced a concept to the couple that they had never considered before…the concept of questioning God. “Did God actually say…” The serpent might as well have said, “Look…it’s ridiculous to even consider what God commanded you. I can’t believe God would even stoop so low as to say that to you!”
Another point of interest is that the serpent exaggerated God’s command. The command was: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen.2:16b,17 emphasis mine). The serpent undoubtably knew what the commandment was, but he exaggerated it to make it look much more restrictive than it really was. By hyperbolizing the command, the serpent highlighted the fact that something had been denied to the couple. He used his exaggeration to change mere curiosity into a feeling of being left out.
The seed of doubt was planted, but the serpent wasn’t done yet…
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Gen.2:16-17, ESV)
Before moving on to Gen.3, I want to write a few thoughts on two verses from Gen.2 that I deliberately skipped over before. These two verses (quoted above) indicate the only prohibition that God gave to Adam when God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden. Sounds pretty simple. “Don’t eat from that tree, but feel free to enjoy all the rest!” I think most of us would like to think, “Had I been Adam/Eve, I would have been content to stay away from that one tree.” But honestly now, would you?
I remember just recently going into a building that had some exposed insulation. I told my two sons (aged 7 and 4) “don’t touch that insulation. It will make you itchy.” I clearly laid out the restriction and the potential consequence (“Don’t touch or you might get itchy”), just as God had with Adam (“Don’t eat or you will die”). Within about 5 seconds, one of my boys was touching the insulation. We seem to have a natural tendency to want to do that which we have been warned not to do.
The world was Adam’s (and by the time we get to Chapter 3, Eve’s as well). He could go where he wished, do as he pleased, eat what he wanted. I have no idea how many trees were in The Garden, but I’m fairly certain they were numerous. But one tree was off limits…out of bounds. One out of hundreds? Thousands? ONE TREE!! The Bible doesn’t tell us, but I suspect that Adam and Eve were both curious. Did they even know what “death” was? Why should they not eat of this tree? What was so special about it? In chapter 3, I’ll talk about the world’s first antagonist, the serpent, who began to put doubt in Eve and Adam’s minds about the necessity of God’s prohibition. I may be wrong about this, but I suspect that even before the serpent spoke to Eve, Adam and Eve were already curious about this one restricted fruit. Their curiosity alone may not have been enough to cause them to sin, but their curiosity was enough to give temptation a foothold. (We are rarely tempted to do something that doesn’t at least interest us…)
Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed. (Gen.2:24-25, ESV)
Just a caution to my readers before you proceed. The Bible never claims to be politically correct. In seeking to outline the Truth of the Scriptures, my post may offend some. I don’t strive to offend, but neither to I strive not to offend. I simply seek to understand and reveal the Truth as outlined by God. A further caution: the subject matter of the following posting may stray somewhat from a strictly “G” rating.
Therefore (because God formed woman from man and presented her to him) a man shall leave his father and his mother. Part of marriage, at least in today’s context, is bringing your spouse into your family (and conversely, becoming part of your spouse’s family as well). However, a more important part of marriage is not becoming part of each other’s families, but to some degree, severing yourself from your original family (parents and siblings) to start a new family unit with your spouse. I recognize that this can be incredibly difficult for many, as family can be an incredibly powerful force. However, it is imperative (if you want a successful marriage), that you put the needs of your spouse ahead of the needs of your parents. Don’t get me wrong – neglecting the needs of your parents, etc., is not a good idea either, but the needs of your spouse must come first!
After leaving his parents, a man shall…hold fast to his wife. The NIV says, “be united to his wife”. The KJV says, “and shall cleave unto his wife.” Regardless of the translation, the meaning is the same. A man shall be attached to his wife. The original idea of marriage did not include the option of divorce. Gen.2:24 does NOT say “a man shall hang onto his wife until she no longer pleases him or another woman comes along who suits his fancy better.” It says “hold fast”! Don’t let her get away!!
Once they are married, they shall become one flesh. I think there is both a literal and a figurative meaning to this. First of all, I am to love my wife as if she was literally me. Just like I don’t deliberately hurt myself, I’m not going to do harm to my wife. Just like I will actively seek to protect myself, I must actively seek to protect my wife. As I would provide for my own needs, I need to do what I can to provide for my wife’s needs. Etc. Let me be very clear on this: abuse has NO place in a marriage as outlined by God!!
As to the literal nature of become one flesh: I wrote in part 3 about the increasing levels of intimacy from plants and animals, to man, to woman. Here a new level of intimacy is established. Woman was taken out of man, so in a sense, the one became two. Now, the reverse takes place in the physical act of intercourse. The two literally join together to become one. One of the goals of sex is the pro-creation of children – as such, this continuation of creation is about as intimate as things can get!
One thing to notice about sex though…it is to take place after a man has left his father and mother, and after he has become married, and only with his wife. “Casual sex” goes against God’s pattern. Sex is a wonderful and beautiful thing…but only in the context God intended it for.
The other thing to notice about marriage (and therefore sex): God created woman out of man. It is for this reason that a sexual relationship is intended to occur between a man and a woman. Both the Old Testament and the New Testament make it clear that homosexuality is despised by God. (Temptation is not sin – however, giving in to the temptation is. I don’t know why God has seen fit to allow some people to desire relationships with members of their own sex – but I believe these people are called to live a life of celibacy rather than giving in to the temptation of living the gay lifestyle.)
And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed: Perhaps included here to show the goodness of marriage and that sex is wonderful in the right context. However, it may also be here to introduce the next chapter…(stay tuned)
So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said,
“This at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called Woman,
because she was taken out of Man.”(Gen.2:21-23, ESV)
And here we have the first surgery in all of history!
God created the earth, all the plants, and all the animals ex nihilo (out of nothing). He spoke, and his creation came into being.
When it came to the creation of the first man (Adam), God chose to act differently. Instead of simply speaking Adam into existence, “…the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”(Gen.2:7). The creation crafting of man became a much more intimate act than the rest of creation thus far. It seems to me, though, that the sculpting of the first woman was an even more intimate act than even the creation of man. Man was crafted from the dust, but the woman was crafted out of the man!
God made Eve from Adam. He made her the perfect compliment to him. Instead of sculpting 2 works in such a way that they would “fit together”, he took one sculpture and made it into two that would fit together perfectly!
As I mentioned in a previous article, God never intended for women to be seen as inferior to men. If that were the case, God would never have made the first woman in such a special way.
(let me digress for a moment – Some might use phrases such as “wives, submit to your own husbands…” from Eph.5:22 to argue against me. But if we read Eph.5:22-33 in context, we must acknowledge that phrases such as “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” (v.25) pretty much even the playing field)
Far from being the inferior sex…perhaps Eve was God’s greatest creation to date!
Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him. (Gen.2:19-20, ESV)
Adam’s first recorded task was to provide names for all the birds and land animals. The taxonomical classification system that he utilized is not recorded. I’m not sure if he gave the animals names that classified them (like we would use ”elephant” or “monkey”), or if he gave them personal names like “Hank and Henrietta Hippo” and “Mark and Maude Monkey”, but whatever the case, the names he provided apparently served the purpose for the time being since we are told, “whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.”
In a sense, it would appear that the positioning of these 2 verses indicates that God brought these animals to Adam so that he could choose one to be his helper. Some commentaries on Genesis that I have looked at suggest that God gave this task to Adam so that Adam would realize that none of the animals could satisfy his need of social interaction. This is, apparently, exactly what happened: “…for Adam there was not found a helper fit for him.”
I have no doubt that Adam had an ability to work with the animals that far exceeds the ability that we have now. I suspect that all of the animals were more or less “domesticated” (remember, there was not yet sin in the world, so all the animals would have been vegetarian, as there was not yet any death), so teaching the animals to do his bidding would have been well withing Adam’s reach…there is even the possibility that the animals could instinctively understand Adam’s commands (I am merely speculating here…). Any needs that Adam had that an animal could fulfill (such as pulling power from the oxen and elephants or speed from the horses and hawks) were met. However, there was still something missing…something that God already had a way to remedy…
Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Gen.2:18, ESV)
note: Just in case you’ve been following my blog closely, you may notice that I’ve skipped over Gen.2:16-17. These verses foreshadow the events of Gen.3, so I will include them then.
This is the first time that anything is mentioned of something being “not good”. God created us to be social beings, but up until this point, there is only one human. God recognized that this man, by himself, was not enough, and therefore chose to make a helper for the man.
There seems to be a temptation amongst some men to interpret this to say, “women are meant to serve men”. I don’t think that is the intent here. Instead, I think this is saying that a woman is to be the partner of a man. A man is inadequate to do many things…he needs help. God created the woman to be that helper.
But neither do I intend for women who read this post interpret my words as saying that women are superior because men can’t get along without them…remember, women were meant to help, not to take over completely. Both sexes are crucial. Each one helps the other.
As to the idea of a helper fit for him…if you’ve ever done jigsaw puzzles, you will know that you can’t just stick any two pieces together in any way. You need to find pieces that are cut to fit each other, otherwise the puzzle will not work. Likewise, God didn’t make women the same as men, because He knew what was needed. Yes, I believe that women are different than men. I intend no dis-respect for either gender by saying that…it’s simply a fact that men and women have different strengths and weaknesses, abilities and inabilities. Different…distinct…yet equally important and crucial.
Praise God for the differences!! In areas where I have difficulty (or no ability at all), I often find that my wife is able to compensate – and vice versa.
The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it. (Gen.2:15, ESV)
I’ll freely admit that I love my weekends. Long weekends are better, and vacations are best of all! What do weekends and vacations have in common? I’m not at work. I’m going to hazard a guess and suggest that by far the majority of people feel as I do. Any day not at work is a good day!
But is that how it’s supposed to be? I think there is a common mis-conception that work came about as a result of sin. Had Adam and Eve not eaten of the forbidden fruit, we would live a life of leisure – never lifting a finger to do anything (or so many think). Gen. 3:17-19 might give some ammuntion to this argument. This passage talks of work causing pain and sweat – it speaks of work in the context of unpleasantness.
Don’t mis-read the Genesis 3 passage (which occurs after the first sin) as indicating that work is a result of sin. “Pain” and “Sweat of your face” are a result of sin, but work itself is not. Take a look once again at Gen.2:15 – “The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” (emphasis mine).
The Genesis 2 passage takes place prior to the first sin. We can conclude, then that work is part of God’s perfect plan and not a result of sin.
Work, therefore, was not meant to be something we did because we have to, but work was meant to be something we do because we find fulfillment in it. Work should bring us delight and pride. Work should be something we wake up in the morning looking forward to doing.
I used to think that once we get to Heaven, we’d spend all of our time in “free time” – gazing at all the beauty of God’s un-marred paradise, visiting with long-lost loved ones, doing “whatever”. I’m starting to wonder, though, if our “welcome to Heaven” kit might just include a tool box!
