Genesis 3:1-7,21-24
Memory Verse: Genesis 3:15
Genesis is the book of “beginnings,” and chapter 3 highlights the beginning of sin and humanity’s rebellion against the Creator God. This chapter remains applicable today because we all are sinners. This session will reach back to the very beginnings of sin and show us how its roots are grounded in the human desire to be God. We all want to be the captain of our fate, the master of our life. The result is continual rebellion against the God who created us.
As you prepare to teach this lesson, keep in mind this universal tendency to always choose self over God-including your own selfishness and rebellion. Use this lesson to reflect on the cost that God paid by sending Jesus Christ to bring redemption to our sin-ravaged world.
Imagine preparing for a formal occasion, such as a wedding, a funeral, or a prestigious awards banquet. You pick out your finest attire, put it on, and admire how good it looks on you. As you first arrive at the event, someone bumps you and you spill coffee all over your fine clothes. Imagine your disappointment. Genesis 3 reveals an infinitely greater tragedy. God created the totality of this wondrous universe and observed that it was very good; but when humanity sinned against God, His good creation was marred. (PSG, p. 28)
Genesis 3 is, perhaps, the most significant chapter in the Bible. Think about this: If the events recorded in this chapter had never taken place, what need would there be for the Bible? The rest of Scripture is the story of the terrible consequences of Adam and Eve’s rebellion and God’s gracious pursuit of humanity. Everything moving forward in Scripture emphasizes His plan to restore the broken relationship that resulted from the sin that first entered the world in Eden.
In addition, Genesis 3 points like a laser to our need for a Savior. The result of the disobedience in this chapter is summed up by Paul in Romans 5:12: “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, in this way death spread to all people, because all sinned.”
This account of humanity’s spiritual fall in the garden of Eden is not a myth or legend that can be easily discounted or ignored. It is a historical fact that carries eternal consequences. If this were just a made-up story, the Christian faith is based on fiction and not fact, and the death of Jesus Christ on the cross would certainly not have been necessary.
But the truth of Genesis 3 reverberates throughout Scripture, from beginning in Genesis to end in Revelation. In these sixty-six books of the Bible, we see the ongoing conflict between Satan and God, sin and righteousness. We also see the picture of God pursuing sinful people, pleading with them to return to Him. All of this culminates in the sacrificial death and miraculous resurrection of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. And, one day, He will return to judge those who continued in the rebellion against Him that began with Adam and Eve’s decision in Eden.
Genesis 3 serves as a bridge between the wonderful creation of God narrated in chapters 1-2 and the dire situation described in the chapters that follow. The catalog of sins to follow in Genesis all have their roots in the disobedience of the first woman and first man in Eden.
There was murder (Cain) and polygamy (Lamech) in chapter 4. In Genesis 6-8, human wickedness led to God’s judgment by flood in Noah’s day. Even righteous Noah sinned against God in his act of drunkenness in chapter 9. Further examples include the prideful attitude of those gathered in Babel (Gen. 11) and the depravity of residents in Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 19).
Of course, the string of sinful choices among human beings isn’t limited to Genesis or even the pages of the Bible. We still suffer from the consequences of sin today. But while each of these instances point back to humanity’s original sin in the garden, they also remind us that God made a way for our salvation.
As you read Genesis 3:1-7,21-24, consider what God reveals about Himself concerning human sin. (PSG, p. 29)
EXPLORE THE TEXT
1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “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.’” 4 “No! You will certainly not die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
(v. 1) Serpent: This is the Hebrew word generally used for a snake. Moses pointed out that the serpent was a creation of God, meaning that it was part of the creation that He initially declared good. Satan conscripted a part of God’s creation to carry out his warfare against the Creator.
Satan was personally present in the garden in the snake. Other biblical references point to Satan and his demonic cohorts inhabiting animals (see Mark 5:11-12).
(v. 1) Cunning: The description is not of the snake, but rather of Satan, who spoke through the snake. The word rendered cunning here means “crafty” and immediately calls for great caution. Scripture calls Satan a deceiver (Rev. 12:9) and the father of lies (John 8:44). He used deception in the garden of Eden and he continues to use it to his advantage today.
Questioning God
The first words out of the serpent’s mouth (and the first question asked in the Bible) cast doubt on the truthfulness of God. Satan dishonestly implied that God had restricted every tree in the garden. Satan knows that if he can plant a seed of doubt about God’s goodness or the validity of His words, he has a much better chance of leading individuals into sin.
Of course, that is not what God said. He had said Adam and Eve could eat freely of all the trees but one. God was expressing great care and generosity. Satan, on the other hand, was picturing God in a negative light, suggesting He was harsh and restrictive.
(v. 3) Touch it: Like Satan, Eve referred to “God” and not the “Lord God.” Since the name “Lord” emphasized His covenant relationship with His people, some biblical scholars have suggested that addressing Him only as “God” may have reflected a step backward relationship with the Creator. However, the text is not clear on this point.
It is clear, though, that Eve added words to God’s directive that were not a part of the original injunction: touch it. In some ways, this makes the command of God even more foreboding.
(v. 4) Certainly not: Satan, who is often pictured as accusing God’s people (Job 1:6; Rev. 12:10), accused God of not being truthful. Although Adam and Eve didn’t die immediately when they disobeyed God, the sentence of physical death fell on them. Not only that, but they would soon be banished from the garden in which they had enjoyed God’s presence. This banishment symbolized the spiritual death that separates human beings from God.
(v. 5) Eyes will be opened: As a master of half-truths, Satan meant something totally different by this statement than Eve initially understood. She desired something that would elevate her to a position of equality with God and a knowledge of what He knows. But Satan knew that the eyes of Eve and Adam would be opened to their nakedness, their guilt, and their sinfulness. They would immediately experience the devastating realization of their disobedience and its consequences.
(v. 5) Good and evil: Satan’s temptation was designed to divert Eve’s focus from the goodness of God. Once Eve started questioning God’s goodness, disobedience was just an action away. Through their disobedience, Satan promised they would be like God in knowing good and evil. This certainly proved true as they became aware of the innocence and righteousness they had lost.
6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate it; she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
(v. 6) Saw: This was not a passing glance. The Hebrew word means to inspect, to view with the intent to understand or discern. Eve evaluated the fruit of the tree, and her conclusion was that it was good, delightful, and desirable. She also evaluated the words of the serpent and weighed them against God’s directive.
While Eve was deceived by the words of the serpent, Adam was not (see 1 Tim. 2:14). Instead, he willfully disobeyed God and doubted God’s trustworthiness. Some Bible scholars see an element of pride in the fall of Eve and Adam. There was the desire to be more than they were created to be. They wanted to be equal with God.
(v. 6) Good . . . delightful: The fruit was appealing, and Satan’s words made it even more so. The irony here is that the word good also carries the meaning of morally right. In pursuing that which appeared right, Adam and Eve took a path that was morally wrong.
Eve was created in innocence. Unlike humanity today, her temptation did not come from within. Instead, it came from an outside source, the serpent. But once the seeds of doubt were sown toward God and the desire for the forbidden took root in her heart, yielding to temptation became easy. As noted, Adam willfully followed suit.
(v. 6) Desirable: The same Hebrew word is used to describe coveting in the Ten Commandments. It is a longing for something which should be forbidden. Ironically, the word also means desiring something that is costly. Adam and Eve failed to consider the ultimate price they would pay when they acted on their desire for the forbidden fruit.
(v. 7) Knew they were naked: Before choosing to disobey God, Adam and Eve knew complete innocence. There was no awareness of their nakedness. However, when they violated God’s directive concerning the forbidden fruit, they suddenly discovered how vulnerable they were.
Their act of self-centeredness and their desire to be like God carried an immediate impact on their relationship with Him and with each other. The trust and security they had shared was replaced by fear and selfishness. Of course, their rebellion also damaged their relationship with the rest of His creation. The world created in wonder and perfection now became a hostile place.
In their vulnerability, Adam and Eve sought a way to protect themselves from the world around them. They did this, symbolically, by covering their nakedness.
(v. 7) Coverings: The same Hebrew word for made flows throughout these first chapters of Genesis. God made man and woman in His own image (1:26). All that He had made (1:31) was very good. God rested from all that he had made (2:2). He made trees to grow in the garden (2:9). God made a corresponding helper for Adam (2:18; 2:22).
After Adam and Eve discovered the shame of their nakedness, they, too, “made” something: coverings for themselves out of fig-leaves. However, their creations were less than perfect. Their coverings were a poor defense against the mess they had made. These garments could never cover their sin and shame and were certainly inadequate in standing before God. Because of that, Adam and Eve sought further protection by hiding in the trees.
21 The Lord God made clothing from skins for the man and his wife, and he clothed them. 22 The Lord God said, “Since the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove the man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life.
Verses 8-20 recount the confrontation between God and the guilty couple. Within these verses we find the excuses Adam and Eve provided for their disobedience, the cursing of the serpent and the ground, and the consequences of disobedience. Note that only the serpent and the ground are cursed. The consequences for Adam and Eve were hardship in the labor of childbirth and hardship in the labor of tilling the ground. Even so, God gave a ray of hope with His promise of a coming deliverer (v. 15) and the merciful provision of covering for Adam and Eve.
(v. 21) Lord God made clothing from skins: Here is another appearance of the Hebrew word made. These animal skins would cover their embarrassment and provide protection from the environment into which they were about to be thrust. While it is not stated clearly, the implication is that these animal skins would be provided by the slaying of the animal. If so, this was the first instance of death recorded in Scripture.
In some ways this is a foreshadowing of animal sacrifices to cover the sins of God’s people. This is also a foreshadowing of the sacrificial death of God’s Son to cover the sins of humanity. Here in the beginning, accompanying God’s work of creation, is the foundation for God’s work of salvation!
(v. 22) Like one of us: This phrase might be taken one of two ways. One could be that man had achieved his sought-after goal of knowing good from evil as God does, even though it led to bondage and death. Another possible interpretation might be as an expression of grief from God: “What has become of my created ones who were made in our image?”
(v. 22) Tree of life: The text finally returns to the tree of life mentioned in 2:9. Had Adam and Eve obeyed God’s directive concerning the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they might have eaten from the tree of life forever. Their failure involving the tree of the knowledge of good and evil precluded that possibility. The consequence of their sin was death.
(v. 22) Live forever: God’s original design obviously included immortality. However, eternal bondage to sin was not a part that plan. Thus, God had to prohibit this by separating Adam and Eve from the tree of life. At the same time, God was already setting into motion His plan to correct the consequences of this rebellion. That plan, put into place before the world was even founded, was the atoning death of Jesus to secure release from the curse of sin (see Eph. 1:4).
(v. 23) Sent him away: This is the same terminology used of Abraham sending Ishmael away in Genesis 21:14 and his other sons in Genesis 25:6. The thought is reinforced in verse 24 with the words “drove the man out.” It was a forcible ejection from the garden.
(v. 23) Work the ground: This reiterates the consequences pronounced upon Adam by God. The ground would produce thorns and thistles, and the work would produce sweat and hardship.
(v. 24) Cherubim . . . flaming, whirling sword: Although Scripture gives limited information on this category of angel, we do know that cherubim (plural of cherub) serve as guards and attendants. Images of the cherubim formed the mercy seat above the ark of the covenant (Ex. 25:18-22). Here, they are responsible for guarding the entrance to the garden and preventing Adam and Eve from gaining access to the tree of life.
The flaming, whirling sword was indicative of God’s judgment and divine wrath. Psalm 104:4 speaks of lightning bolts as symbols of God’s wrath and holiness. This is perhaps the picture here.
Man
In the beginning man was innocent of sin and was endowed by his Creator with freedom of choice. By his free choice man sinned against God and brought sin into the human race. (See Romans 1:19-23; 5:19.)
Create a comparison chart.
First John 2:16 lists three desires that can pull us away from God and supplant our love for Him-“lust of the flesh,” “lust of the eyes,” and “pride in one’s possessions.” Create a chart to record the similarities between Genesis 3:6 and 1 John 2:16. Reflect on how these apply to your own life.