All verses from the NKJV unless noted. “The Redemption Of Man From Sin” Theme Of The Bible Section III: Genesis 3 (The Curse Of Sin) All verses from the NKJV unless noted.

Questions What was more cunning than any beast of the field? Did Eve understand God’s law? How did Eve convince herself to eat the forbidden fruit? Name a curse that was given to Adam or Eve. What did God clothe Adam and Eve with?

Genesis 3 The first of five key passages in Old Testament Where we derive our theme from, “The redemption of man from sin.” Answers why everything is no longer “very good” (Gen. 1:31) A constant physical and spiritual struggle The beginning of a major segment of scripture: The “CURSE” of Sin (Gen. 3-11) Provides us with many of the consequences of sin PHYSICAL: Men and animals struggle for survival. Violence saturates the globe. Conflict between man and man, man and beast, beast and beast. Sickness and disease is rampant. Every living things marches toward death. SPIRITUAL: A constant battle between good and evil. Christians and churches are often seen as falling into sin. Societies continue to get more wicked and lose a moral compass.

Text Analysis The temptation (3:1-5) Question word = doubt (3:1) Adds to word (3:4) Attacks character of God (3:5) THE TEMPTATION: Satan used the serpent who was the most cunning creature of the field to deceive Eve. Evidently he entered the serpent, perhaps as Legion entered the herd of swine in Mark 5. As those pigs suffered from such, so the serpent would be cursed. We know that this is Satan at work through the serpent and not only a serpent from some statements made in the New Testament (see Rev. 12:9; Jn. 8:44). In this temptation, Satan attacked God’s word. He started out by questioning it (3:1). He essentially does this today. “Has God said you shall not drink alcohol?” “Has God said you shall not have instruments of music in worship?” “Has God said you shall not rule over the man?” “Has God said you shall be homemakers?” The second attack he does against the word is he adds to it. He adds only one word, “not” (3:4). People do this today with the subject of baptism. They say that baptism does not save us (cf. 1 Pet. 3:21). The third thing Satan does is attack the character of God (3:5). In doing such, he is still attacking the word of God for God’s character is tied to His word (note Ps. 18:30; Prov. 30:5, 6). In this last attack he essentially charges God with being exaggerative – “you will not surely die” (3:4). He charges God with being deceptive – “for God knows…” (3:5). He charges God with suppressive, “…and you will be like God…” He charges God with being unloving, “…and you will be like God knowing good and evil.” We are warned by Paul in the New Testament to learn about Satan so that we would not be deceived by his devices (2 Cor. 11:3; 2 Cor. 2:11).

Text Analysis The temptation (3:1-5) The fall (3:6) Good for food Pleasant to the eyes Desirable to make one wise THE FALL: Satan did a masterful job on Eve. He captured her mind and carefully led her away from God’s word by promising her more than what would be delivered and hiding from her the terror of her decision to break God’s word. We see that in all of this, there were three areas where the woman was tempted. Since we are all descendants of Adam and Eve, we too are tempted in these three areas. One, “good for food” (lust of the flesh). This is purely physical. Just because someone tells us and convinces us that something is good, doesn’t make it good before God. Science has been abused by those asserting that drinking red wine is good for your heart. But it is the antioxidants that in red wine that may be good for your heart. In fact the same article that talks about possible benefits of drinking red wine also warns those who have a weak heart to not drink any alcohol! What many don’t tell you is that the resveratrol in red wine can also be found in eating red and purple grapes, or drinking red or purple grape juice, as well as eating peanuts, cranberries or blueberries. Satan works that in that very same way where he takes something that may be true and skews it to entice people to do what is sinful. Eve could have eaten good food from any of the other trees of the garden, but Satan wanted her to be fixated on the one tree which she should not eat from. Two, “pleasant to the eyes” or lust of the eyes. This stirred her emotions for the thing which she saw. Three, “desirable to make one wise” or the pride of life. See 1 John 2:15-17. After the temptation had run its full course whereby the woman yielded, she then desired her husband to share with her in the sin. She also gave to her husband. This shows us the infectious nature of sin. Those in sin usually desire company in it. The New Testament tells us that Adam was not deceived and so he went into the sin knowing full well (1 Tim. 2:13, 14). This doesn’t make him any better. In fact we might have more compassion for the woman because she was deceived. He knowingly went and violated God’s word. Pride was likely at work on Adam. Would you want your wife to good and evil but not yourself? Because Adam was the federal head of the world, all that was placed under him would suffer the curse of sin (Rom. 5:12-15; 1 Cor. 15:20-22).

Text Analysis The temptation (3:1-5) The fall (3:6) The fear (3:7-11) The excuse-making (3:12, 13) THE FEAR: The fear settled in. First the fear of nakedness. We can imagine them scurrying about and finding perhaps the largest leaves in the garden to sow together to, as best as they can, conceal their nakedness. Please note that in a sin-cursed world, the body needs to be covered. This covering was insufficient for when God was walking in the cool of the day, we see the fear of God also at work. They feared Him seeing them in this state. They hid themselves among the trees. The trees which God made for them to enjoy and to take their full of, now became vessels to shelter them from the presence of God. Notice that the separation from God has already begun. THE EXCUSE-MAKING: God called out to Adam first. He was the head and was therefore responsible. Adam’s response was to shift the blame on the woman whom God created (3:12). The woman who was a gift from God to man, was used by Adam as a scapegoat for his rebellion. How often does man blame woman today for things? How often do men blame their wives for their own personal failures? As the focus turned to the woman, her response, perhaps somewhat as a confession admits that the serpent deceived her and she ate. This was the truth. However, she does not address the fact that she was guilty in persuading and leading her husband to disobey. How often do women persuade men to sin? Women can use their abilities in good or bad ways. Think of Herodias and her daughter to Herod. Think of Delilah to Samson. Conversely, think of those women who helped provide for the Lord (Mk. 15:40, 41). Think of Phoebe (Rom. 16:1, 2). Think of the Lois and Eunice toward Timothy (2 Tim. 1:5). I know of a woman who constantly complained about the times of services and the drive from Yakima to Sunnyside to worship with a sound church. She eventually persuaded her husband to abandon the work in Sunnyside and begin attending a conveniently located church which her husband had considered a garbage church previously.

Text Analysis The temptation (3:1-5) The fall (3:6) The fear (3:7-11) The excuse-making (3:12, 13) The judgment (3:14-19) The lifeblood covering (3:20, 21) The separation from life (3:22-24) THE JUDGMENT: The excuse-making did not change the consequences. Judgment still came. If Adam and Eve could talk to us today, they would tell us that there is no hiding from God, there is no hiding from His judgment, and there is no voiding His word. God first focused on the serpent. All the animals would be cursed, but the serpent more so. Yet in this dark chapter, there is a little glimmer of light (3:15). The first Messianic promise of scripture is here. The enmity is between the serpent and the woman, between the serpent’s seed and the woman’s. But the death blow will be from her seed against the serpent. The victor is said to be of the woman’s seed, not the man’s. The woman whom the serpent deceived would end up bearing the one who would bring about the serpent’s ruin. This may also foreshadow the seed’s birth from a virgin. In a more extended since, the church, which came through the seed of woman also crushes the head of Satan when we obey God (Rom. 16:20). It was a curse of difficulty and death which would come upon the couple. Sin would affect even the most happy of occasions—in the delivery of children. He also reminds the woman that the man shall rule over her. He also speaks of the difficulty of bringing forth produce from the earth. The soil is cursed and would not yield its strength. The strongest part of the curse is perhaps seen in the man going back into that which he was to rule over—the earth. THE LIFEBLOOD COVERING: Though Adam and Eve sought to make coverings for their nakedness, those were insufficient. God made them tunics of skin which would have covered, not just the waistline, but rather from the shoulders at least to the knees. This is the original blood sacrifice and therefore gives meaning to the blood sacrifices that follow in the scriptures. It is a foreshadowing of the payment made for sin. The Point: Sin brings forth death! Second point! One must die to cover my sin. This is why when we are baptized into Christ’s death (Rom. 6:3, 4) we are covered with Christ (Gal. 3:27). The separation from life. Of course we know that animal sacrifices cannot reconcile us to God. They cannot give us life. Their blood is insufficient. Hence in the day Adam sinned would be the day he died in that he was separated from God (Is. 59:2). Spiritual death happened that day. Physical death began to take hold that day.