Exposition of Genesis 1-11 The Fall and its Aftermath – Part II Gen 3:14-24

What We’ve Covered So Far The Creation of the Heavens and the Earth – Gen 1:1 – 2:3 The Creation of Man and Woman and the Garden of Eden – Gen 2:4-25 Deception of the Woman and the Sin of Man and Woman – Gen 3:1-13

The Fall of Man Gen 2:4 – 3:24 (From The Literary Structure of the Old Testament by David A. Dorsey, p. 50)

The Curse on the Serpent Gen 3:14-15 Unlike the man and woman, the serpent is not asked any questions nor allowed to speak. In 3:1 he is described as more crafty than all the beasts of the field...now he is described as more cursed than all the beasts of the field. –Implies a curse on the other animals. He is condemned to crawl on his belly and eat dust all the days of his life. –Note: This is the original, “Eat my dust!” It speaks not to the serpent’s diet, but to his humiliation among all the rest of the creatures.

The Curse on the Serpent Gen 3:14-15 The curse includes ongoing hostility between: –the serpent and the woman –the seed (offspring) of the serpent and the seed (offspring) of the woman. The serpent’s “low position” sets up his being bruised on the head, and his bruising man on the heel. Protoevangelium and Corporate Representation

Consequences for the Woman Gen 3:16 Two ways to translate: –“I will greatly multiply your pain and your conception.” –“I will greatly multiply your pain, especially in childbirth.” Pain here involves more than the physical pain of childbearing; it includes the sorrow that accompanies the consequences of sin, especially death. The woman’s desire is for her husband, but he will rule over her (cf. 4:7).

Consequences for the Man Gen 3:17-19 Man is addressed last, but also longest; he has the greater accountability! It is because he listened to (i.e. obeyed) the voice of his wife rather than the command of God that his punishment comes. –Punishment fits the crime. Man sinned by eating, now eating will be more difficult...and a constant reminder of his disobedience.

Consequences for the Man Gen 3:17-19 The curse itself comes upon the ground, but with significant consequences for man. In contrast to the delights of the Garden: –In wearying toil man will eat from the ground all the days of his life. –In addition to the cultivated plants which man needs to eat, the ground will also yield unwanted thorns and thistles...adding to the toil of labor (“sweat of your face”). –“Till you return to the ground, Because from it you were taken; For you are dust, And to dust you shall return” (3:19). The ultimate consequence is death!

Adam and Eve Driven from the Garden – Gen 3:20-24 Adam named his wife “ hW"x ;”, Hebrew for “life”, for she was the mother of all the “ yx '”. –“Eve” is the English version, “Eva” the Latin. –Adam’s naming his wife carried with it his authority over her (3:16; cf. 2:23). –Eve would continue to propagate the human race, despite the Fall. The Lord replaced the fig leaf coverings made by Adam and Eve with animal skins. –This demonstrates God’s ongoing care for man despite his sinful rebellion. They needed something more durable to cover their nakedness.

Adam and Eve Driven from the Garden – Gen 3:20-24 Since man has become “like one of us, knowing good and evil”, and lest he take from the tree of life and remain in his alienated condition forever: –God banishes the man and woman from the Garden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. –He places both cherubim (angelic beings) and “the whirling, flaming sword” east of the Garden to guard the path to the tree of life.

The Fall and its Aftermath Part III Gen 4:1-15