(Genesis 2:16-17) 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."
In a moment when Eve and Adam were not together, the ancient serpent, Satan, deceived the woman.
(Genesis 3:1) 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'?"
Was this true? Did God really tell them not to eat
from “any” tree in the garden? A half-truth statement could be more deceiving
than a lie, because it is partly true. The truth was that they could eat from
any tree in the garden, but one: the Tree of Knowledge. Eve knew this, and she
told the serpent so, but she added something else…
(Genesis 3:2-3) 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.'"
God had said that they could not eat
from it, but the she added that they could not “touch” it. This tendency to add
to the commandments is repeated throughout history. Man tends to add human
doctrines to the commandments, then people get confused. They don’t know the
difference between what God said and what man said (mark 7:7-9). This is
precisely what Paul was talking about in his letter to the Corinthians:
(2 Corinthians 11:3-4) But I am afraid that as the serpent
deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere
and pure devotion to Christ. For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus
than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one
you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted,
you put up with it readily enough.
I can imagine the serpent touching the
forbidden fruit, when it said:
(Genesis 3:4-5) 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."
At that moment Eve saw that tree in a
whole new way. Maybe its fruit was not as bad as God made it seem…
(Genesis 3:6) 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.
Eve had to make a choice: to believe
God or to be led by her own instinct and what she could see. The serpent
tempted her with the same sin that make him fall: the desire to be god. And
before we begin criticizing Eve, we must realize that each one of us have that
same trial before our very eyes. That is why John said:
(I John 2:15-17) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone
loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the
world--the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in
possessions--is not from the Father but is from the world. And the world is
passing away along with its desires, but whoever does the will of God abides
forever.
We are going through the same test today:
we have to decide if we are going to define what is right or wrong in our own
opinion or abide by what God has said.
(Proverbs 3:5-7) Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and do not lean on
your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make
straight your paths. Be not wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD, and turn away
from evil.
(Proverbs
14:12) There is a way that seems right to a man,
but its end is the way to death.
WHAT THE FRUIT CAUSED
Eve ate of
the forbidden fruit. Then she gave some to Adam, and he ate of it without
giving it a second thought. It is interesting that sin was not made evident
until Adam ate.
(Genesis 3:7) Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they
were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
Adam, as the head of the family, could have overridden Eve’s decision. But, instead of stopping her and confronting her, he simply followed her lead. It wasn’t until he ate of the fruit that their eyes were opened and they became conscious of their sin. Paul explained it like this:
(I Timothy 2:13-14) For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not
deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor.
For the first time, Adam and Eve had
something to hide, and that is why they felt “naked”. That is the reason they
decided to cover themselves and hid.
(Genesis 3:8) And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the
garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
Could they actually hide from God? We
know He can see everything and knows everything.
(Job 34:21-22) For his eyes are on the ways of a man, and he sees all his
steps. There is no gloom or deep darkness where evildoers may hide themselves.
(Psalms 139:7-10) Where shall I go from your Spirit? Or where shall I flee
from your presence? If I ascend to heaven, you are there! If I make my bed in
Sheol, you are there! If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the
uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand shall lead me, and your right
hand shall hold me.
We have the tendency to run from God
whenever we sin. When in reality this is when we need him most. If we search
for him in repentance, God gives us a second chance. Maybe that is what God was
trying to do when He called them. He knew where they were, but he was giving
them the chance to take a step towards repentance.
(Genesis 3:9) But the LORD God called to the man and said to him,
"Where are you?"
In Hebrew, the word commonly used to ask
“where?” is “Eyphoh”. In this passage, however, the Hebrew word “’Ay” is
used. This may also be translated: whence or how.
God knew where Adam was, and he knew
what he had done. Even then, he called him, giving him the chance to confess
and repent. But Adam did not take advantage of the opportunity… instead of
acknowledging his sin, he justified himself…
(Genesis 3:10) And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
(Genesis 3:10) And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
When God confronted him, again he gave
an excuse. He did not pronounce words of forgiveness or repentance.
(Genesis 3:11-12) He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you
eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" The man said,
"The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and
I ate."
Adam blamed Eve for his sin. He even
blamed God for giving him the woman!
When it was Eve’s turn, she didn’t assume
her responsibility either, but justified herself, blaming the serpent.
(Genesis 3:13) Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that
you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I
ate."
Excuses are not a proof of repentance,
but an attempt to justify sin. Without repentance there no transformation and
there is no forgiveness.
Adam and Eve covered their nakedness. They
covered their fault, instead of confessing and correcting. But the cover they
put on was not good enough. God showed them which was the only item that could
really cover them.
(Genesis 3:21) And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of
skins and clothed them.
This is the first time in the Bible
where we see an animal sacrifice. God took the life of an animal, and clothed
man with its skin. The man had to die for his sin, but God provided a
substitute to cover his sin, and thus have access to be reconciled with God.
This concept is further developed throughout the Bible, reaching its peak point
with the sacrifice of Yeshua, the Lamb of God, whose death on the cross is our
reconciliation with God.
(I Peter 1:18-19) …knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways
inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or
gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without
blemish or spot.
During our next study we will see the
consequences of the sin of man…
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