Genesis Chapter 3 Notes

In Genesis chapter 3. I personally believe that the devil made the serpent possessed because he manifested his spirit inside it. The serpent was very slick, cunning, and clever. He was doing what the devil is known for doing that is walking around as a roaring lion seeing whom he can devour. So I imagine him walking up the woman. Asking the woman a question. Did God really say that you can't eat from every fruit in the garden? Of course the woman responded by saying We can eat from every tree accept one which is the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God told us not to eat from the tree nor touch it unless we will surely die. It's interesting that the woman would say that. God never said that they could not touch the tree. In Genesis 2:16-17 God said to Adam Of every tree of the garden you are free to eat from it but the tree of knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die. However Eve responded to Satan's question by saying the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said don't eat it, don't touch, or you will die! She forgot the word surely. In my opinion that word surely represents the seriousness of what God was saying. The word surely is used to emphasize the speaker's firm belief that what they were saying is true. God was firm when he gave Adam the commandment not to eat the fruit of the tree. I personally believe that because God did not speak that to Eve personally she didn't get the seriousness of God's message. So next the serpent starts lying to the woman. First of all he was trying to call God a liar. Second of all he was trying to get the woman to believe that God is a liar. When clearly the Word of God says that God is not a man that he should lie and God hates lying. However, the serpent had the audacity to say you won't surely die. In other words, he was trying to convince the woman that God's message wasn't that serious at all. He was saying don't worry you won't die at all but instead if you eat the fruit, you will be like gods and have the knowledge of good and evil. Eve listened to Satan and everything that he was saying sounded good. She was attracted to the thing that she did not know. So thought in her mind this fruit looks good and it's good for food, and she had the desire to be wise because this knowledge that the serpent spoke of was appealing. So she picked the fruit of the tree and ate it then she gave it to her husband and he ate it. I notice that both of their eyes were open after they both ate it. I wonder if Eve's eyes would have been open if Adam wouldn't have eaten it. After they ate it, there eyes were open, and they knew that they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons (Verse 7). The husband and wife were ashamed, felt exposed, and afraid so they covered themselves. Of course Adam and Eve were the first fashion designers in the world because they sowed fig leaves together to make clothing.

So God was walking in the garden but Adam and Eve hid themselves from God's presence because they were afraid, ashamed, exposed, and they knew that God would not be pleased with what they have done. I personally believe that when they ate the fruit the glory of God that was within them was lost. That light was lost! So God said Adam where are you? I personally do not believe that God was asking that question because He didn't know where Adam was. I think He was waiting for Adam to come out and confess. I believe Adam came out from hiding and said, I heard your voice and I hid myself because I was fearful and ashamed because I am naked. Fear and shame can cause God's children to try to hide from God especially after you have sinned or been disobedient to God. So the Lord, asked him who told you that you were naked? Who gave you this information? Did you eat from the tree that I specifically told you not to eat from? Instead of the man saying, Yes Lord I know that you told me that you did not want me to eat from the tree. Lord, please forgive me for taking the fruit from my wife and eating from the tree and please Lord spare my life. Adam responded and pretty much said God, this woman that you placed in my life gave me the fruit of the tree and yes I did eat it. So in a sense he was blaming God and the woman for him eating the tree. He was blaming God for putting the woman in his life. He was blaming the woman for giving him the fruit from the tree. A lot of men are the same way in today's society. Instead of acknowledging their own wrong doings and repenting from their sins they will try to blame the woman in their lives (their mother for not being there, their aunt, their sister, their girlfriend, their baby mama, their wife, etc)…. Men are going to have to step up and take responsibility for their own lives. Just because a woman tries to steer you in the wrong direction doesn't mean that you have to go. Acknowledge your wrong doings, repent to God and move on with your life. The Lord in his anger was saying Woman, what have you done? When God asked her that question, she should have said Lord Adam told me that you said not to eat or touch the tree but I didn't understand the seriousness of the command. Please forgive me for listening to the serpent instead of listening to my husband. Also please forgive me for eating from the tree and giving it to my husband.  But she did not say any of that. Instead she said the serpent tricked me into eating the fruit. She do what a lot of women do and that is blame satan for their wrong doings. It's time for both men and women to start taking responsibility for their own behaviors, wrong doings, and sins and self reflecting. It's time to repent and ask God to forgive you of your sins and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.

So after the Lord, heard all of their excuses He made a decision to give them punishments because he is a just God and must punish sin. He started with the serpent made him the most cursed animal, forced him to eat dust for the rest of his life and to crawl on his belly. In verse 15 God said, I will put enmity between you and the woman, your seed and her seed, and it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. I personally believe that the seed of the woman that verse 15 is referring to is Jesus Christ. Mary was the virgin woman God impregnated by the Holy Spirit to bring forth Jesus Christ. I think that Jesus bruised his head (destroy satan's works, designs, kingdoms, etc) and satan bruised his heel by influencing the hearts of Pointius Pilate and the Jews to crucify Jesus Christ. For the woman's punishment God made childbirth painful, gave the woman's desire to her husband, and the husband became ruler over her life. For Adam's punishment, the ground was cursed which means that Adam would have to toil in sweat and work really hard to feed and provide for his family. God also said that dust is what Adam was made out of and when he dies his body will return to dust.

Next, Adam gave his wife the name Eve because she was the mother of all living. (Verse 20). So the man became like God to know good and evil. The Lord did not want them eating from the tree of life to live forever in their sinful state. So therefore, the Lord sent them out of the garden of Eden and sent Cherubims (angels) to guard the garden to keep the way of the tree of life.

The one thing that I take from this whole passage is to be obedient to God when He tells you not to do something or to do something. Disobedience causes unwanted consequences. 

Genesis 3:1-24

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:

3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 

5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 

12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 

13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 

15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. 

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. 

20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.