5. And how admirably the satisfaction of our Lord Jesus, by his death and sufferings, answered the sentence passed on our first parents! New Age author Marianne Williamson (author of A Return to Love: Reflections on the Principles of A Course in Miracles), guru to many of Hollywoods spiritual seekers, spent a night at the White House as the personal guest of Hillary Clinton. Also, there is a continual struggle between the wicked and the godly in this world. And still the devil draws people into his interest, by suggesting to them hard thoughts of God, and false hopes of advantage by sin. To this point, death had been mentioned only as a threatened punishment for sin ( Genesis And he said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?. The fruit probably was pleasant to the eyes, though that shouldnt mean much. WebLot and his family flee toward the nearby city of Zoar while God rains sulfur and fire onto Sodom and Gomorrah. If this is true, it wasnt so strange to Eve that an angelic being might appear to her in the form of a beautiful pre-curse serpent. His employments and enjoyments are imbittered to him. b. Sin brought pain to childbirth, and no one knew more pain than Jesus did when He, through His suffering, brought many sons to glory (, Sin brought conflict, and Jesus endured great conflict to bring our salvation (, Thorns came with sin and the fall, and Jesus endured a crown of thorns to bring our salvation (, Sin brought sweat, and Jesus sweat, as it were, great drops of blood to win our salvation (, Sin brought sorrow, and Jesus became a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief, to save us (, Sin brought death, and Jesus tasted death for everyone that we might be saved (, Barnhouse, Donald Grey "Genesis: A Devotional Exposition" Volumes 1 and 2 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1973), Boice, James Montgomery "Genesis: An Expositional Commentary" Volumes 1, 2, and 3 (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan, 1987), Ginzberg, Louis "The Legends of the Jews" Volumes 1-7 (Philadelphia: The Jewish Publication Society of America, 1968), Leupold, H.C. "Exposition of Genesis: Volumes 1 and 2" (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1976), Spurgeon, Charles Haddon "The New Park Street Pulpit" Volumes 1-6 and "The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit" Volumes 7-63 (Pasadena, Texas: Pilgrim Publications, 1990). It would not be until the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8) when God would normally come to them. Would you prayerfully consider a gift of support today? ii. iii. Webhis body was composed of the dust, was of the earth, earthly, and should be reduced to that again by death, which is not an annihilation of man, but a bringing him back to GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select a Beginning Point No wonder our sorrows are multiplied, when our sins are so. But it is a dangerous thing to teach the doctrines of man as if they are the commandments of God (Matthew 15:9). A verification email has been sent to the address you provided. Charles Spurgeon thought the sense was, in the wind of the evening, when the evening breeze was blowing through the garden. It was Eve's weakness to enter into this talk with the serpent: she might have perceived by his question, that he had no good design, and should therefore have started back. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, Cool of the day is literally the breeze of the day. From Hebrew geography and culture, we might guess this means late afternoon or early evening. Web19 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. v. This is the first gospel sermon that was ever delivered upon the surface of this earth. c. On your belly you shall go: Whatever noble bearing the creation known as the serpent had before the fall and the curse, that nobility was gone. Till you return to the ground, (14,15) The punishment of mankind. Many have speculated that Adam sinned because he didnt want Eve to be alone in the fall, and he ate of the fruit out of a romantic impulse. Pentateuch WebGenesis 3:19 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. King This was their holy of holies. Therefore, it was important to send cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. On your belly you shall go, God bid man go out; told him he should no longer occupy and enjoy that garden: but man liked the place, and was unwilling to leave it, therefore God made him go out. (Genesis 3:16) Gods curse upon the woman. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation, Select an Ending Point Let us, therefore, always think well of God as the best good, and think ill of sin as the worst evil: thus let us resist the devil, and he will flee from us. General Epistles And between your seed and her Seed; b. (1) The serpent begins his temptation.. Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD 2. (6-8) God calls upon Adam and Eve to answer. Our first parents were shut out from the privileges of their state of innocency, yet they were not left to despair. This much was true: she had been deceived, and she did eat. b. Tunics of skin: In order for Adam and Eve to be clothed, a sacrifice had to be made. God didnt ask Satan (the being animating the serpent) any questions because there was nothing to teach him. Who told you that you were naked? ii. He was to live; the ground was to bring forth enough of the herb of the field for him to continue to exist. The Gospels This failure on Adams part made Eve more vulnerable to temptation. I will put enmity between you and the woman: In addition, there is a natural aversion between mankind and serpents, especially on the part of women. d. He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden: Cherubim are always associated with the presence and glory of God (Ezekiel 10, Isaiah 6, Revelation 4). Then the LORD God called to Adam and said to him, Where are you?. Eve was responsible. The woman, for her sin, is condemned to a state of sorrow, and of subjection; proper punishments of that sin, in which she had sought to gratify the desire of her eye, and of the flesh, and her pride. And it was only true in Eves mind that the tree was desirable to make one wise. WebThe temptation from the serpent. He pressed upon them greatly Partly because he would by no means have them to expose themselves to the perils and insults which he was aware awaited their Before the curse on man, the ground only produced good. In virtually all cultures, adults cover their genital areas, even though other parts of the human body may be more or less exposed from culture to culture. The devil tempts them, persecutes and slays them; and so bruises the heel of Christ, who is afflicted in their afflictions. But God made them coats of skin, large, strong, durable, and fit for them: such is the righteousness of Christ; therefore put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ. And they heard the sound 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 among the trees of the garden. Notice is given concerning Christ. ii. And I will put enmity c. Where are you? It may be that Adam and Eve were previously clothed in Gods glorious light, and the immediate loss of this covering of light left them feeling exposed and naked. This was a sin problem and Adams wardrobe, fear or self-understanding could not be addressed until the sin problem was addressed. It was as if God could not wait to announce His plan of salvation, to bring deliverance through the one known as the Seed of the woman. When he gave me the fruit, I ate of it.. In Jesus, we share in the victory over Satan: And the God of peace will crush Satan under your feet shortly (Romans 16:20). Anthony Robbins, motivational guru and king of late-night infomercials, consulted with President Clinton at Camp David. Any angel of the lowest rank could have dealt with Adam. Wisdom Literature He drew all his posterity into sin and ruin. 2. Or, perhaps the idea focuses on mans greater knowledge (though in a bad sense) now that he has the experiential knowledge of evil. Cookie Notice: The devil, as he is a liar, so he is a scoffer from the beginning; and scoffers are his children. It was Satan who said, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God I will be like the Most High (Isaiah 14:13-14). In response, God issues three individual ''curses'' which affect humanity to this day. Satan wants us to see sin as something good that a bad God doesnt want us to have. Wisdom Literature i. His victory over Satan thereby. a. This shows how remarkable it is that Jesus could say, Satan has nothing in Me (John 14:30). WebAlthough death was the fruit of Adam's sin, it was by God's grace that His curse did not fall upon Adam. They that would not eat the forbidden fruit, must not come near the forbidden tree. Johannine Writings An immaterial spirit must be invisible; and therefore he must embody himself in some way or other before he can be seen. The devil contradicts Gods word by falsely assuring Adam and Eve, you shall not surely die.. c. God has said: Eves ignorance of exactly what God said was really Adams responsibility. The heel is the part within the serpents reach. Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one's mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year. The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, Therefore, it is Adam and not Eve who bears the responsibility for the fall of the human race and for the introduction of death into the created order (Romans 5:12, 1 Corinthians 15:22). Humanity was originally given every perfect thing they could need or want, and virtually no restrictions. WebAs Genesis 3:20 records an instance of humble, apprehending faith in the divine word, so here we have a manifest act of mercy on the part of God, indicating the pardon and acceptance of confessing, believing man, rejoicing in anticipation of that future victory over the serpent which was to be accomplished by the seed of the woman. By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.. On this occasion, Satan chose to indwell the body of a pre-curse serpent. Covering ourselves with our good works is like Adam and Eve trying to cover themselves with fig leaves. The Lamb of God has made for us a garment which covers our nakedness so that we are not afraid to stand even before the bar of God. (Spurgeon). GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. The New Testament She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. Barnhouse explained: This verse will be understood better when it is realized that the desire of man toward his wife alone is solely by Gods grace and not by nature.. The friendship Eve and the serpent seemed to enjoy earlier in the chapter is finished. The Gospels The creature that tempted Eve became a serpent as a result of Gods judgment on it, and it went slithering away into the bushes. (Boice), ii. Minor Prophets Sin brought death into the world: if Adam had not sinned, he had not died. God announced that Satan would wound the Messiah (you shall bruise His heel), but the Messiah would crush Satan with a mortal wound (He shall bruise your head). Pentateuch Satan tempted Eve, that by her he might tempt Adam. See also God's care for our first parents, notwithstanding their sin. Historical Books Eve tried to become a god by rebelling against God. This creature didnt start as a snake as we know it, it became one. Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Here was the drawn of the gospel day: no sooner was the wound given, than the remedy was provided and revealed. WebBut the serpent said to the woman, You shall not surely die (Genesis 3:4) God had expressly declared to Adam, in the day that you eat of (the forbidden tree) you shall surely die.. Under Jesus, some of the effects of the curse are relieved, and it has been the Christianizing of society that brought rights and dignity to women. f. Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? The excuses men make to cover and lessen their sins, are vain and frivolous; like the aprons of fig-leaves, they make the matter never the better: yet we are all apt to cover our transgressions as Adam. Without shedding of blood there is no remission (Hebrews 9:22). John 3:16, Jesus faith love), The Whole Bible If Satan doesnt couple it with some truth, there is little power in his temptation. Albeit that henceforth all he ate was to be with the sweat of his face, yet still he was to have enough to eat, and he was to live on. (Spurgeon). d. Dust you are, and to dust you shall return: The final curse upon man promised there would be an end of his toil and labor on the earth but it was an end of death, not an end of deliverance. Pentateuch ii. Dont touch it or God says well die! While this is better than saying nothing, what Adam didnt explain made a vulnerable place where Satan could attack. Major Prophets So he said, I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself. And He said, Who told you that you were naked? We will see Adam and Eve in heaven. You are cursed more than all cattle: The first part of the curse is directed at the animal that Satan used to bring the temptation. (Genesis 3:4-5) Satans direct challenge to Gods Word. conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy Johannine Writings Yet death being dreadful to nature, even when life is unpleasant, that concludes the punishment. See Romans 7:11; Hebrews 3:13. By his death he gave a fatal blow to the devil's kingdom, a wound to the head of this serpent that cannot be healed. When God made clothes for our first parents, he made them warm and strong, but coarse and very plain; not robes of scarlet, but coats of skin. i. Perhaps there is a note of sarcasm by God here (as Elijah used in 1 Kings 18:27), regarding Satans empty promise to become like gods. In an echo of the flood story, God destroys Sodom for the wickedness displayed earlier in the chapter. The taking was all her doing. When men deny the Scriptures and the truth of God, they always go to work in an underhand, mean, and serpentine style: Upon thy belly shalt thou go. If guilty man begins to plot for his own advantage, scheme for his own glory, and aim at perverting the truth, you will notice that he never takes a bold, open, manly stand, but he dodges, he conceals, he twists and shifts: Upon thy belly shalt thou go. Sin is a mean and despicable thing. ii. Humanity was originally given every perfect thing they could need or want, and virtually no restrictions. It was a memorable discourse indeed, with Jehovah himself for the preacher, and the whole human race and the prince of darkness for the audience. (Spurgeon). Sooner or later it will bring shame; either the shame of true repentance, which ends in glory, or that shame and everlasting contempt, to which the wicked shall rise at the great day. You will not surely die: Satan first wanted Eve to forget all about what God said about the consequences of sin. Prophets We simply and strongly tell him, The Lord rebuke you! (Jude 9). As He creates and destroys worlds, so will you have the power to create and destroy. Satan took advantage by finding her near the forbidden tree. Pauline Epistles She saw. CSB 19 You will eat bread by the e. The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate: Adams attempt to blame Eve is completely consistent with human nature. Man's food shall become unpleasant to him. b. In Satans direct challenge, he tries to get Eve to doubt the badness of sin. God knew the answer to this question. To eat dust has the idea of total defeat (Isaiah 65:25, Micah 7:17). i. 16-19 The woman, for her sin, is condemned to a state of sorrow, and of subjection; proper punishments of that sin, in which she had sought to gratify the desire of her eye, and of the flesh, and her pride. By proceeding, you consent to our cookie usage. i. The person tempted was the woman: it was Satan's policy to enter into talk with her when she was alone. Satan couldnt cram the fruit down her throat. e. Enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed: The second part of the curse is directed against Satan himself. Satan assaulted our first parents, to draw them to sin, and the temptation proved fatal to them. The curse of death shows that the result of Adams sin extended to the entire human race. iii. 3. 1. Thus men's frivolous pleas will, in the day of God's judgment, be turned against them. i. Adam even blames God. Poetical Books iii. They have more care to save their credit before men, than to obtain their pardon from God. Because she was the mother of all living: Adam named her Eve, even though she was not a mother at all at the time. When cherubim are represented on earth (such as in the tabernacle, Exodus 25:10-22), they mark a meeting place with God. Let us not look on that which we are in danger of lusting after, Romans 5:19; disobedience to a plain, easy, and express command. Satan, by their corruptions, buffets them, sifts them, and seeks to devour them. Did travailing pains come with sin? That bruised heel is painful enough. Christ baffled Satan's temptations, rescued souls out of his hands. 1. They knew they were naked, in the sense of having their shame exposed to all creation. Sin brought sorrow into the world; that made the world a vale of tears. iii. Luke-Acts The lifting of a bronze serpent is the lifting up of sin judged, in the form of a cross. God Himself ate first of the fruit of the tree, and then He created the world. Isaiah 14 tells us Satans fall had to do with his desire to be equal to or greater than God, to set his will against Gods will. Now the creature Satan used to tempt Eve would be a low, groveling creature. God put marks of displeasure on Adam. Then to Adam He said, Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; It is idle to call the narrative of the Fall a mere allegory; one had better say at once that he does not believe the Book There was a real serpent, as there was a real paradise; there was a real Adam and Eve, who stood at the head of our race, and they really sinned, and our race is really fallen. Prophets c. And clothed them: This, together with the expression of faith in Gods promise indicated in the naming of Eve (Genesis 3:20), indicates that Adam and Eve were rescued from their sinful condition. Minor Prophets (9-13) The serpent cursed, The promised Seed. You were made from Are not his days also like the days of a hired man? Did death come in with sin? iv. His habitation is cursed. Not only does Adam unjustly accuse Eve, but also he refused to accept proper responsibility for his part in her sin. If we are born naturally rebellious against God, we are also born cautious and afraid of Satan. The serpent was more cunning than any beast: Satans effectiveness is often found in His cunning, crafty ways. The serpent: The text here does not, by itself alone, clearly identify the serpent as Satan, but the rest of the Bible makes it clear this is Satan appearing as a serpent. The question was meant to express Gods sorrow over mans lost condition. i. Yet man is not sentenced to eat dust as the serpent, only to eat the herb of the field. Genesis 2. Poetical Books ii. Yet you can do what is right before God right now by confessing and repenting. Significantly, if there is any blame, it is on Adam, not Eve. We can assume this is God, in the Person of Jesus Christ, appearing to Adam and Eve before His incarnation and birth at Bethlehem, because of God the Father it is said, No one has seen God at any time. WebGenesis 19. Matthew Henrys Bible Commentary (concise), Matthew Henry Bible Commentary (complete), California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. i. Adam, being the head, is the problem here. He was sent to a place of toil, not to a place of torment. c. Your desire shall be for your husband: This is true of women in a way that it is not true for men.