Because you listen to your wife and ate from [Gen3b]

Genesis 3:8-24

Key verse 3:15,21

 Introduction: Last week we went through how Adam and Even came to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. We were able to discern few things: Eve had unthankful heart and was filled with discontent and complaints against God's authority.  There was a cunning scheme of the serpent that twisted the words of God insinuating an idea that God forbid man so as to keep his power over man. Also there was an issue of Eve's knowledge of the words of God. All these lead her to reach out her hand to pick the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil in disobedience to God’s command.

Immediately after this, they became shameful of their nakedness.

In Today's passages, God confronts Adam and Eve, the caretaker of the Garden of Eden, concerning His command.  In the first part, God demanded an answer from Adam and Eve why they did disobey. In the second part God delivers God's punishment on each of them, the serpent, Eve and Adam. Lastly we will explore God’s mind in these judgments.

1. Who told you that you were naked? [8-13]

What is sin?

In v7, we come to know that as soon as they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, their eyes were opened, they realized they were naked. In order hide their nakedness, they sewed fig leaved and covered themselves. ‘What is sin?

• It is against God only. [Psalm 51:4 Against you, you only, have I sinned and done what is evil in your sight, so that you are proved right when you speak and justified when you judge]
• It is disobedience; violation of God’s command, rejection of God’s authority
• It is declaring autonomy-self claim independence from God. 
• Sin brings change of our being: their view changed and they saw their nakedness; shame and guilt. It is called ‘depraved or fallen.’  It is best described in Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

.

How does sin express itself? It is revealed in Adam’s relationship with God.

V8-9

When God called them, they hid themselves from the Lord among the trees. God's first word ;

Where are you?

1. God is demanding Adam to present himself before God and a report from him about what happen in the garden that he entrusted to Adam. Man cannot hide from God.
2. It is a rebuke of Adam , not doing what he was expected to do.
3. Behind this is God's desire and will to have friendly and intimate relationship with Adam

But this expectation was not met. He was hiding himself from God because of fear. This fear has to do with his nakedness. He was clothed with something but now that is taken off and he is naked.

The changed nature of man: They could not bear the glory of God V8, as they heard the sound of God. So they hid themselves among the trees. They were gripped with Fear before God’s glory:  it is a fear of judgment. This is the first characteristic of man in sin.

God continued;

Who told you that you were naked?  Who perpetrated God's command and caused you feel shame on your nakedness? Was it you or someone else?  Was it Eve or you or someone else?

Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded? Did you or did you not? Was it you that violated the command that I gave you??

It is noteworthy that though man did eat as the woman gave it to him, passively, God demanded more questions and full answers. God put man as the head master of the world that he created. The head master must come and present himself before God, explaining everything that happened in this Garden.  Though woman orchestrated everything in eating from the tree, God is not asking woman but man, demanding answers. But sadly man failed to do so. Here is God’s sadness and unhappiness. Man failed to do what he was trusted to do! Here God expressed his sternness to his sin and his disappointment and sadness on the fact that Adam failed his expectations.

What was his answer? V12

Here is the second characteristic of sinfulness: Unable to bear the charge; denying the wrong; make effort to justify himself and blame others—God and woman When God asked who told you that you were naked, he said the woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit and I ate.

To the woman, God asked ‘what is this you have done?’

She was not exempt from this charge. God demanded answers from the woman as well.

The woman is to answer to God as well. Here again shows God’s sadness and disappointment.

Through this interrogation, God wanted the answer why they perpetrated such sin against God.

When God said you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, God never meant to punish them. It was all for their blessing their wellbeing. When they failed to know God's love and God's blessing for them, God was filled with amazement and sadness.

Sin, though it seems trivial, is sin that offended God's command. It will be surely punished and God's word will be fulfilled. When you eat of it you will surely die God said. So shall they die!

In the legal court, it is called ‘interrogation.’ At this time all the facts will be searched. God searched the detail from each person. He found the fact on Adam, by asking proving questions and also at this time God found what Adam had in his mind. God did this to the woman.

When we commit a crime, a prosecutor does such interrogation. One of  my patient sued me for what he suffered under my care. The plaintiff’s attorney asked all kinds of questions. It included by country, name birth, schools I attended, What kind of training I had, If I had any prior suit against me, If I violated any other crimes.  I had to answer all these.

When Adam and Eve faced God’s interrogation, whenever one violate God’s commands, he or she has to answer before God, no matter how small it might be! S o we all will face such time before God.

Hebrews 9:27

It is scary to face God’s interrogation. All our being is known to him and we cannot hide anything; from inmost thought and things that we did in our closet. Are you able to stand before God without any fault?

When I was at the seat of interrogation, I was somewhat uptight but was not afraid. My attorney said to me. Don’t worry about anything and answer as you know. Whenever the plaintiff’s attorney asked me a sharp and incriminating question, my attorney stop him and neutralized his words.  He defended me very well. 

One thing we know is that we have such defender, our Lord Jesus who paid all our sins on the cross on our behalf. Though our lives are replete with many vile sins and wickedness, we should not worry this interrogation because we have our Lord Jesus as our defender. But if we do not have such defender and we have to face God’s probing questions?

2. God's punishment. [14-19]

When God got to the serpent, God even did not ask why it did such trickery. He just punished the serpent. V14

First the reason; ‘because you have done this’ What did the serpent do?  He said to the woman ‘you will surely not die’.  His cunning deceptions lured the woman and man into sin. It is not guiltless.  He is the source as well as the major force of such offense against God and His authority. How did God punish the serpent?

V14,15

1. God cursed: cursed among all animals. animals are the lowest of God's creation. But the serpent is the lowest among the low. He is close to the dust in value and worthiness in God. craw on your belly

2. You will eat the dust.

3. Will have enmity with woman and her descendant.

4. That enmity will end with the destruction of the serpent. ultimate fate of the serpent. 

We know two things that lead them to act of disobedience. It is their unhappiness and distrust in God's provision and love. The second is the Satan's deception.  Satan's deception played a great part in causing all these troubles. God put hostility in between woman and the serpent. So there won’t be any cordial joint venture in sin. This conflict will end in the woman’s favor.

1 Woman will fight the battle against Satanic powers. Eventually she will play [by child bearing] a very important part of eternal victory; because her offspring will bring victory over Satan.

2. There is a certainly that the Satan will be destroyed or defeated thoroughly in coming ages.

Satan will be destroyed by an offspring of the woman! This is God’s ultimate judgment on Satan and its fate is sealed. The offender, the deceiver, and the enemy that brought the suffering and death will surely judged to destruction. This assures her an ultimate victory over the enemy and evil forces of Satan.

To the woman;

V16

God will increase her pains in child bearing. Also God said that Your desire will be for your husband and he will rule over you. It was her desire to gain wisdom and knowledge, becoming like God; But God puts rein on the character that lead her to this disobedience.  [headship--the key element of her violation ]

These are direct punishment on her. But this punishment does not touch anything about finality of her being. God did not do anything about God’s blessing: be fruitful and increase in number; being a helper. God kept her role as she was. God did not rescind God’s blessing but impose much pain and control. Why? She may still meet God’s purpose even in the changed nature, sinfulness. God’s hope for woman has not changed despite of her sin and its due punishment.

To man

God pointed out exactly the nature of sin

V17 Because you listen to your wife instead of what I said--woman's word  over God's word. The word of God is ignored and Adam chose what he wanted to believe. It may be of his wife or anyone else’s. The word of God is absolute while all the words of others are relative.

Because you ate from the tree that I commanded not to eat from. –it is disobedience to God's command.  It is a  challenge to God's authority. –the most egregious sin  [first three commandments]

God delivers punishment.

V17b.

The tree of which he was to eat freely, he now has to work hard and only then he can eat of only the trees[general] that maintains for a while but never gives a new life[the tree of life]

V18

The return to the ground because he is of the dust.

1. There will be hard labor to maintain life on the earth.
2. Absence of God's glory will lead man to the value of dust.
3. Futility of life under this circumstances; no effort of his own will change this fate. He has to succumb to death.
4. Payment for sin by life or absence of life leads one to the dust. 

All human beings are under this predicament. So the view of life by the world is captured this well; What is your view of life? When you are about to end your life, what would you feel about your life? We know what the world understands about life: Nihilism, pessimism, and fatalism are the mainstay of thought of people of this age. All these views take death as ultimate outcome of life no matter what men do. Simply they are under the power of death and find no meaning and purpose of life now. On the other hand, there are epicureans and stoics who try to find value and meaning in the present life. Regardless of what views one choose, all these views see the death as the end of life. God made this as an unambiguous truth and fact. So we know all men die and no one can overcome the power of death.

In the Bible one also saw such futility of life. He is King Solomon:  Ecclesiastes. 1:2-3

This is Gods punishment and demand for payment of sin.

Then this is it?

Can we take this as God’s warning that unless we find truth, we will end in such meaninglessness?  It is seen Rom 8:20-22.

God subjected men under such punishment with the hope that they might be redeemed and restored to God again.

C.      Hope in the midst of futility[20-24]

V20 Adam's view: call his wife Eve ; mother of all living ; in the midst of hopelessness Adam saw a glimpse of hope in God's promise to destroy Satan.[15]

How did God see this?

V21 God's love: Adam's faith is counted by God and assured the hope by making a covering for Adam and Eve with a garment of skin. God killed an animal and took the skin and covered Adam and Eve. It is God’s love and will to sustain their lives in God despite of their rebellion.  Also it is God's will to cover the sins of man so that they might be able to face God. In this will God sent his son Jesus to cover sins of man. In order to cover our sins, Jesus suffered and died on the cross.

V22 : Tree of life

Man cannot have two: tree of life and tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Disobedience and life cannot be together [John 15:10 If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love.] Likewise, man’s corrupted life cannot bear with God’s holiness. Dreadful fear will overwhelm sinful man. So what was God’s solution?

V23-24

In order for man to keep their living, God did two things: banishing them from the Garden; guarding the way to the free of life.

The focus of these two is these: man cannot survive under God’s holiness so he must be put out side of God’s presence; the Garden of Eden. Second, he must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Such painful life shall bring repentance and must be brought to end so as to be renewed.

Securing and preserving the tree of life; banishing and protecting

There is only one choice among the two trees; life or good and evil. 

All these actions are taken because of God’s hope to restore men to his grace and his full blessing in God’s kingdom.

This love and hope are seen God’s call, where are you! It is seen in God’s curse on Eve, promising the destruction of Satan by an offspring of woman, it is seen in God made garment of skin for Adam and Eve. It is seen in God’s preservation of the Garden and the tree of life from Adam and Eve

What does this tell about us? Are we sinners?

1.      We are born out of the Garden of Eden and into the world where there is no tree of life; The tree of life is shielded from us. So, what we are born with is already devoid of godliness. So it says sin entered through one man Adam. So we are sinners by birth and we sinned against God by our actions. Psalm 51:5 Surely I was sinful at birth, sinful from the time my mother conceived me. Rom 3:23 Romans 3:23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,.

2.      Sinful nature bore sinful life: Galatians 5:19 The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; ²⁰ idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions ²¹ and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

3.      Romans 8:5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. ⁶ The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace; ⁷ the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God's law, nor can it do so.

4.      Jesus said this: John 8:21 Once more Jesus said to them, "I am going away, and you will look for me, and you will die in your sin. Where I go, you cannot come."John 8:24 I told you that you would die in your sins; if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins." As long as we remain as we are, not seeking God, we will surely live in sin and die in sin.

5.      As God promised the doom of Satan by the offspring of woman, Jesus came and defeated Satan. In Jesus we are restored our relationship with God. This hope was at the beginning of the fall of man, when God punished men for their sins. God did this as he said. Jesus is the hope for us all. We will not succumb to fatalism, nihilism or pessimism, or stoicism or epicurean thinking.