The fall of man [Gen 3a]

Fall of man

Gen 3:1-7

Introduction: God blessed man abundantly entrusting the most blessing Garden of Eden. Can man keep this blessing? It was tested and failed that test. What went wrong? How can we avoid such failure?

The answer lies in what God did and say. Let’s pray that God may give us clear insight how to live in God’s blessing.

A.      Testing [1-5]

As we mentioned, this is a place of Paradise. God prepared everything for man and man is in charge. He is to take care of everything in this paradise. Here Eve was visited by a very beautiful animal, one of God’s creations.

V1. It looked so beautiful but it was very cunning and had hidden motive in coming to talk to Eve. He came with a question. This question was about God, the creator of all things. God is actually the master and boss of man. This serpent raised a question on what God said to Adam.

"Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

i.              Question on what God said to Adam, God genuine intention or will for man

ii.             He changed the words of God: negative, changing blessing to control

iii.            Great emphasis on ‘must not’ insinuating an idea that God is unduly in control.

Simply it was a question of test if she loved and trusted God or not. 

The woman answered v2-3

i.              Woman quickly responded to the serpent.

ii.             We may eat—you are free to eat from any tree: blessing is minimized and changed in to a word of God’s control or regulation.

iii.            She made emphasis on the fact that God forbid them not to eat from a tree.

iv.            ‘Tree of knowledge of good and evil’ is changed to ‘the tree that is in the middle of the Garden’; nullifying the importance or significance of this tree—that has ‘the knowledge of evil’ : evil is deleted or deemphasized.

v.             She added the word of control : you must not touch it.

vi.            She deemphasized the certain outcome to possible outcome: you will die.

Over all she revealed that she was not happy and she could not fully trust God and his words. She is not sure if God genuinely loves her.

We can summarize into two: doubt about God’s care and love; doubt God’s warning if that is true and valid.

How did she come to this way?

i.                    She did not know exactly what God said? Yes it is possible that she might have misunderstood what God said. But this is less probable since she clearly said that she must not eat from the tree that is in the middle of the garden.

ii.                  As she projected, was God’s demand unduly harsh? Why not?

iii.                God provided a particular place, called Garden of Eden just for the blessing of man. In it God provided everything for life. From the beginning to the end all things are from God and by God and for man. Considering what God did to man for his blessing, one can hardly think that God made an undue demand for man to obey one thing in respect and honor to God of creation.

Our relationship with others is always controlled by two things: what he gave me and what I give him back in return. When the value of each giving is the same, we call it equal. But when one gives more and demands back very small, it is a grace. When one gives small but demand a lot, then we know he is a taker and abuser or cheater

Our relationship with God is similar. If God gave man a lot and asks for a little, then it is grace. If God asks us as much he gave to us, then it is justice. If God demands more than what he gave to us, then it is injustice or undue demand.

Which one of these did Eve think of? It is very clear through his words that she thought the last one; God is demanding more than he put in; he is unjust or undue or harsh demand.

What did God give to Eve or man Adam? One thing that we must be reminded is that Adam and Eve are one being. Whatever God did to Adam is done to Even as well because they are one being!

Then let’s weigh two things first, what God did to Adam and Eve and next what God demanded from Adam and Eve.

1. God created a place called Garden of Eden. It is a particular place out of vast earth that he created. In this place, he created four head waters flowing into. Around these rivers are very precious gems and all kinds of trees which bear so many fruits and seed bearing plants. He can enjoy delicious food freely. [2:16]
2. There a tree of life; whenever he need strength for life, he can pick up a fruit from the tree of life and live for ever and ever. [2:17]
3. The entire garden was entrusted to man ; he is free to take care of it according to his taste and will. He is made the lord of all creation.
4. Actually his very being was created by God and sustained by God. So in Act 17 Paul said this way: ²⁵ And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything, because he himself gives all men life and breath and everything else.; simply Adam and Eve owe to God of their whole being!

What did God demand of Adam and Eve?

1. God said in v 2:17 you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. God commanded them not to eat from one tree! The tree of knowledge of good and evil. There are thousands or millions of trees. They are free to eat from any of these trees except one! The tree of knowledge of good and evil. They are even allowed to eat from the tree of life by which they can sustain life for ever and ever!
2. Simply one goes by number of tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil is one and the rest is so many, millions!

Why then did she harbor so much unhappiness and distrust about God and his love?

Paul said exactly in this way:

²⁰ For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities-- his eternal power and divine nature-- have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. ²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.

She did not have thankful heart! She did not give fully God what he is worthy of. He is the provider of all things and he is the creator of her life. God must be honored and thanked. But when she did not, all things are seen with doubt and distrust.

She might have misread the words of God. But the key weakness of her was she did not have thankful heart. When one is filled with thankfulness, all things are seen with positive affection and attitude. When one is not thankful, things are seen with doubt and distrust.

God unquestionably pour his love and care for man. But God wanted to be honored and recognized as the Lord who gave man all things. Beginning of this relationship is giving full credit to God who gave us everything in thanks and honor to Him.

Be reminded that this was not created by the serpent or its word but this was there already in her heart. It was only exposed and unveiled by the serpents trick.

When she harbors unhappy feelings and distrust, she became vulnerable to all kinds of attack for cunning scheme.

The word is accepted and understood.

v4

God said you will surely die. But this serpent says that you will not surely die. The serpent dared to say against God and his word!  The serpent is pitting her against God, the creator!

Was there a sound reason to say such a bold claim?

V5

God said this because if she eats of this tree, then her eyes will be opened to know good and evil. She will be like God! Was this true or not? v22

What the serpent is saying is true! Does that mean that they will become like God! Not at all! The moment they ate from the tree, they became ashamed of themselves. They were driven away from the garden.

So this is half truth. Half truth always some elements of truth. But it never represents the truth fully in its entirety. Ultimately half truth pits against the truth.

There are many half truths and claim that they are truth. In this way many are deceived by half truth. Actually it is offensive to God as the serpent said.

Half truth never deliver what it claims. But the truth delivers its results. When God said you will surely die,  it means that there is no chance to escape death. Death is certainty. It is not a chance or fall into statistics.

In this way the serpent is appealing to her with

i.                    Direct and forceful confrontation against the words of God

ii.                  Excellent reasoning

iii.                It appeals to our pride and our needs for power, control and knowledge. How great is it to become like God! There is only one way that we can make our relationship with God; in and through his word; giving proper respect and honor for his authority and power.

How does this apply to us?

i.                    There is Satanic powers around us. As we noted in this passage, for Even, the serpent was just a beautiful animal God created. Even it demonstrated its cunning wit and wisdom. But actually Satanic fore is behind of the serpent.

ii.                  Its goal is clear; pitting us against God; we may rebel against God and join with him in the rank of rebellion.

iii.                It may come through anyone

iv.                 It will appeal with compassion and friendliness and it will feed our pride and desire for lust.

B.      Fall [6-7]

Doubt and distrust faced a great challenge; it is stricken by satanic word and alternative reasoning.  She could not overcome this challenge: she abandoned original perspective about the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Whenever she saw it, it was the tree of God because God said when you eat of it you will surely die. But now she got new insight!

i.                    She entertained the idea of the serpent ; to be like God knowing the wisdom. This means that she rejected what God said and welcomed the idea of the serpent.

ii.                  This new perspective of her life is centered on betterment of her life. she become the center of all decision. Her feeling became the center of that drove the decision

a.      The tree of knowledge of good and evil become like any of the tree of the garden of Eden. In this tree is the authority and power of the words of God. But that is lost and it only become like many threes in the garden. Unable to distinguish between what we enjoy and  the word of God—that is holy

b.      The primary attraction was ‘pleasing to eyes and good for food’ these two senses are the source of all desires of flesh.
2 Peter 2:10 This is especially true of those who follow the corrupt desire of the sinful nature and despise authority. Bold and arrogant, these men are not afraid to slander celestial beings;

Once driven by such desire, there is nothing that could control that desire, She reached out her hand and took some of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and ate. She violated the words of God. What does it mean? She rejected God’s goodness and God authority and God’s righteous demand; you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

She chose the word of a serpent over the words of God. She chose herself over God’s blessing. She chose her own pleasure over her wellbeing eternity with God in this blessed place God provided.

Also she gave it to her husband and he ate the fruit as well.

What went wrong in all these?

God provided all means and ways to keep the blessing of the garden though his words.

1. God said specifically that Man is to rule over the fish, bird and animals. But she exchanged her thoughts with a wild animal. She failed to keep the headship God set in creation.
2. She broke the head ship God set from the beginning of creation: she is to be a helper. God is the Lord  of man  .Man is the one who shall lead or represent the family particularly in relationship with God or any other being. But she causally conversed and made decision to do for herself. She was not a helper but a decision maker.
3. Did Man knew well of this conversation? The bible does not say anything about it. So we cannot say if he was negligent of his duty as the head of the family. But one thing, he did not do anything when he was given the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and ate the fruit. It is clear that when man  ate the fruit, he knew well that it was from the tree of knowledge of good and evil and God forbid them to do. He willfully chose to listen to Eve, his wife.

2 Corinthians 11:3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent's cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

1 Timothy 2:13 For Adam was formed first, then Eve. ¹⁴ And Adam was not the one deceived; it was the woman who was deceived and became a sinner.

Outcome

V7

As soon as they ate, their eyes were opened and realized that they were naked.  They were captured by guilty. Guilty is sense of insufficiency and owe.

They fall short of the glory of God and could not bear God’s holiness in this garden of Eden, where God is the Lord.

What can we conclude about the fall of man?

There are few things that lead to the fall of Adam and Eve. She did not honor God and gave thanks to Him as he is worthy of. Unthankful heart leads her to minimize the power and authority of God’s word and even her view was distorted by her own unhappiness toward God. In this regard, knowing and fully appreciating what God did to us, the richness of his blessing is the key to fend off all temptations and to read the words of God correctly.

If we do not have thankful heart, it is sure to come a temptations and the only source of overcoming that temptation is the words of God. So be careful and pay attention to what God said.

When we do not honor God and give thanks to him, then our desire or lust is the main stay of what governs our views and thoughts.

Satan is a real being. It comes in disguise; actually we seldom know what or who is behind Satan. But it will surely come and test our faith. His approach is insidious and cunning at the beginning. But when they see our vulnerability, it will attack with very formidable appeal to our needs: our needs for all kinds of pleasure seeking and satisfying ungodly desires.

Praise God and give thanks to him always. It is God’s will for you!

Let no one of us fall into that temptation of Eve.