Genesis 3:1-12

Ge 3:1

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?

 

Chapter three is the curse of the human race.  It details the temptation, the fall, and the consequences which extend to eternal consequences.  The serpent was more subtil than all the other beasts of the field.  The word “subtil” means “crafty, cunning or prudent.”  Now this serpent may have been known to Adam and Eve since they all lived in the garden of Eden, so it would not be like seeing a snake today and then everybody running for the hills.  This serpent must have been a regular in the garden which means they may have been familiar with it.  Therein lies another problem for the true believer that even though someone might be a friend or are familiar with us, they can still cause us to stray.

 

Then the serpent speaks to Eve four of the most evil words yet subtle words.  The serpent knew that Adam and Eve were created with high intellects and this is what he went for when he cast doubt upon what God had really said when he asked the question causing them to ponder.  “Yeah, hath God said....”  The first thing Satan did was to cast doubt upon the word of God which is the premise that the modern versions of the Bible are based upon.  Satan wanted to get Eve into a dialogue so he could manipulate the conversation and get her to disobey God.  This is the method of the cults when they dialogue with Christians, they try to manipulate the conversation to show Christianity is error while their religion is correct.

 

Satan asks in a questioning tone “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” He wanted to get Eve into the mindset that she was to doubt what God had said thus opening the way for them to disobey God by eating of the forbidden tree.  Christians must be very discerning when the word of God is accompanied by the word of Satan because it could cause disbelief and cause the Christian to stray.  This is why it is imperative for the Christian to be single-minded in the area of scripture and Christianity so there will be no admixture of the true and the false.  Oil and water do not mix!

 

Ge 3:2

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

 

Eve’s big mistake was that she continued to dialogue with Satan.  Instead of her rebuking the serpent for attempting to get her to disobey God, she continued on with him.  This is why dialoguing with false gospels is very dangerous because they can implant their false teachings in the Christian’s mind thus creating a divided mind that can lead to disbelief and a derailing of a Christian’s life.  Here Eve answers this portion correctly that God allowed them to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden.

 

Ge 3:3

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.

 

Then Eve states the prohibition that was given to them by God that they were forbidden from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Here Eve adds to the word of God by telling the serpent that they were also forbidden to touch it.  God never gave any such command, they were prohibited from eating the fruit not touching the tree.  Let’s give Eve the benefit of the doubt at this point for a moment.  Since their minds were not yet corrupted because of sin, she would not have intentionally added to the word of God.  She may have included the phrase “neither shall ye touch it” because she knew that if you got close enough to touch the fruit, then the next step would be to try and eat the fruit.  Paul used this principle in dealing with men and women.  Now concerning the things whereof ye wrote unto me: It is good for a man not to touch a woman. (1 Corinthians 7:1)  He wrote that it is not wise for a man to touch a woman because he knows that would lead to fornication and that may be the principle that Eve invoked, even though there is no further elaboration.  It is wise to cancel sin in its embryonic stage.

 

Ge 3:4

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

 

Then the serpent tells Eve plainly that “ye shall not surely die.”  “Ye” is a plural word so Satan was addressing both Adam and Eve that they would not die if they ate of the forbidden tree.  Satan wanted to get them to believe that God would not destroy his greatest creation so they would be comfortable in disobedience.  It is the same mindset today, comfort in sin.

 

Ge 3:5

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.

 

Then Satan appeals to their vanity that in eating the fruit, they will be more than just humans, they will be as gods.  They may have thought that they would be equal to God himself, their Creator.  Their eyes being opened has to do with them being more observant which means an increase in knowledge.  Their minds were already opened as God had given them high intellects and gave them the knowledge which would keep them in a pristine condition.  What Satan was doing was opening their eyes to evil so they would discard what God had said and they would follow him in disobedience.  At this point Adam and Eve only knew good and did not know evil because their minds were still unaffected by sin.  The teaching that they would be gods is still around today.  False teachers like Creflo Dollar and Ken Copeland have stated that they are little gods.

 

Ge 3:6

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.

 

Then Eve fell for Satan’s trap and decided that the tree looked very good for food and along with that the tree was pleasant to the eyes.  The word “pleasant” carries with it the meaning of “desirable.”  She fell for Satan’s lies that the tree would make them wise and she assessed that what he was saying was true and convinced in her mind, she took the fruit and ate it and gave some of the fruit to her husband and both of them ate.  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. (1 Timothy 2:14) 

 

“was good for food” – Lust of the Flesh

“pleasant to the eyes” – Lust of the Eyes

“make one wise” – Pride of Life

 

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. (1 John 2:16)

 

1 John 2:16 is applicable to the trap which Eve fell into and is normally what causes all people to fall into sin.

 

Ge 3:7

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.

 

Immediately they knew that they were naked because their eyes were opened and their nakedness which before the fall was not shameful had now become a shame to them and they made themselves clothes to cover their nakedness.  They did not expect the result because sin always deceives and they thought they would have wisdom and understanding equal to God instead they were plunged into the depths of sin and death.  Sin never delivers what it says it will, it will always be the opposite.  They probably had twisted or tied the fig leaves together to cover their bodies.  The aprons were loincloths or girdles.

 

Ge 3:8

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.

 

Their first consequence of sin was to try and hide it by covering themselves up.  Then the second consequence was they tried to hide themselves from the presence of the LORD who was walking in the garden in the cool of the day.  The weather had not changed yet as it was still a nice temperature.  This may have been God the Son walking in the garden because now that they sinned, God the Father is totally separated from sin.  God the Son would be the one who would bear the sins of the Elect.  They hid themselves because they were filled with guilt and shame by means of their disobedience.

 

Ge 3:9

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

 

Then the LORD called to Adam and asked where he was?  God knew where he was but it was time to confess and face the consequences of their sin.  The LORD wanted Adam to state why he was hiding from God since their relationship had always been a close one and a holy one.

 

Ge 3:10

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

 

Then Adam told God that he heard his voice in the garden and he was afraid.  The voice of God always brings fear to the sinner.  A fear of God, even at this point, can be hope in their redemption.

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction. (Proverbs 1:7)

 

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding. (Proverbs 9:10)

 

Adam and Eve knew they had sinned and that sin brought them shame and a broken relationship with God their creator.

 

Ge 3:11

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?

 

Then God questions Adam as to how he knew he was naked because before the fall, they were naked and they did not even have any thoughts about it but now their nakedness is their shame.  In the Bible, naked is also used of those who stand before the judgment seat of Christ without a Savior.  Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: (Revelation 3:17)  Here Adam and Eve stood naked before the LORD.  Then God asks a second question.  “Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” The fact that they knew they were naked meant they received that knowledge from somewhere and although God already knew, he wanted Adam to confess his sin to him by responding that he did eat from the forbidden tree.  Adam and Eve had sinned knowing the penalty for disobedience was their eventual demise.

 

Ge 3:12

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

 

Then here is the first case of passing the buck.  Adam was strictly commanded not to eat of the forbidden tree in chapter 2:16-17, so even if he was not present when Eve took the fruit, then he should have asked her where she got this fruit from.  Instead he tried blame shifting on to Eve but in reality he was blaming God because he told him “the woman whom THOU gavest to be with me.”  In other words, it was God’s fault because he gave Adam the woman and she caused him to disobey by eating the fruit from the tree.

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