I am certain that there are no two chapters in the Bible that say more about the natural state of man than do Genesis chapters 2 and 3. Whole books could be and have been written about this narrative. This morning in our RMM readings we read through the story of the fall. To encourage you in your readings I’d like to highlight two things. First I’d like to highlight the pattern of attack used by the serpent against Eve. Secondly and more briefly, I’d like to comment on the theme of role reversal that is evident throughout.
The Pattern Of Attack:
We notice first of all that:
He said to the woman… (Genesis 3:1. ESV)
The devil is crafty indeed. God had given his command about the tree to the man; Eve was not even present. We find that in Genesis 2:16-17:
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:16–17 ESV)
It is in the next verse that we read:
Then the LORD God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 2:18 ESV)
Eve did not even exist when God gave the commandment not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The devil is no dummy. He does what any defensive lineman in football does: he attacks the handoff. Moms and dads, be warned by this verse. Do not think that because you and your wife, or you and your husband love the Lord that your children will be safe. The devil attacks the handoff. He attacks the point of transmission. Teach your children well.
The text goes on to say:
‘Did God actually say … (Genesis 3:1. ESV)
All sin begins with questioning God’s Word. All sin begins with questioning God’s right to define reality. The devil is sly here as well and he softens the language in a very subtle way. In Genesis 2:16 we read that God COMMANDED the man not to eat from this tree; here the devil re-states it as “Did God SAY”. “Say” is not quite as strong as “commanded” is it? The devil begins to suggest that perhaps God’s Word is not binding; perhaps it shouldn’t be binding? Why should God’s Word have such unspeakable authority over our lives? Are we not wise? Are we not able to decide? All sin begins with that question and Satan has been asking it for a very long time.
Note this very well. All falling away – of individuals, of churches and of denominations – begins with questioning the binding authority of God’s Words. This is where it happens. You can watch it happen in every generation.
The way the devil phrases the question is very interesting:
“Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Genesis 3:1 ESV)
Do you see what Satan does here? He charges God with being unreasonable; he suggests that the Word of God is very restrictive. There were likely thousands of trees in the garden and God had prohibited ONLY ONE, but the tempter manages to make that look as though God is excessive, unrealistic and that his commands are burdensome and impossible. This lie is alive and well. Most people have been told this lie so many times that they think the Bible is just a long list of “thou shalt nots”. They’ll say that: “The Bible is just a big book of rules and Christianity is a giant kill joy.” But that’s not even close to being true. There are ten rules in this Bible, the 10 commandments, the Jews taught that the rest of the Bible is just application and narrative. Jesus took us deeper into those commandments but he didn’t write new ones. His “new commandment” was just one commandment to summarise them all. So there are basically 10 commandments in this 2000 page book but the devil lies to us. He says God is unrealistic, ungenerous and he can’t be trusted to make you happy or to give you what you need.
The woman’s reply indicates that she is already caught in the net he has cast:
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Genesis 3:2–3 ESV)
Did God say that? No he did not. Eve added to God’s word and by so doing she now essentially concedes that God does indeed seem unreasonable strict. Derek Kidner, the famous Evangelical scholar comments saying:
By adding neither shall ye touch it she over-corrects the error, magnifying God’s strictness (she was to have many successors). (Derek Kidner, Genesis, p.68.)
Indeed she was. How many evangelicals have fallen into this same error? Like the Pharisees we seek to build a fence around God’s word but by so doing we actually cause people to fall by making them perceive God as being unreasonably strict and unnecessarily harsh.
The serpent next begins to cast suspicion upon the likelihood of consequence:
4But the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die;
The first doctrine to be denied on the path of apostasy is the doctrine of hell and judgment. You will not surely die. God will not take sin so seriously. Satan has brilliantly portrayed God as a blustering bully. He says all manner of unreasonable and unrealistic things, but he will not follow up on his threats. Note this well Bible readers: hell is real; I will not say more about it than the Bible says, but the Bible says plenty. It says that all men and women will stand before God and give an account for their lives. It says that any man with outstanding sin, not covered over by the shed blood of Jesus Christ will be declared guilty and will be exiled from the presence of God. Forever.
11 Then I saw a great white throne and him who was seated on it. From his presence earth and sky fled away, and no place was found for them. 12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done. 13 And the sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire. (Revelation 20:11–15 ESV)
Hell is separation from God, it is dark, it is punishing and it is forever. Jesus said as much and we are permitted to say no less:
And if your eye causes you to sin, pluck it out. It is better for you to enter the kingdom of God with one eye, rather than having two eyes, to be cast into hell fire— where ‘Their worm does not die and the fire is not quenched.’ (Mark 9:46. NKJV)
What it means that “their worm does not die” I do not know for sure, but none of the options offer me comfort. Doubting hell is a necessary step in leaving God – as indeed it ever has been.
The devil further greases the skids by saying:
For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5 ESV)
Special insight and moral autonomy. Those promises have helped many people out of the Kingdom of God and into death and ruin. People always want to know MORE than what God’s Word gives them. They want “special dreams” and “deeper understanding”. Like money, having those things is not evil – but DESIRING those things leads to all manner of ruin. They wanted to know more than God was content to tell them at this time. That’s a dangerous place to be. They also wanted liberty in moral reasoning. The desire for moral autonomy is so strong in our day. The idea that any one – even God – can tell us what to do with our bodies causes many people to break out into a rash. The devil has long been exploiting that characteristic to lead men and women into ruin.
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6 ESV)
And thus we found the road to hell. The temptation trail that leads to hell has never changed. It begins with seeing. “Be careful little eyes what you see”. “Any man WHO LOOKS AT A WOMAN with lust in his heart”. “The eye is the lamp of the body”. The road to hell begins with the natural appeal of sin. Why did not God make the fruit to be ugly? The appeal of sin makes the choice of obedience all the more delightful to the Lord; but make no mistake, sin always looks good. It delights, it creates desire. And it leads to taking, grasping and consuming. It has ever been thus. It will be many thousands of years and at great cost to God before the words “take and eat” become the words of eternal life.
Role Reversal:
By way of transition to our second point of interest, notice these words:
and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Genesis 3:6 ESV)
Late in the story cometh man. Where has Adam been? Why have we not heard his voice? The Puritans had a saying: “When Adam is away, Eve strays.” But that’s not true; Adam has been here all along. The devil uses the 2nd person plural address all throughout. He has been talking to both of them, but only Eve has been answering. It is the SILENCE of Adam that is original sin. God affirms this when he questions them, he speaks to Adam FIRST. The first sin in this story is the husband’s silence. God’s word was given to him and he fumbled the handoff.
Husbands when the sin of your children, even the sin of your wife comes before the throne of God on that last day, you will judged first. Hell is populated by the silence and WEAKNESS of fathers. Silent MEN are the devil’s greatest allies. Why does Eve have such a partial and fractured remembrance of the Word of God? Did Adam even bother to instruct her? Why does Eve face the temper alone? Does Adam even realise the danger? Men of the church: WAKE UP! Do you even know the word of God? Have you even READ IT? Do you teach it to your kids? Do you teach it to your wives? YOU WILL BE JUDGED FIRST.
Andreas and Margaret Kostenberger in their fabulous book God’s Design For Man And Woman comment on the obvious role reversal that we notice in this narrative. At the start of the narrative, before the fall, the line of authority are clear. God – Man – Woman – The serpent and all the creatures of the earth. At the fall, the lines are in clear reverse. They run: The serpent – The woman – The man (who was with her) – God[1]. When God addresses the man after the fall he indicates that the fault for this reversal lies with him:
And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you (Genesis 3:17 ESV)
Adam was supposed to listen to God and teach his wife, instead he listened to his wife and abandoned God. Having started down this road, the man and the woman will struggle in their roles until Redeemer comes. God says to the woman:
Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. (Genesis 3:16 ESV)
Conflict and role resentment are a consequence of the fall. As I mentioned, it would be hard to think of a chapter in the Bible that has more to say about the present state of humanity outside the Gospel than Genesis chapter 3.
Thankfully, this chapter is not ONLY a picture of humanity in its fallen state, it also contains an anticipation of the Gospel. In Genesis 3:15 God says to the serpent:
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel. (Genesis 3:15 ESV)
A Redeemer will come – born to the woman and he shall crush our enemies head. He will bring us back to God and to each other. Even so come Lord Jesus!
SDG
Paul Carter
[1] Andreas and Margaret Kostenberger, God’s Design For Man And Woman (Wheaton: Crossway, 2014), 41.