Today as I was reading Genesis, there was a lot that stood out to me, so I’m going to jump right into it. I’m not sure how much I’ll cover since I don’t want to write too much. I’ll just dive in and see where the Lord takes me!

Life or Death?

Ever since I’ve been saved, I’ve always thought sin entered into the world after Adam and Eve ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. However, when we read what Eve says here to the serpent, we should notice something.

“But God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

Genesis 3:3 (NIV)

What did God actually say?

And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Genesis 2:16-17 (NIV)

“You must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,” God told this to Adam. We could assume that the message got garbled from Adam to Eve, but I’m not sure if that’s what happened or if there might have been more to it. Eve added, “you must not touch it, or you will die.” This is a lie. Or is it?

Merriam-Webster tells us a lie “is an untrue statement with intent to deceive.”

I cannot fathom any reason for Eve to try and deceive the serpent, so I must conclude that this was an unintentional, non-deceptive lie. A lie of ignorance? Hmmm. Allow me to speculate for a moment on what I think happened here.

Adam tells Eve they can eat from any tree in the Garden except for the tree of knowledge. I’d like to add a detail I found interesting about the position of this tree in the Garden.

The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Genesis 2:9 (NIV)

The Lord planted the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (death) in the middle of the Garden. I like to imagine them being almost right next to each other. Adam and Eve literally had two paths before them. They could eat from the tree of life or the tree of death. They chose death.

Anyway, I digress. Where were we? Oh yes, Adam told Eve they couldn’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, or they would die. Perhaps, as I’ve said, Adam added the bit about not touching it. In any case, we can apply the same reasoning for this “lie” whether or not it was Adam or Eve.

People are afraid of all sorts of things. I found out in recent years my Dad is afraid of heights. That’s interesting because I never saw that in my Dad when I was growing up, and he did things with me I would have thought would have freaked out other people who are also afraid of heights. For example, when we used to go downhill skiing, we’d ride some pretty high chair lifts, and my Dad never skipped a beat. I think he even went on the Ferris Wheel. I always thought my Dad was brave, I just didn’t realize how much.

I’ve never really been afraid of heights. Okay, there was that one time on the high dive, but I’m not counting that. I have, on occasion, been a bit hesitant to push my luck. There’s something about being up very high, with the wind whipping by, that makes running up to a handrail something I don’t want to run up to. I know the hand, or guardrail, provides more than ample protection from accidentally falling. However, falling down means death, so I’m very careful.

This is how I think Eve saw eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve understood that death was very bad. Therefore, she didn’t even want to touch the tree. She associated touching the tree with death. This makes sense. What need is there to touch the tree and the fruit on it if you’re not going to eat it? It’s like playing with temptation. Sometimes we allow ourselves to flirt with it. We allow ourselves to run right up the edge and then hope we can pull back. If this is why Eve included the bit about not touching the tree, then it makes sense to me. She lied but not with the intent to deceive.

However, Adam and Eve did sin and disobey God by eating from the tree, but I’m not going any further on that right now.

Blame Eve?

For years, I had the understanding that Eve was deceived by the serpent, ate from the tree, and then took the fruit to Adam and gave it to him. This makes sense, but it didn’t happen that way.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Genesis 3:6 (NIV)

“She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.” I could be wrong. However, I don’t see it in the text that Eve was away from Adam. Adam could have been right there. When Eve was being questioned by the serpent about the tree, it appears that Adam was right there with her. Let’s take a look at that text for a moment.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Genesis 3:1 (NIV)

All I see here is the serpent choosing to address Eve instead of Adam. She could be by herself.

You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

Genesis 3:4-5 (NIV)

Adam’s not mentioned yet, so Eve could still be alone talking to the serpent.

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

Genesis 3:6 (NIV)

I know temptation to be patient and persistent. However, I don’t believe there was much of a gap between verses 4 – 6. Perhaps it’s my 21st Century mentality. This is how I picture the scene.

The serpent and Eve are conversing about the tree. Perhaps Adam was there, and perhaps he wasn’t. For some reason, I don’t see the tree very far away. I think they were close enough to see it. Eve is enticed by the serpent to walk up to the tree. I believe she previously kept her distance because the tree represented death. She walks up to the tree, and here we are at verse 6. Adam is with her.

I think Adam was there all along. Now, what was Adam doing? I suppose he was listening to the serpent as well. If Eve had been alone, was enticed, ate, and then took the fruit to Adam, I could see that. After all, she wouldn’t be dead, right? Not in the way they might have thought. However, the text tells us Adam was right there with Eve.

A Prophetic Word

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Genesis 3:15 (NIV)

For years, I’ve read this verse, and my takeaway has been that people would be enemies of snakes, crush their heads, and, in turn, get bitten by snakes. However, in my recent studies, something has come to light.

This is a promise from God about Jesus! This tells of humanity’s struggle with sin. The serpent is Satan and the sting (strike) of sin is death. Jesus is Eve’s offspring who crushes Satan on the cross. This is Jesus’ victory over sin and death promised by God to Eve. Although it wasn’t a pleasant road to travel from Eve until Jesus, nor is it now after Jesus, we do have the victory in Jesus! I think this is cool.

The Wages of Sin

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

Genesis 3:21 (NIV)

We know the wage of sin is death. When we sin something dies. Something we might not have thought about is the animals that were killed to make garments for Adam and Eve. It might not seem like much to some people, but these animals were the first to die an unnatural death. In the beginning, the animals got along and didn’t eat each other for food. I’m pretty sure they all ate plants and such. Therefore, the animal(s) killed for clothing were killed because of Adam and Eve’s sin.

Conclusion

I really enjoy Genesis, and I find myself overwhelmed by how much is in there for us to learn from. I know I covered a lot today, and I hope you found something of worth to bless your heart. If the Lord says the same, I’ll see you tomorrow!

Do you know God? God knows you, and He loves you. He sees you as significant because you are. No one is insignificant to Him. He’s with you today, right now, and He wants you to know Him. Jesus died for your sins and mine so we could be free of guilt, be freed from death, and live eternally with Him. Eternal salvation is just a prayer away.

Pray this prayer with me to accept the gift of salvation today:

Lord Jesus, forgive me for all my sins. I repent from my ways. Wash me in your blood and cleanse me from all unrighteousness. I believe that you died on the cross, were buried, and on the third day, God the Father raised you from the dead. Right now, Lord Jesus, I open the door to my heart, and I receive you into my heart as my Lord and personal Savior. Amen.

If you prayed that prayer, then congratulations! You are on the first step of a brand new life. Allow me to be the first to welcome you to my family, the family of God. There are abundant resources available online for new Christians. You can visit here for more information on what to do next. You can also leave me a comment, and I’ll do my best to help you on the next step of this incredible journey.

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