Introduction
Our first parents decide to ignore God's command.
Verses
1Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,
3but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,
5for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6When 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 some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
7Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.
8They heard the LORD God’s voice walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
9The LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
10The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
11God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13The LORD God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
you are cursed above all livestock,
and above every animal of the field.
You shall go on your belly
and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
“Because you have done this,
you are cursed above all livestock,
and above every animal of the field.
You shall go on your belly
and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
15I will put hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will bruise your head,
and you will bruise his heel.”
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will bruise your head,
and you will bruise his heel.”
16To the woman he said,
“I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth.
You will bear children in pain.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
“I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth.
You will bear children in pain.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
17To Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to your wife’s voice,
and ate from the tree,
about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
the ground is cursed for your sake.
You will eat from it with much labour all the days of your life.
“Because you have listened to your wife’s voice,
and ate from the tree,
about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
the ground is cursed for your sake.
You will eat from it with much labour all the days of your life.
19You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground,
for you were taken out of it.
For you are dust,
and you shall return to dust.”
for you were taken out of it.
For you are dust,
and you shall return to dust.”
20The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.
21The LORD God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
22The LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever—”
23Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
24So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Questions
1. How did the serpent contradict what God had said?
v 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,
2. What made the fruit of the forbidden tree attractive to the woman when she saw it?
v 6 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, ...
3. What was God's punishment for Adam?
v 17 to 19 ... the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labour all the days of your life. It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field. You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. ...
Summary Points
- v 1 to 3 The serpent questions the woman about God's command
- v 4 and 5 The serpent asserts that she won't die if she disobeys God and suggests to the woman that she will then become wise
- v 6 and 7 The woman and man choose to listen to the serpent and they realise their nakedness
- v 8 to 13 They hide from God, but he finds them and asks questions
- v 14 and 15 God reprimands the serpent and promises hostility between the offspring of the serpent and the woman
- v 16 to 19 God pronounces pain in childbirth on the woman, hard work and death on Adam
- v 20 to 24 Adam names Eve and God provides for them coverings. They are sent from the garden to prevent access to the tree of life
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