Chpt 3 |
Text |
Comment |
Application |
V.1 |
Now the snake 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”?’ |
· Snake was the least “nice” creature. Came to symbolise satan. Not everything created wanted to live the way God intended.
· Shrewd – play on words to sound like “nude”. Infer something not good about to happen, film music (Jaws).
· Who’s meant to be in charge – usurped mankind’s role.
· No outright lies or instructions, just a sceptical, distorting questions sowing seeds of doubt – “really?”. Doesn’t use God’s proper name – disrespectful. |
We are faced with this voice all the time. It comes in the self-help books and the patronising put-downs about religion being a crutch. Half-truths which sow seeds of disrespectful doubt in minds.
We go to pray for the sick and the enemy whispers, “You will look stupid if nothing happens? Others might get healed but not when you pray.”
We decline an invitation to get drunk or make a stand for sexual purity and friends say, “Oh go on, what’s the harm”.
“Did God really say that? Just myth”. |
V.2,3 |
The woman said to the snake, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 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.”’ |
· Eve partially corrects serpent she also distorts God’s generosity into something less (all the trees … touch the tree) |
Choosing to listen to the enemy rather than God – and as soon as we do that we start forgetting what God really said and distortions begin to creep in. We start to believe that maybe he doesn’t love us and have the best for us. |
V.4,5 |
‘You will not certainly die,’ the snake 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.’ |
· Deliberate double entendre in the phrase – what is certain?
· What he says is in part true, he is not lying here but not telling the full truth |
The root of our disobedience – wanting to be like God, wanting to assert our human autonomy. Wanting what looks good, now. |
V.6,7 |
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. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. |
· Eve is seduced by her eyes, she sees something good and she wants it.
· She thinks she can know something more, the first hint of asserting human autonomy.
· See, good, eat, eat, see, bad.
· Yes, they can see and know but what they see and know is not good – it brings shame and fear.
· The creation order has been usurped – instead of God over mankind and mankind over animals, an animal has influenced mankind and mankind has tried to become like God. |
At this moment God’s moral code is broken.
Disobedience to his command means that we are trying to put ourselves in charge.
Everything becomes relative. People think we can do OK – with a bit of education and some democracy we can fix what is broken.
Like a sheet of glass – once it is broken it is broken.
We can’t fix this – paradise has been shattered, irrevocably.
It’s only when we give God his rightful place back that there is any hope at all. |