Slices
Prepare
Genesis 3 reminds us that we all fall into sin easily. Take time to confess your sin to God before reading and praying, and accept God’s ever-present offer of forgiveness.
Bible passage
The fall
3 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”?’
2 The woman said to the snake, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 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.”’
4 ‘You will not certainly die,’ the snake said to the woman. 5 ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’
6 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. 7 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.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’
10 He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’
11 And he said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?’
12 The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’
The woman said, ‘The snake deceived me, and I ate.’
Explore
The incident in these verses is known as the ‘fall’. That’s not a word used in the story, but it is a pretty accurate label: everything falls apart. The man and the woman slip into fear (v 10), and passing the blame (v 13). When God comes looking for them on his afternoon walk – since he still desires to be with them – they hide (v 8). The relationships we noted between God and humans, and between man and woman, fracture very quickly.
Did the woman fail to get the command right (v 1)? Did the serpent tell a half-truth, about not dying there and then (vs 4,5)? How did this happen so soon after being placed in the good garden? Notice that Genesis 3 really does not answer these questions. A major emphasis of Genesis 3 is simply this: even in a good place, we can mess up completely, and quickly. The Bible will explore how lying, failure and mistrust work out at great length in the stories to come.
Is there any good news here? Perhaps this story is designed to show us that while we do indeed mess up, God perseveres with us, and so our messing up is never the end of the story.
Respond
Give thanks to God that he seeks you out even when you fail or are afraid.
Deeper Bible study
‘If while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.’1
Was the serpent correct? In some ways, he was. Eating from the tree gave the couple knowledge – that they were naked, for instance. You will undoubtedly know that the Bible uses the word ‘know’ for a man and a woman coming together, but the word ‘know’ is not just a euphemism for sex; it often has the sense of an intimate knowledge. It is this intimate, experiential knowledge of good and evil that Adam and Eve now had. They were never intended to have such first-hand knowledge of evil, which humans only obtain by doing evil. It was better that they only knew good. Once they had the knowledge of evil as well, they lost some of the knowledge of good; they hid themselves in the garden from Ultimate Goodness.
Was God correct? Adam and Eve did not drop dead on the spot, but they died in some ways. To be unable to face God is a kind of death and one we cannot fully comprehend, because we have never been in the privileged position of being able to meet with God face to face. There was also a death to their innocence and emotional tranquillity (they needed to hide themselves). They died in the garden in a way that we cannot fully understand. In time, of course, Adam and Eve did die physically.
There is one thing that God did not say but which was eminently true: ‘On the day that you eat from the tree, I will surely die’. For it was when humans disobeyed that the cross became a necessity. Christ had to suffer and die to reconcile the world back to himself. Death came to that beautiful garden of life in a way that even Adam and Eve could not have known.
Father, forgive us our trespasses. Thank you that we can approach you through your beloved Son and that his work on the cross has brought us forgiveness and reconciliation.
1 Rom 5:10, NASB
Bible in a year
Read the Bible in a year: Genesis 16,17; Acts 6
Pray for Scripture Union
Some of the Welsh team will be involved in the Higher mission in secondary schools across north Wales running 3–7 February. Pray for development worker Helen Franklin as she helps set up events and prepares local workers and volunteers for the mission week and all that will happen after it.
