Genesis
3-4
*Who is it about? God or us?
*When did the Fall of Man happen?
How/why was Satan in the form of a serpent? What was
Satan's deception? (To twist the word of God-to indicate that God
might have been wrong) Why did he go to Eve first? (1 Timothy
2:12-15) Where was Adam? Was God still in control of His
creation when Adam and Eve ate the fruit? (Yes- Revealed by the
fact that it is God who decides on the punishment.)
*God's curses because of the Fall:
Cursed is the opposite of blessed. In Genesis God promised blessings
for obedience, curses for disobedience. (Genesis 1:22&28;
Deuteronomy 28)
First to the serpent: Verses
3:14-15 (cross reference Revelation 12) Represents a judgment against
all who have sinned, even the serpent (Romans 3:23/All have sinned).
Also an indication that Satan will be defeated, although not
immediately. (Jesus' heel was “struck” on the cross; Satan's head
crushed-Revelation 13:3) “All the days of your life,” implies
that Satan's life has been extended to fulfill God's plan of
salvation through the offspring of the woman (and ultimately through
the life, death and resurrection of Jesus).
The gospel is first presented to Satan
pointing to his defeat and Christ's victory (Isaiah 53:12; Luke
24:26, 46-47; Romans 16:20; 2 Cor 1:5-7; Col 1:24; 1Peter 1:11; Rev
20:10). A promise was made to mankind that enmity (hostility) would
be place between the woman and the serpent/ the saved and
unsaved/those who love God and those who don't. How is that a
promise? (She was given a change of heart- she would despise the
serpent- God's grace of salvation.)
Second curse to the woman:
Verses 3:16, (Pain in childbirth, longing to rule over her husband).
Submission prior to the fall was a pleasant position- Adam was to
protect his wife/reflection of the trinity and Christ's role of
submission. After the fall it would be a great burden and longing for
her to rule over her husband, ultimately causing marital issues, men
to not act as men/leaders, etc.. (Judges 4; Isaiah 3:12; Ephesians
5:22-25; Amos 4:1) Represents her loss of freedom and spiritual
liberty~ she would be under bondage; the dominion of sin in the soul
is compared to that of a husband ruling her.
Third curse was to the man:
Verses 3:17-19. God can not spare passing judgment. The earth that
was blessed is now cursed, resulting in toil in working it. It was
cursed because of man's sin. Adam was not cursed himself as the
serpent was, but instead the ground was cursed for his sake. The
result was sickness, melancholy, sorrow, and ultimately death in
various shapes (everything dies-dreams, plans, plants, animals,
people).
The righteousness of God is to be
acknowledged in all the sad consequences of sin-- remembering “how
it was/how it should be” causes us to reflect on the God who will
one day make it all perfect again. God's mercy is seen in vs. 19: the
fact that they would still eat though it would be through
sorrow-there would still be some joy. There is even the hope of death
as a rest which brings the promise of relief from the curse. Man's
days were cut short~ a mercy from God. Prior to the Fall, all mankind
would have been allowed to enter heaven (under the pretext of never
sinning), Adam's curse reveals the difficulty now of entering heaven.
![]()
Verse 3:21
- God made garments of skin for Adam and Eve. Before the Fall there was no death. God presented the first sacrifice representing the Levitical sacrificial system to later be implemented, and ultimately pointing to the sacrifice for sinners of His own son, Jesus.
Verse 22-24
Adam and Eve were drove out of the
garden by God himself. Why? (To protect them from eating of
the tree of life and living forever under the curse of sin/never
being able to receive a resurrected body.) Cherubim were placed at
the gate with flaming swords that flashed back and forth to guard the
garden. Do you think the Garden of Eden is still there today?
*Chapter 4 ~
Eve gave birth to her firstborn, a son. The curse has begun already
evidenced by the hostility of ungodly Cain and godly Able. Why was
Cain so upset about God's response to his offering? Was it the
offering that God did not accept, or his heart attitude? (Both,
God specifically required a blood sacrifice but Cain brought
vegetation; he was not saved, therefor his offering could not be
accepted by God.)
Just because
somebody seeks to sincerely worship God does not mean that God
accepts the sacrifice. Does this seem “cruel” of God? Does God
owe us salvation? Cain was to be his “brother's keeper,” but
instead he became his brother's murderer.
Sin always
needs to be punished. What was Cain's punishment? (vs
4:11-12, under a curse, driven from the ground, the ground will no
longer yield its crops [remember Cain was a farmer, the punishment
was very close to his heart], he would become a restless wanderer.)
Out of Cain, a wicked lineage of people began, setting the stage for
the battle between the ungodly and the righteous, and making clearer
the obvious need for a Savior.
With prayers that the gospel of Jesus
Christ may become sweeter to you day by day as you reflect on His
word and His grace to you as a sinner ~ Terri
Bible Study Credits: Terri Stellrecht http://howmysaviorleadsme.blogspot.com/
