God created mankind to be His ‘representative' and the 'steward’ and of
God’s ‘very good’ creation. The Man was ‘to work and take care’ of the Garden
of Eden and fill the world with ‘God’s images’ who would do 'God's will' on the earth. They could eat from any tree in garden except
for the 'tree of the knowledge of good and evil' or they would die. The man and the woman were naked and 'unashamed'.
God warned them if they ate from the ‘tree of the knowledge of good
and evil’ they would die. But the 'crafty' serpent mocked the prohibition and brought
the goodness of God into question. Now they could do
‘God’s will’ and eat from any of the other trees; and live (2:9). Yet, alternatively, they could eat the ‘forbidden fruit’ and die! However, the serpent
claimed they wouldn’t die.
They
knew that what God said was good and to seek an autonomous source of knowledge contrary to God and God’s word was not good; even ‘evil’! As Adam stood idly by, the woman sees the fruit as a desirable alternative to dependence upon
'God and His Word’ (Proverbs 1:7, 9:10). She aligned herself with the serpent and gave some to her husband. They both ate (3:6), and their eyes were opened
to their own guilt before God. They sought to cover themselves and they hide in
fear from God in the trees. Aware of all this, God seeks out Adam and his wife,
but they fail to take personal responsibility for actions. Rather than confess
and seek God’s mercy, Adam blames the woman and the woman blames the serpent.
God curses
the serpent, the agent of Satan (Rev. 12:9), to crawl on its belly and eat dust
(Rev. 12:9, 20:10). The Lord God would put enmity (hatred) between the serpent
and the woman, and between the serpent’s offspring the woman’s offspring and he
(Messiah Jesus) would crush Satan’s head, and Satan would strike his heel. The
Lord God, in time, would graciously promises a ‘singular saving seed’ to rescue a people for himself. The
woman would give birth to 'images of God’ but now through severe pain. In
addition, the ground is ‘cursed’ and will produce ‘thorns and thistles'. Adam’s
work would still produce food, but now it would include ‘painful toil’ and the ‘sweat
of his brow’ (3:19). Child-bearing, relationships, and work become ‘a struggle’
that ends in all men and women returning to the dust from which we have been made.
The Lord God
clothes the couple with animal skins. This seems to point to Israel’s
‘sacrificial system'; a system that would find fulfillment in the ‘crucifixion of Jesus’.
Now they are 'like God’, but only in that they put themselves in
the place of God. They wanted to determine 'good and evil' without reference to their 'Creator God'. Consequently, God doesn’t want them to reach out in their
condition and take from the ‘tree of life’ and live forever. Apparently, this would
have sealed them in their 'unhappy state' of independence from and separation from God. They are banished from the Garden of Eden with
an angel guarding the way to the tree of life (3:22-23).
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