Today's story is all about the time when Adam and Eve was driven out of the garden. This includes how God talked to them and gave the due penalty for their sins and then later on, sending them out of the garden to labor.
Text: Genesis 3:8-24
Gen 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God 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 among the trees of the garden.
Gen 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"
Gen 3:10 And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself."
Gen 3:11 He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"
Gen 3:12 The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."
Gen 3:13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."
Gen 3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life.
Gen 3:15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel."
Gen 3:16 To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you."
Gen 3:17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
Gen 3:18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
Gen 3:19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
Gen 3:20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
Gen 3:21 And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
Gen 3:22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever--"
Gen 3:23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken.
Gen 3:24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Things To Ponder
- What did the man and the woman do when they heard God? Ans. They hid themselves.
- What did Adam answered when God asked him if he ate from the forbidden tree? Ans. He pointed out Eve.
- What did Eve answered when God asked her why she gave the fruit to Adam? Ans. Eve pointed out the serpent.
- What are the penalty of each of them? Ans. For the serpent: “cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” To the woman: "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." To Adam: "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
- thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.
- By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return."
- After giving the penalty for each of them, what did God do next? Ans. God made them something to wear, garment of skins.
- Who is the one that God is talking to and referred as “us”? Ans. The passage did not specified who it is, but one thing is clear, He is talking with someone else that pre-existed with Him.
- What did God do next to prevent man from eating the tree of life? Ans. He sent them out of the garden.
- What did God put to guard the tree of life? Ans. Cherubim and flaming sword.
Things To Uncover
- Did God immediately placed a penalty on them? What did God do? Ans. No, he gave them a chance to explain.
- Did God exempted anyone from the penalty of sin? Ans. No one. Not even the serpent which is an animal.
- Did God forget men for its sin? Ans. No. He continued to show them love by giving Adam and Eve garments of skin.
- Was there someone pre-existed with God? Ans. The passage is silent. But knowing the essence of Trinity, it is probable that it was them.
- Was God unloving that he punished Adam? Ans. No. He even showed his love to them by setting up preventive measures for them not to eat the tree of life.
Things Learned
- God is not unjust, and all things that we do will be judged.
- God is the God of love, God is love. God is loving even in times that we have sinned, God still loved us and will continue to love us. But nothing will be exempted from his discipline.
- There must have been pre-existent beings with God. There are two possibilities, God is talking with the angels, or God is talking with the three persona of Trinity (which is more likely) since God is saying “like us”.
