What's The Big Problem - Genesis 2:15-3:24 - January 14, 2006

Sunday school Lesson - What’s The Big Problem? - January 14, 2007

This is lesson two (2) in our series “Creation Faith: Living by GOD’S Design.”

Our background scripture is Genesis 2:15-3:24.

Our focus scripture is Genesis 2:15- 3:24.

Let’s read Genesis 2:15-25:

15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden,[16] Gn 3:1–2 17 but you must not eat[17] Lit eat from it from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”[18] Gn 3:5 18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is like him.”[19] Pr 31:11–12 19 So the Lord God formed out of the ground each wild animal and each bird of the sky, and brought each to the man to see what he would call it. And whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every wild animal; but for the man[20] Or for Adam no helper was found who was like him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to come over the man, and he slept. God took one of his ribs and closed the flesh at that place. 22 Then the Lord God made the rib He had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.[21] 1 Co 11:8,12 23 And the man said: This one, at last, is bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh; this one will be called woman, for she was taken from man.[22] Eph 5:28–30 24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh.[23] Mal 2:15 25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

Verses 15, 16 and 17 - GOD placed the man in the Garden to care for it. GOD gives the man specific instructions that he could eat from any tree in the Garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. GOD told him if he does eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil he will die. Note that GOD did not say anything about not touching it. More on this in Chapter 3.

GOD makes the animals and the man names them. None of the animals were made like the man. So man was lonely. So GOD makes him a helpmate.

Verse 21 – GOD took a part from the man and made woman. Could this be the first clone but altered such that it takes both of them to be complete.

It is interesting when the man first saw woman, he said in essence “WOW!!! This is what I have been waiting for.” The rest is history. Men have been wowed with this creature called woman ever since.

Then in verse 25, both were naked but not ashamed because both knew no evil. AT this time both knew only good.

Let’s read Genesis 3:1-8:

1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?”[1] 2 Co 11:3

Satan enters the garden in the form of a serpent. Satan always enters our lives disguised as something else. The serpent can communicate with the woman and immediately Satan asks a question that begins a dialogue with the woman. The question is a subtle attack on the nature and character of GOD. “Did GOD really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden?” Satan knew exactly what GOD said and we have to know that GOD allowed Satan to be in the garden. This was a test. Now let’s see have things develop.
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit from the trees in the garden. 3 But about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You must not eat it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”[2] Gn 2:17
The woman answers the question. Of course we have GOD’S permission to eat from any tree in the garden except the tree that is in the middle of the garden. In fact we cannot even touch it.

In studying for this lesson I understand that in some of the earliest texts of scripture the words “or touch it” do not appear. It is not clear if this statement was in the original text. But if it is we see that GOD’S instructions about the tree have been exaggerated. Did the man exaggerate GOD’S instructions to keep the woman away from the tree or is this an over statement by the woman. We do not know but it does show a very typical nature of the human race. Be what ever it is, the one thing GOD said was do not eat the fruit from the tree.

4 “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman.[3] Jn 8:44 5 “In fact, God knows that when[4] Lit on the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God,[5] Or gods, or divine beings knowing good and evil.”

Satan immediately comes back with his authoritative reply. “NO! You will not die.” The reply is as if Satan is shocked at such a dire consequence for just eating a piece of fruit from one tree out of so many trees.

Then the real clincher. GOD is holding something back from you. In essence Satan was saying, “You know GOD made you and is all powerful and is all knowing. Don’t you want to be like GOD?” Just eat the fruit.

If in fact the woman did use the words that GOD said do not touch the fruit, then I believe Satan would have said, “Look I just touched he fruit and nothing happened. Now you try it. Just touch it.”

Disobeying GOD is most often a slow stepwise process. Just do this once. It won’t hurt you. See, isn’t that nice? Any addiction starts with that first step that leads to ultimate destruction. Destruction is the objective of Satan. He wants to discredit GOD and ensnare you. Once you have been poisoned about the power of GOD, you think you have no hope. But GOD is always there waiting for us to reach out to HIM for deliverance and salvation.
6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom. So she took some of its fruit and ate [it]* ; she also gave [some]* to her husband, [who was]* with her, and he ate [it]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. .[6] Jms 1:14–15; 1 Jn 2:16 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.
The woman looks at the fruit. It looks harmless. It is pleasing to look at. Does this process ring any bells. Marketing any product is always designed to look good. This product will do wonders for you. How many times have we been lured into buying a car or boat or house or a timeshare or any number of things only to find out that it just is not what we were led to believe.

In the case of the woman, she takes a bite of the fruit. It not only looked good but it also tastes good. The man is apparently standing there with her. He is keeping his mouth shut. Gee, GOD must have not told me the truth because she ate the fruit and did not die.

Who had GOD placed in charge of the garden? Who was the responsible person? You guessed it. The man.

So what happens the moment he takes a bite? Both of their eyes were opened. They see that they are naked.

When we sin our eyes are opened to what we have done. We have a choice. Do we continue or do we stop. We see what Adam and Eve did. They tried to cover themselves. We always want to cover our sin.

Sin’s Consequences

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze,[7] Lit at the wind of the day and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.[8] Jb 34:22–23
The very person WHO can help us the most is the ONE we run from. GOD!!!

Now let’s back up for a moment. Several questions came to my mind while studying the foregoing scriptures. When GOD told the man that the day be ate of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil he would die. What did that mean to the man? I will share with you what GOD revealed.

GOD made man. Man was made good. Man did not know evil. GOD made woman from man. Man was good and so was woman. Both are good because they do not know anything about evil.

Was man and woman made to die? Or were they made to be immortal? Neither were born as an infant and then raised to adult hood. They were both made of sufficient age, size and maturity to function in the garden from day one (1). They were not made as robots but made with the freedom to choose. GOD gave them as HE does the angels the freedom to choose.

Now in the garden is also the tree of life. Now if the man and woman were made to be immortal why would GOD have placed the tree of life in the garden as well? So there was a plan.

This is the verse that GOD used to reveal truth. Romans 6:23:
“23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

The man and woman had the right and freedom to choose. They were made good and knew no evil. GOD gave them instructions about the garden. One specific instruction was not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It seems that both the man and the woman were both at the forbidden tree. The man could have spoken up but he remained silent. The man had the choice of stepping in as the responsible person and saying NO! The woman had the choice of saying NO. But she didn’t.

If they had made the right choice and said NO, the gift that awaited them was the fruit from the tree of life and they and all their off spring would have lived for ever. Now think about that!
GOD in HIS infinite love for us, gave HIS only SON JESUS to die for our sins. JESUS is the tree of life for all who ask HIM to forgive them of their sins and ask HIM to come into their lives. The miracle of rebirth restores our relationship with GOD and we become HIS children and receive eternal life. Our immortality has been regained but it will be in our spirit until it is fully regained at the second coming of JESUS. Then we receive our glorified bodies.

Let’s read Genesis 3:9-24:

9 So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard You[9] Lit the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 11 Then He asked, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I had commanded you not to eat from?”

GOD already knows what we have done but HE wants us to confess what we have done to HIM. We are to confess our sins. 1 John 1:9 says “9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
12 Then the man replied, “The woman You gave to be with me—she gave me [some fruit]* The bracketed text has been added for clarity. from the tree, and I ate.” 13 So the Lord God asked the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “It was the serpent. He deceived me, and I ate.”[10] Rm 7:11; 1 Tm 2:14 14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent: Because you have done this, you are cursed more than any livestock and more than any wild animal. You will move on your belly and eat dust all the days of your life.
We always want to say someone else made us do it. No different from the beginning of time. The woman YOU gave me. See, YOU are at fault for giving me this woman. GOD did not buy that argument. The man had to suffer the consequences of his disobedience, so did the woman and the serpent.

15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your • seed and her seed. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel.[11] Heb 2:14; 1 Jn 3:8

This is the first prophesy regarding the coming of JESUS to redeem mankind from sin.
16 He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children in anguish. Your desire[12] Gn 4:7 will be for your husband, yet he will dominate you. 17 And He said to Adam, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘Do not eat from it’: The ground is cursed because of you. You will eat from it by means of painful labor[13] Lit it through pain all the days of your life. 18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.[14] Gn 2:5 19 You will eat bread[15] Or food by the sweat of your brow until you return to the ground, since you were taken from it. For you are dust, and you will return to dust.” 20 Adam named his wife Eve[16] Lit Living, or Life because she was the mother of all the living.

Notice this is the first time the woman has a name, Eve.
21 The Lord God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

GOD had to sacrifice an animal to make clothes for Adam and Eve. A sacrifice had to made because of Adam and Eve’s disobedience. This is also a foreshadow that without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sin. JESUS had to shed HIS precious blood to redeem us from sin and death. And HE did. HIS resurrection from the dead is proof that HE conquered sin and death that all who believe in HIM have eternal life. Ask HIM into your life right now!!!
22 The Lord God said, “Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, and also take from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.”[17] Rv 2:7 23 So the Lord God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove man out, and east of the garden of Eden He stationed • cherubim with a flaming, whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Notice in verse 22 “Become like US.” The US is the FATHER, SON and the HOLY SPIRIT. If they had eaten from the tree of life they would have been immortal. Mankind would have lived in a fallen state. Can you imagine how awful life would be if we had disease and all the horrors that we know of and could not die. Mankind would have been immortal but earth would have been in a state of decay.

GOD intervened and the tree of life is guarded. The Book of Revelation tells us that the tree of life will be in heaven. If you think of it, the tree of life in eternal. Since it is eternal it will be preserved in heaven for safekeeping.