The Fallen of Creation - Genesis 3:1-13

The Fallen of Creation - Genesis 3:1-13

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, LORD, my rock and my Redeemer.

Introduction

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth, bringing in to being everything out of nothing.  Transformation of formlessness into form and transformation of chaos into cosmos.  The whole creation was made possible within six days and the seventh day God took rest.  God found everything good.  God created Human in God’s own image, that was considered to be the crown of creation.  God finally gave woman to man as a helpmate and companion.  They were placed in the Garden of Eden as the stewards of God’s creation. 

God loved them a lot, thus gave freedom to move around the garden and eat everything but prevented them from eating the fruit which gives knowledge of good and evil.  God visited them every day.  Walked with them, Talked with them, spent time with them. That clearly shows that God loves and cares for the humanity and tries to project God as the Friend of Humanity. The pre fall condition was all perfect and harmonious. There comes Satan… Scripture tells us that Satan is the destroyer, accuser of the believers, and the father of lies.

In Genesis 3, we see Satan as a serpent in the garden waiting to have an encounter with Eve. Satan has a lot of experience attacking, tempting and destroying God's creation.  Satan used a systematic approach to undermine God's commandment and trick Adam and Eve into sin.

The Fallen of Humanity began with a Question

First, the serpent questioned the Word of God.

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

As Eve responded to this question, she misquoted God's command.

 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’

When we compare her statement with Gen. 2: 16-17, we see she didn't specify which tree was off limits, and she added that even touching it would cause death. This may be subtle, but reminds us that accurately understanding the Word of God is an important defense against the crafty lies of Satan. 

Next we see Satan denying the Word of God and the consequences of sin. He then goes on to replace the Word of God with his own lies.

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

By denying the Word of God, Satan challenged the very character of God and tricked Eve to think that God was holding back blessing. Although Eve was pure and innocent, she desired to have a deeper understanding of good and evil. Instead of trusting that God was protecting her, she sought to take a short cut and gain this "special wisdom" on her own.

 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

The Fallen of Humanity leads to the guilty of disobeying God

Once Satan removed the consequence of sin, the opportunity to gain wisdom seemed very attractive. Scripture tells us in Psalm 111 and twice in Proverbs (1:7, 9:10) (also known as the book of wisdom) that fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. This type of fear means a reverent obedience to God simply because of who He is. Truly understanding the identity and nature of God leads us to trust and obey Him.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom;    all who follow his precepts have good understanding.  To him belongs eternal praise. - Psalm 111:10

Adam, who was with her, was guilty of disobeying God's command as well. Whether or not Eve heard this commandment directly from God, it was Adam's responsibility to protect his wife and remind her of God's Word.

When Jesus was tempted in the wilderness (Matt. 4), Satan attacked Him in a very similar way. First Satan appealed to Jesus' physical hunger and challenged Him to turn rocks into bread. Then he claimed that there would be no consequences for disobeying God. Finally, Satan tried to get Jesus to reject the Father's will and bow to him in exchange for worldly power and authority.

With each temptation, Jesus responded with scripture that accurately refuted Satan's temptation and reinforced the proper will and character of the Father. This is a model for us to successfully overcome Satan's temptations. And it means that we must know God's Word and use it to encourage ourselves in times of temptation.

God expects us to withstand when we are fallen

God expects us to withstand when we are fallen. God tests and allows trials for us to grow, to discover our weaknesses and to seek Him for strength. Satan tempts us with the goal to destroy us.  God never tempts us, (James 1:13) and God will never allow us to be tempted in a way that that is beyond our ability to endure and escape.

"No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it." - 1 Cor. 10:13

God has revealed Himself and His nature through His Word. To know God's Word is to know God. When we understand God's love and promises for us, we know that He does not withhold any good thing (Psalm 84:11) and He has good plans for us (Jer. 29:11). Therefore, we can trust Him to provide what we need. If He has told us not to do something, we must also trust that He is protecting us, no matter what Satan tells us.

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.

The consequences were great. Instead of walking with God and being in His presence, Adam and Eve tried to hide from God. They were separated by guilt. While they may not have suffered immediate physical death, they were now slowly moving toward that inevitable death.

9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

It's glorious news that the heart of the Father is to call out to, and go after, His lost children. We see it first as God calls out to Adam and Even in the garden. We also see it in the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15:20-14). When the son who was once lost came home, the father ran to meet him and celebrated his son's return.

Conclusion

All have sinned against God the creator.  But God wishes God’s creation should come back to God. 

John 3: 16 says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”

The word of God gives us the call to turn away from sin and submit our lives to Jesus.  The worship guides the sinner to hear the word of God and prepare his/her heart to accept Jesus Christ. 

While Jesus finished the work of salvation at the cross, there are still many who are lost and need to receive Jesus. The Holy Spirit now empowers the Church to be Jesus' witness here on Earth (Acts 1:8). As believers, we were fallen but now we are called to seek and to save those who are lost, just as our Father does. May God’s care, counsel, protection and providence be with us all.

 

Prayer

Dear God, You are the Word that broke the ancient silence and created all what we see and what we do not see.  When we are fallen, You are there for us to uplift us. You are the word that guides us towards our divine destination.  You are the word that speaks to us in our conscience. You are the God who cares, counsels, protects and provides us everything. It is difficult for us to find suitable words to thank you. Accept our thanks though poorly expressed. Hinder the vain words which are coming from our mouths. In Jesus name we pray, Amen.