"Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. So the LORD God called out to the man and said to him, "Where are you? " And he said, "I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid." Then He asked, "Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? " Then the man replied, "The woman You gave to be with me -- she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate." 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." 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. 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. He said to the woman: I will intensify your labor pains; you will bear children in anguish. Your desire will be for your husband, yet he will rule over you. 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 all the days of your life. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. You will eat bread 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." Adam named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living. The LORD God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them. The LORD God said, "Since man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil, he must not reach out, take from the tree of life, eat, and live forever." So the LORD God sent him away from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove man out and stationed the cherubim and the flaming, whirling sword east of the garden of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life." [Gen 3:8-24 HCSB]
Observations:
Observations:
- Who did what?
- The man and his wife heard God coming and hid.
- God walked in the garden in the evening.
- God asked Adam three questions.
- God asked Eve one question.
- God added consequences to death (for eating from the tree) with no warning.
- The man blamed the woman.
- The woman blamed the serpent.
- The serpent said nothing.
- Fear entered into Adam's relationship with God... before he even received God's consequences.
- Adam named his wife Eve.
- God made clothing out of skins for Adam and his wife and He clothed them.
- God drove man out of the garden of Eden.
- God placed Cherubim to guard the entrance of the Garden.
- What choices could have been made?
- God could have chosen not to walk in the garden that night.
- God could have chosen to lecture Adam and Eve about why He gave them that command and opened their eyes to the full meaning of their disobedience on the spot. (He could have shamed them).
- Adam and/or Eve could have chosen to take responsibility for their own actions.
- Adam and/or Eve could have tried to take responsibility for the other's actions.
- Adam and/or Eve could have chosen not to hide.
- God chose to dole out some interesting consequences.
Applications:
- Today, do people still hide from God and other forms of authority because of guilt? All the time. I think our hiding has become more complicated though.
- Today, does God still come to fellowship with humans? I believe so. I believe He comes. I believe His presence is tangible on Earth at some moments more so than others. I feel His presence in my life at some moments more than others.
- Today, does where we are still matter to God-- even if we're over-ridden with guilt and hiding from Him, and even if we've been deceived and disobedient? I would argue: Absolutely.
- Today, does sin still complicate our relationship with others and our relationship with God? I think I've fallen into a series of rhetorical questions: Yes! Absolutely!
- Today, could God still choose not to fellowship with us? I think He has more than enough reason to. It seems like a valid choice.
- Today, could God still choose not to search for us when we are hiding? It would sure make His life easier.
- Today, I am thankful that God pursues us. He always pursues us. When we're guilty and hiding, He still cares. He cares enough to face the reality of our sin. He cares enough to acknowledge the reality and to pursue both Justice and Redemption. He doesn't abandon us after failure or leave us alone to be consumed by our guilt and shame. He doesn't hide from guilty people. Today, He still walks in the Garden in the evening calling out and asking, "Where are you?"
Other thoughts, ideas, observations or applications appreciated :)
Yours Truly,
Jordan
Good Morning Beautiful! As usual I have enjoyed your observations, questions, and applications to this passage! There is still an immense amount of fear, guilt, and shame in the world and God is constantly reaching out to humankind to draw them back to Himself. The shift I see in our culture is that man has started blaming God and asking, "If there is a God in the world, why does he allow bad things to happen to good people?!
ReplyDeleteObservations: God gave man a freedom of will-with that freedom comes consequences such as disobedience and sin that we have to live with, that God abides by. If he did not accept peoples choices and allow the consequences to happen He would be taking away peoples free will! Do people want their free will taken away!? I would argue NO they do not, but like Cane, they do not want to take responsibility for their sin either. The fact is that humans are the reason there is so much evil in the world and it breaks God's heart. God knew that and provided a way of/a path to freedom from sin through the covering of the blood of his son Jesus, just as He covered Adam and Eve with clothing made from an animal (blood had been shed for the first time to atone for that first sin). Adam and Eve accepted God's covering for their sin.
Other observations:
Went to the Beth Moore conference this past weekend and she started the conference reading Genesis 3:1-7 and then verse 21. Her topic was, "A Theology of Coverings"
Interesting Points from her Conference that I believe we can apply from this passage:
1. When man sinned, he uncovered himself to the enemy and recognized his nakedness.
2. Man's response to his sin was an automatic reflex to self cover (fig leaves) and hide under the cover of the trees-notice this response has trickled down in all of history as mans automatic response to any kind of trouble.
3. God's desire for us is to give us back His divine covering-it is a free gift but we must chose to take it/accept it.
4. There are three primary images of DIvine covering in scripture: a cover above us (shelter), a cover in front of us (veil or curtain), and a covering around us (like a cloak or a blanket).
5. Jesus is our covering: God covered himself in human flesh, then crucified-he covered himself in blood from head to toe!!! Jesus is the final mercy seat sacrifice (Read John 10:28-30-the cover of God lifts our chains!) Finally, Jesus covered himself in death in the tomb, which He rolled away, that he might be uncovered to us!
6. When we accept God's covering, we are once again clothed in the garment of righteousness and can rejoice in God! (Ish. 61:10)
7. The covering of Jesus gives people their dignity back, it does not slander-it LOVES. (James 5:20)
8. When we reject God's covering, Satan is more than happy to provide covering-he has an antithesis for all of God's covering. Shame and cynicalism are Satan's number one coverings.
9. Finally, we, those in Christ, can love with a love that covers the sins of others (ie. Noah's sons who covered him verses his son who put him to shame).
God covers for us what we uncover to Him! If interested can read Psalm 32! As believers we have to step into the victory Jesus gives us. The only way for humans to be saved from our sins is to receive, as Adam and Eve did in this Genesis passage, the covering of God's forgiveness for our sins!
Look forward to your next study :D
Mom
Thanks for those observations, Mom :). I couldn't agree with you more about free will and consequences, and the points that Beth Moore made definitely inspire some other thoughts. One of the verses I immediately think of is John 3:19-20: "This, then, is the judgment: The light has come into the world, and people loved darkness rather than the light because their deeds were evil. For everyone who practices wicked things hates the light and avoids it, so that his deeds may not be exposed."
DeleteGod has often used that verse in my life when I am intensely struggling with hiding sinful thoughts or a sin struggle (such as pride, unforgiveness, or anger towards someone) so that I may appear more "perfect" than I am to help me become more vulnerable and communicate my struggle. It's been amazing how when I bring things into the light, they seem to disappear and lose their power over me, but as long as I am keeping them in the dark (or, self-covering), they seem huge and insurmountable.
Anyways, thanks again for all of your thoughtful responses :). Love you! -Jordan