Answers for a study in the book of Genesis: Chapter Three

1.  Review of Class Topic: With your table group, discuss today’s presentation by summarizing what you learned, commenting or asking any questions.

 Answers will vary…

Read Genesis Chapter 3 with your group then, to the best of your ability, answer the following questions:

2.  Go back to Genesis chapter 2: What are the two trees identified by God in the Garden, which one did He warn Adam not to eat from, and why (2:9, 17)? What is the importance of the other one (3:22)?

⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁷ but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”

• The two trees were the tree of life and the tree of. The knowledge of good and evil.
• God commanded them to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because if they did, they would surely die (and they did both spiritually, and later physically).
• If God had allowed them to stay in the Garden after the Fall, they would have had the opportunity to eat from the tree of life and live forever in a fallen state.
• God’s hesed love for them was shown in the banishment from the Garden so that would not happen, and He then made a rescue plan for all humanity (3:15)

3.  Who is the “serpent” in Genesis 3? (Read Revelation 20:1-2) To go deeper into his identity read the veiled descriptions in Ezekiel 28:13-19; Isaiah 14:12-19, Luke 10:17-20; and Revelation 12:7-12.

• His very name, Satan, means “adversary” or “one who opposes,” and devil means “slanderer”
• Satan is the “Serpent” in Genesis (the term means “shining one”)

Scripture gives us insight to this fallen angel, Satan in the following passages. Note, the Old Testament passages start with a particular person and then go into the actual person – Satan, who is responsible for their actions. See underlined parts for specifics:

“Then I saw an angel coming down from heaven, holding the key of the abyss and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years”  Revelation 20:1-2

“You had the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty. “You were in Eden, the garden of God; every precious stone was your covering: The ruby, the topaz and the diamond; the beryl, the onyx and the jasper; the lapis lazuli, the turquoise and the emerald; and the gold, the workmanship of your settings and sockets, was in you. On the day that you were created they were prepared. “You were the anointed cherub who covers, and I placed you there. You were on the holy mountain of God; you walked in the midst of the stones of fire. “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you.  “By the abundance of your trade you were internally filled with violence, and you sinned; therefore I have cast you as profane from the mountain of God. And I have destroyed you, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor. I cast you to the ground; I put you before kings, that they may see you. “By the multitude of your iniquities, in the unrighteousness of your trade you profaned your sanctuaries. Therefore I have brought fire from the midst of you; it has consumed you, and I have turned you to ashes on the earth in the eyes of all who see you. “All who know you among the peoples are appalled at you; you have become terrified and you will cease to be forever.”’”  Ezekiel 28:13-19

“How you have fallen from heaven, O star of the morning, son of the dawn! You have been cut down to the earth, you who have weakened the nations! “But you said in your heart, ‘will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north.  ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.’ “Nevertheless you will be thrust down to Sheol, to the recesses of the pit. “Those who see you will gaze at you, they will ponder over you, saying, ‘Is this the man who made the earth tremble, who shook kingdoms, who made the world like a wilderness and overthrew its cities, who did not allow his prisoners to go home?’ “All the kings of the nations lie in glory, each in his own ^[j]tomb. “But you have been cast out of your tomb like a rejected branch”. Isaiah 14:12-19

“ The seventy returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” And He said to them, “I was watching Satan fall from heaven like lightning. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are recorded in heaven.””  Luke 10:17-20

“And there was war in heaven, Michael and his angels waging war with the dragon. The dragon and his angels waged war, and they were not strong enough, and there was no longer a place found for them in heaven. And the great dragon was thrown down, the serpent of old who is called the devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. Then I heard a loud voice in heaven, saying,

“Now the salvation, and the power, and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ have come, for the accuser of our brethren has been thrown down, he who accuses them before our God day and night. And they overcame him because of the blood of the Lamb and because of the word of their testimony, and they did not love their life even when faced with death. For this reason, rejoice, O heavens and you who dwell in them. Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time.””  Revelation 12:7-12

4.  What did the “serpent” say to Eve and how did she respond (3:1-3)? Did Eve correctly represent what God said (Cross-reference with Genesis 2:17)? Do we ever misrepresent God’s Word, if so, how could we do better?

“Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” Genesis 3:1-3

• In Genesis 2:17, God says, ““but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.””
• No, Eve did not correctly represent what God had said. She added “or touch it” which God had not said.
• The Serpent also caused doubt by questioning God (“did God really say?”) and by telling her partial truths and outright lies. Satan is the father of lies and it began right here.
• Yes, today we can misrepresent God if we do not know what His Word really says and thus misquote or apply it. We can misrepresent God if we do not understand His character and His plan and purpose as laid out in the “big picture” of the Bible. We can misrepresent God if we do not live our life as role models for Him, doing our best to honor and obey His teachings that were laid out for by Jesus.

5.  What did the “serpent” say to Eve after her first response, and was it true (3:4-5)? How did Eve respond to this, and where was Adam when all this was going on (3:6)?

• “The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die. For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good from evil.””
• Satan uses both partial truths to deceive, and outright lies. They did die – spiritually right away, and physically later on.
• Eve saw that the fruit was a “delight to the eyes, and was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and at.” THE BIBLE SAYS “SHE GAVE ALSO TO HER HUSBAND, WHO WAS WITH HER, AND HE ATE.” – They were both there, and Adam was a willing participant.

6.  What happened to Adam and Eve after they ate of the fruit, and how did they respond to God after this happened (3:7-13)? Do we ever respond to God in the same way?

• Their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked, so they sowed fig leaves together to hid their nakedness, and then they hid from God.
• God called to the man “where are you” (but God knew where they were, like a parent who knows what their child just did, but asks them anyway). Adam responded that he hid himself from God because he knew he was naked – God asked: Who told you that you were naked?
• Next, we see a blame game begin, because they felt guilty: Adam blamed Eve, and God (the woman, You gave me); and Eve blamed the serpent.
• We often respond to God, and others, when we are caught doing wrong, by blaming someone or something else, instead of taking the responsibility on ourselves and asking for forgiveness.
• Guilt can be healthy if it causes us to repent and ask for forgiveness; but it can be unhealthy if it leads us into “hiding” from God, making excuses or blaming others.

7.  What did God say and do in response to Adam and Eve’s disobedience 3:14-24? Discuss the implications of this promise and curse from God.

“The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you will go, and dust you will eat all the days of your life; and I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” To the woman He said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth, in pain you will bring forth children; yet your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.” Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’; cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you will eat of it all the days of your life. “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you; and you will eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you will eat bread, till you return to the ground, because from it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.”  Genesis 3:14-24 (NASB)

From the passage we find…

• God cursed the serpent and promised a savior through Eve’s seed (3:15); God cursed Eve with pain in childbirth and a desire for her husband, but he would rule over her; God cursed the ground at this point and hard labor would follow for man and to the dust he would return (death).
• God also made garments to cover Adam and Eve (and this is an indication of the first death of an innocent animal in the Bible).
• God also put cherubim and the flaming sword to keep Adam and Eve out of the Garden so they would not also eat of the tree of life (and therefore live in the sinful condition forever).

8.  Going deeper: Re-read Genesis 3:15 in a few different versions for a better understanding (suggestion: compare NASB, NIV and the Easy-to-Read Version on the Bible Gateway app or other source you might have). This is the first Covenant Promise by God for a Savior. Write out your favorite one and commit it to memory, then cross-reference with Jesus statements made in the New Testament that He is the “HE” (from the seed of the woman) from Genesis 3:15 (for example: Luke 21:8; John 8:18; John 8:24-28 and others).

NASB:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.”

NIV:

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Easy-to-Read Version:

“I will make you and the woman enemies to each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. You will bite her child’s foot, but he will crush your head.”

• I like the NASB because it reads closest to the original language, but making version comparisons like this help us understand the context in our own language and way of thinking along with the original; as does the Easy-to-Read Version above.

Places in the New Testament where Jesus made the “I am He” statements that directly reference back to God’s original promise in Genesis 3:

Mark 13:16

Many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He!’ and will mislead many.

Luke 21:8

And He said, “See to it that you are not misled; for many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am He,’ and, ‘The time is near.’ Do not go after them.

John 8:18

I am He who testifies about Myself, and the Father who sent Me testifies about Me.”

John 8:24

Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.”

John 8:28

So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me.

John 13:19

From now on I am telling you before it comes to pass, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am He.

John 18:5, 6 and 8

They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He *said to them, “I am He.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I am He,” they drew back and fell to the ground… Jesus answered, “I told you that I am He; so if you seek Me, let these go their way,”

Please continue to join us as we read and study the Bible as part of our Christian Apologetics’ class each week!

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Teri Dugan

TeriDugan@truthfaithandreason.com

1 Peter 3:15