The Fall

Read Genesis 2:15-17

1. What commandment did God give to the man? What would happen if man disobeyed this commandment?

You can eat of any tree in the garden except for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. On the day he eats of it, he will die.

2. Did God give the man this commandment before or after the creation of woman? Before.

3. Why did God place the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden? God wanted man to have a relationship with Him because man chose to, not because he had to. Love is not love if it is forced. He gave man and woman the gift of free will. God did not create man to be a robot/computer. He did not program man to blindly obey Him. God gave man the ability to choose to have a relationship with Him. That is where the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil comes into play. Free will does not exist without choices. God placed the Tree of KG&E in the garden so that man could exercise his free will to choose between obeying or disobeying God. The thing with free will is that just as man has the freedom to choose to obey God, he also has the freedom to choose to disobey God. Was God aware of this? Absolutely yes as we’ll see later in this lesson

Read Genesis 3:1-6

The serpent and Satan associated with one another in the New Testament. Read Revelation 12:9. The serpent allowed itself to be used by Satan to tempt Adam and Eve. Why? No one knows. The words the serpent spoke were Satan’s. Satan did not approach Adam and Eve in his true form. He entered into something Adam and Eve recognized/had an awareness of and were not threatened by.

4. Of all the places Eve could be at in the garden, why is she standing in front of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil? Curiosity perhaps. Why is it that we can eat the fruit of any tree in the garden but this one? Looks no different from the other trees. Ex. Jami and Christmas presents. We are most susceptible to temptation when we are somewhere we are not suppose to be. The fruit on that tree looks nice. I wonder what that fruit taste like? When that happens you might as well have a target on your heart for the Enemy to aim at.

5. What characteristic is given to the serpent? Crafty; cunning. Definition - skillful, clever, sly; beguile - to please or persuade by use of wiles; charm. Smooth talker. Satan was purposeful in selecting the serpent to tempt Eve. The serpent had the characteristics necessary for the job as opposed to say an armadillo.


6. How did the Enemy in the form of the serpent exhibit craftiness to beguile/charm Eve?

a) Who did the Enemy target for this temptation? He targeted Eve rather than Adam. Why? Read Genesis 2:15-17. When did God give the commandment not to eat from the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil? Before or after God had created Eve? Before. Eve probably received the commandment from Adam. In Eve’s response to the serpent’s initial question, she added a couple of words to God’s commandment. What was it? “or touch.” God did not say “or touch”. It was probably Adam. He probably added “or touch” to keep Eve from eating the fruit. Eve received God’s commandment concerning the tree as second hand information which does not have the same authority as first hand information. Knowing this, the Enemy was shrewd enough to realize he would have a greater chance of success by directing his temptation at Eve rather than Adam.

b) The Enemy laid a snare by invoking God’s name and using God’s words. For what purpose? To make his words enticing; a subtle/understated move to get Eve’s attention. To get her to focus on his, the serpent’s, words. It is a common tactic of Satan to use God’s Word to tempt people. Can anyone here quote Psalm 91:11-12? Satan knows it. He used it in order to tempt Jesus to sin. Read Matthew 4:5-6. Satan can quote Scripture better than most Christians. He knows every word in the Bible. Satan uses this knowledge to tempt people to disobey God, to question God, to doubt God, to create a false portrayal of God. ex. Family Radio – Judgment Day is May 21, 2011. Back their belief with Scripture. They quote Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Zephaniah, Amos, Ecclesiastes, and just about every NT book to support their belief that Judgment Day is May, 21, 2011. Consequences – Deception, confusion, ridicule, and when May 21 comes and goes and no Judgment Day, disillusion. Satan is using Family Radio, like he did the serpent, to destroy/undermine God’s work on earth.

c) How did the discussion between Eve and the serpent begin? Genesis 3:1. The Enemy did not make a statement; rather, he asked a question. For what purposes? 1) To instill doubt in Eve’s heart and mind. Did God really say ….? Did you hear Him correctly? Are you sure He didn’t say? 2) To elicit a response from Eve. To initiate a dialogue … to encourage a dialogue between him and Eve.

d) What was the focal point of the question? The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. For what purpose? Placed Eve’s thoughts on the source of the temptation – the Tree.

Once Eve entered into a dialogue with the Enemy, she was well on her way down the road to sin. Eve had one foot in the snare. Her attention was now on the tree.

7. Read verse 4. How did the serpent make the temptation appealing to Eve? True God doesn’t want you to eat the fruit, but not for the reasons he told you. You’re not going to die. Real reason - to keep you from being like Him, a god. What is a god? The Supreme authority over everything. Someone to be worshipped and obeyed. A god gives commandments telling you what you can do and what you can’t do. Genesis 2:15-17. A god defines what is right and what is wrong. What the serpent was telling Eve … like God, you will have the authority to determine what is good and what is evil. You can make commandments. You will tell others what is right and what is wrong. God’s motive for denying you the fruit from the Tree is not pure. In fact, it is selfish. He wants to be the one and only god. God is intentionally denying you and Adam the opportunity to improve your position on the organizational chart of Creation. Satan speaking from experience. He desired to be like God. Isaiah 14:12-14.

8. Instead of turning away from the serpent and the tree, what did Eve do? She stared intently at the fruit on the tree and began to think/ponder on the serpent’s words. “Be like God, be like God, be like God …” Eve exercised her free will and made a choice. She reached up, grabbed one of the fruit, and ate. The longer you dwell on temptation, the more susceptible you to fall prey to it. She gave one to Adam and he ate.

9. Who has been silent during this whole conversation between the serpent and the woman? 1) Adam. From what we gather from the Scriptures, Adam was present for the serpent and Eve’s conversation but he chose to remain silent. Not once did he intervene to prevent Eve from talking with and listening to the serpent. Makes one wonder why he did not. Ultimately, the idea of being a god appealed to the man and consequently he exercised free will and made the choice to disobey God. 2) God was silent. He did not intervene. Left it up to man and woman to make their choice. He wanted them to freely choose between obeying or disobeying His commandment.

10. When did temptation become sin for Adam and Eve? When Eve listened to the serpent, was that a sin? No. When she looked at the fruit, was that sin? No. Adam and Eve sinned when they ate the fruit in direct disobedience to God’s command.

Next Sunday - consequences