The only thing more human than to err is to make excuses about erring. In the garden, after the original sin, Adam and Eve do not confess their sin. They attempt to conceal their sin and themselves from God. Theologians do not refer to the major events in Genesis as Creation-Fall-Repentance, because the man and the woman ran from God, not to Him. God pursues them. And even though He doesn’t remove the consequences of their sin (in fact, He will add curses to them because of it), He does restore them to fellowship with Himself and promises them redemption.

It’s embarrassing to watch our first parents hide and blame-shift. It would be less embarrassing, I suppose, if we didn’t do the same things. Sin separates us from God and our senses. Sin makes us stupid. Did Adam really think that he could successfully hide from God? Did he really think he could conceal his sin from God by switching the subject? Did he really he could get himself off the hook by making excuses? He must have, because he tried each one of those strategies.

We saw in Scene One (verses 1-7), the serpent lured Eve by promising her something better than what God offered, and she bit. Soon after that she persuaded Adam to eat, and immediately they knew that they were naked and found fig leaves to cover themselves.

Verse 8 brings us to Scene Two (verses 8-13). Later that same day, the LORD came to the garden to spend time with His creatures, but they aren’t around. They quickly realize, however, there was nowhere to run to, nowhere to hide.

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. 9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

Adam and Eve Seek Cover from God (v.8)

Not only did Adam and Eve cover themselves once they recognized their nakedness (verse 7), they also attempted to conceal themselves once they perceived their Maker’s presence.

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. (verse 8)

They were in the garden in the cool of the day. Every major translation expresses it this way except for the NRSV: “the time of the evening breeze.” It could be put, “in the wind of the day,” referring to the time when things were cooling down, probably in the late afternoon or early evening. Because of this specific time, because of the tense of the verb walking (mithallek is a type of Hithpael that suggests interative and habitual aspects, Hamilton, 192), and because of Yahweh’s question in verse 9, I think it is likely that this was a regular, if not daily meeting between God and the couple.

But instead of looking forward to seeing God and enjoying fellowship with Him, when they heard the sound of the LORD God … the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. We don’t know how exactly the LORD was “walking.” What form did He take? Did He have the appearance of a man, so walking on two legs? That they hid from the presence of the LORD could actually mean “from the face of the LORD.” So was this a theophany/Christopany, that is, a pre-incarnate appearance of the Word of God? Certainly His form was distinguished from the breeze. Somehow they recognized it was Him and ran into the wood, hoping to escape notice.

No thicket or forrest could conceal the first fugitives from God. We cannot lay low enough to avoid Him. He knows when we sit down and when we rise up. He knows our thoughts from afar, our words before they are formed on our tongue. Where will we go from His Spirit? Where shall we flee from His presence? The darkness is as light with Him (Psalm 139); branches will not deter Him. No creature is hidden from His sight, but all are naked and exposed to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account (Hebrews 4:13).

Sin not only caused shame, it also caused fear. It not only separated man from woman (as shown by fig leaves between them), it separated man from God (as shown by their hiding). This is spiritual death. God’s presence previously was man’s greatest delight. Now it was cause for alarm. Men were, and remain, alienated from their Maker. On the one hand they are estranged from God, on the other hand, they cannot escape from God. There is nowhere to hide.

God Elicits Confession from Adam and Eve (vv.9-13)

Interrogation is too strong a word for what happens in verses 9-13, or at least the word carries too much torture baggage with it in our minds. Inquiry is not a strong enough word, nor does the interchange come about because God is curious, let alone ignorant. He knows. But God graciously initiates, allowing man to see sin for what it really is. God moves to restore relationship even though everything has changed.

God’s Pursuit of Adam (v.9)

The man took his wife and hid. But the LORD doesn’t leave them alone.

But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” (verse 9)

As I said, the question here implies that the LORD expected to meet man in the garden, that the man’s absence was unusual. The question does not imply that the LORD needed information or that He did not actually know. The question was didactic, a gracious way to let Adam out of the corner and teach him about his sin. The LORD asks Cain a similar question in Genesis 4:9, “Where is your brother Abel?” Cain, of course, acts as if he didn’t know. But the LORD said, “The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” The LORD knew exactly where Abel was; He asked a question He already knew the answer to in order to expose sin and elicit confession.

Observe that the LORD called to the man. The man hid and took his wife with him (the verb “hid” in verse 8 is 3rd person singular). The man was responsible. God charged Adam to tend the garden and prohibited Adam from eating from the tree. Adam was liable. He was the head. Now he will have to give an answer.

Adam’s Evasion of God (v.10)

The LORD’s question drew man out from hiding and he answers, sort of.

And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (verse 10)

Do you see that Adam doesn’t really answer the question? He answers; he says something, but he answers Why are you hiding? not Where are you?. The long explanation is Adam’s attempt to deflect attention away from the real problem. But in trying to switch the subject of conversation, he actually exposes his disobedience and admits his guilt. He’s already said too much. “His very excuse provides evidence of his misdeed” (Cassuto, quoted in Wenham, 77).

Adam explains that when he heard God coming, I was afraid. Man’s relationship with God had been intimate. No doubt it included man’s healthy respect for God, but there had been no fear. Now the reason for Adam’s fear was exposed, because I was naked, and I hid myself. He still hasn’t admitted anything, though he was revealing his heart.

Sin causes man to run from God, not run to Him. Adam should have immediately fallen on his face before God, confessed his disobedience, pleaded for God’s mercy, and humbly pleaded with God for forgiveness. Instead, he panicked. He didn’t want to be seen. He wanted to cower under cover and lick his wounded soul. He equivocates, concealing the truth and avoiding confession. But if we blame him, we blame ourselves.

God’s Pressing of Adam (v.11)

Adam left himself wide-open with the answer he gave in verse 10. God asks two more questions in verse 11 that pin man down.

He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (verse 11)

God knew that Adam was naked; He made him that way. And at the end of chapter 2, nakedness was no cause for shame. Something clearly changed, and God wanted Adam to understand that it was a direct result of his own disobedience.

God asked, Who told you that you were naked?. Of course, there wasn’t anyone who could have given Adam the information. Eve didn’t know, and she was the only other person around.

If the answer to the first question was “no one,” naturally, the next question was, Did–from the tree which I charged you not to eat from–you eat? (SKHV, with emphasis on the tree’s description) This was the crux of the matter. The LORD reminds Adam of the clear standard. Man’s problem was not ignorance of God’s command.

What else could man possibly say now?

Adam’s Excuse(s) to God (v.12)

This is one of the saddest, most telling responses in all the Bible.

The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (verse 12)

What kind of question had God just asked? It was Yes or No question. It was not a good question for starting discussion (in small group, etc.). It was a simple question. There are always only two possible answers to Yes/No questions. More than that, we’ve already established that Adam was naked, that there wasn’t anyone else who could have told him that, so there was only one other possibility. But Adam, caught with his hand in the proverbial cookie jar, basically said, If you wouldn’t have made cookies, I wouldn’t have tried to take any. If you wouldn’t have given me hands, I couldn’t have used them for wrong. In order to protect himself, Adam distances himself from his wife and makes excuses.

Adam was defensive. The woman…, she gave to me fruit from the tree. It was her fault, not mine. Now, was that true? Yes. Eve did give fruit to Adam. Was it her fault he ate it? No. Yet Adam shifts the blame onto the one he was supposed to protect. He had only days ago exclaimed, “This is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!” Now it’s as if he stepped away from her and pointed.

Even worse, Adam ultimately blames God: the woman You gave me. I don’t know what attitude Adam had when he said this. He may have been whiny. He have have been mad. Either way, he did not man up and take responsibility for his actions. Again, was it true that God had given Even to Adam? Yes. Was it God’s fault that Adam ate? Absolutely not! May it never be! Let no one say when he sins, it is God’s fault. God cannot be tempted with evil, and He Himself tempts no one (James 1:13).

After blame-shifting, he finally, reluctantly confesses, and I ate. This part is the only part that matters, but he waited until the end to say it, minimizing his disobedience in the process. There doesn’t seem to be any brokenness, any repentance, or any desire for forgiveness. Nor does the LORD bother with a reply to him, at least not yet. Answer not a fool according to his folly.

If we accept responsibility, it is often only after we’ve explained the circumstances, as if to evoke the authority’s sympathy. “Oh! That’s what happened. No wonder you did what you did. What else could you have done?” Our excuse-making and blame-shifting does not lessen our guilt, it aggravates is.

God’s Pressing of Eve (v.13a)

Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” (verse 13a)

God asks Eve, What is this that you have done? We might say, “What did you do?” Though Adam was primarily responsible, she was not exempt from giving answer directly to God for her own actions.

Eve’s Excuse to God (v.13b)

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (verse 13b)

Eve follows her husbands’ example. She does not ask for forgiveness, but shifts, at least part of, the blame to the serpent. Like Adam, she is a victim of someone else’s doing. Eve is the first person to ever claim, “The devil made me do it.”

All the characters are included, in reverse order from their appearance in the first scene (3:1-7–serpent, woman, man–man, woman, serpent), and God will address all three of them as He curses them (3:14-19–serpent, woman, man).

Conclusion

What does this passage teach us? Genesis 3 reveals something about man, but thankfully, the story is more about the revelation of God.

1. God’s holy patience and gracious pursuit.

It is significant that God questions instead of killing immediately. He knew that the serpent deceived Eve and that both the woman and man disobeyed. God already threatened death upon disobedience. He would have been just to take their lives and start over. But without changing His position on what was right–He punishes them in the next paragraph, and they do die–God shows patience with the first couple.

It is also significant that God pursues rather than pushes away. What if the LORD left Adam and Eve alone? If God did not initiate, they would have died hiding. So would we. If He waited for us to cry out to Him, if it weren’t for Him letting us hear His voice calling, we would still be lost. That’s why we sing about His amazing love, how can it be, that He would die for Adam’s helpless race?

2. Man’s sinful pride.

Why did God create a creature capable of rebellion? For virtues sake? What “virtue” does man demonstrate, even in a perfect environment and without a tendency toward sin?

1. Man rebels.
2. Man runs.
3. Man rationalizes.
4. Man doesn’t even repent.

He didn’t want to be exposed. He didn’t want to take responsibility. This is no virtue. The story of man proves nothing positive about man, but reveals the holy, gracious character of God.

Because of our pride, you have to drag the truth out of us. “So fruitful is the depraved heart in excuses…for its sins! So prone to extenuate (make an offense seem less serious) what it cannot deny!” (Bush, 81)

We may blame our environment, we may blame our parents, we may blame whatever we like. But we stand naked and exposed before God. It is no use to run. There is nowhere to hide.

Genesis 3 introduces us to the beginning of sin. Once we walk through this wardrobe door we enter an entirely other country, and there is no return. The rest of the book of Genesis, the rest of the Bible, and the rest of human history bears the scars of Adam and Eve’s disobedience.

First thing in Chapter 3 – Scene 1 (vv.1-7), we are introduced to The Adversary (v.1a), the serpent, who was more crafty than any other beast of the field (v.1). Even though Moses doesn’t state it explicitly, the rest of Scripture attributes the serpent’s work to satan, a liar from the beginning and the father of lies. Where he came from, and even more importantly, how he came to be the adversary of God and man, is not answered here. He slithers onto the scene and casts doubts in the woman’s mind by questioning God’s Word.

The Temptation (vv.1b-5) began when the serpent said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden?’” He intentionally misrepresents the one and only prohibition God gave, to exaggerate God’s restrictiveness. The Temptation/Conversation starts with a Question.

The woman’s Response is not that convincing. She said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 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.’ Eve initially corrects the serpent, but already seems to be leaning in his direction. She doesn’t communicate her thankfulness, but rather disparages (treats with little value) her privileges. She jumps into to the deep end of the complaint pool by putting words in God’s mouth. It is a half-hearted defense.

In her response, she alters God’s word, subtracting from it three times and adding to it once. That always leads to trouble. God had said, “You may surely (or freely) eat of every tree of the garden,” and Eve left out both accents of God’s generosity. Then she minimized the penalty. God had said, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” and she said only “lest you die.” She also added a part to God’s prohibition, claiming that God said not only that “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree” but also, “neither shall you touch it.”

The serpent has her right where he wants her. His Counter comes in verses 4 and 5, You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. The serpent attacks the motivation and character of God, making God seem not only nervous and restrictive, but now also insecure of His position. God “knew all along” what would happen if they ate. It is as if God made deceptive threats to the man an woman in order to keep something good from them.

The Fall (v. 6)

Herein is the first disobedience, the soil of disaster, the original sin.

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. (verse 6)

The serpent already had her ear, as evidenced by the fact that she didn’t run or resist him. She kept looking at the forbidden: when the woman saw. We’re sometimes told there is “no harm in looking.” Really?

Eve didn’t eat the fruit because she was in need or hungry. Every other fruit in the garden was hers for the taking. She ate because she thought it would bring her pleasure.

Many see a parallel between the three descriptions in Genesis 3:6 and the things in the world, cf. 1 John 2:16.

• the tree was good for food – the lust of the flesh
• it was a delight to the eyes – the lust of the eyes
• to be desired to make one wise – the pride of life (not “possessions” – ESV)

Note especially the third description, the tree was to be desired to make one wise. How did she know this? No one else had experienced it. There was no empirical data to support the claim. Eve believed someone. The only evidence she had that the tree would make her wise from the serpent’s statements. She believed the serpent, not God.

After she ate, she gave to husband who was with her. She was off on her own. I think the sense is “she gave that he might eat with her; that he might join with her in the act. The “with her” was less about Adam’s proximity or place, but about his participation. Eve ate because she was deceived. Adam ate deliberately.

“She saw…she took…she gave.” One verse. This mess will never be unscrambled, ever.

The limited grasp of the mind of man is not adequate to take in the length and breadth and fearful extent of the evil which has thus been entailed upon the human family–an evil running parallel with the present life and reaching forward into an unmeasured eternity! (Bush, 77)

As a footnote, the fruit Adam and Eve at is never named. Though some speculate it was an apple, that’s likely due to the common sound in Latin malus, “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” and malum, “apple.”

The Anti-Climax (v. 7)

Talk about a letdown, rip-off, disappointing end to a fantastic and impressive promise from the serpent.

Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (verse 7)

The serpent was right in all three things he promised…sort of.

1. They would surely not die. Genesis 5:5 reveals that Adam lived to 930 years old.
2. Their eyes would be opened. Genesis 3:7 says just as much.
3. They would be like God, knowing good and evil. God says just as much in Genesis 3:22.

All of the serpent’s lies came true, kind of. It was , however, undoubtedly not what Eve bargained for.

The first result was humiliation and shame. Here is the first clothing, note that the purpose of the clothing was to cover.

Why didn’t Eve die immediately? Why didn’t they both die immediately when Adam ate, as God promised in Genesis 2:17

If … it be asked what death God threatened man with …, whether … bodily or spiritual or that second death, we answer: It was all … He comprehends therein, not only the first part of the first death, wheresoever the soul loses God, nor the latter only, wherein the soul leaves the body … but also … the second with is the last of deaths, eternal, and following after all. (Augustine, The City of God, XXII. xii)

Conclusion

This paragraph frames our beliefs about:

• the importance of believing God’s Word. What God says is always true.
• the existence of evil, in the world and in our own souls. Only in this account can we be heavy and hopeful.
• the deceptiveness of satan. We ought always be suspicious.

By the way, we totally would have done the same. It is hypothetical (of no real value) and arrogant (really quite foolish) to think that if we were in the garden, we wouldn’t have sinned.

Pelagius denied original sin. He claimed the only impact of the fall was Adam’s bad example. Not so according to the inspired commentary on this passage in Romans 5:12-21. In Adam we are all guilty, by nature children of wrath, sinners earning death for our disobedience.

A few weeks ago I promised some thoughts on the question: why would God even create a tree and forbid them to eat its fruit that could be a temptation? Why would He allow the serpent to entice the woman at all? If God knew what Adam and Eve would choose, and the drastic consequences of their disobedience, why go through with it?

It does show us that free-will is pathetic.

But more so, this is God’s story. More than anything else, it reveals something about Him. We would not know (or praise) the distinctiveness of God’s holiness, the severity of His wrath, the long-suffering of His patience, the breadth of His grace, or the depth of His love without Genesis 3.

We need to start getting our feet in the stirrups of a God-centered worldview that enables us to ride through life hating sin, and yet never wavering in confidence (and even celebration) that God is in control over the rough terrain. Genesis 3:1-7 a disastrous and designed part of the story.

Next week we’ll see in Scene 2 that Adam and Eve ran and hid from God rather than repent.

Genesis 3 reports the single most tragic story of all time. No other single event in human history has had such far reaching, penetrating, and catastrophic consequences. The Bible hinges on this chapter; different worlds exist before and after it.

The apostle Paul put it this way in Romans 5:12, “Sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin.” The “one man” was Adam, and his disobedience to the only prohibition brought the inescapable, terminal disease of death to the entire human race. His was the original sin, and its effect is seen on every following page of God’s Word. Though Christ defeated the ultimate power of sin and death for believers, even we are subject to sickness, pain, shame, suffering, and physical death. Unbelievers experience not only curses on earth, they will also face eternal wrath.

The effects of fall of Adam can hardly be underestimated. Cancer and the common cold are diagnosed as results of Genesis 3. Hatred and murder, lust, lying, laziness, greed and gossip all grow from the soil of Genesis 3. Separation from God and estrangement from fellow image-bearers exists only because of Genesis 3. The Monday morning discontent and misunderstandings about marriage and divorce are due to Genesis 3. Every bitter thought, every brutal killing, all wars–between siblings or nations, owe their origin to Genesis 3. Casket makers, cremators, and cemetery proprietors have jobs because of Genesis 3, as do nurses, doctors, pharmacists, and hospital janitors. Weeds grow and choke out and overrun gardens, hurricanes and floods and earthquakes and fires destroy, all because of Genesis 3.

All is vanity under the sun because of Genesis 3. Hell exists because of Genesis 3. We look forward to heaven as our hope because of Genesis 3. Jesus was crucified because of Genesis 3.

So this is no unimportant chapter of the story. We live in a Genesis 3 world, and we will not be equipped to make sense of what we see around us without it. Our worldview will break under the weight of the existence of evil and the fear of death without grasping the truth taught here.

Yet for the significance of this chapter, it may raise more questions than provide answers. Where did the serpent come from? Is the serpent more than a serpent? If so, and if an angel, when were the angels created? How did one angel become God’s enemy? Where was Adam when the serpent approached Eve?

And I brought up this particular question when we studied Genesis 2:16-17, but why would God even create a tree and forbid them to eat its fruit that could be a temptation? Why would He allow the serpent to entice the woman at all? If God knew what Adam and Eve would choose, and the drastic consequences of their disobedience, why go through with it?

Too many think the point is to prove that man’s morality is not forced. John Milton popularized this theory in his Paradise Lost, and most theologians also favor this man centered approach. For example, “The answer must always be that God will only have that count as moral behavior worthy of a being made in God’s image, which is freely given and maintained even where the possibility of doing otherwise offers itself” (Leupold, 145). But I think there is more to it than that. Namely, this is God’s story. More than anything else, it reveals something about Him. Our task involves seeing Him as the central character, and we’ll try to do that as we study the original sin.

The Adversary (v. 1a)

A new character is presented: the serpent, whom we quickly recognize to be not only a tempter, but the antagonist in the story.

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. (1a)

Moses calls him the serpent like we know him, and like something distinguished this one from the other beasts of the field.

The serpent was crafty. Interestingly, there is a word play between “nude” (‘arom 2:25) and “shrewd” (‘arum 3:1), linking the two scenes. The word, depending on its context, can carry a positive meaning such as sensible (in accordance with wisdom or prudence), or shrewd (having or showing sharp powers of judgment). In other contexts, being shrewd involves mischievous or malicious intent. Many major translations use the word “crafty” (meaning clever at “achieving one’s aims by indirect or deceitful methods”, ESV, NASB, NIV). The NKJV uses “cunning” (having skill in achieving one’s aims by deceit or evasion).

At this point, nothing is revealed about his motive or where he came from. Last we knew, everything was very good. Adam and Eve had everything they needed in a paradisiacal garden created by God for them. The only place they could go from here was down.

We’re also told that the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. This phrase rules out any possibility that this creature was eternal or equally powerful as God, since it was a created being. In fact, the serpent was likely only a few hours older than the man and woman.

It is safe to say, however, that in 65 additional books of revelation, the serpent’s identity was confirmed as satan, the adversary of God and men. Satan was the primary agent, a serpent was the secondary agent. [Part of the reason I believe there was an actual serpent involved is because the curse in 3:14 includes going on his belly and eating dust, neither of which would apply to satan.]

What made the serpent go after man? Again, the immediate context does not answer. But Calvin says, “since he was the adversary of God, he attempted to subvert the order established by Him, and, because he could not drag God from His throne, he assailed man, in whom His image shone” (146).

The Conversation (vv. 1b-5)

The serpent approached the woman, engaging her in dialogue, thus beginning the temptation.

He said…What? What do you mean that the serpent said something? Was it normal for animals to talk with humans? Why doesn’t Eve run away or at least react with some element of suspicion, if not shock?

I believe that this conversation took place not long after the Sabbath. The story moves too quickly to leave any other impression. God created animals early on the sixth day (1:24-25), created man and woman (1:26-30; 2:18-25), then pronounced everything “very good” (1:31). The next day, the seventh day, God set aside as a holy day of rest (2:1-3), and the first full week was over. The rest of chapter 2 (verses 4-25) filled in specific details about the creation of man and woman. Then Moses drops us without interruption into chapter 3.

So if, as I think, this conversation took place early on in the garden, perhaps Eve figured this was another new thing to experience, since most of her experiences would still be new. She seems to respond like it was normal, and having been given no reason to fear, her guard was down.

That said, a talking serpent, or any other animal, is not normal. Narratives throughout the Old Testament include odd occurrences, but animals using language to communicate with humans always involves the supernatural. Speech is one of the things that sets men apart from animals. So I don’t think this was normal in the garden either, but Adam and Eve’s definition of normal was still expanding.

1. The Serpent’s Question (v. 1b)

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

Did God actually say, or, “Indeed, (is it) that God said.” Did He really say…?

The serpent starts by questioning the clarity of God’s word. Maybe Eve misunderstood. Maybe she was confused. Maybe something got lost in the translation when Adam told Eve (since God revealed His prohibition to Adam before Eve was even created, Genesis 2:16-17).

How did the serpent know any version of God’s prohibition? Did God talk to the serpent about it, like when God spoke to Satan about Job? Did the serpent overhear God speaking with Adam?

Not eat of any tree is a subtle distortion with significant difference. The serpent intentionally misrepresents God’s standard to exaggerate restrictive prohibition rather than God’s extravagant provision. It sows doubt in the woman’s mind about God’s authority, and even perhaps hints that God is far away by using “God” (Elohim) instead of “LORD” (Yahweh).

2. The Woman’s Response (vv. 2-3)

She responds. Maybe that’s okay. Maybe she should have ran. Maybe she should have dismissed it, or at least gone to discuss it with her husband. If she knew then what we know now, we certainly hope she would have done something else.

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 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.’”

She initially corrects the serpent, but already seems to be leaning in his direction. She doesn’t communicate excitement or thankfulness, but rather disparages (treats with little value) her privileges. She takes on the serpent’s designation of God, and doesn’t refer to Yahweh. She also jumps into to the deep end of the complaint pool by putting words in God’s mouth. It is a half-hearted defense.

In her response, she changes God’s word, subtracting from it three times and adding to it once. That always leads to trouble. God had said, “You may surely (or freely) eat of every tree of the garden,” and Eve left out both accents of God’s generosity. Then she minimized the penalty. God had said, “for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die” and she said “lest you die.” She also added a part to God’s prohibition, claiming that God said not only that “You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree” but also, “neither shall you touch it.”

So why did Eve say it? Perhaps, and this is a big perhaps, God had told that to Adam and Moses didn’t include it in Genesis 2. But I don’t think so. Making an argument from silence is not easy. Even more so, the fact that the serpent takes the temptation to another level in verses 4 and 5 means his hook was already in. If Eve’s response had been unyielding obedience, I presume the serpent would have left and had to try something else (resist the devil and he will flee). Instead, it seems like Eve realized, “Wait, this is bad.” She started to think of God as less generous and more demanding than He she knew He was. She understated her privileges and overstated her limitations.

This is where the sin began. Taking the fruit in verse 6 is no surprise after her questioning of God and His word.

3. The Serpent’s Counter (vv. 4-5)

The wall was leaning and all the serpent had to do was nudge it to crush the woman. The serpent shifts from asking to asserting, and moves in for the kill.

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

You will surely not die. This is an outright, bold-faced denial, undoubtedly couched in sympathetic terms. The serpent was persuading her to distrust God’s word, and to do so because of God’s character. He blatantly accused God of being harsh, repressive, and forbidding, because He is selfish.

for God knows…you will be like God. Not only will disobedience to God’s command not bring negative consequences, it will actually bring positive benefits. The serpent offered the woman something God created her not to have.

The serpent attacks the motivation and character of God, making God seem not only nervous and restrictive, but now also insecure of His position. God “knew all along” what would happen if they ate. It is as if God made deceptive threats to the man an woman in order to keep something good from them.

Being human is good, being God is better. Why should He have the upper hand? What is He keeping us from? It’s ironic that the “father of lies” (cf. John 8:44) suggests God is a liar.

There seems to be a sense of entitlement that traps Eve, like she should have that, and she takes the fruit.

Here’s a quick summary of the temptation.

The serpent’s temptation started by subtlety:

1. Questioning (the clarity of) God’s word.
2. Misrepresenting (the restrictiveness of) God’s standard.
3. Sowing doubt about God’s authority.

The serpent’s temptation evolved by flagrantly:

1. Disregarding God’s word.
2. Denying God’s standard.
3. Impugning God’s character.

We’ll come back next time and see how the serpent appealed to man’s pride and brought sin and death into humanity.