In the Beginning, God - Part 10

In this day, divorce is rampant because of the hardness of hearts. It was never God’s plan from the beginning. As God set the first marriage ceremony in motion, it was His plan for one man to live with one woman for the duration of his life.

The reason – marriage is a picture of Christ and His church. And His church is to be pure. Ephesians 5:21-33 spells out the metaphor in detail. This can be summed up with two thoughts. The wife is to respect her husband, and the husband is to love his wife with a sacrificial love, even as Christ loves his church and was willing to die for it.

It works every time and it begins with the husband. If the husband truly loves his wife, his wife will respect him. As he senses her respect, he will love her more. As he loves her more, her respect deepens, and on and on. It forms the cement that holds marriages together. It is also the same cement that bonds Christ’s true church.

We now come to Chapter Three of the Beginning. God has spent six literal days creating the heavens and the earth. He has arranged all creation to function in a logical manner. He has created man and given him charge over God’s wonderful creation. He has given woman to man to be his helper and friend. Then the most terrible event the world has ever known takes place – and it is perpetrated by God’s own creation, the woman and the man.

We read in Genesis 3:1-7, “Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons”.

In verse one, we learn that the snake was the most cunning and most crafty of all of God’s creation. It was this creature that satan used to bring sin into
God’s freshly crafted creation. Sin is in direct conflict with God. God is Light (John 8:12). Sin is dark (John 3:19). God is a God of peace. Sin causes unrest and guilt. God wants to know us intimately. Sin breaks that bond. God is the God of all comfort, but sin puts us on edge.

Man, who once walked side by side in the cool of the day, was now hopelessly separated from his Creator.

Satan begins to question Eve in verse, and she responds in verse two. A conversation is taking place. I believe this probably was not the first conversation between these two. I believe they probably talked in the garden on a regular basis. I believe the serpent and Eve had a trusting friend-like relationship.

It may do us good to occasionally take a look at our friends. Are they godly and leading us in the right direction, or are they possibly being used of satan to lead us astray. Let’s face it. The ones we look to for guidance are the ones closest to us.

In Genesis 2:16, 17, God gives Adam only one restriction. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.“

To walk with a holy God means that the one walking must also be holy. The Psalmist asks and answers a very important question in Psalm 24:3, 4, “Who shall ascend into the hill of the LORD? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart . . .”

God’s crowning creation was about to lose their clean hands and pure heart. Satan questions Eve in Genesis 3”1 and asks her, “. . . hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

This was the beginning of satan’s wicked plan to destroy God’s Creation. A seed of doubt was sown, yet Eve answers him in verse 2 and 3. “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.”

We live in a time when there are literally hundreds of Bible versions, all requiring a separate copyright. Put another way, each of these versions must be unique and original. Things that are different are not the same. We are told in Revelation 22:18, 19 not to add to the Scriptures, nor take anything away from the Scriptures, for by doing so we corrupt the very Word of God. This is not something new. Eve was the first to add to the holy Word of God.

Notice that in Genesis 2:17 God tells Adam, “. . . for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.” Nothing is mentioned about touching it. Perhaps God gave more instructions than is recorded, but at first read, it would appear that Eve is adding to God’s Word as she answers the devil, “. . . neither shall ye touch it . . .”

Satan’s attack continues as he pronounces the first lie, “And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” His plan worked then, and he still uses it widely today. Be on guard.

His deception took root, and Eve succumbed to the temptation. A vale of separation falls on mankind as sin enters the previously perfect world. Genesis 3:6 tells the story. “And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

I would guess that most of the time when we fall into sin, we follow the same pattern Eve did. First of all, she saw. It all began with a look. This was followed by a deep desire. Then she took. And finally, she gave to her husband. So often, when we fall into sin, we want to share it with others. Be sensitive to this four-step downhill fall in your life.

Remember that Adam’s purpose was to protect his garden, his wife. Is it possible that Adam wanted the fruit as much as Eve? We are told in I Timothy 2:14 that Eve was deceived. She was tricked, but it also mentions Adam was not deceived. He was a willing participant. Either way, on that day, sin entered the world. It was the duty of Adam to protect his wife. It is still the duty of the man today. Husbands, step up and fulfill your God-given obligation.