You see . . . it really wasn't about Adam and Eve to the Serpent (Satan). They were a way he could strike out at God's heart - he wanted to destroy what was the most precious to Him - "the unfettered intimacy He enjoyed with those He created." Isn't that what he continues to do with us today? The author provides some examples:
Did God actually say I should remain faithful to my marriage vows when we've fallen out of love?
Did God actually say I should give away such a significant portion of my income when it might be misused?
Did God actually say I am supposed to forgive that person who has hurt me again and again?
Satan makes us question what God has commanded - making it seem unreasonable . . . unfair . . . unrealistic.
"The real question is, are you going to allow God to judge and define what is good and what is evil, or are you going to take the reins of those decisions in your life???", the author asks.
I'm a visual person and I especially loved what Nancy Guthrie said Eve should have done after the serpent tempted her . . . "Eve should have run screaming through the garden to report this rebellion against God to her protector, Adam. Adam should have protected his wife and defended God by confronting Satan's twisting of God's clear word." Like us (???) she thought God was denying her . . . Eve listened to the Serpent. Adam listened to Eve. And no one listened to God.
"She took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate." (Genesis 3:6)
The following is beautiful and shows us the first picture in Scripture of what our God is like . . . personally. Notice how He takes the initiative to seek (reach out) after sinners.
"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. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?" And he said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and hid myself." (Gen. 3:8-10)
When God asked Adam "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" (Gen. 3:11)
Never doubt that God ALREADY knows the answer to any question. Remember that Adam had no idea what it meant to be "naked" anymore than a little toddler does - having no concept of "shame".
Here was Adam's chance to fall down on his knees and take responsibility for what he had done - be accountable to the Lord. But . . . instead he starts blaming . . . "the woman you gave to be with me" (Gen. 3:12), then Eve blames the Serpent and off they go playing the "blame game" and the "curse" began. Genesis 3:16 tells us how the woman would be cursed with pain in childbearing. The author pointed out some profound thoughts that we had not thought about. The "pain" experienced by woman through childbearing would be more than the physical pain of labor and delivery but would include: infertility, miscarriages, birth defects and learning disabilities (etc.).
So . . . how does this connect to Jesus? Galatians 4:4 tells us "But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his Son, born of woman." The New Testament calls Jesus the "last" or "second" Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45). Just like the "first Adam", Jesus was tested by God and tempted by Satan. There was a difference . . . He was not tempted from within a beautiful garden created by God to provide all needs, but was in a barren wilderness where he was weak from hunger and deprived of water.
The author asks "why did Jesus' obedience need to be tested? He did this for our sake, so that he would know how to sympathize with us . . . and . . . so that it would be the authentic obedience of our fully God, fully human Savior, not the assumed obedience of an out-of-touch deity.
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This Bible study is so rich in meaning and "connecting the dots" that I encourage you to get the book if you have not done so yet. What I posted above is a small sampling of the enlightenment the Lord provides us through this study.
Next week we begin "Week 4: Noah and the Flood" Genesis 6 - 9. It is contained in the book on pages 91 - 115. Since we are studying this, I thought it would be a fun time to incorporate this video for your viewing pleasure ;-)
Thanks to Jane!!! I learned the link I previously stored in here expired 12-15-15. I was able to find the same showing on uTube and replaced it.
A team attempts to build a different design of the "flood boat" using inscriptions found on an ancient clay tablet referred to as cuneiform writing. You will see that this tablet mirrors the story of Noah and the Ark with one exception - the design of the boat. This tablet depicts a round boat - called a "guffa" or a "coracle".
The first picture (top left) is the model of the Ark that we know. The other pictures shows guffas or round flotillas - on a much smaller scale than the one depicted in the cuneiform writing.
Cuneiform writing: denoting or relating to the wedge-shaped characters used in the ancient writing systems of Mesopotamia, Persia, and Ugarit, surviving mainly impressed on clay tablets.