Genesis 3:1-24 Devotional

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 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.'" 4 But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."
6 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. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 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." 14 The LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel." 16 To the woman he said, "I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you." 17 And to Adam he said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return." 20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the
LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. 22 Then the LORD God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever-" 23 therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Chapter 3 in Genesis is a key chapter because it tells how sin entered the created universe and its consequences.  2 Timothy 3:16 tells us this scripture is profitable because it teaches us, rebukes us, corrects us and trains us in righteousness.  We shall look at how we can profit from this portion of God's word in the coming days.

We start with the serpent.  Who is the serpent?  We look to the Bible to answer the question.  In 3:14-15 the Lord punishes the serpent for deceiving the man and the woman.  Note what is going to happen in 3:15.  The created serpent and its generations to follow will be an enemy of the generations that proceed from the woman.  The last part of  verse 15  refers to a particular offspring of the woman and to the serpent.  The particular male child will bruise the serpent's head ( a fatal blow) and the serpent shall bruise the particular male child's heal (a non-fatal blow).  We shall find later in the Scripture that the particular male child is Jesus and the serpent is Satan. 

In 2 Corinthians 11:3 the Apostle Paul states the serpent deceived Eve referring to Genesis 3.  In                2 Corinthians 11:14 the serpent is referred to as Satan, an angel of light, a deceiver.  In Revelation 12:9; 20:2 the serpent is called the devil and Satan.  We find that the Satan used a serpent to tempt Adam and Eve to do what the Lord said not to do:  eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

We learn that we have an enemy that will tempt us to sin.  How does he tempt us?  In 2 Corinthians 2:11 we are told that Paul is aware of Satan's "designs".  The Greek word translated "designs" means "concepts of the mind".  Satan tempts us by putting thoughts into our mind.

The serpent of Genesis 3:1 refers to Satan, a created angel, who began sinning from the beginning            (1 John 3:8).  Satan entered Judas and led him to confer with the Jewish priests, which led to Jesus being crucified.  Satan attempted to destroy Jesus as written in Genesis 3:15 "you (the serpent) shall bruise his heal (the offspring of the woman)".  Jesus did die on the cross, but rose again from the dead.  Hebrews 2:14-15 tells us Jesus death on the cross destroyed the devil, which was the fulfillment of what was written in Genesis 3:15 "You (Jesus, the offspring of Eve) shall bruise his head."  The devil was rendered powerless against Jesus until he is completely destroyed at the final judgment.  He continues to tempt  people to sin.  As we submit to Christ and resist the devil by faith in Christ, he will flee from us.

What we are to do with what we have learned from Scripture.  We are to learn the truth and live it so we will not be deceived by the devil, who tempts us to sin. Sin is  doing what the Lord has told us not to do and  not doing what the Lord has told us to do.  Are you taking time each day to read the Bible to learn God's truth.  Are you practicing the truth you learn from the Bible?  Learn how the Bible teaches us to think and act.  Compare how you think and act with how God says you are to think and act.  If there are differences, take note of the changes or growth you need in order for you to be and do what the Lord says.  By faith in Jesus attempt to make the changes or growth expecting Jesus to fulfill your act of faith with His power.