Day 12: Genesis 3-DISORDER

The Fall

3 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 contrary to your husband, but 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.

Meditation
The problem in the world and in your life is sin- a rejection of God, His word, and His good design for life. Sin historically entered our world through our first parents, Adam and Eve (Romans 5:20-21; 1 Corinthians 15:21-22) and continues to bring disorder and death today.
The temptation to sin enters the head through the eyes, moves to the heart in delight, and is acted upon by our hands (3:6-7).  Sin brings spiritual death (Isaiah 59:2), physical death (they eventually died), and eternal death (Matthew 25:31).  
What is the solution to the problem? Not the work of humanity, it is ONLY the Work of God. The promise of God’s work is first encountered in 3:15; the offspring of the woman would crush the serpent’s head! The practical picture of God’s work is seen in 3:21 where the Lord God killed animals to cover the shame of His creatures, a prequel to both the sacrificial system of the Old Testament and the ultimate final sacrifice of the perfect Lamb of God who was slain to cover the sins of the world (1 John 2:2).
Jesus Christ is the Greatest offspring of Eve, tempted to sin, remaining sinless (Matthew 4; Hebrews 4:15), yet dying the death of a sinner (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus was disordered to the point of death so we could be new creations, born again to a newness of life. In Christ we have victory over the power and penalty of sin, re-ordering our lives for the glory of God.
 
Richly Dwelling
-What sin in your life is bringing you death and disorder? You see it, desire it, and take it? How can you kill it?
 
-The promise of our merciful God is victory, the crushing of Satan. In Christ the penalty and power of sin are eliminated. How can you turn to Him for victory over the sin of pride, lust, greed, idolatry, anger, and other fruits of the flesh?
 
-The work of Jesus Christ takes away the shame of our sin as He gives us the record of His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21). How can Christ’s faithfulness shape you more than your failure in sin? This is to ask, how can you move forward empowered by His grace rather than held back by the sins and struggles of your past, saying no to sin and yes to righteousness?
 
Key Verse
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.”