Reading For Tuesday Genesis 3:1-24
The story has been amazing as the loving, creative God makes and establishes a happy home for fellowship and enjoyment. The apex of his creation assumes the roles and responsibilities in a blissful existence. However, Genesis three takes a terrible and unforeseen turn. A new character appears in the story without warning and catches the reader off guard. This "serpent" evidently won the crafty contest between the rest of the beasts and uses his abilities in sinister ways. This architect of lies begins a conversation that will bring about disaster unimaginable. This adversary comes to confuse our first parents and questions what God has said. You can imagine the hiss surrounding the question, "Are you sure that's what God means?" His forked tongue is not satisfied to only try and confuse, he must attack God's words. The serpent seeks to take one small restriction and divert their attention from the myriads of blessings lavished on his image bearers. The patriarch of lies then tells Adam and Eve that they will not die and these circumstances are untenable. Something inconceivable happens... Our first parents believe the lies: God is not good and cannot be trusted, there is satisfaction outside of God's design, and sin will bring liberation.
In a moment, everything changed and sin entered the world as the cosmos was fractured. Our capacity to rightly enjoy God's good gifts was lost. Perfection was replaced with pain. The marriage relationship changed. Cultivation became a laborious struggle. The garden became a briar patch. Bodies began to die and Eden was lost. The despair of this moment cannot be overstated. This changed everything. Instead of true intimacy and fellowship, man was subjugated to the tyranny of shame and fear. Sin changed every relationship. God and man. Man and woman. Mankind and creation. Everything was shattered. This should have been the end. God's justice demanded death and he would have been right and just to end everything at that moment. But, instead of our rebellion being the immediate death knell, the moment we became the children of wrath; we also became the object of God's loving pursuit. God came looking for the rebels and infidels because salvation is God's work.
Instead of this being the end of the story, this became a place where God would begin to help us understand the story. This is a story about redemption. This is a story about the God that loved his children so much that he would pursue these rebellious creatures no matter what the cost. He would restore things to what they were intended to be. God himself would come, rescue his children and restore their perfect home. Genesis three is a terrible part of a wonderful story. Marvel at grace and rejoice in hope because God will make everything right one day in spite of the suffering sin has wrought.
Things To Consider:
- Satan's still wants to confuse us – Does the Bible really mean what it says?
- What does knowing good and evil mean?
- Why is it important to remember that God came looking for us?
- What are some similarities in the way our enemy tempts you to sin?
- What are some ways that shame and fear are deadly?