July 10, 2015
Scripture: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-13
15The LordGod took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the LordGod commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LordGod had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5“For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LordGod as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LordGod among the trees of the garden. 9But the LordGod called to the man, “Where are you?”
10He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13Then the LordGod said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Questions for Reflection:
How did Eve’s answer to the serpent in verse 3 alter God’s command from earlier in chapter 2? How did the serpent respond to Eve? How was the fruit described in verse 6? The temptation that Adam and Eve faced was real. Sometimes sin can be very tempting. However sin also has a cost. What immediately happened to Adam & Eve in their personal relationship and their relationship with God? What consequences of sin have you seen displayed in your life? The fall of mankind was complete. It effected everyone and changed the way we relate to others and God. Spend time today in prayer confessing to God your sins and asking for his healing grace to make you new.