Episode 256 - "Moving on from the ark" - Genesis 9:18-28

Gen. 9:18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.

Gen. 9:20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;

a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

Gen. 9:26 He also said,

“Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem;

and let Canaan be his servant.

27 May God enlarge Japheth,

and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,

and let Canaan be his servant.”

Gen. 9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

As a side note to this week's blog and podcast, I’d like to offer the following commentary with regard to science and the Bible. There are people who hold that science is the only, or perhaps most, authoritative process and source of knowledge. Some of these people view the Bible and other documents viewed as sacred by people of other religions as a collection of fantastic stories that have little or no relevance to people today. The flood narrative is one story for which there is all sorts of criticism and debate, even among people who hold the Bible and the Hebrew Scriptures as sacred.

One problem with this approach and perspective of knowing is that it cannot be scientifically proven that the scientific process is the only or most authoritative means of gaining knowledge and understanding. Looking at the history of science and human reason, science has a terrible “batting average.” What I mean is that scientific efforts often produce errant conclusions. Over time, better methods of observation and new developments help improve the process, and we know more, and we know better. But we don’t know perfectly. Science is a good and valuable tool for us when used with humility and objectively.

The Bible is a document of documents. Within the Bible, there are many forms of literature. There is history, narrative (story - fictional and non-fictional), poetry, wisdom literature, and more. Each form of literature has certain rules that help us understand what is important to receive from that literature. The fundamental distinction between the Bible and books one might have on their bookshelf is that the literature within it is ultimately from a supernatural or divine source (God) that communicates a divine message and knowledge to humanity. To suggest that it has a supernatural aspect is beyond the scope of science to make an accurate judgment because it’s outside the scope of science. As with science, however, we must interpret and use the Scriptures with humility. The Bible has many things that have been proven to be historically accurate. Therefore, one should not readily dismiss things in the Bible that appear to us as incredible, and one should not readily accept as undeniable truth something asserted through science. The flood narrative and the related details are a good example of that.

My whole point in saying this is to encourage you not to get distracted by arguments about the flood, the age of the earth, and so forth. This story and the rest of the Bible tell us about God, humanity, and the trajectory of this grand story from Genesis through Revelation. So, how do we apply this to our text for this week?

First, it would appear that we all are descendants of Noah and his sons. If we take verses 18-19 at face value and understand the phrase “from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed,” it literally means the whole earth, and it’s not hyperbole from an ancient perspective. Does it mean we ignore the Bible if our understanding is limited or incorrect in some way? No. The reason is that this text affirms that Noah and his descendants were ultimately fulfilling the LORD’s commands to be fruitful and fill the earth AND that the LORD was faithful to make that possible.

The next section about Noah becoming drunk and naked reminds us of the Garden of Eden. After Adam and Eve disobeyed God, they “saw that they were naked” and sought to cover themselves. Sin should bring shame. I would suggest that Ham’s offense against his father is that he brought his father’s nakedness to the attention of his brothers. He wasn’t ashamed by it. Perhaps he was even mocking his father’s condition by looking at him and bringing it to his brothers’ attention. Shem and Japheth honored their father by covering his nakedness.

This story prepares the reader for what happens later with their descendants. Abram (Abraham) is a descendant of “righteous” Shem. He becomes the patriarch of the Israelites. And we’ll see the conflicts with his descendants and descendants of Ham. More generally, we should observe that the problem caused by Adam and Eve’s disobedience is still with Noah and his sons. God didn’t wipe out the sin problem with the flood. Therefore, at this point, we’re still looking for God’s solution to our sin problem.

So, how is this story relevant to us? For one, we could ask ourselves if our perspective about the attitudes and actions of others evokes a sense of shame within us. Do we entertain ourselves by it as did Ham or, as people who desire to follow the LORD’s ways, do we show grace and mercy to others that Shem and Japheth demonstrated to their father? Lessons like this are much more valuable and edifying than arguments over details about a global flood versus a local flood.

Episode 247 - "Noah did all the LORD commanded him" - Genesis 6:11-22

Gen. 6:11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21 Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

OK. Sometimes, I pick a few verses and say a lot about them. Now is the occasion to pick a more extensive text and say relatively little. Why? In either case, the purpose is to highlight what’s important. To begin with, let’s begin by exercising one of my favorite interpretive questions. Do you see anything repeated? We ask that because repetition often brings emphasis. Here’s a hint. Read or listen through this text again and listen for what sounds like hyperbole, words that describe extreme quantity or degrees of something.

The setting of this sub-narrative is a repetition and emphasis of what has already been described earlier in chapter six. The point the author is clearly making is how bad people had become in the days of Noah. Verse 13 records, “the earth was filled with violence.” It paints a pretty graphic scene for us, doesn’t it? But the word I’m thinking about in particular is the word “all.” Verse 12 says, “for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth,” and God’s response to that in verse 13, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh.” The extent of the wickedness and violence evident by humanity at that time was evoking a corresponding response of judgment by the LORD.

Why is this important to observe and consider? I believe it’s easy for people to downplay the seriousness or extent of the human condition to not act according to God’s character. We think, “Surely it wasn’t that bad.” The subsequent thought could then easily be, “That seems a bit of a harsh response by God.” My question is, “What are we doing when we entertain those thoughts?” Fundamentally, we make ourselves to be God. We decide that we can adequately judge what is right or wrong, and then we act as though we are God’s judge. Perhaps it’s better to read this and think, “Wow! What would that look like in our world right now if the earth was absolutely ‘filled with violence?’” That would be horrible, wouldn’t it? Clearly, things had come a long way from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve’s simple act of disobedience had a significant impact far beyond themselves. I think the same thing holds true for us today. Our simple acts of disobedience can have a significant negative impact on others.

The next thing that stands out to me is the specific details of how the ark should be built. Why is this important? Scholars of ancient cultures point out that there are cataclysmic flood stories in various cultures and suggest that this story is borrowed from another culture. They suggest that a flood story is simply a fictional story that is important in those cultures for one reason or another. But one has to ask themselves what the purpose would be of the LORD instructing Noah to make it of gopher wood, have three decks, and construct it according to very specific dimensions. It seems to me that in a world that had moved so far from following the LORD, the fact that God gave very specific commands concerning the construction of this ark and Noah “did all that God commanded him” (notice the all again) reveals that these details are historical and this isn’t early fantasy/adventure literature. It’s a story about humanity’s unfaithfulness to the LORD, the LORD’s sovereign judgment upon their violence, Noah’s faithfulness to obey the LORD, and the LORD’s faithfulness to preserve life and blessing.

This last element of the LORD’s faithfulness is revealed in the covenant he promised to establish with Noah. A covenant is a solemn promise by which the covenant maker accepts a curse upon themselves if they do not fulfill their part of the covenant. In this case, God is taking sole responsibility for the covenant. Notice that this covenant does not just promise that Noah and his family will survive the flood. But in his detailed instructions for this ark, the LORD commands that male and female of every animal come into the ark, suggesting the LORD has long-term plans for reestablishing a continuance of life on the earth as the LORD had planned it.

This story reveals the holiness and righteousness of the LORD. While the LORD is patient, he will not tolerate injustice and violence indefinitely. In his sovereign authority, it is his right to bring judgment upon violations against his righteous standard. Yet the LORD will preserve the righteous as he did with Noah. These principles remain true for us today. As we witness the violence and injustices in our world today, we can be confident that God will someday judge the earth again but will deliver those he deems righteous.

Episode 245 - "But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD" - Genesis 6:1-8

Gen. 6:1 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3 Then the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

Gen. 6:5 The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. 7 So the LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.

I suspect there are few passages in all of Scripture that are more debated and discussed in church Sunday school rooms and parking lots than these first few verses in Genesis 6. What is meant by “sons of God” and “daughters of man”? Furthermore, who were the Nephilim? What is the point of all this? One common question is, “Does the term ‘sons of God’ refer to angels?” In other words, is the author suggesting that angels or demons had sexual relations with human women? I believe the definitive answer is that no one can be absolutely certain of the mysteries in this section. The original audience probably understood these terms and their significance. But it’s been lost over time.

One thing we can be certain of is that what transpired and is described here is an unholy union of marriages and procreation, and it led to problems. The context makes it clear that the actions described lead to more wickedness on the earth. Personally, I’m inclined to interpret “sons of God” as men in the lineage from Seth to Noah that was just given to us in chapter 5 and not supernatural beings. The emphasis appears to be on the contrast between “sons of God” to “daughters of man.” The author adds that these sons of God were attracted to these women based upon their beauty, and they chose any they wanted based on these criteria rather than a shared commitment to the LORD. Perhaps Hebrew scholars can better discern the nuances of the language and the narrative. It just seems that there is a contrast here of some men who are born within this lineage appointed by God who, like Eve, made decisions based upon what they saw and wanted and not God’s revelation. They married women who were from families that rejected God. Throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, the Israelites were constantly warned not to marry outside of Israel because the foreign wives worshipped foreign gods.

However one interprets this, these actions exasperated the LORD, and he determined that humans' life spans would be reduced and, generally speaking, not continue past 120 years of age. This is in stark contrast to the people who had lived hundreds of years.

Verse 5 makes it clear that something about the unholy marriages between these two classifications of people leads to increased wickedness throughout the earth. Speaking of humanity in the third person singular terms, he says, “every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” (Gen 6:5b) That is very significant.

Verses 6-7 emphasize the LORD’s grief concerning the wickedness of humanity and regret that he’d made mankind. Considering that humanity was his crowning achievement by his own will, this is tragic, and humanity as a whole was as far away from the presence of the LORD as possible. God determined that he would wipe out all living things. If we’re tracking with the greater narrative, this should prompt us to ask the obvious question, “What about the promised seed of the woman?” Is the LORD going to renege on his promise? Our fears are partially assuaged in verse 8. “But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Do you remember what Noah’s dad said when naming his son? He said, “Out of the ground that the LORD has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” (Gen 5:29) In spite of how everything else has gone on around him and the overall wickedness of people in the world, Noah has lived favorably before the LORD. Is Noah the seed? Stay tuned.

The important thing for us is to identify themes that appear repeatedly and take them to heart. For one, God’s word and purpose for us are to be the guide and standard for our actions in life, not what we desire through our senses. Secondly, by the grace of God, may we find favor in the eyes of the LORD regardless of what the rest of the world is doing.

Episode 242 - "Sin has devastating effects" - Genesis 4:17-24

Gen. 4:17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

Gen. 4:23 Lamech said to his wives:

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man for striking me.

24 If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold,

then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”

The first thing I’d like to address in this episode is the genealogy that proceeds from Cain after he leaves the presence of the LORD. This may sound strange, but there is no small amount of discussion and disagreement about genealogies in the Scriptures. The reason for this is that genealogies don’t necessarily work the same way in the ancient Scriptures and cultures of the Bible as they do in 21st-century Western civilization. In our society, we are solely focused on connecting the dots as far back in our ancestry as possible to try to, as best as possible, find out who we are and where our ancestors were from. If we subscribe to ancestry.com or other genealogical databases, we are not likely to omit one or more generations if possible. Some genealogies in the Scriptures omit people in the genealogy. When people in our day and culture use an ancient and foreign culture’s genealogy to calculate the number of years back to Adam and Eve and then presume from that the age of the earth, you run into potential problems. Another problem we may encounter is figuring out some hidden meaning by learning the meaning of peoples’ names in the genealogies. My objective in this study is not to make some assertion about the age of the earth or discern secret messages from the meanings of people’s names. The reason is that the Scriptures themselves are not concerned about people knowing the age of the earth. Furthermore, the Scriptures are concerned about God’s clear revelation about God, humanity, and their relationship. Therefore, we will focus on that which is more evident in the text.

There are two things about this genealogy that are of concern to us. First, I believe scholars are in agreement that where a genealogy exists, the people who wrote it and read it understand that the people listed were historical people and that we’re dealing with historical narrative rather than fantasy. Cain and these descendants were real people. The second thing is that the list of Cain’s descendants moves the story along and reveals to us that “the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.” I’m speaking of Cain’s descendant Lamech in comparison to his rebellious ancestor.

Before we get to Lamech, let’s return to the beginning of this segment of the story. It would seem that the first logical question we might ask ourselves is, “Where did Cain’s wife come from?” To this point, no clear statement in the Scriptures definitely answers this question. The best that we have is found later in Genesis 5:4 which speaks of Adam fathering “other sons and daughters.” A common assumption is that Cain’s wife was also a sister. Personally, I think it’s legitimate to say, “I don’t know. The Scriptures do not tell us” and not worry about it. It’s not that important.

What is important is how the story reveals that the first son of Cain and his wife is Enoch. Cain builds a city and names it after his son. Why is that important? Because God told Cain he would be a wanderer throughout the earth. (Gen 4:12) The story reveals that Cain has not changed his ways. He is going to do what he wants to do regardless of what God has to say about it. The fact that he names it after his son puts an exclamation mark on his act. God named the things he created and gave Adam the authority to name the animals. Now Cain is using that authority granted by God to spite God.

As this sub-story develops, we learn how the attitude is passed on and exacerbated by Lamech. “Lamech took two wives. (v. 19)” Why? Because like his ancestor Cain, he was going to do what he wanted to do. Then, in verses 23-24 he brags to his wives about the murder that he’s committed. Is he not mocking God? He doesn’t attempt to hide anything or disavow responsibility. Instead, he advertises his sin like a flag.

The point is that this story of Cain and Lamech serves to heighten the conflict in the greater narrative that began with Adam and Eve’s disobedience. Things are going to get worse. In terms of what we can learn from this for our own walk of faith is that our disobedience of God’s standards can have a much greater negative impact on other people than we can ever imagine. This reality should cause us to stop and think and ask ourselves if we care about what God says or are we going to do what we want to do?

Episode 241 - "The devastating consequences of sin" - Genesis 4:8-16

Gen. 4:8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the LORD said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the LORD put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

We are in the middle of a story about two sons of Adam and Eve. They are Cain and Abel, who are, to put it in modern terms, a farmer and a rancher, respectively. They’ve each brought an offering to the LORD. But only Abel’s offering is accepted, which leads to Cain becoming very angry. The LORD confronted Cain about his attitude and encouraged him to do what was “right.” Otherwise, sin would dominate him. The principles we get from this text instruct our attitudes concerning worship and to be careful about letting our emotions get the best of us. Otherwise, we could allow sin to overtake us.

While we are in the middle of this story about these men and the conflict that is developing, we are in the early stages of a greater story. It’s the story about God and his creation of the universe and humanity and the effects of their disobedience to the one prohibitive command given to them by the LORD. I would suggest that the present conflict and what unfolds in the rest of this story is intended to show us how the effects of disobedience against the LORD’s good commands create havoc and have impact on many others.

Verse 8 makes it appear that Cain didn’t even bother considering the LORD’s grace and counsel to him. He decided to express his anger and jealousy against his brother by killing him. From my perspective, the author wants the reader to see the disparate difference between eating a piece of forbidden fruit to murder. We like to assign weight to various acts of morality or immorality, of justice and injustice. Our problem is that we don’t see the seriousness of acting in a way that is contrary to the holiness of the LORD.

Notice what happens after Cain ignores the LORD and murders his brother. The LORD shows up to have a conversation with Cain and acts like he doesn’t know what Cain has done. Does that sound familiar? This is similar to how the LORD approached Adam and Eve after they disobeyed. One would think that Adam and Eve had instructed their children, “Listen! Whatever you do, don’t try to cover it up. The LORD will call you out on it.” But Cain acts like he doesn’t know where Abel is in responding to the LORD’s inquiry. Then, he disavows any responsibility for knowing or caring. He rhetorically asks the LORD, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (v.9) Scholars have pointed out the irony in how Eve sought to know more about good and evil by disobeying the LORD, and here is one of their sons who claims to know nothing about his brother. Tragically, he knows too much about good and evil. He’s made a choice, and now he is trying to hide it from the One who is truly good.

As he did with Adam, he quickly revealed that while Cain claimed not to know where Abel was, the LORD knew exactly where he was. (v.10) It seems that as he did with Adam, he is attempting to elicit a confession from Cain. But he never gets it.

The LORD then proclaimed the judgment upon him for his crime. Whereas tending to the trees of the garden appeared to have been a pleasant and easy job for Adam, the LORD cursed the ground and informed Adam that now he would have to till the ground and his work would be toilsome in order to get the harvest. For Cain, even that effort will not be successful. He will need to wander in order to get whatever is available to him. (vs. 11-12)

Cain responded to the LORD’s pronouncement of judgment that it was too harsh. On a personal note, I feel that it may even be a bit disingenuous. He complained, “from your face I shall be hidden.” This is Cain’s way of saying, I won’t have any access to your blessings. From what has just transpired, it seems like Cain has never seriously valued what the LORD has given him. He didn’t care enough to have the right heart in his offering. He didn’t receive the gracious correction by the LORD. And he has despised both his brother and the LORD by murdering his brother Abel.

Verse 14 offers us an interesting challenge. Cain, in his plaintiff response regarding the LORD’s judgment, says, “Whoever finds me will kill me.” The question is, “Who is around that would kill him?” So far, the only people we know about are Adam, Eve, Cain, and Abel and now Abel is not around. Clearly, it seems that Cain’s response indicates they weren’t the only people on the earth at that point in time. Many people believe that Adam and Eve had other children and they aren’t mentioned because it has not been relevant to the greater narrative that is being revealed. Scholars have other theories about this. But the important thing here is for us to follow the greater narrative of what is given to us. So where we are in the greater narrative of Scripture is that there was a promise for a “seed” of the woman who would crush the head of the Serpent. We are informed about Abel who responded rightly to the LORD in worship. Therefore, he appears to be a potential candidate for that role. Cain’s offering is rejected. Yet, he is offered an opportunity to make it right. He rejects that and murders his brother, the righteous seed. From a literary standpoint, there is no viable candidate for this seed who will crush the serpent’s head. Abel is dead, and Cain leaves the presence of the LORD.

To conclude this episode, my desire is that we begin to see the seriousness of sin and that, by God’s grace and the leading of the Holy Spirit, we are sensitive to our options and allow God’s Spirit to lead us to the right way.

Episode240 - "Sin's desire is to dominate you" - Genesis 4:1-7

Gen. 4:1 Now the man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created a man just as the LORD did!” 2 Then she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground.

Gen. 4:3 At the designated time Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering to the LORD. 4 But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock—even the fattest of them. And the LORD was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. So Cain became very angry, and his expression was downcast.

Gen. 4:6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 7 Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” (NET Bible)

I have chosen to use the New English Translation (NET Bible) instead of the ESV for this study due to its translation of Eve’s statement in verse one concerning the birth of her first son. The NET Bible reads, “I have created a man just as the LORD did,” whereas the ESV Bible translates her words as “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” Scholars are divided on exactly how to translate this. Both translations have their proponents.

My choice is based on two things. First of all, I happen to know many of the translators of the NET Bible and trust their knowledge and judgment. Secondly, this translation feels more likely or natural to me than that represented in the ESV. I take it as an exclamation of amazement. Think about it. Unless the Bible is intentionally not mentioning other children already born to Adam and Eve, Cain is the first human born. We have no idea whether they’ve witnessed even the birth of an animal. It seems to me that she is amazed and even joyful that she has accomplished something so significant. Regardless of which translation better represents the original language, I think Eve’s response reflects God’s grace to her. Even though they have messed up, God is still using them to fulfill the roles and responsibilities he gave them. They are being fruitful and are multiplying. I think the LORD is like that with us. Even though we aren’t always obedient, God does not abandon us or cease to have a purpose for us.

After the announcement of Cain’s birth. The author quickly informs us that his brother Abel is born and then we are given the career paths of both brothers. Abel became a shepherd, and Cain became a farmer. From these few details, it would seem that both sons are doing something related to what the LORD had assigned to Adam. Abel is responsible over some animals, and Cain is toiling by working the ground for crops. It doesn’t appear there is any indication of wrong-doing by either one.

In verse three, we are told that “in the designated time,” both men brought a sacrifice to the LORD. Each brought a sacrifice from their respective jobs. We are not told what the designated time was or how they came to know that. In fact, we are not told how Adam and Eve or their children knew they should bring an offering to the LORD.

Some, including myself, have assumed a connection between the LORD making garments of animal skin with Abel’s offering of an animal sacrifice. This view could explain why the LORD approved of Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s. However, I would admit today that is quite an interpretive stretch and shouldn’t be considered too seriously. What is safer and a more likely reason for why the LORD accepted Abel’s sacrifice and not Cain’s offering is found right in the text. Notice that of Cain’s offering, it is recorded that he brought “some fruit.” (v. 3) This is followed by, “But Abel brought some of the firstborn of his flock—even the fattest of them.” (v. 4) What this is showing us are the attitudes or motives and offerings that corresponded to their attitude in bringing these offerings. Abel brought the first and best of what he had to offer. Cain brought “some” of what he had. Here is another principle for us. What kind of attitude do we have in bringing our offerings to the LORD?

If Cain’s attitude was not ideal when he brought the offering, it only got worse when the LORD did not receive his offering but accepted his brother’s. The text tells us he got angry. He was angry that the LORD did not accept his worship on his own terms. As I reflect upon this, I’m reminded of Jesus’ dialogue with the Samaritan woman at the well. In response to her question about the right location of worship, Jesus informed her, “true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” (John 4:23) We need to be reminded that it’s not just about a desire or having the right emotion. We need to worship in truth as well.

We find in verse 6 that the LORD approached Cain in a manner similar to how he approached Adam after his sin. He invites Cain to explain his attitude problem. Then, in his patience and mercy, he suggested a solution followed by a warning if he didn’t heed the advice. He used the imagery of a beast or cat that is crouching to attack its unsuspecting prey. The LORD cautioned, “if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” Here is probably the most important lesson in this text. Sin has a desire to dominate us, and we must subdue it. The apostle Paul gives us advice on how to do that in Romans 8. To summarize, by means of the Holy Spirit that has been given to us through faith in Christ, we “put to death the deeds of the flesh.” The Holy Spirit is with us to remind us of God’s love for us through Christ, to grant us wisdom, to teach and caution us in our walk of faith and to convict us when we let sin dominate us.

Well . . . we’re not yet done with the story of these two brothers. Who’d have thought there would be so much we could learn from some of the first people in the history of the world?

Episode 239 - "Loving discipline for disobedience" - Genesis 3:20-24

Gen. 3:20 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.

Gen. 3:22 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.

Why does the statement, “The man called wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living” (v.20), matter to us? First of all, scholars debate the meaning of her name, which tells us they don’t really understand how it corresponds to the explanation given. So what do we do? We accept the explanation given by the text. We’ll come back to this in a minute.

This is immediately followed by the statement, “And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.” Wait a minute! Didn’t Adam and Eve already have garments? When their eyes were opened after their disobedience, and they saw that they were naked, the text tells us they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. (Gen. 3:7) This Scripture has raised all kinds of questions and debates. The first issue is that some people see this as God initiating the first sacrifice because the garments were made of animal skins. Many people argue strongly against this by saying that this is reading back into the text something that is established later, and that the author does not intend to communicate the idea of a sacrifice. In response to this argument, I would concede that I cannot recall anywhere in all of Scripture that identifies this incident as a sacrifice. Furthermore, I believe it’s entirely possible that the author, the human author, that is, does not recognize God making garments of animal skin as a sacrifice. But what about the divine author? Is it possible that in God’s inspiration of the Scriptures, there is meaning embedded in what is written, which will not be perceived and understood until the LORD reveals more understanding of his divine plan? I think so. I am inclined to think and suggest that God, through this act, is establishing an example of the shedding of blood and substitutionary atonement for sin. In Christian theology, we understand that we have sinned like Adam and Eve and we are unable to adequately cover our shame through our own effort. The blood of Christ was shed on the cross through the divine will to meet our needs. In our modern society of electronic games, developers of games will often create hidden surprises called “Easter eggs.” I understand the risk of reading my theology back into the Hebrew Scriptures. But Jesus himself told people those Scriptures spoke of him. Essentially, Jesus stated that the Hebrew Scriptures had “Easter eggs” of revelation concerning him.

At the very least, I think it’s appropriate to understand this act of God to reveal that Adam and Eve’s efforts to cover their nakedness and shame were inadequate, and only God could appropriately address it. This leads me back to the question of why the naming of Eve and the garments of skin matter to us. I believe that what we are seeing revealed here is God’s grace. Adam and Eve had just disobeyed the LORD’s one prohibitive command, and the LORD had just revealed the consequences of their sin. Like a loving father disciplining his children for disobedience, he also shows his care for them. He is not disowning them. He still has a purpose for them. Adam acts according to the role God gave him and gives Eve a name to reflect the honor she has in becoming the mother of all living. Finally, God is giving them the covering they need for the broken world they will now live in. We need this reminder at this point in the text because God is about to expel them from the garden. We need to be reminded that when we sin, God’s discipline may be painful, but we are not disowned, and we are still valued and cared for by God.

The conclusion of this segment of Adam and Eve’s disobedience and the consequences pronounced by the LORD is found in verses 22-24. For the first time, it’s clearly revealed that the serpent used some truth in his deception of Eve. In Genesis 3:22, the LORD says, “the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil.” So, he resolved to prevent the man from eating the fruit from the tree of life and living forever. In verses 23-24, the LORD expelled the man from the garden and made it impossible for him to reenter. That sounds mean and vindictive, doesn’t it? Actually, it’s quite the contrary. The LORD intended for humanity to enjoy life and all of his creation eternally, but not in a cursed world and a condition that is a far cry from that in which the people were created. How awful it would be to live forever in such a condition. Again, as strange as it may seem, this was an act of grace and not sadism.

The first few chapters of Genesis clearly reveal God’s power, goodness, patience, justice, mercy, value, and purpose for humanity. These are important principles to remember and embrace in our daily lives to encourage us and sustain our faith.

Episode238 "Listen to God's voice!" - Genesis 3:17-19

Gen. 3:17 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.”

Once again, let’s quickly review where we’ve been in this story so as to interpret this Scripture in its immediate context. When the serpent tempted Eve and she ate the forbidden fruit, she gave it to Adam, who also ate it. But the LORD confronted Adam first. He reminded him of the command he had given Adam not to eat of one specific fruit in the garden. (Gen. 3:9-11) He then interrogated Eve before addressing the serpent and pronouncing the curse upon it.

As we read last week, the LORD then backtracked to Eve to explain that the blessing of bearing children would be experienced with greater pain because of her disobedience, and the harmony designed by the LORD between her and Adam would suffer. She had been formed from Adam’s flesh and bone and received the LORD’s command through him. Yet, she listened to the lie of the serpent and brought her husband to participate in this act of disobedience. The LORD’s pronouncement to her that “he (Adam) shall rule over you” seems to suggest that she will even experience a measure of forced subjugation to Adam, something that would not have occurred or have been necessary in their pre-fallen condition.

NOTE: My opinion is that these people, made in the image of God, would have conducted themselves toward each other as do the members of the Trinity. In the New Testament, we often read that Jesus only does what the Father wants him to do. As God himself, he submits to the Father. Yet we see other Scriptures in which the Father gives all authority to the Son. In short, there appears to be mutual submission within the divine Godhead. This is important for us because we often think that submission to others makes us less important and is a negative thing. That clearly isn’t true with God. I believe what we see here is that because of sin, there will be resistance to a harmonious mutual submission and conflict within human relationships. There would be a sense of competition instead of perfect cooperation within marriage relationships. The cooperation will not be so natural now that they have acted out of accordance with God’s will and character.

In verse 17, God returns to Adam to explain the consequences of his sin. Adam will also experience pain. His work is going to get more difficult. In Genesis 2:15, Adam’s responsibility was to tend to the garden. What appeared to be easy and pleasant work will now be painful and troublesome.

Notice that this curse on the ground was not because Adam had listened to his wife. It was because he obeyed his wife’s words contrary to the LORD’s command. Adam ought to have recognized that Eve’s invitation to eat was in contrast to what the LORD had commanded, and he should have refused. In fact, he should have even tried to stop her from eating it.

The LORD cursed the ground so that Adam’s survival would be toil. The ground would produce thorns and thistles, and he would experience pain when harvesting food to eat. Finally, he would die, just as the LORD had said would happen if he disobeyed.

The most obvious takeaway from this section seems to be the importance of discerning and obeying the LORD’s words. Sometimes, people close to us may attempt to encourage us to do something that doesn’t seem right. Regardless of the relationship, we need to trust and obey God’s voice first and foremost.

Episode237-"The Pain of Disobedience" - Genesis 3:16

Gen. 3:16 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.”

To review, the LORD gave Adam and Eve one prohibitive command not to eat of the fruit of one specific tree in the garden. The consequence of disobeying that command, the LORD informed them, is best translated as “dying you will die.” It means that death would be a definite reality for them. It is not evident how quickly that might happen. We are left to wonder, “Will this be immediate?” We don’t have to wonder too long because it appears they disobeyed this command rather quickly after the serpent deceived Eve, and she ate and gave some to Adam, who ate the fruit along with her. But they did not die immediately. In fact, rather than God striking them down for the offense, the LORD provided coverings for their nakedness, which represented their shame. It seems obvious that he would not bother doing this if death would be an immediate judgment upon them. Furthermore, when the LORD approached them in the garden and elicited confessions from them, there was an indication that they would be around for a while. The LORD began by pronouncing a judgment upon the serpent who twisted the LORD’s words and impugned God’s character in the deception. The LORD spoke of a seed, or descendant of the woman, whom the serpent would bruise his heel. Yet, that seed would bruise his head. This suggests that while the serpent has upended the authority God had given his people to rule over the earth, the serpent would ultimately be crushed. It’s a glimmer of hope that God would someday set everything right according to his purpose in creation.

Concluding his verdict and judgment on the serpent, the LORD turned to Eve and told her that an immediate consequence of her disobedience was increased pain in having children. In fact, in the Hebrew language, what is likely conveyed here is a sense of anxiety in conception through the physical pain of birth. This pain is not just a natural consequence of her disobedience, but something the LORD brings upon her for this disobedience. I must admit that I ask myself, “Why this?” The text doesn’t explain it outright. Perhaps it is because Adam and Eve understood that the LORD’s first command to them was to be fruitful and multiply, and they understood this as an important part of their identity and purpose, which continues to be so after their “fall.” Because Eve is the one who will conceive and bear children, the LORD is giving her a reminder that disobeying God will bring pain. As she looks forward to her seed that will someday crush the serpent’s head, it will not come without anxiety and pain.

The LORD continued with the second part of her sentence by saying, “Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule over you.” Hebrew experts have debated the exact translation of this, but the bottom line is that there will now be a conflict of authority within the relationship. What began as the perfect compliment of a partner to the man, will now manifest conflict at times.

I would caution anyone from the tendency to read and judge this ancient story through the lens of our 21st-century AD proprieties concerning gender roles. What is most important to observe from this story is how people radically upset the harmonious state of life on earth through a simple act of disobedience. It is not difficult today to see the divorce rate in our world, recognize other interpersonal conflicts, and know this is not the ideal state of humanity in the world. We long for harmony, peace, and healthy relationships. That was God’s intent for us in the beginning. My hope is that as we read this, we recognize that we sometimes violate God’s righteous ways in our minds, words, and actions. When we do, it has terrible results and tends to bring pain and conflict into our lives. Let’s humbly acknowledge how relevant this story is to us today and continue in this story to see both the tragic consequences of disobedience to the LORD and the hope that he offers in spite of our rebellious ways.

Episode 236 - "He will bruise your head" - Genesis 3:14-15

Gen. 3:14 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.”

Let’s begin with a brief review of our last episode. Adam and Eve disobeyed the LORD’s command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God had given Adam the clear command and the clear consequences of disobeying that command. The offense began with the serpent questioning and confusing God’s word, followed by impugning God’s character. The serpent used these methods to deceive Eve, and she ate, and she gave some to Adam, and he ate.

The LORD approached Adam first to interrogate and confront him. Adam attempted to redirect the blame onto God and Eve before confessing that he had indeed eaten the forbidden fruit. The LORD then questioned Eve, who redirected the blame to the serpent before confessing that she ate the fruit.

In verse 14, the LORD spoke to the serpent but did not question it. The serpent neither redirected blame nor confessed to any offense. The LORD simply pronounced judgment on the serpent.

I do not want to give much attention to the details of the first part of this curse because I don’t see how they inform our spiritual life. What I will say is that the New Testament Scriptures make it clear that the serpent is the devil himself. Many have suggested that the devil possessed or took on the form of a serpent to approach Eve and that the serpent was complicit and, therefore, deserved this curse.

I believe the most important thing we can glean from verse 14 is that God does not leave rebellion against his holy and righteous standard to go unpunished. God will not let evil go unchecked. This is an important principle to understand in appreciating the Good News of Jesus and his death on the cross. Jesus, in dying on the cross, took upon himself the just punishment for the sins of the world. This is known as substitutionary atonement. Since God is just, he cannot simply turn a blind eye to some sins. Jesus is the only one who could accomplish this because he is the only Son of God and was perfectly obedient to every command of his Father in Heaven. God sending his Son to this earth to accept the just punishment on our behalf not only reveals God’s justice by showing that he will not let any sin go unchecked, but it also shows his love and mercy toward us.

Enmity is an appropriate word to describe the common reaction most people have to snakes to this day. Snakes can be difficult to see lying in the grass, and it’s easy to get bit if we walk near or step on the snake by mistake. Conversely, people often have such an aversion to snakes that they will bludgeon or step on their heads to kill them. The question is, “Does this verse simply tell us about the ongoing conflict between humans and snakes?” I don’t think so. Many people understand this verse not only to remind us of the conflict between people and snakes but also to symbolize the conflict between spiritual forces. Based upon God’s original commandment that death would be certain if they disobeyed the LORD, we might expect God to strike Adam and Eve down right then and there. But that doesn’t happen, and God’s words about the seed of the serpent striking the heel of the woman’s seed, but the woman’s seed striking the head of the serpent seems to indicate that God has a plan, and the plot of this story is about to thicken. Who will this seed be, and when will he come to crush the head of the serpent?

In our next episode, the LORD returns to Eve and Adam to explain the consequences of their disobedience. Life would get tough for them, but hope becomes evident. Within these two verses, we learn some very important truths that are as valid today as they were then. First, God is just. Second, God is also merciful. By promising a seed that will crush the head of the serpent, there is an expectation and hope that God will set right the chaos and death that will result from this rebellious action by Adam and Eve.

Episode 235 - "Where are you?" - Genesis 3:8-13

Gen. 3:8 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.”

The first people were given one simple, clear, prohibitive command by God with very clear consequences if they disobeyed that command. They would surely die. Yet, they listened to the serpent’s lie, and they ate the forbidden fruit. The one part of the serpent’s promise that was true was that their eyes would be opened. (v.5) But that did not make them more like God. In fact, it diminished their likeness in that they were no longer innocent.

So when we pick up the story in verse 8, the author tells us, “They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. (v.8) If you stop and ask yourself, “How did they recognize the sound of the LORD God walking?” I believe the only possible answer is that they’d heard it before. God had entered into their presence before in a way that was more than just a feeling. They had a relationship with God that God had initiated. God apparently liked to visit with his people and have a relationship. This is another important truth about God’s intended design for humans and one that we’ll see come up time and again throughout the Scriptures.

Because their eyes were opened, we were told that they saw that they were naked and they made loin cloths of fig leaves. But now they wanted and attempted to hide from God. Perhaps I’m pushing the interpretation here a little bit. But I see some irony in this because the promise by the serpent was that they would “be like God.” Yet they are so foolish to think they can hide from God.

So, I think we, as readers, are supposed to think, “Hey fools! You can’t hide from God.” But God plays the game. God arrives at the place where it seems they would have met before, and God asks, “Where are you?” Instead of outright stating their offense, God draws them to confess their offense.

In verse 10, Adam’s response, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself,” reveals something about violating God’s law. There is no indication whatsoever that Adam ever had a reason to be afraid of the LORD’s presence until he disobeyed God. I think that’s just as true today for us as it was back then. God does not want us to live in fear of Him but in love and relationship. We experience the peace God wants for us when we trust him and follow him.

Adam’s response not only reveals his location, it reveals his action of disobedience. God uses the man’s words against him as though he were a prosecuting attorney in a court case. (Which is essentially what this is.) “Who told you that you were naked?” God had made the man and woman oblivious to their nakedness. So, the LORD follows that with the direct question, “Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” (v. 11)

The jig is up, as they say, and Adam knows it. But before he comes clean, he attempts to redirect the blame. “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (v. 12) Did you notice who he blames first? He blames God in saying, “The woman who you gave . . .” Then he blames the woman and finally, “and I ate.” It’s a confession of sorts. But he’s trying to play that he’s the victim. This is absurd, considering that he was the one who directly received the command from God and was present when the serpent contradicted God’s word.

Before saying anything else to Adam, the LORD turns to Eve and asks her a question: “What is this that you have done?” Eve also tries to redirect the blame. It’s not that either Adam or Eve lied. But they are both attempting to make excuses for their disobedience to the LORD’s command. She just says, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (v. 13)

I’m going to stop at this point for this week’s study, and we’ll pick it up next week when the LORD God addresses the serpent and returns to both Adam and Eve to explain the consequences of their actions. But there are certainly takeaways for us from these few verses, aren’t there?

Primarily, God wants to have fellowship with us, and that can only happen when we obey His word. Later in the New Testament, the apostle John writes, “6 If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth. 7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. (1 John 1:6-10)

This is great news! Through Jesus's death on the cross, we have forgiveness for our sins. We receive that through faith in him. When we sin (disobey God’s righteous standard), it disrupts our fellowship. We experience that in our relationships with other people, right? If someone offends us, the relationship still exists, but the mutual joy and encouragement that normally exists within the relationship is strained. The offense needs to be acknowledged and made right to restore and maintain fellowship with others and the LORD. That kind of fellowship is free of fear.

Episode 234 - "You will not surely die!" - Genesis 3:4-7

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.

In our last episode, the serpent questioned and twisted God’s command to eat freely of every tree of the garden except for one. Instead, the serpent was indirectly suggesting that God was cruel by asking, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Gen 3:1) How easy and common it is for people to do that today. If people don’t like what God’s word says, it’s tempting to twist it to something more agreeable, or perhaps we just question whether God is truly good or not.

At some point, we just deny it all together. That’s what the serpent does here. He denies that God’s word is truthful. But he doesn’t stop there. He continues by arguing that God doesn’t want us to be like him. Wait a minute! Wasn’t humanity already “like God?” The people were made in the image of God. So, there is a similarity. But they aren’t exactly like God. This is a very important theological principle. God is the Creator. We are the creatures. We should not confuse those. Too often, people want to be their own god. They want to determine what is good and evil or right and wrong. Furthermore, they want to change it as needed to fit their current situation or desires. This is a common tenet of the postmodern way of thinking, “There is no such thing as absolute truth.” Of course, that is an absolute truth claim itself and stands in self-contradiction. If there is no god and no source of morality, then the logical thing to do would be to abolish laws, law enforcement, and justice systems such as prisons and let people do whatever they want to do. It shouldn’t take long to ponder the consequences of that and understand how ridiculous it is.

Verse 6 says, “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.” What we should not miss is the statement, “When the woman saw . . .” The point is that she let her senses override God’s explicit command. This is another problem we face in our lives, isn’t it? We need to value God’s word so that it’s in our minds, and perhaps when we let our senses tempt us to do something we shouldn’t, God’s word will remind us and encourage us to be discerning and exercise restraint. We need to remember that God wants what is good and best for us and isn’t trying to hold out on us. If we refuse, we’re making the decision that we are our own god, and will suffer the consequences of poor decisions.

Besides disobeying God’s clear command herself, she gave it to her husband, who was with her. The million-dollar question here is, “What was he doing this whole time?” If he was with her, why didn’t he step in and try to stop her? But he ate it with her.

Notice what has happened. God made the man and gave him the command to enjoy everything except the one tree. From the man, he made the woman to whom we assume the man gave God’s command. She knew what it was. There’s a sense in which he had a responsibility to inform her of God’s command. The man and woman together had authority over the beasts of the field. However, the woman listened to the serpent (a beast of the field) and followed the serpent’s lie. The man followed his wife’s offer despite knowing clearly what he was doing. The whole order of God’s creation has been turned around. The serpent has achieved a sense of authority over the people and creation based upon the peoples’ willing subjection to its will over God’s. As we continue through God’s story, we see how this plays out and the extent to which the world becomes very much unlike what God wanted for it in the beginning.

Verse 7 reveals the one thing the serpent said that was true: their eyes were opened. Unfortunately, that was not a good thing. Previously, they were “naked” but not ashamed. There was no guilt upon them of which they should be ashamed. But now they are ashamed of their nakedness, and they make an attempt to cover that shame. This is another thing that is not uncommon for people when they sin. They attempt to hide or cover up their guilt and shame.

Essentially, these few verses describe what people often call “the human condition.” This explains our own reality today. We are descendants of the first people and we’ve inherited and continue to manifest the hubris of the first people and become our own god and do our own thing.

We’re going to see the tragic consequences of their decision and see that God seems to have a plan up his sleeve. My encouragement is that we take an inventory of our own attitudes about God and his word and prayerfully ask that he gives us a passion for what is good and right according to his will and not our own senses and judgment.