Sermon notes August 17th, 2025
GENESIS Chapter 2 – 3: 1-7
Let’s back track a little, so we stay on track!!
Genesis 1:29-31
29 And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; to you it shall be for food.
30 Also, to every beast of the earth, to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food”; and it was so.
31 Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So, the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
- No scientific evidence has ever refuted the concept that these were literal solar days. The expression “the evening and the morning” points to 24-hour days.
GENESIS 2 Gives four points:
- God's Rest and the Conclusion of Creation
- The heavens and the earth are completed.
- God rests on the seventh day, sanctifying it.
- The State of the Earth Before Man
- Describes the earth's condition before the creation of man and the cultivation of plants.
- A mist waters the earth, and God forms man from dust.
- God breathes life into man, making him a living being.
- Establishes the Garden of Eden
- God plants a garden eastward in Eden and places man there.
- The garden contains various trees, including the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
- God commands man not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, stating the consequences of disobedience
- The Creation of Woman and the Institution of Marriage
- God recognizes that it is not good for man to be alone and decides to make a helper for him.
- God brings the animals to Adam to be named.
- Adam names all the animals, but no suitable helper is found.
- God causes Adam to fall into a deep sleep, takes a rib from him, and creates woman.
- Adam recognizes woman as "bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh".
- God institutes marriage, stating that a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
- Adam and Eve are both naked and unashamed
Genesis 2 New King James Version
1 Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished.
2 And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.
3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
- God rested from His creative activity on the seventh day. This is not the rest that follows weariness, but the rest of satisfaction and completion of a job well done. Although God did not command man to keep the Sabbath at this time, He taught the principle of one day of rest in seven.
GENESIS 2:4-7
4 This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,
5 before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground;
6 but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.
- This is the history (v. 4) refers to the beginnings described in chapter 1. Verse 5, which reads, “before any plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown,” describes conditions on the earth in 1:10, when the dry land appeared but before vegetation appeared. The earth was watered by a mist rather than by rain.
7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
- A fuller account of the creation of man is now given. God formed his body from the dust of the ground, but only the impartation of the breath of God made him a living being. Adam," according to Merriam-Webster. (“red” or “ground”) was named after the red earth from which he was made.
GENESIS 2:8-14
8 The Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed.
9 And out of the ground the Lord God made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads.
11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.
12 And the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush.
14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it is the one which goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
- The rivers described in Genesis 2 are: the Pishon, the Gihon, the Hiddekel (Tigris), and the Euphrates (Phrat). The first two, Pishon and Gihon, are more difficult to definitively locate, while the latter two are widely accepted as the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, which are known to have flowed through ancient Mesopotamia
- The garden that God planted in Eden was toward the east, i.e., east of Palestine, the point of reference for Bible directions. It was located in the region of Mesopotamia, near the Hiddekel (Tigris) and Euphrates Rivers. The tree of the knowledge of good and evil provided a test of man’s obedience. The only reason it was wrong to eat of that fruit was because God had said so. In different forms, that fruit is still with us today.
GENESIS 2:15-23
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it.
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
- The penalty for violating the commandment was death (v. 17)—instant spiritual death and progressive physical death. In the process of naming the animals and birds, Adam would have noticed that there were males and females. Each one had a mate that was similar to itself, yet different. This prepared Adam for a helper who would be comparable to himself.
18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name.
20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.
21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
- This prepared Adam for a helper who would be comparable to himself. His bride was formed from one of his ribs, taken from his side as he slept. So, from Christ’s side, His Bride was secured as He shed His life’s blood in untold agony. Woman was taken not from Adam’s head to dominate him, nor from his feet to be trodden down, but from under his arm to be protected, and from near his heart to be loved.
23 And Adam said:
“This is now bone of my bones And flesh of my flesh; She shall be called Woman, Because she was taken out of Man.”
- God gave headship to man before sin entered. Paul argues this fact from the order of creation (man was created first) and the purpose of creation (woman was made for the man) (1 Cor. 11:8, 9).
1 Corinthians 11:8-9 New King James Version
8 For man is not from woman, but woman from man.
- Paul next reminds us that man was not created from woman but woman was created from man. The man was first, then the woman was taken from his side. This priority of the man strengthens the apostle’s case for man’s headship.
9 Nor was man created for the woman, but woman for the man.
- The purpose of creation is next alluded to press home the point. Nor was man created primarily for the woman, but rather woman for the man. The Lord distinctly stated in Genesis 2:18, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”
GENESIS 2:24-25
24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.
- With the words of verse 24, God instituted monogamous marriage. Like all divine institutions, it was established for man’s good and cannot be violated with impunity. The marriage bond illustrates the relationship that exists between Christ and the church
GENESIS 2:25
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 3:1 New King James Version
1 Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
- The serpent that appeared to Eve is later revealed to be none other than Satan himself (see Rev. 12:9). Those who seek to demonize “de-my-tholo-gize” the Bible believe that this account of the fall is allegorical and not literal. They cite the talking serpent as proof. Can the story of the serpent’s deceiving Eve be accepted as factual? The Apostle Paul thought so (2 Cor. 11:3). So did the Apostle John (Rev. 12:9; 20:2). Nor is this the only instance of a talking animal in Scripture. God gave a voice to Balaam’s donkey to restrain the madness of the prophet (Num. 22), and the Apostle Peter accepted this as literal (2 Pet. 2:16). These three apostles were inspired by the Holy Spirit to write as they did. Thus, to reject the account of the fall as literal is to reject the inspiration of Holy Scripture. There are allegories in the Bible, but this is not one of them.
GENESIS 3:2-5
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
- Crafty Serpent: The Hebrew word translated "crafty" (arum) implies cunning or shrewdness. The serpent's craftiness is evident in its strategy of questioning and distorting God's command to the woman. This questioning seeks to sow doubt and challenge the clarity and goodness of God's instructions.
- Subtle Deception: The serpent doesn't initially present a direct contradiction to God's word but rather subtly reframes it, emphasizing the restriction rather than the abundance of God's provision. The serpent exaggerates the prohibition, implying an unfairness in God's command.
- Vulnerability to Temptation: The serpent chooses to speak with the woman alone, possibly recognizing her perceived vulnerability to temptation. The fact that she was not the direct recipient of God's command in the same way Adam was could have potentially made her more susceptible to deception.
- Testing Trust and Obedience: This opening question by the serpent immediately introduces the themes of obedience, trust, and temptation that permeate the entire chapter. The woman's engagement with the serpent's question and her subsequent actions signify a challenge to God's authority and goodness.
- Symbolism of the Serpent: Many traditions, including Christian tradition, interpret the serpent as a representation of Satan. The book of Revelation later identifies Satan as the "ancient serpent". Satan's role in this event is one of deception and temptation, seeking to lead humanity astray and disrupt their relationship with God.
Revelation 12:9 New King James Version
9 So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him
GENESIS 3:6-13
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
- The first result of sin was a sense of shame and fear. The aprons of fig leaves speak of man’s attempt to save himself by a bloodless religion of good works. When called to account by God, sinners excuse themselves. Adam said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me …” as if blaming God (see Prov. 19:3). Eve said, “The serpent …” (v. 13).
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GENESIS 3:8
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
- In love and mercy God searched after His fallen creatures with the question “Where are you?” This question proved two things—that man was lost and that God had come to seek. It proved man’s sin and God’s grace. God takes the initiative in salvation, demonstrating the very thing Satan got Eve to doubt—His love.
GENESIS 3:14-17
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life.
- The LORD God cursed the serpent to degradation, disgrace, and defeat. The fact that the serpent is cursed more than all cattle or any other beast of the field suggests that reptiles are primarily in view here rather than Satan.
15 And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel.”
- But verse 15 switches to the Devil himself. This verse is known as the “The First Gospel.” It predicts the perpetual hostility between Satan and the woman (representing all mankind), and between Satan’s seed (his agents) and her Seed (the Messiah). The woman’s Seed would crush the Devil’s head, a mortal wound spelling utter defeat. This wound was administered at Calvary when the Savior decisively triumphed over the Devil.
- Satan, in turn, would bruise the Messiah’s heel. The heel wound here speaks of suffering and even of physical death, but not of ultimate defeat. So Christ suffered on the cross, and even died, but He arose from the dead, victorious over sin, hell, and Satan. The fact that He is called the woman’s Seed may contain a suggestion of His virgin birth. Note the kindness of God in promising the Messiah before pronouncing sentence in the following verses.
16 To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for And you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
24 So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
