Genesis 3:1-15

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but 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 surely die,” the serpent said to the woman. 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 When 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. 7 Then 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.

8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me-she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all the livestock

and all the wild animals!

You will crawl on your belly

and you will eat dust

all the days of your life.

15   And I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and hers;

he will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.”

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1. God provided all that Adam and Eve needed in the beautiful garden, but they were not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. What did Satan say (vv. 4-5)?

2. Sin demands punishment. God so loved His human beings that He promised a Savior. There would be a conflict between Satan and his followers and Eve and her descendants. How would it end (v. 15, last two phrases)? To what does this point?

The Tree of Life (CWS 754)

The tree of life with ev’ry good

In Eden’s holy orchard stood,

And of its fruit so pure and sweet

God let the man and woman eat.

Yet in this garden also grew

Another tree, of which they knew;

Its lovely limbs with fruit adorned

Against whose eating God had warned

The stillness of that sacred grove

Was broken as the serpent strove

With tempting voice Eve to beguile

And Adam to by sin defile.

Oh, day of sadness when the breath

Of fear and darkness, doubt and death,

Its awful poison first displayed

Within the world so newly made.

What mercy God showed to our race,

A plan of rescue by his grace;

In sending One from woman’s seed,

The One to fill our greatest need-

For on a tree uplifted high

His only Son for sin would die,

Would drink the cup of scorn and dread

To crush the ancient serpent’s head!

Now from that tree of Jesus’ shame

Flows life eternal in his name;

For all who trust and will believe,

Salvation’s living fruit receive.

And of this fruit so pure and sweet

The Lord invites the world to eat,

To find within this cross of wood

The tree of life with ev’ry good.