And the Lord God called to Adam and said to him: “Where are you?”

Genesis 3:9

And the Lord God said to the woman: “What is this you have done?”

Genesis 3:13

 

Discovering Truth:

Take time to reread Genesis 3. We will be making several observations from this chapter which help to explain how we lost the perfection of God’s original creation, how mankind lost their perfect fellowship with God, and why we have so much conflict and difficulty in relationships.

As soon as the woman and the man ate of the fruit which God had commanded them not to eat, immediately their eyes were opened and they knew they were naked.  It was the first time that they had any awareness of their flesh – an awareness of their self.

They desperately tried to cover themselves, and when they heard the voice of the Lord walking in the garden, they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord. Knowing exactly where they were and what they had done, God began to question them.  He addressed the man first. Adam admitted that he was afraid because he was naked.  Then God specifically asked him if he had eaten from the tree that God had commanded him not to eat. His response was one of blaming: The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.

God then turned to the woman and questioned her. Her response, too, was one of blaming: The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

Interestingly, the Lord did not question the serpent at all, but pronounced immediate judgment on him!

Note the responses that sin brings to the human heart.

The sinner tries to cover his sin.

The sinner hides from the presence of God.

The sinner blames another to justify his actions.

Aren’t we guilty of the same?

It is very important for us to see and understand that God was not influenced by their reasons, excuses, or blaming of another.  He held each of them responsible for their own actions. Each one received specific consequences for their disobedient actions.

The Woman: We can recall the purpose for which God had created the woman.  She was created to be a help and companion to Adam.  They were joined into marriage – a one flesh relationship. God had commanded them to be fruitful and multiply, and from the one flesh relationship, indeed, children were to be born.  The woman’s body had been specifically designed by God to carry a child safely in the womb until the time of birth, and then to nourish and nurture that child, snuggled closely to her breast, as the child grew and developed.

Oh, the tragedy of her sin.  Now the very purpose for which she was created would bring sorrow and pain into her life as she bore and raised children. And tragically, the perfection of the husband and wife relationship was broken.  She would now desire to rule over her husband and overtake his position rather than being fulfilled by being alongside him as a help and companion. In return, the man would rule over her.  The beginning of conflict in families was born.

The creative purpose of God for the woman had not changed, but now those very purposes would be filled with pain, sorrow, heartache, and conflict.

The Man: Equally as tragic was the consequence for the man’s sin. In the same way as the consequences to the woman, the very purpose for which man was created would now be difficult. He had been created to tend and keep the garden, but now thorns and thistles would spring forth. The work for which he had been created would now be done by the sweat of his brow.  It would be a difficult task.  And finally, death would come, and man would return to the dust from which he was taken.

The creative purpose of God for the man had not changed, but now those very purposes would be filled with difficulty, sweat, and toil. He would now find himself at odds with the woman who had been created as his help and companion, and he would be determined to rule over her.

And finally, the most tragic consequence of all – the man and woman were put out of the garden and lost the perfect fellowship with God for which they had been created.

All the consequences were true tragedies and the devastating results of sin.

It is critical for us to understand that we can, indeed, take our own actions, even if they are disobedient to the Word of God.  But it is equally critical to understand that consequences are sure to come, and we do not get to choose what those consequences will be, nor how many others they will affect in the future!

In closing, we find that sin has entered the hearts and lives of the man and woman. It has separated them from God, and because God had ordained all things to reproduce after its kind, all mankind would now be born into this sinful state. What God had created perfectly was now completely broken. The man and woman truly lost the preciousness of living in the presence of God in perfect harmony with one another.

Did the Lord forsake them forever? Was there no hope? We will answer those questions in our next writing and will find how much God loves us and the means that He has given so that we may once again be restored to a life in fellowship with Him and fellowship with one another!

 

Personal Reflection:

Guilty, guilty, guilty! I am guilty of all the sins above. Unknowingly, I was born into sin, just as every human being since the fall of Adam and Eve.  The problem is that I was blind to it. I really couldn’t see it.  It takes God to open ours eyes so that we see our fallen human nature.  Fallen human nature is selfish. It is very aware of self, and it wants its way! It does not obey God, but goes about to fulfill its own desires, whatever they may be.

I tried to cover my sin. I hid from the presence of God, avoiding truth at every turn. And blame! Oh, I was a master at blaming someone else for my sin. I could always look around and find someone “worse” than me, and thereby make myself look good in my own eyes.

But God has a way of cutting right through our excuses and laying our hearts open before Him so that we see our self. And it is never a pretty picture! Oh, but the beauty of mercy, grace, and forgiveness!  We do not readily comprehend the depth of our sin until he shows it to us.  Neither do we realize the depth of His love for us until He opens our eyes to that great truth! We will talk about His redemption next time!

But here is what I would like to share with you. The two greatest struggles of my life were in being a mom and being a wife.  Because I had the fallen human nature of a woman, I experienced difficulty in raising my son. And because of that same fallen nature, I struggled in my marriage. I loved my child with an incredible love, but as he grew he developed a “mind of his own”, and untold struggles arose.

And as for my relationship with my husband, I was blind to it, but I was always attempting to overtake. I always thought that my ways were best. I thought I knew better. I thought my ways were wiser! I didn’t realize that I was attempting to overtake him, but that was exactly what I was doing.

It took the Lord to open my eyes. It took the Lord to forgive me. And it took the Lord, step by step, to change me! He, and He alone, is able!

 

So Until the Next Time:

I will leave you with questions for thought:

Do you recognize the fallen nature of a woman in yourself?

Do you struggle in raising your children?

Do you find yourself in conflict with your husband because you think your way is better?

(Remember Eve really thought her actions were wise and would produce good results.)

Do you try to overtake your husband and rule over him?

I was guilty of all, and these are the natural reactions of the fallen woman.

It takes God Himself to redeem and restore us to all that He created us to be as a NEW CREATION!

In an honest evaluation, allow the Lord to show you your heart, and then allow Him to change it!

If you are His child, thank Him for all the love, mercy, and grace that He has already extended to you!

 

He Who calls you is faithful, Who also will do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:24