It's not About an Apple: Genesis 2 and 3 Point us to Jesus by:Tracy Dear

Many patterns of life today began back in the Garden of Eden

, including men's and women's roles, men's passive attitudes, even the clothing we wear. But most importantly, the saving power of Jesus' death began to be modeled to us.

2:17 God tells MAN to not eat from tree of knowledge of good and evil. God gave man the instruction, and God holds man responsible for keeping it. Man was able to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, but was given the freedom to not do so. We are not puppets; we are given free choice to do right or wrong.

2:20 no helper suitable found for man. God repeated the phrase "It was good" until the day that Adam named all the creatures, each with its partner. But it wasn't good that Adam found no creature appropriate for him to have as a partner. Then, God created woman to meet the need which Adam now recognizes. From 'Reforming Marriage:' "He needs a companion suitable for him in the work to which God has called him. He is called to the work and must receive help from her. She is called to the work through ministering to him. He is oriented to the task, and she is oriented to him. The man needs the help; the woman needs to help."

3:1 serpent approaches WOMAN Satan immediately goes against the designed chain of command:

Matthew Henry Commentary: "Those who would be safe, need to be shy of talking with the tempter. He quoted the command wrong. He spoke in a taunting way. It is the craft of Satan to speak of the Divine law as uncertain or unreasonable, and so to draw people to sin; it is our wisdom to keep up a firm belief of God's command, and a high respect for it. Satan teaches men first to doubt, and then to deny. He aims to make them discontented with their present state."

1 Peter 3:7 says: "Likewise you husbands... give honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel" The analogy that best describes this to me is the comparison of a coffee mug beside a delicate teacup. Both hold liquid; but we honor the teacup because it is the weaker vessel. Man is like a coffee mug, sturdy and solid and can handle being donked down onto the counter; woman is like the delicate china teacup, beautiful and gently set down onto the saucer. I think that Satan used woman's delicacy against her for his first attack.

3:6 WOMAN gives apple to MAN Adam was 'with her' at the tree-- the word means elbow to elbow. What was he doing while she was debating Satan?! His silence, when he doesn't take her by the arm and get away from the tree, is the first step on the slippery slope which has led us to the passive and commitment-shy man of today. Although Eve was the first to bite the fruit, the New Testament always refers to Adam's sin-- because he was in charge, he is held responsible.

3:7 cover themselves with fig leaves They try to hide their sin from God. But Hebrews 4:13 says, "Nothing in all creation is hidden from God's sight. Everything is uncovered and laid bare before the eyes of him to whom we must give account."

3:16 curse to WOMAN Jan Meyers, author of 'The Allure of Hope,' says "...the artistry of being a woman took a fateful dive into the barren places of control and loneliness." Every woman wants to "control her surrounding, her relationships, her God." John Eldredge, author of 'Wild at Heart,' says "No longer is she vulnerable, now she will be grasping. No longer does she want simply to share in the adventure; now, she wants to control it."

3:17-19 curse to MAN Matthew Henry Commentary: "His employments and enjoyments are embittered to him. Labor is our duty, which we must faithfully perform; it is part of man's sentence, which idleness daringly defies. Uneasiness and weariness with labor are our just punishment, which we must patiently submit to, since they are less than our iniquity deserves."

3:21 God clothes them with skins God corrects the way they covered their nakedness; you can just imagine when Adam and Eve come out of the bushes with a dry and withering leaf just barely doing justice... But God covers them with animal skins. (Some people think that until Noah landed the ark, people hadn't eaten meat. After the water receded and Noah's family went out upon the land for the first time, in Gen. 9:3 God says "Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I give all to you, as I gave the green plant." [Ref. to Gen 1:29; "I have given you every plant yielding seed ... and every tree yielding seed; it shall be food for you; and to every beast... and to every bird... and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food."] So I imagine, if that is true, how appalled and remorseful Adam and Eve must have been to see the slaughter of an innocent animal to cover them after they sinned.) Does that remind you of anything? The shedding of innocent blood to cover sins? God started the pattern of redemption which ultimately points to the person of Jesus Christ way back in Genesis.

3:23-24 expelled from garden And so man's present journey began. The struggle, the pain, the suffering, all to be salved by the one who was there in the beginning:

"and God said, 'Let US make a man in OUR image' (Gen 1:26)

And when Jesus comes back the next time, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain... I am making all things new." Rev. 21:4-5

About the author

Tracy Dear and her husband have been married for eleven years. She divides her time between homeschooling her four kids, creating a comfortable home, and stocking her http://www.mama4x.etsy.com storefront with handmade greeting cards and vintage photos. You can read more about her struggles to glorify God in her sometimes difficult marriage at http://newmercy-mama4x.blogspot.com

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