Angelic Conflict part 94: Human history – Gen 3:1-14; 17:1-14; Rom 2:28-29; Col 2:11.

Title: Angelic Conflict part 94: Human history - GEN 3:1-14; 17:1-14; ROM 2:28-29; COL 2:11.

 

Announcementsopening prayer:  

 

 

So now we have the fall and subsequent spiritual death.

 

GEN 3:6 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 desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

 

The phrase “with her” reveals that Adam was there, with her, and didn’t do anything to stop her.  

 

GEN 3:7 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 loin coverings.

 

The major result of the fall was spiritual death, which man attempted to correct on his own. When you have a sickness you need a real cure. To ask the doctor to touch up your x-rays or to change the numbers on your lab work so that you won’t have to go through surgery doesn’t make you better. In fact, the deception that you were cured makes you worse.

 

The fig leaves cover their skin but nothing can cover the fear in their hearts.

 

They knew that they were naked - innocence was lost. Sin caused a lack of confidence and a terrible self-consciousness.

 

Their nakedness was once a sign of a healthy relationship and now it is a source of shame. A division has arisen between them and a covering which they made becomes a barrier.

 

The covering was for the loins, like an apron or girdle. Their most intimate sexual relationship had become a source of shame.

 

Now the sin nature would be transmitted by the sexual union.

PSA 51:5

Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,

And in sin my mother conceived me.

 

What was lost in the Garden has been restored in Christ; therefore, Christian marriage can be even better than the pre-fall marriage.

 

God would sacrifice an animal and cover them with the skins of the animal. The animal represents Christ’s propitiation of the Father.

 

GEN 3:21 And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

 

The sin nature would be passed on through the sexual union. They attempted their own covering, but only blood could cover sin and only the blood of Christ, not His literal blood, but His willingness to die a spiritual death, atoning for all sin of all humanity.

 

By means of Christ the inherited sin nature due to the fall would be cut off.

 

The cutting off or separation from the flesh was represented to Israel by circumcision as the seed of the man is the source of the OSN.

 

Twenty four years have passed since God first made His promise to Abram in Gen 12, and thirteen years have passed since Ishmael was born. God has been silent to Abram for these 13 years.

 

GEN 17:1 Now when Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him,

"I am God Almighty [El Shaddai]; Walk before Me [service of devotion to God], and be blameless [untarnished].

 

In Genesis, El Shaddai always appears with the promise of prosperity. The origin of Shaddai is the Akkadian shaddu - “breast” and the Hebrew shadad - “strong” or “powerful.”  

 

El Shaddai = the strength and supply of God for prosperity.

 

God is going to state 7 I wills.

 

GEN 17:2 "And I will establish My covenant between Me and you, And I will multiply you exceedingly."

 

This is the fourth reaffirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant which will now have the added token of circumcision.

 

GEN 17:3 And Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying,

 

Abram has, in old age, found humility and he worships God. He doesn’t have the questions he did 23 years ago in Gen 15 when he whined to God about not having a son or heir.

 

GEN 17:4 "As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, And you shall be the father of a multitude of nations.

 

GEN 17:5 "No longer shall your name be called Abram, But your name shall be Abraham; For I will make you the father of a multitude of nations.

 

Abram = exalted father. Abraham = the father of a multitude. “nations” - goyim; represents Gentile nations.

 

Through copulation Abraham would begin a brand new racial species, the Jew. After Christ, the faith in the Seed of Abraham would be the source of a brand new spiritual species, the CA believer.

 

GEN 17:6 "And I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come forth from you.

 

GEN 17:7 And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your descendants after you.

 

GEN 17:8 And I will give to you and to your descendants after you, the land of your sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God."

 

GEN 17:9 God said further to Abraham, "Now as for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations.

 

GEN 17:10 This is My covenant, which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you: every male among you shall be circumcised.

 

In light of the seven “I wills” of the previous segment and of all God’s promises, here is what Abraham should do as a loving response. This is not conditional. The Abrahamic Covenant is not conditional. God does not say that if Abraham fails to do this, then God will not fulfill what He said in verses 1-8. God will fulfill this regardless of Abraham’s response. Nevertheless, in light of God’s blessings for Abraham, He expects Abraham to fulfill certain conditions. But God’s fulfillment of His promises remain unconditional.

 

However, the principle is that unconditional promises set up the expectation of a response. God will do what He said He will do no matter what; in response, Abraham should do something.

 

It is the same principle in salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith, not based on works. Once saved believers retain salvation unconditionally; but in response to God’s love for them, believers are expected to keep His commandments. However, whether believers keep them or do not keep them, their salvation is secure.

 

GEN 17:11 And you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be the sign of the covenant between Me and you.

 

The Egyptians circumcised before this time and many other cultures would do so after this time.

 

To Israel circumcision means the promised Seed in the line of Abraham would cut off the flesh. It involved the shedding of blood. It is a blood covenant.

 

GEN 17:12 And every male among you who is eight days old shall be circumcised throughout your generations, a servant who is born in the house or who is bought with money from any foreigner, who is not of your descendants.

 

GEN 17:13 A servant who is born in your house or who is bought with your money shall surely be circumcised; thus shall My covenant be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant.

 

GEN 17:14 But an uncircumcised male who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant."

 

Abram attempted to fulfill God’s covenant in his own way through Hagar just as Adam and the woman tried their own way with the fig leaves.

 

Not long after Abram lost the ability to have sex and Sarai’s womb lost the ability to carry a child.

 

It was after this that God returned to Abram with this covenant of circumcision. Abraham would be given sexual life, Sarah’s womb would be opened, and the promised heir, Isaac, would be granted.

 

Man cannot do anything to overcome his death, but only God can remove the curse of the flesh and restore life.

 

And in this case God waits patiently for Abram to have absolutely no hope in himself for both he and his wife are sexually dead.

 

The physical act of circumcision was a symbol of what God would do through Christ and it did not save anyone. The animal sacrifices were of the same purpose. Abram had to believe God’s promise just as anyone in Israel for regeneration and eternal life.

 

The circumcision of the flesh represented that God wanted a circumcision of the heart, positionally through faith in the Messiah, and experientially through walking in God’s plan.

 

ROM 2:28-29

For he is not a Jew who is one outwardly; neither is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh. But he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that which is of the heart, by the Spirit, not by the letter; and his praise is not from men, but from God.

 

1CO 7:19

Circumcision is nothing, and uncircumcision is nothing, but what matters is the keeping of the commandments of God.

 

GAL 6:15

For neither is circumcision anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation

 

COL 2:11

and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ;

 

God restores everything that we’ve lost, and lost by fault of our own; the victimology of these two will not assuage God’s justice, but that justice will be met through Christ.

 

They succeeded in hiding their nakedness from one another, but they did not succeed in hiding themselves from God.

 

That is their separation from each other and now in verse 8 we see their separation from God.

 

Go back:

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.

 

Since they recognized the Lord by hearing it means that He likely did this every day. This is a manifestation of the Shechinah Glory in which He would come to them and fellowship with them.

 

What was once a joyful sound [the Lord approaching] is now a source of fear.

 

Walking literally means to walk to and fro and the cool of the day refers to the late afternoon, toward sundown.

 

They hear Him coming and they hide. Playing hide and seek with God? So we have another result of sin - stupidity.

 

Results of sin - lack of confidence, shame, self-consciousness before people. Guilt, fear, hiding from God, stupidity, blame, and failure to take responsibility for ones actions.

 

Adam and Eve now tried to hide from God’s presence, because the fellowship they used to have with God was no longer possible. There is a clear recognition of a new relationship with God, a negative one now. They have gone from being under the love of God to being under the justice of God, which through the work of Christ would turn from justice to grace.

 

Therefore, there is guilt and there is fear of punishment; after hiding their nakedness from each other, they also tried to hide it from God.

 

GEN 3:9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

 

GEN 3:10 And he said, "I heard the sound of Thee in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself."

 

Adam doesn’t actually answer the question, but he does answer the implied question of “why are you hiding?” And he confesses - “I was afraid because I was naked.”

 

Yet, is nakedness the cause of his fear of God? He was naked before, and he isn’t actually naked now, since he is covered by fig leaves.

 

Adam feared God because of the knowledge of his nakedness in sin, which is his guilt, fear, loss of confidence from a tarnished and stained soul.

 

And this is something that is very often missed. He uses the singular “I” and doesn’t incriminate Eve.

 

GEN 3:11 And He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

 

God raises a second question, “Who told you that you were naked?” which was not answered and it doesn’t seem that God expected on because He rolls immediately into His third question.

 

But the brunt of the question is if someone told Adam, and who else is there to tell him this anyway, that there was something wrong with the state of innocence that Adam had. And that is exactly what satan did. Satan told them that they needed more, that God was holding something back, that their innocent state wasn’t good enough.

 

The third question shows that God knew of their sin; He knew that this state was one of disobedience.

 

God went from the general to the specific, and this puts God in the role of a prosecutor. The question demands a confession and not condemnation alone.

 

GEN 3:12 And the man said, "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate."

 

Adam blames God indirectly instead of a straight confession. This is the first rationale that the criminal becomes the victim.

 

This also shows how quickly sin has corrupted them. He does confess, “and I ate,” but only after making sure that God heard his victimology plea.

 

GEN 3:13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" And the woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

 

She, too, lays the blame on another; the fault lay with the serpent. However, her answer is less accusatory that Adam’s answer. She did not say, “The serpent that You made, God” nor did she say, “The man You created did not stop me.” Eve admits that she was deceived, a fact affirmed by the NT. Then she confessed, “and I ate.”

 

Her admission also comes only at the end of the sentence. Therefore, sin has corrupted fully in that neither Adam nor Eve was willing to make a simple confession and take full responsibility for their actions.

 

Sin resulted in the man blaming God and the woman blaming her deception and the result is the human race refuses to take responsibility for their actions.

 

Next we have the Adamic Covenant with its various provisions.

 

Provisions of the Adamic Covenant are in 4 categories: the serpent, satan, the woman, and the man.

 

GEN 3:14 And the Lord God said to the serpent,

"Because you have done this, Cursed are you more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly shall you go, And dust shall you eat All the days of your life;

 

Verse 14 is the curse of the literal serpent. The serpent was used by satan to hurt mankind and so it was once the king of God’s animal creation [craftier than all beasts] and now it will be the most cursed.