Angelic Conflict part 93: Human history – Gen 3:1-13; 1Jo 2:16; 1Ti 2:11-14; Rom 5:12, 17-19; Hos 6:7; Gen 9:8.
length: 63:44 - taught on Jun, 6 2013
Class Outline:
Title: Angelic Conflict part 93: Human history - GEN 3:1-13; 1JO 2:16; 1TI 2:11-14; ROM 5:12, 17-19; HOS 6:7; GEN 9:8.
GEN 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, "Indeed, has God said, 'You shall not eat from any tree of the garden'?"
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” seems to get overlooked quite often and it reveals that Adam was there, with her, and didn’t do anything to stop her, showing that he was curious as well, but knew exactly what he was doing.
and she took of its fruit and ate, and gave to her husband by her (who was present) [Keil and Delitzsch Commentary on the Old Testament]
The text states that Adam was with her. Adam was not away working, not knowing what was happening… Adam was present all along and did not stop her. [Arnold Fruchtembaum, Ariel’s Bible Commentary - The Book of Genesis]
He failed to exercise his headship.
In this account of the fall of man five things should be noted about Adam and Eve.
First, Eve was tempted in the three areas of 1JO 2:16: the lust of the eyes, the lust of the flesh, and the pride of life.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.
As to the lust of the flesh, the phrase “When the woman saw that the tree was good for food” emphasizes the physical; the fruit was physically appealing.
Concerning the lust of the eyes: it was a delight to the eyes; this was the aesthetic; the tree was aesthetically pleasing. Concerning the pride of life: The tree was to be desired to make one wise. This is the spiritual and the mental; it would be mentally transforming. Eating, she felt, would give her something she did not now possess.
Second, by eating she failed to exercise her subordinate role and took the initiative.
Touching it did not cause her spiritual death, but only when she did eat. She did not have the power to initiate.
Third, Eve became to Adam what the serpent was to Eve - a tempter. Adam failed to exercise his headship. He acquiesced instead of leading.
There is a great difference between an unfallen, perfect helpmate responder and a fallen one. Why would a woman, designed to be a responder helpmate, want to usurp her husband’s authority, become the initiator in a situation and demand that he acquiesce?
Sometimes she truly thinks in her fallen mindnature that she is doing what is best for her husband and for them both and for their family if they have one, and so to the fallen helpmate the ends justifies the means. This is a common failure and she is often very sincere. Husbands must understand that she has a God made nature which will come under the influence of her fallen nature and he must go right on loving her as Christ loves the Church, forgiving her and understanding that in this she is a weaker vessel.
Satan is going to push this button until it breaks in marriages and especially in Christian marriages, and especially in Christian marriages where there is positive volition. We are not ignorant of his schemes.
Fourth, there is a clear distinction between the fall of the man and woman. She was deceived and he sinned with full knowledge.
The woman’s deception put her in a role of subordination in divine organizations like marriage and the local church.
1TI 2:11 Let a woman quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.
1TI 2:12 But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet [in the church].
1TI 2:13 For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve.
1TI 2:14 And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being quite deceived, fell into transgression.
The woman was deceived but Adam, with eyes wide open, completely understanding what he was doing, without any self-deception at all, took and ate and deliberately rebelled against God. He rebellion was as distinct and specific as was satan’s original rebellion with the great difference that Adam was tempted from without while satan had no outside temptation.
This is why the Bible never places the blame for the fall on the woman, but always on Adam. There is the first Adam and the last Adam, ROM 5:12, 17-19.
ROM 5:12 Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned
ROM 5:17 For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
ROM 5:18 So then as through one transgression there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one act of righteousness there resulted justification of life to all men.
ROM 5:19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One the many will be made righteous.
For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all shall be made alive.
Fifth, the first covenant with man, the Edenic Covenant, was broken, HOS 6:7.
But like Adam they have transgressed the covenant;
There they have dealt treacherously against Me.
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.
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.
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.
This is the first effect on sin in the Bible.
ISA 6:5 [when Isaiah saw the Lord]
"Woe is me, for I am ruined!,
Because I am a man of unclean lips,
When Moses saw the Lord:
So Moses said, "I must turn aside now, and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up."
So we see that first there is a separation between themselves and then we see their separation from God.
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.
Using a fig leaf makes sense since it is the largest leaf in the Middle East. For this reason some believe that the fruit was a fig, but there is no substance to that conclusion.
The covering was for the loins, like an apron or girdle. Their most intimate sexual relationship had become a source of shame.
We see from this man’s affinity for the phallic cult, which satan would use very successfully to distract man from his relationship with God and his mate which would now have to be based on grace.
Satan gives man the phallic cult as a substitute for what God restored in marriage. The phallic cult does not demand commitment to one person nor does it demand virtue which successful marriage must have.
Sex was given to man and woman for recreation as well as personal intimacy with ones mate in the commitment of marriage. Soon after the fall and into the present day sex has become something worshipped and a quite serious matter when it should only be a source of intimacy and enjoyment between a man and woman in marriage.
What was lost in the Garden has been restored in Christ; therefore, Christian marriage can be even better than the pre-fall marriage.
This also shows that a wonderful sexual relationship is based on the soul and not the body. The body is the instrument but the soul is the source of intimacy and enjoyment. Their bodies didn’t change but their souls did.
None of us can imagine this change from perfection to fallen. What they freely enjoyed with one another was completely gone. What was untarnished confidence [they knew nothing else] was now self-consciousness and fear.
In order to take advantage of this satan fashions the phallic cult. Instead of opting for what God has restored there is offered voyeurism, prostitution, fornication, and adultery all centered on the body and destroying the soul.
For the lips of an adulteress drip honey,
And smoother than oil is her speech;
But in the end she is bitter as wormwood,
Sharp as a two-edged sword.
Every parent should make their children read Pro 5 from time to time.
Satan in the phallic cult has successfully switched the emphasis from soul to body so as to destroy this intimacy in the hope of ruining marriages, especially Christian marriages.
Satan’s first attack is to emphasize the body and neglect the soul. His second, is to have man take the sexual relationship very seriously and to make virtue a joke.
What should be taken seriously is the virtue of each mate. The husband is to love his wife as Christ loves the Church. Wives are to be subject to their husbands. These virtues are to be taken seriously while the sexual relationship is to simply be recreation. Satan has the world taking sex seriously and ignoring the virtue where men become feminine and women become pushy and dominating.
Also, the sexual relationship is based on the soul. When the virtue is in order because it has been cultivated and cared for and guarded through the word of God or even divine establishment for the unbeliever then the sexual relationship is wonderful and enjoyable. Satan has the world under the spell that the sexual relationship is all about the body. This promotes performance pressure on the men which the women buy into, which causes frigidity. It also promotes multiple partners which increases sexually transmitted disease as well as insensitivity.
Take the virtue seriously and remember the greatest sexual organ is the soul. This last generation has been especially influenced by the information highway to believe that the porn star is the expert. God is the expert.
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.
Now the sin nature would be transmitted by the sexual union.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
And in sin my mother conceived me.
They succeeded in hiding their nakedness from one another, but they did not succeed in hiding themselves from God.
So now, nakedness before someone other than one’s mate has become shameful
But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned away, so that they did not see their father's nakedness.
And you shall not go up by steps to My altar, that your nakedness may not be exposed on it. [the priest had to wear special under-garments]
I advise you to buy from Me gold refined by fire, that you may become rich, and white garments, that you may clothe yourself, and that the shame of your nakedness may not be revealed
That is their separation from each other and now in verse 8 we see their separation from God.
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 and hiding from God.
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?"
God knows where they are. He wouldn’t be much of a God if He didn’t. The real question is why are you hiding?
Where can I go from Thy Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Thy presence?
If I ascend to heaven, Thou art there;
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there.
God is not angry or shocked. He knew this would happen. He is looking for an admission or confession of guilt.
God does this often. He desires to give the creature a chance to acknowledge what they have done.
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
And he said, "Hagar, Sarai's maid, where have you come from and where are you going?" And she said, "I am fleeing from the presence of my mistress Sarai."
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.
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