Genesis 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Genesis 2:15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

The serpent knew that Adam was in charge of the garden, yet he tempted the woman!  He had a very good reason.  Keep in mind that in the beginning of his creation Lucifer was Jesus' Archangel who reflected God’s beauty and glory. He  knew God’s heart and mind.  Nothing Satan did in the garden was by chance, everything was strategically planned.  He was at war with God and he knew where to attack effectively.  He hated everything Adam and Woman stood for, envious of the loving relationship God had set up.  He intentionally set out to destroy and gain control of Adam and everything he possessed.

After a more detailed study of the serpent’s approach in the garden, it is painfully obvious that nothing has changed today.  Even though Satan is temporarily in charge of Adam’s kingdom, he is not satisfied, because his plan to destroy mankind was thwarted by Jesus Christ.  Satan still hates God and mankind, but now his main focus is to weaken and destroy the Church, the Body of Christ.

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 

Satan’s approach is the same today as it was in the garden of Eden.

	Plant seeds of unbelief against God’s Word.   vs 1
	Plant seeds of doubt against God’s Word.    vs 2
	Mix a little truth with the lie.   vs 5
	Appeal to the 5 senses.   vs 6

The truth mixed with the lie will be found in a combination of

Genesis 3:5 and 22 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.

And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

James 1:13-15 Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither temps he any man: But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it brings forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, brings forth death.

Genesis 3:6  And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

In this scripture, “saw” the Hebrew word “ra ah” (raw-aw’), literally means to see or behold for the very first time.  We need to realize that until their attention was drawn to the tree by the serpent, neither one really noticed or looked at the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  

Adam stood there with Woman.  He had not wandered off into the garden pruning plants or naming animals.  No!  He was standing right there and heard everything that was said and done.  Imagine how convincing the serpent sounded after Woman ate of the fruit and did not die. 

Several principals were broken in verse 6:

	Woman never consulted her husband before she took action.
	Adam stood right there, heard everything, heard the serpent talk  against God, but never spoke up.  Silence is agreement.
	As a dominion team, they had authority over the serpent, but never exercised it.
	Adam allowed the serpent to question God’s Word, which immediately caused doubt to rise up in their hearts.
	Adam did not act as priest in his household by correcting the mistake his wife had made. Instead, he chose to sin with her. He could have said, “No!” and stopped the fall from happening.

Numbers 30:6-8  If she had at all an husband, when she vowed, or uttered ought out of her lips, wherewith she bound her soul; And her husband heard it, and held his peace at her in the day that he heard it: then her vows shall stand, and her bonds wherewith she bound her soul shall stand. But if her husband disallowed her on the day that he heard it; then he shall make her vow which she vowed, and that which she uttered with her lips, wherewith she bound her soul, of none effect: and the Lord shall forgive her.

The book of Numbers was not written at the time of the fall.  But through scripture we know that God walked with Adam in the garden and taught him.  God knew  Numbers 30:6-8 and I’m sure he taught this important principle to Adam.

God had told Adam that if he ate of the tree, he would surely die.  Adam saw Woman eat and nothing happened to her!   I believe that Adam felt safe at this point in going ahead and eating because Woman was okay after she had eaten the fruit.  She did not die, but instead, handed the fruit to him.

I have heard it taught that Adam loved Woman so much that he wanted to join her in sin rather than live without her.  A noble statement which Scripture does not substantiate.

Keep in mind Adam stood right there “with her” and heard everything the serpent said.  Adam watched Woman eat the fruit and not die, instead she handed the fruit to Adam.  Put yourself in Adam’s place.  Woman ate and did not die, it looked safe. 

Genesis 2:23-25 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, for she was taken out of man.” For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

The responsibility of the fall lies with Adam and his decision to disobey God’s direct command.  Nothing happened to Woman until Adam sanctioned her action by eating the fruit himself.  They, as a team, had performed a “one flesh” action of disobedience.  Once they had both partaken of the fruit, the result God warned them about took effect.

	The eyes of them both were opened. vs 22
	They became ashamed of their nakedness and afraid. vs 10
	They began to justify their actions. vs 12-13
	They died spiritually. Physical death became a reality but, of course,  did not take effect until the appointed time in both their lives. Adam  and Woman lost their authority and dominion. They handed it over  to the devil at the very moment that they both ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
	Adam and Woman at the very moment of the fall, stepped out of the spirit world and entered into the flesh. They were no longer able to communicate with God, instead they became fearful of him. They  were the first to be “born again.” They were born from life to the death, we are born from the death into the life in the spirit. The result of their born again experience was spiritual death and eventual physical death of the body. Our born again experience guarantees spiritual life, fellowship with God and eternal life.
	They became as God, to know good and evil. Prior to the fall it is  important to keep in mind that Adam and Woman did not know evil!
	The ground was cursed, and they were removed from the garden, so  that they could not eat from the tree of life and live forever in that  state of sin, cursed forever. Had they eaten of the tree of life,  redemption would have been impossible.

Genesis 3:22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

Adam and Woman made their own freewill choice, to disobey God by eating of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.  Adam did not take dominion over the serpent as he was instructed, but, instead listened to what the serpent had to say.  When Woman took the fruit and ate of it she decided to do her own program. Her biggest mistake was not consulting her mate.  By eating the fruit, Adam ignored and disobeyed God’s command.

1 Timothy 2:13-14 For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Nothing happened until Adam ate of the fruit.  He was given the command directly from God, he could not be deceived regarding the conditions.  Woman on the other hand, heard the command from Adam enabling deception to be a factor in her decision to eat of the fruit.

Genesis 3:9-13 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou was naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou should not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

Adam and Woman pass the responsibility and accountability of their actions to someone other than themselves.  Today, this is referred to as “passing the buck.”

With sin there is no one to blame but yourself.  You and you alone are responsible for your actions and your sin.  You cannot blame your parents, your brothers and sisters, your friends, or your ancestry.  The world today teaches and condones passing the original blame to someone (or something) who came before you. 

Not so in the Kingdom of God.  God created the mind of man to accept blame, to acknowledge right and wrong.  He also gave man a freewill to choose between right and wrong.

When we accept blame for our actions, we have the right to receive forgiveness for our wrong doing and move on with the rest of our life.  After receiving forgiveness, all blame, condemnation and guilt is removed.

However, if our actions are the responsibility of someone else, then we cannot be held responsible for our actions.  But the way the mind was created, if this is the way one thinks, then eventually, that person’s mind will become seared and the conscience will no longer function properly.  That allows the person to commit sin and believe he is above reproach.  Unfortunately the mental institutions are full of these people.  It is my conviction that passing the blame leads to mental illness.

The mind was created to accept the blame, reconcile forgiveness in the blame, and walk clear from it.  The mind literally tilts and begins to function improperly when trained to find others to blame.  This practice will become a pattern. I have attempted to speak with many mental patients; they all blame someone else for their life long misfortunes.  The circumstances leading up to their current state are never their fault.

God already knew everything that took place.   Ignoring all the excuses,  He began to address the issues one step at a time starting with the serpent.

Genesis 3:14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shall thou go, and dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.

Most pictures of the temptation show the serpent as a snake. According to the curse this can’t be. If one is already without legs, what point would God have in saying…

 “Upon thy belly shall thou go, and dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life.” 

Not only did the serpent have legs, but he also presented himself as the most beautiful of beasts.  The serpent did not present himself as evil or ugly.

Sin never presents itself as evil or ugly.  Sin always appeals to the lust of the flesh and scripture states sin has pleasure for a season.

Hebrews 11:25-26  By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaohs daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

Moses chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time.  Included in the curse of the serpent was the redemption of mankind!  God loved man so much he was merciful throughout the cursing.  He gave mankind a Savior to look forward to; a Messiah who would give an escape clause to the present sinful state of man.

Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shall bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Woman was not cursed, she was repositioned under her husband.  This scripture implies that Woman had already given birth to children.  If she had not experienced childbirth in the past then her childbearing sorrow could not be multiplied.  With this in mind, it also seems plausible that Adam and Woman did not fall immediately after God gave Woman to Adam.

This repositioning was very costly to Woman.  She no longer stood next to her husband ruling and reigning.  Now she would be dominated by him and mistreated in the sense that mankind began to look upon women throughout the world merely as child bearers.  For many years women were removed from productive society.  Women became mindless, gossiping, reproducing, sex machines.

It has only been in the last 100 years that women have begun to step forward into the business, scientific, art, and religious world;  being accepted by both men and women for their knowledge and talents.  Today’s women have taken this to an extreme with the women’s liberation movement.  This movement is not of God.  It is diametrically opposed to the Word of God and God’s plan for Woman and Man. 

It is important for us to realize that women were liberated when Jesus Christ died on the cross for all mankind.  Jesus Christ gave us back our relationship with God and our “one flesh” relationship with our husbands.  In order to be truly happy, we have to live God’s way not ours.  When we line up our life with God’s Word, we become dynamic women of the Word, happier than any Women’s Libber ever hoped to be.

Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shall not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shall thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shall eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shall thou return.

Because Woman was encouraging Adam to do the opposite of God’s Word, and because Adam listened to his wife, God cursed the ground that Adam was now going to be required to cultivate for food.  Husbands should be aware of this principle.  Do not allow your wife to sway you from God’s Word.  Women beware, you can bring a curse upon your household, when you nag your husband into doing something against God's Word.  Make sure when you are speaking, that you are within the Will of God in your words.

The first duty Adam performs as fallen man is to rename his wife. 

Genesis 3:20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.

Adam reclaimed dominion of his household by renaming his wife Eve.  It is inaccurate to call Woman “Eve” before the fall.   Adam originally named his helpmeet Woman symbolizing their “one flesh” relationship established by God.  Adam renamed his wife in order to focus on her motherhood rather than their broken “one flesh” relationship.

God is intent on renaming his people after they have experienced a life-changing event, selecting a name that best reflects the new change.  God renamed Lucifer to Satan, reflecting his fallen state; Abram to Abraham, father of many nations; Jacob to Israel, he will rule as God;  Saul to Paul, reflecting his calling to preach the gospel to the gentiles;  Simon to Peter, little rock showing his boldness after receiving Revelation Knowledge through the Baptism of the Holy Spirit.  

Genesis 3:22-23 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.

Again, even in the punishment, God, in His infinite ability to love, looks out for man’s well being.  He knew if man ate of the “tree of life” in his fallen state, he would live forever in that fallen state.  There would have been absolutely no chance for salvation through Jesus Christ, because they would not have died.

Genesis 3:22…lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever.

Imagine living a life eternally dead to God.  Besides the fire and brimstone, Hell is death, eternally living separated from God, but, at the same time eternally desiring and rejecting God’s love.

Romans 8:2, 13 Because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man. NIV

Next, God makes sure Adam and Eve are cared for in their new surroundings.  They will be very aware of the elements, so God clothes them before they are exiled from the garden of Eden.

Genesis 3:21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

With the New Age movement and humanism on the rise, it is good for us to keep in mind God himself clothed Adam and Eve with skins from animals.  Animals were placed on this earth by God for man’s pleasure, food, and clothing.  It is not morally wrong to use animals for food and clothing.

However, mankind has become greedy, killing animals for capital gain rather than for survival.  The result is the extinction of several species and the need to protect those animals that have been dangerously reduced in numbers.  God placed mankind in charge of the animals so it is indeed man’s responsibility to protect them from extinction.

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