Genesis 3:1-5 New American Standard Bible
The Fall of Mankind
3 Now the serpent was more cunning than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die! 5 For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will [a]become like God, knowing good and evil.”
Word of God for the Children of God
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Sometimes we might hear or even tell little lies in attempts to be polite or to spare someone’s feelings.
Though not recommended, those kinds of lies are far different from lies that are told out of callous disrespect. self-interest for personal gain or even malice to harm others.
Of all the lies told in history, the most blatant, malicious lie of all took place when the devil tempted Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Genesis 3).
There Satan, appearing as a serpent, lied about the consequences of disobeying God’s command not to eat the fruit of one of the trees in the garden.
In this way the devil aimed to thwart God’s design for his creation and to mar his human creatures forever.
Satan lied about God’s own truthfulness.
His false insinuation awakened a jealousy and desire in our first parents, and the results have reverberated across our world ever since that day, causing hostility, suffering, and death.
Jesus came to save us from the certain destruction we would face, and he called Satan out as “the father of lies.”
How do we overcome the deadly shadow of lies in our world?
We do so by acknowledging God never lies (Hebrews 6:18) and he hates lying.
And we turn to Jesus, the true light and living truth (John 14:6), asking him to help us recognize the truth and to share it with our neighbors everywhere.
Doing so, begins our initiation into God’s redemption plan by learning of and listening to, His Voice of truth, sharing his truthfulness, love with all people.
The Voice That Should Not Be Heard
Adam had named the animals.
None of them had named him.
None of them spoke.
But here, one does.
Eve should have recoiled.
Her instincts should have screamed.
Instead, she listened ….. “Did God really say…?”
It was not a question.
It was a seed of suspicion.
A carefully baited hook.
God had offered abundance.
The serpent framed it as restriction.
He painted the Giver as a hoarder.
He cast God as the villain.
Eve replies.
She knows what God said.
But already, the wind has shifted.
She entertains the serpent’s tone.
She meets him on his terms.
And once she gives her attention, he gives her a lie:
“You will not surely die.”
The most dangerous lies are the ones that wear truth like perfume.
This one smelled like enlightenment.
But it stank of death.
The Moment the World Tilted
They didn’t fall by accident.
They didn’t stumble into rebellion.
They wanted what God had withheld.
They desired the thing He had called forbidden.
They looked at the serpent, looked at the fruit, and decided that God was not providing enough abundace.
Eve reached.
Adam stood beside her.
Silent.
Watching.
The man who had walked with God chose to follow his wife, who was following a snake.
She handed him the fruit. He took it.
And the earth groaned.
But the fall did not begin with the bite.
The fall happened in the silence.
In the desire.
In the shift of allegiance that happened quietly inside them before the fruit ever touched their lips.
The Tactics Have Not Changed
The serpent has no new tricks.
He still whispers.
He still distorts God’s words, maligns God’s heart, promises what he cannot give. He still makes sin look like freedom and obedience look like slavery.
And fallen hearts still believe him.
We don’t fall like Adam.
We fell in Adam.
He was our representative.
Our federal head.
When he listened to the serpent, so did we.
When he chose sin, so did we.
And since that day, we’ve been born loving what we ought to hate.
We don’t start in Eden.
We start east of it.
The First Fruits of Rebellion
“Their eyes were opened.”
Not to beauty.
Not to wisdom.
But to utter shame.
They saw themselves, and they couldn’t bear the sight.
They grabbed leaves.
They stitched fig and fear into coverings.
For the first time, they felt the need to hide.
Then came the sound.
The familiar footfall of God walking in the cool of the day.
A sound that once brought joy now triggered dread.
They ran.
They didn’t want to be found.
Shame had shifted their compass.
Guilt weighed like stone in their chests.
The One who formed them now terrified them.
The presence that once gave life now promised judgment.
And so they hid in the trees, like children caught in the act.
Their innocence had curdled into fear.
Their openness had twisted into evasion.
The Shattered Illusion of Innocence
All of it…every broken marriage, every hospital room, every open grave…traces back to this garden.
This moment.
The ache of our world is not random.
It has visible roots.
And they grow here.
Sin did not arrive as any grand display of cataclysmic rain, thunder lightning..
It came with a barely audible whisper.
A question. A look. A silence. A bite.
And now every child is born into a world where our shame is native and guilt is inherited. Every conscience carries that imprint of that first slip of the tongue.
Everyone is guilty.
Everyone is exposed.
And no one can ever sew enough fig leaves to become clean again.
The Gospel Truth of this that the Master Gardener Still Walks His garden.
He still comes walking.
Not with a sword, but with a question:
With a still small, quiet voice shouting ….
(Your Name) … “Where are you?”
Not because He doesn’t know.
But because He wants you to know.
(Your Name) … “I AM is still here … Where are you?”
Still hiding?
Still covering yourself in effort and shame?
Still listening for the hiss of the serpent wrongly saying;
“Did God really promise that He will always with you until the end of time?”
“So, (your name) … where is God’s promise to always be with you now?”
Step out.
He is calling.
The One created us, set our feet in His Garden of Eden, who showed mercy when He clothed Adam and Eve, freely offers robes of righteousness soaked in blood.
The Life Blood of His only Begotten Son … Jesus
John 19:28-30 New American Standard Bible
28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all things had already been accomplished, in order that the Scripture would be fulfilled, *said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar full of sour wine was standing there; so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a branch of hyssop and brought it up to His mouth. 30 Therefore when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, “It is finished!” And He bowed His head and gave up His spirit.
The One who banished Adam and Eve from His Garden, now invites us back…not by works, but by grace.
(Your Name) … are you ready this time to receive of the abundance of His grace?
Are you telling the truth?
Or are you lying to God … still … again?
In the name of God, the Father and God the Son and God the Holy Spirit ….
Praying …
Prayer for Protection, Guidance, and Pardon.
A Psalm of David.
25 To You, Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 My God, in You I trust,
Do not let me be ashamed;
Do not let my enemies rejoice over me.
3 Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
[a]Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
4 Make me know Your ways, Lord;
Teach me Your paths.
5 Lead me in Your truth and teach me,
For You are the God of my salvation;
For You I wait all the day.
6 Remember, Lord, Your compassion and Your faithfulness,
For they have been [b]from of old.
7 Do not remember the sins of my youth or my wrongdoings;
Remember me according to Your faithfulness,
For Your goodness’ sake, Lord.
8 The Lord is good and upright;
Therefore He instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the [c]humble in justice,
And He teaches the [d]humble His way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are faithfulness and truth
To those who comply with His covenant and His testimonies.
11 For the sake of Your name, Lord,
Forgive my wrongdoing, for it is great.
12 Who is the person who fears the Lord?
He will instruct him in the way he should choose.
13 His soul will dwell in [e]prosperity,
And his [f]descendants will inherit the [g]land.
14 The [h]secret of the Lord is for those who fear Him,
[i]And He will make them know His covenant.
15 My eyes are continually toward the Lord,
For He will [j]rescue my feet from the net.
16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
For I am lonely and afflicted.
17 [k]The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
Bring me out of my distresses.
18 Look at my misery and my trouble,
And forgive all my sins.
19 Look at my enemies, for they are many,
And they hate me with violent hatred.
20 Guard my soul and save me;
Do not let me be ashamed, for I take refuge in You.
21 Let integrity and uprightness protect me,
For I wait for You.
22 Redeem Israel, God,
From all his distress.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 