Genesis 3 Deception and Willful Disobedience

As stewards, we must be absolutely certain of the authority that God has in our lives and must be absolutely committed to His purposes. If we are not absolutely committed we are but God's fair weather friends calling on Him when we want Him to act but not willing to adjust our wants to His plan for our lives.

In chapter 3 of Genesis we see Eve confronted by the serpent. He tests her knowledge of what God had said (all the more reason why we need to know scripture well my friends). He begins with a half truth that sounds a lot like the truth. Satan knows scripture too and as believers he will try to deceive us with the word and cause us to doubt it's truth. When Eve misquotes God's command, Satan counters with a direct challenge to God's authority using reason to cause her to doubt God.

We are also presented with temptations of worldly reason to discount God's word. We are challenged with science uncovering half truth's and hypotheses and presenting them as fact in opposition to scripture. The world would offer cheap grace in exchange for whole hearted obedience. We are blasted with lies from all sides (politics, science, history and even religion) attempting to discount our faith. Hold on dear believer to the truth of the Word. If you study and know it well you will find it all sufficient to meet your needs living here in a fallen world.

Speaking of the fall, let's turn back to chapter 3. The woman was deceived by the serpent. I don't know where Adam was at the time, but he should have been by her side. When we separate ourselves from the fellowship of believers we run greater risk of falling prey to the deceiver. Our fellow believers should help us to have clear thinking and encourage us to live righteously.

Anyway, Adam now hears that Eve has fallen victim and rather than standing by God's command, he knowingly chooses disobedience. Certainly he could use the excuse that he wasn't as bad as Eve. After all she disobeyed first and she wasn't struck dead. He justifies his wrong choice and even accuses God Himself in verse 12 saying "the woman YOU gave me made me do this".

We run into terrible troubles when we cannot own our wrong choices and call them what they are - sin. Adam should have been repentant, but instead he played the blame game. We are responsible to God for our sin and we should repent quickly and seek forgiveness. I wish Adam had.

Starting in verse 14 we see the consequences of sin - curses. God goes down the line from the serpent to Eve and then to Adam. The curses affect us down to today. We still find work toilsome. We still have all the pain and travail this curse brought on mankind. God cannot overlook sin in our lives. If He did He would be condoning sin. Even so He does allow us free will to choose to obey or not. It is that free will that demonstrates our love for our Creator when we obey him.

Now in verse 21 we see something significant. God Himself conducted the first animal sacrifice to provide for man. He made garments of animal skin. Even in his punishment Adam continued to receive provision from God. What a kind and loving God we have. This sacrifice points us to our need for a perfect substitutionary sacrifice only Jesus (perfectly God and perfectly man) could provide.

Even so he was banished from the garden and never allowed to return and positioned angels to guard the tree of life. For those who put their faith in the sacrifice Jesus provides, we have the hope of being in paradise with God. It was clear even from the beginning that man chooses sin over obedience but God has given us provision.

If you have received Jesus as the only provision you have to be right before God, He has also given you His Spirit within you giving you the ability to choose not to sin.

In this chapter we learn that God blesses obedience and curses disobedience. My dear friend choose to obey and live a life pleasing to The Lord.

Today is my day of worship so today I will honor God for his provision for me in my sin and rededicate myself to living obediently for Him.