Genesis 3:1-24, 4:1-7 continuation
God's judgement upon the man, the woman and the serpent is of significance to us.
As regards the serpent: we see the spiritual battle involved between us and the forces of the Devil - Eph.6:12. Of all the animal creation the serpent was brought very low in having to crawl on the earth signifying its sphere of activity. Its intelligence would be restricted to the animal world only and be at enmity with man.
God is not only addressing the serpent but also the force behind it. God's words reveal His plan - the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, fulfilled at the Cross. The enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent will continue unabated till the day when God brings about the final restoration of the whole creation.
God could have ended the whole affair of the Garden there and then and start afresh, but here we see God's wisdom unfold. More glory is brought upon His Name by taking fallen man and enabling him to overcome temptation to gain eternal Salvation through the Blood paid for sin. God's master plan was the best kept secret. Satan thought that he scored something in the Garden but God had the final word. On the Resurrection Day Satan must have got an awful shock from the resurrection and an even worse one from the birth of The Church.
God's judgement upon all three seemed to be hard. Let us ask ourselves. Does sin deserve a mild approach? Adam and Eve were warned by God about the consequence of disobedience. They had no excuse, much less the serpent- 'The soul that sins shall die'.
The immediate result of their action was separation from God, the source of life. Their spirit could no longer be sustained by His spirit and that separation led to moral and spiritual decline. Physical death was the natural result. Real life, the life of God can only exist when the Holy Spirit fills our lives and we are alive to God. Jesus said, 'I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly' .
Both Adam and Eve had to learn now how to manage without God. The woman is told what her role in life would be. She is delegated to being subject to her husband. This is God's order and no amount of rebellion by women can reverse things. Her desire is to be for the man and nothing can deny that either. In the Garden the woman took the initiative and fell to the serpent's temptation. Her initiative is now turned to her disadvantage. She persuaded the man she should honour and respect to yield to temptation and now she is the one to yield to his desires and rule.
Sin has an uncanny justice upon the sinner. The things we desire by disobeying God will turn round to enslave us. Satan will tempt us to rise above God's order of things to cast away God's authority over us.
Eve's judgement did not only apply to her personality but also to her physical nature. God told them at creation to be fruitful and multiply-a clear blessing. Fruitful, yes, but now not without pain and sorrow-Romans 10:22. We all want to have God's blessing in our lives but it cannot be earned or claimed, only bestowed by God. However, Satan by cunning and temptation can even turn blessings to curse. Adam was blessed with a wife but what a failure it all turned out to be!
God's judgement upon the man, the woman and the serpent is of significance to us.
As regards the serpent: we see the spiritual battle involved between us and the forces of the Devil - Eph.6:12. Of all the animal creation the serpent was brought very low in having to crawl on the earth signifying its sphere of activity. Its intelligence would be restricted to the animal world only and be at enmity with man.
God is not only addressing the serpent but also the force behind it. God's words reveal His plan - the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world, fulfilled at the Cross. The enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent will continue unabated till the day when God brings about the final restoration of the whole creation.
God could have ended the whole affair of the Garden there and then and start afresh, but here we see God's wisdom unfold. More glory is brought upon His Name by taking fallen man and enabling him to overcome temptation to gain eternal Salvation through the Blood paid for sin. God's master plan was the best kept secret. Satan thought that he scored something in the Garden but God had the final word. On the Resurrection Day Satan must have got an awful shock from the resurrection and an even worse one from the birth of The Church.
God's judgement upon all three seemed to be hard. Let us ask ourselves. Does sin deserve a mild approach? Adam and Eve were warned by God about the consequence of disobedience. They had no excuse, much less the serpent- 'The soul that sins shall die'.
The immediate result of their action was separation from God, the source of life. Their spirit could no longer be sustained by His spirit and that separation led to moral and spiritual decline. Physical death was the natural result. Real life, the life of God can only exist when the Holy Spirit fills our lives and we are alive to God. Jesus said, 'I have come that they might have life and have it more abundantly' .
Both Adam and Eve had to learn now how to manage without God. The woman is told what her role in life would be. She is delegated to being subject to her husband. This is God's order and no amount of rebellion by women can reverse things. Her desire is to be for the man and nothing can deny that either. In the Garden the woman took the initiative and fell to the serpent's temptation. Her initiative is now turned to her disadvantage. She persuaded the man she should honour and respect to yield to temptation and now she is the one to yield to his desires and rule.
Sin has an uncanny justice upon the sinner. The things we desire by disobeying God will turn round to enslave us. Satan will tempt us to rise above God's order of things to cast away God's authority over us.
Eve's judgement did not only apply to her personality but also to her physical nature. God told them at creation to be fruitful and multiply-a clear blessing. Fruitful, yes, but now not without pain and sorrow-Romans 10:22. We all want to have God's blessing in our lives but it cannot be earned or claimed, only bestowed by God. However, Satan by cunning and temptation can even turn blessings to curse. Adam was blessed with a wife but what a failure it all turned out to be!
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