Genesis 3:8 - 14

D.    God’s questioning, Man and Woman’s reply Genesis 3:8-13

1.     Genesis 3:8 – And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.

a.      Note that they hid in the permissible trees (of the garden)

·       Just like human nature is today, to try and create an alibi, they went to where they were permitted to go to give the impression that they were doing what they were supposed to be doing (they didn’t hang around the TKGE, the scene of the crime)

b.     Does the voice of the Lord walk?

·       Voice = קול qowl, (masculine noun) voice, sound, noise

·       Appears they heard the sound of the Lord walking, which seems interesting to be able to hear God walking, indicates some sort of physical presence

c.      Amongst = תוך tavek, same as the word midst in 2:9

d.     Cool of the day – either early morning or dusk

e.      “Mistrust and fear have, for one thing, taken the place of trust and free communion…” H.C. Leupold

f.       Appears that this was something that God did frequently, most likely to enjoy His creation.  Was He in bodily form?

2.     Genesis 3:9 – And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where [art] thou?

a.      Man seeks to hide, God seeks to find

3.     Genesis 3:10 – And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I [was] naked; and I hid myself.

a.      The reason that the man and woman were afraid was not due to their nudity, but their disobedience.  The sin was committed and another as an attempt to cover it.

b.     Shows the damage caused by sin, the man is now a shadow of his former self.

4.     Genesis 3:11 – And he said, Who told thee that thou [wast] naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?

a.      By the Lord’s response we can see that the only way the man and woman would have known they were naked were:

·       Someone told them

·       They ate of the TKGE

b.     God was fully aware that another being was present in the garden that :

·       Could communicate to the man and woman

·       Knew what being naked meant

5.     Genesis 3:12 – And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest [to be] with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

a.      An embarrassing response, the man takes essentially no responsibility and blames:

·       The woman

·       God Himself

o      indirectly in that it was His gift to the man who caused his demise

b.     God can clearly see the corrupt state that man is now in from this one answer

c.      A response from God is not even warranted

6.     Genesis 3:13 – 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.

a.      Beguiled - נשא nasha', (verb) to seduce or currupt

E.    Punishment pronounced upon the serpent Genesis 3:14

1.     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 shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:

a.      Notice God did not even question Satan or give him an opportunity to defend himself against his accusers, why?

·       He already knew the rebellious nature from the fall

b.     Are other animals cursed?

c.      On thy belly

·       Leviticus 11:42 - Whatsoever goeth upon the belly, and whatsoever goeth upon [all] four, or whatsoever hath more feet among all creeping things that creep upon the earth, them ye shall not eat; for they [are] an abomination.

d.     “Thou shalt eat dust”, what was the man created from?

·       I Peter 5:8 - Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:

e.      Is this literal or allegorical?

·       Trees

·       Fruit

·       Serpent

·       Covering