The Fall of Man — Genesis 3

The Fall of Man — Genesis 3

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. Paradise was perfect — yet something was about to change everything.

The Temptation

He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?"

And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden. But God said, 'You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will be opened — and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

The Fall

So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise — she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate.

Then the eyes of both were opened. And they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Hiding from God

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, "Where are you?"

And he said, "I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid — because I was naked. And I hid myself."

The Confession

"Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?"

The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me — she gave me fruit of the tree. And I ate."

Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me. And I ate."

Judgment

The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock. On your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life."

God pronounced judgment on Eve — pain in childbearing — and on Adam — cursed ground, thorns and thistles, labor and toil. "For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

Mercy and Exile

But even in judgment, there was mercy. God made garments of skins and clothed them — the first sacrifice foreshadowing redemption. And God gave a promise: the seed of the woman would one day crush the serpent's head.

Then the Lord God sent Adam and Eve out from the Garden of Eden. At the east of the garden, He placed cherubim and a flaming sword — to guard the way to the Tree of Life.

Thus sin entered the world. But even in exile — there was a promise. The story was far from over.

*Watch the full narrated video above. Episode 2 of "The Story of Scripture" series.*