The Fall (Gen. 3)
Tree of Life: tree’s function
How would they have understood the tree of life without knowing what death meant?
Was there death in animals before the fall?
Does Gen 2:16 imply they could eat of the tree of life? Cf. Gen 3:22; Rev. 22
3 Views of the Tree of Life: Tree’s meaning
Magical View
Health Food view
Sacramental view
Tree of the knowledge of good and evil
How would they know what “evil” meant?
Why would God put this tree in the garden?
Choice necessary for moral agents
Choice and love
Does the serpent speak the truth?
Gen 3:5, 22 They do become more like God –what’s the problem?
At the point of temptation they gain a knowledge of good and evil (like God)
When they eat they participate in evil going beyond God resulting in their own demise.
Temptation
Gen 3:6 cf. 1 Jn 2:16
• Lust of the flesh
• Lust of eyes
• Pride of life
Man’s dilemma... only thing he knows is not good
Results of Fall
God & man: man goes into hiding
From Presence [Immanuel] à Absconditus
Humans & all nature--groans: Rom 8:22
People & self: body --> dust; -- fight against the curse
Man & woman: conflict/blaming
Rest of the Bible is God’s redemptive work
Curses
Serpent
Eat dust
2 Seeds: Proto-evangelium Gen 3:15
Woman
3:15 enmity to serpent
3:16 relationship to self – pain
Fighting against the curse
3:16 relationship to husband--Desire
What is the “woman’s desire”?
What does Gen 3:16b mean?
Sexual desire?
Desire to be subservient
Gen 4:7 parallel- hermeneutics
Conflict/power struggle in marriage—”desire against your husband” ESV??? Complementarian/egalitarian?
Fight against the curse
Male & Female in Genesis
Woman “help” (ezer) to Adam ...
God is called an “ezer”
Eve named by Adam ... Adam named animals shows he is master
No--shows he recognizes her character
Havah -- mother of all living, the hope
Male and Female in Genesis
Gal 3:28 as model
Eph 5:22 remember Eph 5:21 (context)
Beware power grabbing // victim status
Curse: conflict in marriage—fight against it
Man’s curse
Is work a curse?
Futile work
Man’s struggle with the dust
Why was Cain’s offering rejected
Meat offering versus Cereal offering?
• Shedding of blood = Abel’s
• Cain’s no blood shed
Cain Question: Am I my brother’s keeper?
• Good brother / bad brother phenomena
• Competitive nature -- jealousy
• Sibling rivalry
• Sense of failure -- hatred/anger
Cain’s curse – wanderer, absconditus
Jordan Peterson’s Youtube Video: Tragedy vs. Evil: Cain and Abel
Flood: Son’s of God
Who were the Sons of God? Gen 6
Why did God get so ticked at their marrying the daughters of men, hamas
Sethite view
Kings/nobles view
Angel view
• Job 1:6 // Heb. 13:2
• But Matt 22:30 says angels don’t marry
What does it mean God was sorry?
Gen 6:6: “The LORD was grieved that he had made man on the earth, and his heart was filled with pain.”
Is there grief [tears] in heaven?
Can God be sorry over something he has done?
Can God change his mind?
Noah’s curse on... Gen. 9:25f
What did Ham do or fail to do?
Where did Ham’s descendants settle?
Was this the curse that enslaved Africans?
Who was actually cursed?
Is it right that children suffer for sins of parents? Is that a reality? Apple and tree