Today’s passage: Genesis 3:14-24
Helpful thoughts:
- Now that sin had entered the world, everything had changed.
- The Serpent
- Whatever the serpent had been before the fall, it was now always going to be brought low, crawling around and stuck in the dust of the earth.
- The Woman
- Bearing children became burdensome.
- This is true physically. But it also has to be true in other ways. Before the fall, in a world without sin, being a mother would only be something to rejoice in. Now it is often seen as a burden.
- Being a “helper fit for him” became a burden
- The relationship between a husband and wife became a challenge.
- Our understanding and desire for leadership, submission, love, care and respect was all obstructed and tainted.
- Bearing children became burdensome.
- The Man
- Work became difficult and burdensome.
- Man (All mankind) will return to the dust (We will physically die).
Questions to consider:
- What was the final promise to the serpent? Who is the seed of the woman who crushed the head of the serpent? (1 John 3:8) How did Jesus defeat Satan?
- Because of Adam’s and Eve’s sin, they needed covering. How did God initially provide a covering (Verse 21)? What could the death of an innocent (The shedding of its blood) to provide a covering picture? How could this have been a precursor to the OT sacrifices and eventually the once-and-for-all sacrifice of Jesus Christ?
- In what way was the banishment of Adam and Eve a work of God’s mercy? What would have been true if Adam and Eve never died? What is far better for us than to continue to live forever in this world as we are now (Philippians 1:21-23)?