Chapter 3 - Mankind's Fall into Sin, and the Curse
The "Serpent" is introduced as the most cautious of all wild beasts.
The Serpent spoke to Eve asking if God really said not to eat of every tree if the garden. Eve responded that God had given all the trees of the Garden as food, except one in the middle of the Garden. That tree, Eve said they were not to eat its fruit or even touch the tree on penalty of death.
The Serpent uttered the first lie and told Eve she would NOT die, but she would instead become like God, knowing good and bad.
Eve then began seeing the tree as something desirable, she took the fruit and ate it. Later she gave some of the fruit to her husband, Adam and he ate of it. At that time both Adam's and Eve's eyes were opened and they perceived they were naked and made coverings for themselves from fig leaves.
Adam & Eve heard the voice of Jehovah in the Garden and hid themselves. Adam finally answered Jehovah's calling saying they had hid because they were naked and afraid. Jehovah asked them how they knew they were naked and followed asking if they had eaten of the fruit of the forbidden tree.
Adam answered he had eaten the fruit blaming Eve, the woman God gave him, for giving it to him. When questioned, Eve blamed the Serpent who had deceived her.
The curses:
Jehovah curses the Serpent and gives the first prophesy saying He (Jehovah) will put enmity between the Serpent and the woman and their seeds. He (the woman's seed) will bruise you (the Serpent) in the head and you (the Serpent) will bruise him (the woman's seed) in the heal.
Jehovah tells the woman her birth pains will be greatly increased, she will crave her husband and he will dominate her.
Jehovah tells Adam that the Ground is now cursed on his account. He states that Adam will now die, "for dust you are, and to dust you will return."
Life after the Fall:
Adam names the woman Eve, because she bcomes the mother to all mankind. Jehovah provides animal skins for Adam and Eve to wear.
Jehovah then notes that Man has become like the the gods, knowing good and evil, and moves to block Mankind's access to the Tree of Life. He drives Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and places a whirling sword to guard the entry to Eden.
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2 comments:
Notice how the devil approached Eve and the crafty way he used language to introduce doubt:
"Did God really say you must not eat from EVERY tree..."
Notice the indirect approach and the false assertion. By challenging Eve in this way, he focuses her thinking on the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil without ever mentioning it.
Many probably wonder why Eve engaged in a conversation with a talking animal. Perhaps man and animals could communicate before the Fall. There are certainly myths and stories that support such speculation.
It is also probable that not all the conversation is recorded here. Eve may have asked the serpent how it was he was speaking like a human. To this I can envision the devil answering in the guise of the Serpent, "Because I ate the Fruit, and now I am sentient like a Human and I can also communicate like a Human."
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