IIIa.
Ge 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? {Yea...: Heb. Yea, because, etc.}
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. {pleasant: Heb. a desire}
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. {aprons: or, things to gird about}
(KJV)
As we proceed, keep in mind that Jesus called Satan "the dragon."
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
(KJV)
That is essentially our introduction to understanding the serpent in Eden. He was either listening to Satan or possessed by him. Both are reptilian in nature. Our serpent tempter was especially vulnerable to the enemy. They appeal to that R-complex built in the human brain. The part that wraps us in selfishness. The "see and grab" part of the brain.
One commentary I read said the serpent hypnotized Eve. I believe that pretty much was an attempt to get us "off the hook." I don't see God allowing us that excuse. It was an event that went to both our First Flesh ancestors, to all humanity. I know for certain it doesn't take hypnosis to make me sin. I think hypnosis is sometimes the only thing that might KEEP me from sinning.
That brings up the nature of the Beast. We need to shuffle some of the myths abut Satan out of the way. Then we may be more able to understand the Fall.
1) Milton wrote "Paradise Lost" about the Fall. His main character was Satan painted as a somewhat heroic figure.
SUMMARY
The story opens in hell, where Satan and his followers are recovering from defeat in a war they waged against God. They build a palace, called Pandemonium, where they hold council to determine whether or not to return to battle. Instead they decide to explore a new world prophecied to be created, where a safer course of revenge can be planned. Satan undertakes the mission alone. At the gate of hell, he meets his offspring, Sin and Death, who unbar the gates for him. He journeys across chaos till he sees the new universe floating near the larger globe which is heaven. God sees Satan flying towards this world and foretells the fall of man. His Son, who sits at his right hand, offers to sacrifice himself for man's salvation. Meanwhile, Satan enters the new universe. He flies to the sun, where he tricks an angel, Uriel, into showing him the way to man's home.
Satan gains entrance into the Garden of Eden, where he finds Adam and Eve and becomes jealous of them. He overhears them speak of God's commandment that they should not eat the forbidden fruit. Uriel warns Gabriel and his angels, who are guarding the gate of Paradise, of Satan's presence. Satan is apprehended by them and banished from Eden. God sends Raphael to warn Adam and Eve about Satan. Raphael recounts to them how jealousy against the Son of God led a once favored angel to wage war against God in heaven, and how the Son, Messiah, cast him and his followers into hell. He relates how the world was created so mankind could one day replace the fallen angels in heaven.Satan returns to earth, and enters a serpent. Finding Eve alone he induces her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Adam, resigned to join in her fate, eats also. Their innocence is lost and they become aware of their nakedness. In shame and despair, they become hostile to each other. The Son of God descends to earth to judge the sinners, mercifully delaying their sentence of death. Sin and Death, sensing Satan's success, build a highway to earth, their new home. Upon his return to hell, instead of a celebration of victory, Satan and his crew are turned into serpents as punishment. Adam reconciles with Eve. God sends Michael to expel the pair from Paradise, but first to reveal to Adam future events resulting from his sin. Adam is saddened by these visions, but ultimately revived by revelations of the future coming of the Savior of mankind. In sadness, mitigated with hope, Adam and Eve are sent away from the Garden of Paradise.
Myth: Satan does not rule in Hell. If you read Revelation, something Milton would have been taught was symbolic and would not have studied, you discover Satan is imprisoned in the Lake of Fire and has no rule there. If you read the Bible, you learn he usurped the rule of Earth from Adam and Eve in this moment. He got them to sin and their sin made the world imperfect and Satan could rule imperfection where he had no place in Eden or Paradise. His "revenge" on God was to rule somewhere and the somewhere happened to be Earth,
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. {flesh...: Gr. blood and flesh} {spiritual...: or, wicked spirits} {high: or, heavenly}
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. {having...: or, having overcome all}
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
(KJV)
Milton's notion: "Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." actually should have read: "It's better to rule on Earth than to serve in Heaven."
This was part of Satan's deception of humankind. He has, through the ages, created myths that undermine reality. For instance, Greek mythology says that Zeus, the head of Olympus (their Heaven the home of the gods) and Hades, the head of Hell, were brothers, sharing rule of the worlds in different ways. This thinking later influenced such religious leaders as Joseph Smith who founded the Mormon mythology with the idea Jesus and Satan were brother gods and Satan was actually helping humanity by enlightening them. The dragon is a symbol of power in Chinese mythology. Dragons have become heroic figures in some modern mythologies. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Dragonriders of Pern SF series recently became a movie project. "How to train your Dragon 3" will become a completed cartoon movie in 2018. "Eragon" was a tween book series, the first one made into a movie in 2004. Abut a young boy raising a dragon from an egg.
Satan ran the Earth after this. Think of all the tribalism, One chief, One medicine man. Everyone striving for power, more power, rule over more people, rule over a harem of women, Rule over the biggest army. Control the high ground. Control the sea lanes. Control the airways. Bigger and bigger weapons, from the thrown rock to the launched missile, Gunpowder to the neutron bomb. We can't trust this guy, this country, this leader. All women are Mata Hari. All men are James Bond. Everybody lies. Everybody dies.
All his doing since he was in charge before the Cross and still has power until Christ officially takes office. One He has temporarily left open to let us "recruit" for heaven.
Col 2:10 And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power,
11 in whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.
15 Having stripped rulers and authorities, He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths.
17 For these are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no one defraud you, delighting in humility and worship of the angels, intruding into things which he has not seen, without a cause being vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
(MKJV)
He now has the power.
He took it away from them at the cross.
The New Moon comment is particularly pertinent. Both Judaism and the surrounding mythologies which were based more on moon worship than even sun worship had New Moon ceremonies.. All things actually pointed to Christ as Satan tried to imitate God because he couldn't create anything. God alone had that power and we seem to be following Satan in trying to also become like God and...Oh yeah, that was his temptation.
So, that part out of the way, let's deal with the rest of the temptation.
Jamieson Fausset Brown:
Genesis 3:2. the woman said, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden--In her answer, Eve extolled the large extent of liberty they enjoyed in ranging at will amongst all the trees--one only excepted, with respect to which, she declared there was no doubt, either of the prohibition or the penalty. But there is reason to think that she had already received an injurious impression; for in using the words "lest ye die," instead of "ye shall surely die" [Ge 2:17], she spoke as if the tree had been forbidden because of some poisonous quality of its fruit. The tempter, perceiving this, became bolder in his assertions.
Eve heard the warning from Adam. She had embellished as we all do, adding something to the one Law, a variation in her own mind. Recall the way all the people in the Bible seem to add things or subtract them. Kings would have more than one wife. Prophets would take money for their work. Other kings would let idol worship mix with Temple worship. Farmers wouldn't let their land rest in the seventh year. Spent time in Babylon to learn they had to do it. Were returned and went right back to not doing it. We are a consistent race.
Family Bible Notes:
Genesis 3:4
Ye shall not--die; this is the first lie recorded in the Bible. Satan was its author, and he is justly called the father of lies. Joh 8:44
Satan tries to make men disbelieve God's declarations, in order to lead them to break his commands. Liars resemble Satan, do his work, and will partake of his torment. Re 21:8
Hall's Explication of Hard Texts:
Genesis 3:5
But herein God rather envies your further felicity; for he well knows, on the contrary, that, whensoever ye shall eat of that fruit, the eyes of your understanding, which are now half shut, shall be fully opened, and ye shall be full of divine knowledge, like your Maker: for, as the name of that tree may inform you, whereas now you know by halves only that which is good, then you shall know evil also.
This one strikes me as Hall being insightful. We did know only the good before this act. If the fruit actually could enlighten even as the other tree could extend or offer life, then this was the knowledge that was available from it. Either way, it doomed us.
A lie: you won't die. One based on a slight truth: you won't die right away.
Another half-truth: you will become like God knowing the difference between good and evil. Implying you will get his other power as well. Implying that knowing it was worth it. That God wouldn't hurt them over the event.
John Wesley Notes summing everything up for me (I love it even if I end up editing it. )
V. 6, 7, 8. Here we see what Eve's parley with the tempter ended in: Satan at length gains his point. God tried the obedience of our first parents by forbidding them the tree of knowledge, and Satan doth as it were join issue with God, and in that very thing undertakes to seduce them into a transgression; and here we find how he prevailed, God permitting it for wise and holy ends. (1.) We have here the inducements that moved them to transgress. The woman being deceived, was ring-leader in the transgression, 1Ti 2:14
1. She saw that the tree was-It was said of all the rest of the fruit trees wherewith the garden of Eden was planted, that they were pleasant to the sight, and good for food.
2. She imagined a greater benefit by this tree than by any of the rest, that it was a tree not only not to be dreaded, but to be desired to make one wise, and therein excelling all the rest of the trees. This she saw, that is, she perceived and understood it by what the devil had said to her.
She gave also to her husband with her-'Tis likely he was not with her when she was tempted; surely if he had, he would have interposed to prevent the sin; but he came to her when she had eaten, and was prevailed with by her to eat likewise. She gave it to him; persuading him with the same arguments that the serpent had used with her; adding this to the rest, that she herself had eaten of it, and found it so far from being deadly that it was extremely pleasant and grateful.
And he did eat-This implied the unbelief of God's word, and confidence in the devil's; discontent with his present state, and an ambition of the honour which comes not from God. He would be both his own carver, and his own master, would have what he pleased, and do what he pleased; his sin was in one word disobedience, Ro 5:19, disobedience to a plain, easy and express command, which he knew to be a command of trial. He sins against light and love, the clearest light and the dearest love that ever sinner sinned against.
But the greatest aggravation of his sin was, that he involved all his posterity in sin and ruin by it. He could not but know that he stood as a public person, and that his disobedience would be fatal to all his seed; and if so, it was certainly both the greatest treachery and the greatest cruelty that ever was. Shame and fear seized the criminals, these came into the world along with sin, and still attend it.
The Eyes of them both were opened-The eyes of their consciences; their hearts smote them for what they had done Now, when it was too late, they saw the happiness they were fallen from, and the misery they were fallen into. They saw God provoked, his favour forfeited, his image lost; they felt a disorder in their own spirits, which they had never before been conscious of; they saw a law in their members warring against the law of their minds, and captivating them both to sin and wrath; they saw that they were naked, that is, that they were stripped, deprived of all the honours and joys of their paradise state, and exposed to all the miseries that might justly be expected from an angry God; laid open to the contempt and reproach of heaven and earth, and their own consciences. And they sewed or platted fig leaves together, and, to cover, at least, part of their shame one from another, made themselves aprons.
See here what is commonly the folly of those that have sinned: they are more solicitous to save their credit before men, than to obtain their pardon from God.
Actually what we see here is the face of religion. We create our own rules. First so we can sin and then, after the guilt of sin, we create our own rules for our salvation. We sew fig leaves to cover our sin because we know we have sinned. The fig leaves can be communism, Nazism, capitalism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, Islam, Mormonism Catholicism, Baptist, Charismatic...Hey, wait a minute, did I step on a few toes? The center is Christ, not Buddha or Mohammed, not the State, not the Buck, not the business, oil, the car, the TV, the video game, the show, The Republican party, the Democratic party, Libertarian doctrine, women's rights, gay rights, black power, white power, Chinese power, war, peace, Justice, Superman, Thor, golf, football, baseball ,basketball, soccer (Football), any players, NASCAR racers. All fig leaves, worn to hide the fear of God, to hide from God. Sometimes to hide from ourselves and the fact we still fear God. Sometimes the fig leaves are our way of being our own God. Our religion that lets us think we are saved and others are less than us. We still want to worship something so long as we don't have to admit our sin or admit only Christ and His sacrifice can deliver us as Paul says above, or that He is still God despite our sin,
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day-Tis supposed he came in a human shape; in no other similitude than that wherein they had seen him when he put them into paradise; for he came to convince and humble them, not to amaze and terrify them. He came not immediately from heaven in their view as afterwards on mount Sinai, but he came in the garden, as one that was still willing to be familiar with them. He came walking, not riding upon the wings of the wind, but walking deliberately, as one slow to anger. He came in the cool of the day, not in the night, when all fears are doubly fearful; nor did he come suddenly upon them, but they heard his voice at some distance, giving them notice of his coming; and probably it was a still small voice, like that in which he came to inquire after Elijah. And they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God-A sad change! Before they had sinned, if they heard the voice of the Lord God coming towards them, they would have run to meet him, but now God was become a terror to them, and then no marvel they were become a terror to themselves.
Which ushers in our next blog on the curse.
Ge 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? {Yea...: Heb. Yea, because, etc.}
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. {pleasant: Heb. a desire}
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. {aprons: or, things to gird about}
(KJV)
As we proceed, keep in mind that Jesus called Satan "the dragon."
Revelation 12:7 And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels,
8 And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven.
9 And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.
(KJV)
That is essentially our introduction to understanding the serpent in Eden. He was either listening to Satan or possessed by him. Both are reptilian in nature. Our serpent tempter was especially vulnerable to the enemy. They appeal to that R-complex built in the human brain. The part that wraps us in selfishness. The "see and grab" part of the brain.
One commentary I read said the serpent hypnotized Eve. I believe that pretty much was an attempt to get us "off the hook." I don't see God allowing us that excuse. It was an event that went to both our First Flesh ancestors, to all humanity. I know for certain it doesn't take hypnosis to make me sin. I think hypnosis is sometimes the only thing that might KEEP me from sinning.
That brings up the nature of the Beast. We need to shuffle some of the myths abut Satan out of the way. Then we may be more able to understand the Fall.
1) Milton wrote "Paradise Lost" about the Fall. His main character was Satan painted as a somewhat heroic figure.
Satan gains entrance into the Garden of Eden, where he finds Adam and Eve and becomes jealous of them. He overhears them speak of God's commandment that they should not eat the forbidden fruit. Uriel warns Gabriel and his angels, who are guarding the gate of Paradise, of Satan's presence. Satan is apprehended by them and banished from Eden. God sends Raphael to warn Adam and Eve about Satan. Raphael recounts to them how jealousy against the Son of God led a once favored angel to wage war against God in heaven, and how the Son, Messiah, cast him and his followers into hell. He relates how the world was created so mankind could one day replace the fallen angels in heaven.Satan returns to earth, and enters a serpent. Finding Eve alone he induces her to eat the fruit of the forbidden tree. Adam, resigned to join in her fate, eats also. Their innocence is lost and they become aware of their nakedness. In shame and despair, they become hostile to each other. The Son of God descends to earth to judge the sinners, mercifully delaying their sentence of death. Sin and Death, sensing Satan's success, build a highway to earth, their new home. Upon his return to hell, instead of a celebration of victory, Satan and his crew are turned into serpents as punishment. Adam reconciles with Eve. God sends Michael to expel the pair from Paradise, but first to reveal to Adam future events resulting from his sin. Adam is saddened by these visions, but ultimately revived by revelations of the future coming of the Savior of mankind. In sadness, mitigated with hope, Adam and Eve are sent away from the Garden of Paradise.
Myth: Satan does not rule in Hell. If you read Revelation, something Milton would have been taught was symbolic and would not have studied, you discover Satan is imprisoned in the Lake of Fire and has no rule there. If you read the Bible, you learn he usurped the rule of Earth from Adam and Eve in this moment. He got them to sin and their sin made the world imperfect and Satan could rule imperfection where he had no place in Eden or Paradise. His "revenge" on God was to rule somewhere and the somewhere happened to be Earth,
Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. {flesh...: Gr. blood and flesh} {spiritual...: or, wicked spirits} {high: or, heavenly}
13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. {having...: or, having overcome all}
14 Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
15 And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;
16 Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
17 And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
19 And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,
(KJV)
Milton's notion: "Better to rule in Hell than to serve in Heaven." actually should have read: "It's better to rule on Earth than to serve in Heaven."
This was part of Satan's deception of humankind. He has, through the ages, created myths that undermine reality. For instance, Greek mythology says that Zeus, the head of Olympus (their Heaven the home of the gods) and Hades, the head of Hell, were brothers, sharing rule of the worlds in different ways. This thinking later influenced such religious leaders as Joseph Smith who founded the Mormon mythology with the idea Jesus and Satan were brother gods and Satan was actually helping humanity by enlightening them. The dragon is a symbol of power in Chinese mythology. Dragons have become heroic figures in some modern mythologies. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Dragonriders of Pern SF series recently became a movie project. "How to train your Dragon 3" will become a completed cartoon movie in 2018. "Eragon" was a tween book series, the first one made into a movie in 2004. Abut a young boy raising a dragon from an egg.
Satan ran the Earth after this. Think of all the tribalism, One chief, One medicine man. Everyone striving for power, more power, rule over more people, rule over a harem of women, Rule over the biggest army. Control the high ground. Control the sea lanes. Control the airways. Bigger and bigger weapons, from the thrown rock to the launched missile, Gunpowder to the neutron bomb. We can't trust this guy, this country, this leader. All women are Mata Hari. All men are James Bond. Everybody lies. Everybody dies.
All his doing since he was in charge before the Cross and still has power until Christ officially takes office. One He has temporarily left open to let us "recruit" for heaven.
Col 2:10 And you are complete in Him, who is the Head of all principality and power,
11 in whom also you are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ,
12 buried with Him in baptism, in whom also you were raised through the faith of the working of God, raising Him from the dead.
13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,
14 blotting out the handwriting of ordinances that was against us, which was contrary to us, and has taken it out of the way, nailing it to the cross.
15 Having stripped rulers and authorities, He made a show of them publicly, triumphing over them in it.
16 Therefore let no one judge you in food or in drink, or in respect of a holy day, or of the new moon, or of the sabbaths.
17 For these are a shadow of things to come, but the body is of Christ.
18 Let no one defraud you, delighting in humility and worship of the angels, intruding into things which he has not seen, without a cause being vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,
(MKJV)
He now has the power.
He took it away from them at the cross.
The New Moon comment is particularly pertinent. Both Judaism and the surrounding mythologies which were based more on moon worship than even sun worship had New Moon ceremonies.. All things actually pointed to Christ as Satan tried to imitate God because he couldn't create anything. God alone had that power and we seem to be following Satan in trying to also become like God and...Oh yeah, that was his temptation.
So, that part out of the way, let's deal with the rest of the temptation.
Jamieson Fausset Brown:
Genesis 3:2. the woman said, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden--In her answer, Eve extolled the large extent of liberty they enjoyed in ranging at will amongst all the trees--one only excepted, with respect to which, she declared there was no doubt, either of the prohibition or the penalty. But there is reason to think that she had already received an injurious impression; for in using the words "lest ye die," instead of "ye shall surely die" [Ge 2:17], she spoke as if the tree had been forbidden because of some poisonous quality of its fruit. The tempter, perceiving this, became bolder in his assertions.
Eve heard the warning from Adam. She had embellished as we all do, adding something to the one Law, a variation in her own mind. Recall the way all the people in the Bible seem to add things or subtract them. Kings would have more than one wife. Prophets would take money for their work. Other kings would let idol worship mix with Temple worship. Farmers wouldn't let their land rest in the seventh year. Spent time in Babylon to learn they had to do it. Were returned and went right back to not doing it. We are a consistent race.
Family Bible Notes:
Genesis 3:4
Ye shall not--die; this is the first lie recorded in the Bible. Satan was its author, and he is justly called the father of lies. Joh 8:44
Satan tries to make men disbelieve God's declarations, in order to lead them to break his commands. Liars resemble Satan, do his work, and will partake of his torment. Re 21:8
Hall's Explication of Hard Texts:
Genesis 3:5
But herein God rather envies your further felicity; for he well knows, on the contrary, that, whensoever ye shall eat of that fruit, the eyes of your understanding, which are now half shut, shall be fully opened, and ye shall be full of divine knowledge, like your Maker: for, as the name of that tree may inform you, whereas now you know by halves only that which is good, then you shall know evil also.
This one strikes me as Hall being insightful. We did know only the good before this act. If the fruit actually could enlighten even as the other tree could extend or offer life, then this was the knowledge that was available from it. Either way, it doomed us.
A lie: you won't die. One based on a slight truth: you won't die right away.
Another half-truth: you will become like God knowing the difference between good and evil. Implying you will get his other power as well. Implying that knowing it was worth it. That God wouldn't hurt them over the event.
John Wesley Notes summing everything up for me (I love it even if I end up editing it. )
V. 6, 7, 8. Here we see what Eve's parley with the tempter ended in: Satan at length gains his point. God tried the obedience of our first parents by forbidding them the tree of knowledge, and Satan doth as it were join issue with God, and in that very thing undertakes to seduce them into a transgression; and here we find how he prevailed, God permitting it for wise and holy ends. (1.) We have here the inducements that moved them to transgress. The woman being deceived, was ring-leader in the transgression, 1Ti 2:14
1. She saw that the tree was-It was said of all the rest of the fruit trees wherewith the garden of Eden was planted, that they were pleasant to the sight, and good for food.
2. She imagined a greater benefit by this tree than by any of the rest, that it was a tree not only not to be dreaded, but to be desired to make one wise, and therein excelling all the rest of the trees. This she saw, that is, she perceived and understood it by what the devil had said to her.
She gave also to her husband with her-'Tis likely he was not with her when she was tempted; surely if he had, he would have interposed to prevent the sin; but he came to her when she had eaten, and was prevailed with by her to eat likewise. She gave it to him; persuading him with the same arguments that the serpent had used with her; adding this to the rest, that she herself had eaten of it, and found it so far from being deadly that it was extremely pleasant and grateful.
And he did eat-This implied the unbelief of God's word, and confidence in the devil's; discontent with his present state, and an ambition of the honour which comes not from God. He would be both his own carver, and his own master, would have what he pleased, and do what he pleased; his sin was in one word disobedience, Ro 5:19, disobedience to a plain, easy and express command, which he knew to be a command of trial. He sins against light and love, the clearest light and the dearest love that ever sinner sinned against.
But the greatest aggravation of his sin was, that he involved all his posterity in sin and ruin by it. He could not but know that he stood as a public person, and that his disobedience would be fatal to all his seed; and if so, it was certainly both the greatest treachery and the greatest cruelty that ever was. Shame and fear seized the criminals, these came into the world along with sin, and still attend it.
The Eyes of them both were opened-The eyes of their consciences; their hearts smote them for what they had done Now, when it was too late, they saw the happiness they were fallen from, and the misery they were fallen into. They saw God provoked, his favour forfeited, his image lost; they felt a disorder in their own spirits, which they had never before been conscious of; they saw a law in their members warring against the law of their minds, and captivating them both to sin and wrath; they saw that they were naked, that is, that they were stripped, deprived of all the honours and joys of their paradise state, and exposed to all the miseries that might justly be expected from an angry God; laid open to the contempt and reproach of heaven and earth, and their own consciences. And they sewed or platted fig leaves together, and, to cover, at least, part of their shame one from another, made themselves aprons.
See here what is commonly the folly of those that have sinned: they are more solicitous to save their credit before men, than to obtain their pardon from God.
Actually what we see here is the face of religion. We create our own rules. First so we can sin and then, after the guilt of sin, we create our own rules for our salvation. We sew fig leaves to cover our sin because we know we have sinned. The fig leaves can be communism, Nazism, capitalism, Buddhism, Taoism, Zen, Islam, Mormonism Catholicism, Baptist, Charismatic...Hey, wait a minute, did I step on a few toes? The center is Christ, not Buddha or Mohammed, not the State, not the Buck, not the business, oil, the car, the TV, the video game, the show, The Republican party, the Democratic party, Libertarian doctrine, women's rights, gay rights, black power, white power, Chinese power, war, peace, Justice, Superman, Thor, golf, football, baseball ,basketball, soccer (Football), any players, NASCAR racers. All fig leaves, worn to hide the fear of God, to hide from God. Sometimes to hide from ourselves and the fact we still fear God. Sometimes the fig leaves are our way of being our own God. Our religion that lets us think we are saved and others are less than us. We still want to worship something so long as we don't have to admit our sin or admit only Christ and His sacrifice can deliver us as Paul says above, or that He is still God despite our sin,
And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day-Tis supposed he came in a human shape; in no other similitude than that wherein they had seen him when he put them into paradise; for he came to convince and humble them, not to amaze and terrify them. He came not immediately from heaven in their view as afterwards on mount Sinai, but he came in the garden, as one that was still willing to be familiar with them. He came walking, not riding upon the wings of the wind, but walking deliberately, as one slow to anger. He came in the cool of the day, not in the night, when all fears are doubly fearful; nor did he come suddenly upon them, but they heard his voice at some distance, giving them notice of his coming; and probably it was a still small voice, like that in which he came to inquire after Elijah. And they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God-A sad change! Before they had sinned, if they heard the voice of the Lord God coming towards them, they would have run to meet him, but now God was become a terror to them, and then no marvel they were become a terror to themselves.
Which ushers in our next blog on the curse.
Communal Violence Against Christian Minorities
1. At several villages in Bastar district – including Karmari, Bade Thegli, Sirisguda and Belar – resolutions adopted under Section 129 (g) of Chhattisgarh Gram Panchayat Act have been wrongly invoked in violation of the spirit of the law to restrict non-Hindus from residing or building places of worship, even though the High Court has quashed such gram sabha resolutions in Karmari and Sirisguda.
2. In Bhadhisgaon (Tokapal Panchayat) in Bastar district, Pastor Pilaram Kawde was given a written notice by the Gram Panchayat denying permission to him to construct a place of worship on his own land. The written notice cited Sections 55 (1) and (2) Chhattisgarh Gram Panchayat Act 1993 and said that Pastor Pileman cannot construct a place of worship because “People of big-big castes and religions live in this village, and every Dussehra even the Roopshila Devi Ma joins the celebrations.”
3. Christians are being prevented from using burial grounds in several villages. In Bhadisgaon, an elderly Christian lady Saradi Bai died on 25.5.2016, but Hindu villagers provoked by the Bajrang Dal stopped Christians from burying her. Eventually, after negotiations conducted by the police, she was buried in a casket but without the cross – but the Hindu villagers warned that no future Christian burial would be allowed. Accordingly, the 200 Christians of the village gave applications to the SDM, Tehsildar, police and Sarpanch asking that burial grounds be allotted separately for Christians, since they were being prevented from using the common burial grounds.
4. Saradi Bai’s husband Sukhdev Netam passed away on 6.6.2016, and Hindu villagers prevented Christians from carrying out his last rites and burying him, threatening to kill them if they tried to bury him. Eventually after police arrived, he was buried but again, the villagers and Sarpanch warned that in future, they will call Bajrang Dal if there is any attempt by Christians in the village to use the burial grounds.
5. At Ara village, Bario Chowki, Jeypore thana, District Ambikapur, on last Sunday, 5 June 2016, a Bajrang Dal mob of 25 people led by Chhotu Jaiswal, Sonu Gupta, Bipin Gupta, Chhotu Gupta and others attacked the church during Sunday prayers; vandalized the church; and beat up the pastor, his wife and three others. They made a video of the thrashing and made it ‘viral’ – we have a copy of this video. They dragged off the Pastor, his wife and three others to the Bario Chowki where they were kept till night. No FIR was registered against the assailtants – instead a case under Section 295 A has been registered against the Pastor who is yet to get bail.
6. In village Sirisguda, rations were denied to Christian believers, and Food Department authorities were beaten up along with Christians; the ambulance was not allowed to enter the village; injured Christians were not allowed to get proper treatment in the district hospital. After great efforts a case was registered but the statements of the injured are yet to be taken in Court. VHP, Bajrang Dal people prevent Christians from filling water in the village. At a meeting called by the DM, the VHP and Bajrang Dal said that Christians must do ghar wapsi, or else we will evict them from the village invoking Section 129 (g) of the Panchayat Act.
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