Bible Study: Genesis 3
Written Mar 28th, 2007 by Josh Rives | Email This
Genesis 3 has been preached enough that it would probably be hard for me to say anything that hasn’t already been said over and over. I think the main thing that I think about is what it would be like or what it was like before they ate the fruit. It would seem to be a state that we can never return to, perfection on earth. I mean heaven will probably be close, but it won’t be on earth. Some of the things that make me wonder are:
- Did the serpent have legs before?
- What did they eat before and how did they go about collecting it? Obviously with out much work.
- Did they not sweat before?
Besides that I just have two observations about the trees. First is that apparently even touching the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was enough to be categorized as sin. But what if they were walking, tripped and caught themselves using the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Stupid question, I know, but I bet Uzza who touched the Ark of the Covenant takes this pretty seriously. Second observations is another appearance of the tree of life. Apparently it is likened to drinking the Holy Grail (without the cup passing the seal of course (see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)). Since they probably would have lived forever had they not eaten the first tree, apparently the tree of life could have made them live forever even after sin if they had dashed over there before God kicked them out.
On a serious note, it is amazing how fast sin can take control. Not moments after the first sin ever to occur, they are waist deep in a whole lot more. Makes you realize that sin is the state (or frame of mind) they were now in as much as it is the actions they took.
What I find most interesting here is that God never commanded them to NOT eat from the Tree of Life. Meaning, they were free to at any time. The other interesting thing is how much urgency God seems to place on removing them before they do eat it. I agree with the supposition that eating it would have imbued an eternal life in a sin tainted body.
I think the idea from God was that they were allowed to have eaten from it until they sinned, and that says a lot about what God had originally intended for us as opposed to where we are now. Seems a shame we couldn’t get past chapter 3 before we trashed everything.
And while theorizing on things I have no authority on
I wonder why it was satan didn’t immediately send them to eat from the Tree of Life? Surely that would have *really* messed up God’s plans? Or was he simply too jealous that humans would then have eternal life and he wouldn’t? Or did he simply not think of that? Or was there something else he was trying to do that God messed up for him? Makes one wonder….
God did not forbid Adam and Eve from touching the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Eve added that herself when speaking to the serpent.
I believe that they had probably eaten from the tree of life before the fall since they lived to be very old(930yrs). God was preventing them from continually to eat from it. Could you imagine living forever with sin, sickness and diseases. Sounds like God was being compassionate and forgiving. Always helping His rebellious creation.