Sin Entered the World ⁽²⁾

2 March 2014 AM – Genesis 3:14-24 – Rom 14 – Scott Childs

Introduction: Sin is like dropping a raw egg on a hard floor – the consequences are certain and irreparable. Sin also brings God’s punishment.

Transition: This morning we will continue where we left off last week by looking at the last two of the five events that explain how sin entered into the world.

I. The Temptation (1-5)

II. The Fall (6)

III. The Result (7-13)

IV. The Punishment (14-19)

A. Satan’s punishment

1. God did not ask Satan any questions, because there was nothing to teach him (14). ^Guzik

2. God cursed the serpent, through which Satan tempted the woman, and made it crawl on its belly and eat dust.

a) Some people believe that the serpent had legs before this curse. God, being the Creator could have removed the legs if this was the case.

b) Henry Morris suggests that the serpent was cursed above all creatures, “as a perpetual reminder to man of the instrument of his fall and of the final destruction of Satan himself. Whatever may have been its beauty and posture before, it would henceforth glide on its belly and be an object of dread and loathing by all.” ^{The Genesis Record, p.118}

c) Now, serpent’s lick the dust with their food. Micah 7:17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, …”

3. I believe that verse 15 is addressed to Satan not to the snake he indwelt. He is the enemy of the woman and her seed. Her seed most likely refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The serpent (Satan) will bruise her Seed’s heel, but her Seed will bruise or crush the serpent’s head.

Charles Spurgeon said, “our Lord Jesus Christ has had his heel bruised, and he suffered in that bruising of his heel; but he has broken the head of the dragon, he has crushed the power of evil, he has put his potent foot upon the old serpent’s head.”

4. Even at the very start of man’s existence in a sin-cursed world, God announced His ultimate victory.

B. Woman’s punishment

God pronounced two punishments on the woman

1. Sorrow during child-bearing would greatly increase. “While salvation would come through the birth of a child, it would not be a painless process.” ^{Bob Deffinbaugh}

a) The word “sorrow” means toil, labour, or pain.

b) Most Bible teachers believe that the phrase “thy sorrow and thy conception” go together to describe pain in bearing children. God said that this pain would greatly multiply. Had Eve not sinned, childbearing would have had very little pain.

2. Her desire shall be to her husband and he will rule over her. Numerous interpretations have been suggested for this statement.

a) One view is that God placed within women a desire to follow to a husband’s leadership. Because Eve was deceived by Satan and led her husband into sin, she would now have an instinctive desire to follow her husband. In addition, God said her husband would rule over her. She must now subject to the authority of her husband and follow his leadership.

b) Another view is that the woman now has a desire to rule her husband, but God gave the husband the rule over her. It is true that many women do resist submission to their husbands, and it fits the parallel found in God’s words to Cain.

Genesis 4:7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

c) The third view suggests that because of pain in bearing children, the woman may try to avoid conception. To prevent this, God gave her a desire for intimacy with her husband and God also gave her husband an over ruling desire for intimacy.

d) No matter which of these views is correct, we know that “her desire”, was part of her punishment.

e) This does not in any way imply that women are inferior to men. God has simply placed men in charge of the home and accountable to God. He is not to be a dictator in the marriage, but to lovingly lead and sacrificially seek his wife’s best.

Ephesians 5:25 Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;

f) Those who rebel against God’s instruction are doing exactly what Satan desires.

C. Man’s punishment

Bob Deffinbaugh reminds us that, Just as Eve’s punishment related to the center of her life, so is the case with Adam. He had been placed in the garden, now he will have to earn a living from the ground “by the sweat of his brow” (verses 17-19).

1. God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin.

a) The ground would now produce thorns and thistles (18). This is the origin of all the troublesome weeds, diseases, and pests that make producing food difficult for gardeners and farmers.

b) He would eat of the herb of the field rather than of the abundance of Eden.

2. God added sorrow to horticulture.

a) The woman’s sorrow (pain, labour) would be in childbearing.

b) Man’s sorrow (pain, labour) would be in raising food for his family. This would be a painful, tiring, sweaty task until he would eventually die and return to the dust.

V. The Changes (20-24)

Each of the changes reveal God’s forgiveness and grace.

A. Adam gave his wife the name “Eve” (20)

1. “Eve” expresses faith in God’s promise that the seed of the woman would give life, Ge 3:15.

2. Bob Deffinbaugh states, “He accepted his guilt and punishment, but focused upon the promise of God that through the offspring of woman the Savior would come. Eve’s salvation (and ours as well!) would come through her submission to her husband and through the bearing of children.”

B. God clothed Adam and Eve (21)

1. God graciously provided clothing to cover their nakedness, shame, and loss of perfection.

2. The shedding of blood to provide their clothing may be a type of the shedding of Christ’s blood for our redemption.

3. It also pictures the clothing of righteousness that Christ gives to all who are restored to spiritual perfection by faith in Him.

Revelation 19:8 And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints.

C. God expelled them from the garden (22-24)

1. To keep man from being sealed eternally in sin –lest man become immortal in his sinful state – God forced Adam and Eve to leave the garden.

2. God also placed Cherubims and a faming sword to guard the tree of life. This literal tree of life is not mentioned again until the book of Revelation when believers will partake of it in eternity with God.

Conclusion: Because God is holy, He must punish sin. That was true in the garden of Eden. It is still true today. If we do not obey God we will suffer the consequences. We have all sinned, yet Christ, born of the seed of the woman, died and rose again to pay for our sin. If you will place your faith in Him, you can escape the punishment of sin.

The blood of Christ also cleanses Christians who sin. John wrote, … the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. 1 John 1:7 If you will confess your sins, He will forgive and cleanse.

Song: Burdens Are Lifted – 218

Sermons

Sin Entered the World (2) – Genesis 3:14-24

IV. The Punishment (14-19)

A. Satan’s punishment

1. God did not ask Satan any questions, because there was nothing to teach him (14). ^Guzik

2. God cursed the serpent, through which Satan tempted the woman, and made it crawl on its belly and eat dust.

a) Some people believe that the serpent had legs before this curse. God, being the Creator could have removed the legs if this was the case.

c) Now, serpent’s lick the dust with their food. Micah 7:17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, …”

3. I believe that verse 15 is addressed to Satan not to the snake he indwelt. He is the enemy of the woman and her seed. Her seed most likely refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The serpent (Satan) will bruise her Seed’s heel, but her Seed will bruise or crush the serpent’s head.

4. Even at the very start of man’s existence in a sin-cursed world, God announced His ultimate victory.

B. Woman’s punishment

1. Sorrow during child-bearing would greatly increase. “While salvation would come through the birth of a child, it would not be a painless process.” ^{Bob Deffinbaugh}

a) The word “sorrow” means toil, labour, or pain.

b) Most Bible teachers believe that the phrase “thy sorrow and thy conception” go together to describe pain in bearing children. God said that this pain would greatly multiply. Had Eve not sinned, childbearing would have had very little pain.

2. Her desire shall be to her husband and he will rule over her. Numerous interpretations have been suggested for this statement.

b) Another view is that the woman now has a desire to rule her husband, but God gave the husband the rule over her. It is true that many women do resist submission to their husbands, and it fits the parallel found in God’s words to Cain.

c) The third view suggests that because of pain in bearing children, the woman may try to avoid conception. To prevent this, God gave her a desire for intimacy with her husband and God also gave her husband an over ruling desire for intimacy.

d) No matter which of these views is correct, we know that “her desire”, was part of her punishment.

e) This does not in any way imply that women are inferior to men. God has simply placed men in charge of the home and accountable to God. He is not to be a dictator in the marriage, but to lovingly lead and sacrificially seek his wife’s best.

f) Those who rebel against God’s instruction are doing exactly what Satan desires.

C. Man’s punishment

1. God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin.

a) The ground would now produce thorns and thistles (18). This is the origin of all the troublesome weeds, diseases, and pests that make producing food difficult for gardeners and farmers.

b) He would eat of the herb of the field rather than of the abundance of Eden.

2. God added sorrow to horticulture.

a) The woman’s sorrow (pain, labour) would be in childbearing.

b) Man’s sorrow (pain, labour) would be in raising food for his family. This would be a painful, tiring, sweaty task until he would eventually die and return to the dust.

V. The Changes (20-24)

A. Adam gave his wife the name “Eve” (20)

1. “Eve” expresses faith in God’s promise that the seed of the woman would give life, Ge 3:15.

2. Bob Deffinbaugh states, “He accepted his guilt and punishment, but focused upon the promise of God that through the offspring of woman the Savior would come. Eve’s salvation (and ours as well!) would come through her submission to her husband and through the bearing of children.”

B. God clothed Adam and Eve (21)

1. God graciously provided clothing to cover their nakedness, shame, and loss of perfection.

2. The shedding of blood to provide their clothing may be a type of the shedding of Christ’s blood for our redemption.

3. It also pictures the clothing of righteousness that Christ gives to all who are restored to spiritual perfection by faith in Him.

C. God expelled them from the garden (22-24)

1. To keep man from being sealed eternally in sin –lest man become immortal in his sinful state – God forced Adam and Eve to leave the garden.

2. God also placed Cherubims and a faming sword to guard the tree of life. This literal tree of life is not mentioned again until the book of Revelation when believers will partake of it in eternity with God.

IV. The Punishment (14-19)

A. Satan’s punishment

1. God did not ask Satan any questions, because there was nothing to teach him (14). Guzik

2. God cursed the serpent, through which Satan tempted the woman, and made it crawl on its belly and eat dust.

a) Some people believe that the serpent had legs before this curse. God, being the Creator could have removed the legs if this was the case.

c) Now, serpent’s lick the dust with their food. Micah 7:17 They shall lick the dust like a serpent, …”

3. I believe that verse 15 is addressed to Satan not to the snake he indwelt. He is the enemy of the woman and her seed. Her seed most likely refers to the Messiah, Jesus Christ. The serpent (Satan) will bruise her Seed’s heel, but her Seed will bruise or crush the serpent’s head.

4. Even at the very start of man’s existence in a sin-cursed world, God announced His ultimate victory.

B. Woman’s punishment

1. Sorrow during child-bearing would greatly increase. “While salvation would come through the birth of a child, it would not be a painless process.” Bob Deffinbaugh

a) The word “sorrow” means toil, labour, or pain.

b) Most Bible teachers believe that the phrase “thy sorrow and thy conception” go together to describe pain in bearing children. God said that this pain would greatly multiply. Had Eve not sinned, childbearing would have had very little pain.

2. Her desire shall be to her husband and he will rule over her. Numerous interpretations have been suggested for this statement.

b) Another view is that the woman now has a desire to rule her husband, but God gave the husband the rule over her. It is true that many women do resist submission to their husbands, and it fits the parallel found in God’s words to Cain.

c) The third view suggests that because of pain in bearing children, the woman may try to avoid conception. To prevent this, God gave her a desire for intimacy with her husband and God also gave her husband an over ruling desire for intimacy.

d) No matter which of these views is correct, we know that “her desire”, was part of her punishment.

e) This does not in any way imply that women are inferior to men. God has simply placed men in charge of the home and accountable to God. He is not to be a dictator in the marriage, but to lovingly lead and sacrificially seek his wife’s best.

f) Those who rebel against God’s instruction are doing exactly what Satan desires.

C. Man’s punishment

1. God cursed the ground because of Adam’s sin.

a) The ground would now produce thorns and thistles (18). This is the origin of all the troublesome weeds, diseases, and pests that make producing food difficult for gardeners and farmers.

b) He would eat of the herb of the field rather than of the abundance of Eden.

2. God added sorrow to horticulture.

a) The woman’s sorrow (pain, labour) would be in childbearing.

b) Man’s sorrow (pain, labour) would be in raising food for his family. This would be a painful, tiring, sweaty task until he would eventually die and return to the dust.

V. The Changes (20-24)

A. Adam gave his wife the name “Eve” (20)

1. “Eve” expresses faith in God’s promise that the seed of the woman would give life, Ge 3:15.

2. Bob Deffinbaugh states, “He accepted his guilt and punishment, but focused upon the promise of God that through the offspring of woman the Savior would come. Eve’s salvation (and ours as well!) would come through her submission to her husband and through the bearing of children.”

B. God clothed Adam and Eve (21)

1. God graciously provided clothing to cover their nakedness, shame, and loss of perfection.

2. The shedding of blood to provide their clothing may be a type of the shedding of Christ’s blood for our redemption.

3. It also pictures the clothing of righteousness that Christ gives to all who are restored to spiritual perfection by faith in Him.

C. God expelled them from the garden (22-24)

1. To keep man from being sealed eternally in sin –lest man become immortal in his sinful state – God forced Adam and Eve to leave the garden.

2. God also placed Cherubims and a faming sword to guard the tree of life. This literal tree of life is not mentioned again until the book of Revelation when believers will partake of it in eternity with God.

1. God did not ask Satan any questions, because there was nothing to teach him (14). ^Guzik

1. Sorrow during child-bearing would greatly increase. “While salvation would come through the birth of a child, it would not be a painless process.” ^{Bob Deffinbaugh}