Scripture
The Man and Woman Sin
1The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day he asked the woman, “Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”
2“Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,” the woman replied. 3“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”
4“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. 5“God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”
6The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too. 7At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
8When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man[1] and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees. 9Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
11“Who told you that you were naked?” the Lord God asked. “Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?”
12The man replied, “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it.”
13Then the Lord God asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The serpent deceived me,” she replied. “That’s why I ate it.”
14Then the Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this, you are cursed
more than all animals, domestic and wild.
You will crawl on your belly,
groveling in the dust as long as you live.
15And I will cause hostility between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring.
He will strike[2] your head,
and you will strike his heel.”
16Then he said to the woman,
“I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy,
and in pain you will give birth.
And you will desire to control your husband,
but he will rule over you.[3]”
17And to the man he said,
“Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree
whose fruit I commanded you not to eat,
the ground is cursed because of you.
All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.
18It will grow thorns and thistles for you,
though you will eat of its grains.
19By the sweat of your brow
will you have food to eat
until you return to the ground
from which you were made.
For you were made from dust,
and to dust you will return.”
Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment
20Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.[4] 21And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.
22Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings[5] have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 24After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.
Translation notes (5)
- 3:8 Or Adam, and so throughout the chapter.
- 3:15 Or bruise; also in 3:15b.
- 3:16 Or And though you will have desire for your husband, / he will rule over you.
- 3:20 Eve sounds like a Hebrew term that means “to give life.”
- 3:22 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.
Then the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” He replied, “I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.”
One of the funniest things I see toddlers do is pretend to hide in very obvious hiding spots. Sometimes they even just close their eyes and believe that no one can see them because they cannot see anyone. It's comical and so very cute to watch. When my niece or nephew has done this, I always pretend I cannot see them for a few minutes, laughing to myself the whole time. The truth is, we can learn a lot from the way toddlers unsuccessfully hide. We may be better hiders than toddlers, but in reality, we cannot hide from God. Try as we might, He always knows where we are, which is a good thing.
Genesis 3 tells us the first story of mankind wanting to hide. Adam and Eve had brought sin into the world by eating fruit from a tree that God had forbidden them to eat. They knew that they had messed up very badly. They suddenly heard God walking in the Garden of Eden, the place God had given them to live, and they instinctively hid. They hid from God. Suddenly God called out to Adam, saying, "Where are you?" (verse 9). This is almost comical because God knew exactly where both Adam and Eve were. Adam responded to God by saying, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid." They were ashamed and embarrassed to be seen by God because of their sin.
Maybe you have felt that kind of shame before. Can you relate to the feeling of wanting to hide from God? Maybe you have felt like you messed up so badly, and shame took over. But, my friend, there is good news. God comes looking for us even when we feel shame. He is not done with us. In Genesis 3, God made it clear that they would face the consequences of their actions by being banished from the garden and facing the pain they had previously not experienced, but He also offered hope. He made Adam and Eve clothes to wear after being banished from the garden in an incredible act of love, and from the moment they brought sin into the world, He made a plan to rescue mankind by sending Jesus.
Sin and shame make us want to hide, but God sees us anywhere we are. He also offers forgiveness, hope, and freedom if we place our faith in Him. So let's come out of our hiding and run to Jesus, accepting His freedom, hope, and forgiveness instead.
Moving Toward Action
The question we have to answer today is simple: Is there an area of your life where you have been hiding? Have you been trying to keep an area of your life hidden from Him? It's time to come out of hiding. Confess that area of your life that you have kept hidden to God, and ask Him for help living in a way that honors Him. Remember, He already knows, and nothing is hidden from Him. He's ready, willing, and able for you to come to Him.
Going Deeper
Genesis 3:1-24 (NLT)
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