Genesis 3:6 “She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.”
Observation: Genesis 3 is the awful story of man’s fall…a tale of blame, of unresisted yielding to rebellion, and of subsequent shame and punishment. The chapter begins with an abrupt transition from what had come before: God had just pointed man toward intimacy with Himself by making woman when the scene suddenly shifts to reveal a dark underside: “…the serpent was…crafty…” (V 3:1)
Application: Here is revealed the struggle that began even before the earth was created. In one corner are Satan and his demons who had been thrown out of heaven, apparently still existing as God exists, outside time and place. But when earth was created, they were cast down to it. (Isa. 14:12) In the other corner is man, whom God declared to be blessed in the heavenly realms “before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight.” (Eph 1:3-4)
Is it possible that God’s purpose in creating earth was as a battleground, a place where the evil manifest before creation would contend with the pure goodness of God’s heart as expressed within weak ones made in His image?
What I see clearly today is that by being birthed into a time and place governed by Satan, I never stood a chance on my own. I have always thought of Eve as the conduit for Adam’s sin; after all, she’s the one who gave the fruit to her husband. Adam himself inartfully blamed her (Gen. 3:12), which creates the distinct impression of victimhood. But the brief phrase, “who was with her” in today’s verse is fraught with import. The serpent may have directly addressed Eve, but she and Adam sinned together. Perhaps they took synchronized bites, eyes locked on one another like lovers slipping between the sheets of an illicit affair.
Adam and Eve, who had so recently sprung from the Creator’s own forming, lost everything after just two sentences from the serpent. What hope, then, have I? If they fell into unrighteousness so early in the Book, how could I ever hope to find myself standing again in His favor as before the creation? As the ageless drama plays out, I turn again to Ephesians for the answer: “In Him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of His will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of His glory. And you also were included in Christ, when you heard (accepted, believed) the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation.” (vv 11-13)
Prayer: Father, the phrase, “from before the foundation of the earth” takes on new meaning for me today. You have put the lie to every claim of salvation other than through faith in Christ. Thank You for so great a Savior.