Tag: bsf lesson 4

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 4, Day 5: Genesis 3:14-24

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  God curses the serpent for his beguilement of Adam and Eve to crawl on his belly and eat dust and God put enmity between the serpent and man for all time. Literally, this is humans not liking snakes (especially women).  Figuratively, this is humans not trusting Satan and having an inborn wariness of him.

God punished woman by greatly increasing her pains in childbirth; woman will desire her husband who will rule over her.

God punished Adam by cursing the ground so painful toil is now required to eat of it.  The ground will produce thorns and thistles.  And now death is introduced since “for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

Adam names Eve and God makes them clothes and banishes them from the Garden of Eden so that he won’t be able to eat from the tree of life.  He places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Questions:

13a)  “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals!  You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.  And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

b)  “I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children.  Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”

c)  “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.  It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.  By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

14a)  The serpent is Satan and her offspring will be Jesus.  Jesus will ultimately defeat Satan (crush his head) even though Satan will wound Jesus (strike his heel).  “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet”  (Romans 16:20)

b)  With garments of skin

15a)  Everyone dies.  We are all sinners through Adam.  Jesus was sent to redeem his people, bring grace, and offer justification through his death so that we may have eternal life.

We were born sinners.  But Jesus can redeem us.  The results and consequences for us today are we have a choice:  to choose or reject Jesus.  Choose Jesus=life.  Reject Jesus=death.

b)  Jesus.

Conclusions:  We see here that God never abandoned us, even when we sinned.  He always had Jesus planned to save us.  It’s hard to comprehend:  why would God create us if He knew we would Fall?  Only God can answer that.  He must think we are worthy in some way.  Sometimes I wish I believed but a piece of that worthiness.

I had never thought of us being born with a wariness to Satan before.  So we’re born with a natural rebelliousness towards God but a natural distrust of Satan.  Again, we must choose.  Naturally, we gravitate towards serving ourselves (like children).  But we learn to choose and no choice in life is more important.  The outcome of our life depends upon this choice.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 4, Day 4: Genesis 3:7-13

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  When Adam and Eve ate the fruit, their eyes were opened and they realized they were naked; so they covered themselves with fig leaves.  They hid from God when they heard Him in the garden so God called to them, “Where are you?”

Adam said he was afraid cause he was naked and explained that the woman gave him some fruit and he ate it when God asked how he knew he was naked.  The woman said the serpent beguiled her and she ate as well.

Questions:

10a)  They realized they were naked.  Remember, some scholars believe Adam and Eve were clothed in light until the moment they sinned.  So imagine the light snuffed out and now they needed something else to clothe them.

b)  They hid from Him amongst the trees.  Because they were ashamed of being naked.  They felt guilt for disobeying.  They were afraid of dying.  They were afraid of the consequences of disobedience.  They were embarrassed at their own inadequacy.

11a)  “The woman you put here with me–she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”  Technically, yeah, that’s what happened.  But Adam is trying to put the blame on Eve when he clearly disobeyed as well by partaking of the fruit.  He could have said, “No.”  However, he didn’t lie to God about it.  He also did not repent.  God is giving him the chance and Adam missed it.  He does not accept responsibility for his role in the Fall.

Also, note how, essentially, Adam is blaming God by saying, “The woman you put here with me…”  As if it’s God fault for creating a companion to Adam and he wouldn’t have sinned otherwise.

b)  “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”  Mostly because the serpent did deceive her and she admits she ate it.  She didn’t lie.  However, being deceived, listening to the serpent in the first place instead of God, is a sin as well (Romans 1:25: “They exchanged the truth of God for a lie…and served created things instead of the Creator”)

c)  Both of them.  Adam for not explaining to Eve better not to eat the fruit and for standing by while the serpent beguiled her.  Adam for eating the fruit Eve gave him.  Eve for even talking to the serpent, for doubting God and His word, and for eating the fruit. Both sinned equally.  Both are responsible.  Both fell from God.

You could say the serpent (devil) but we have Free Will to choose.  The devil offered. Adam and Eve accepted.  The serpent didn’t force them to take a bite.

12)  Personal Question.  My answer:  Honestly, probably very similar.  I’m good at the good stuff.  Bad at the little sins.  Very bad.  Something I need to work on.

Conclusions:  Good emphasis on responding to sin.  We all do it ever since Adam and Eve and I think what matters most to God is how we respond to it.  Whether we truly repent and whether we mend our ways.  We can still give glory to God through our confession and our sincere desire to do better.  Joshua 7:19-20:  “Give glory to the Lord…tell me what you have done; do not hide it from me.”

Side Note:  God addresses Adam first as the head and one could argue it is Adam who bears the brunt of the responsibility for the sin since Adam is the head of woman.  Interesting since in popular culture you always hear how it was Eve’s fault.

BSF Study Questions Genesis Lesson 4, Day 2: Genesis 3:1-6

by atozmom, posted in BSF Genesis 2012/2013

Summary of passage:  The crafty serpent asked Eve, “Did God really say not to eat from any tree in the garden?”  Eve tells him they can eat from any tree except from the tree in the middle of the garden or they will die.  The serpent plants doubt, saying surely you won’t die; you will just be like God, knowing good and evil.

So, Eve took some and ate it and gave some to Adam (who was with her the whole time) and ate it as well.

Questions:

3)  the devil or Satan

4a)  Adam was to care for the trees in the garden and he was free to eat from any tree in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil because if he ate from that, he would die.

b)  Yes.  Why else would God plant it and why would he instruct Adam to eat from any tree (including the tree of life)  Verses 9 & 16.  Everything God does has a purpose.  God gave man Free Will–to choose life or death.  And man chose.

5a)  The serpent planted doubt.  He questioned God’s words by asking, “Are you sure God said that?”  It made Eve wonder if God did indeed say that.  Then he questions God’s word and twists it by saying Eve wouldn’t die if she ate it.  Why would God do such a thing?  Then the serpent does speak some truth by saying their eyes will be opened.  They just wouldn’t be opened how the serpent says.  Finally, he tempted by saying “You will gain knowledge of good and evil” and be equal with God.

b)  First, Eve talked to the serpent.  Then she listened to the serpent.  Then she believed the serpent.  Then she gave in to her desire for wisdom and partook  of the fruit.

c)  God first and foremost.  God’s truths.  God’s words.  God’s goodness.  God himself really.

6a)  Jesus used God’s truths to defeat the devil.  Granted, Eve didn’t have the Bible to use but in a way she had something just as powerful:  a personal relationship with God.  Eve doubted God’s goodness; Jesus never did.  Eve doubted God’s ways; Jesus never did.

Of course, Jesus was God on earth and Eve was merely a human so it’s hard to compare.

But the serpent does use the same methods:  lust of the flesh; lust of the eyes; and pride.

b)  No.  James says after desire (temptation) has conceived (been planted), then it gives birth to sin (one sins) and sin leads to death.

Because Eve coveted the fruit didn’t mean she sinned.  She only sinned when she ate the fruit (disobeyed God’s commands).  At any moment before then she could have walked away.  But she didn’t.

The definition of sin according to Webster’s Dictionary is “a transgression of the law of God”.  Transgression means a violation of a law or command; to go beyond the limits.

According to my bible dictionary (Zondervan Illustrated Bible Dictionary by Douglas and Tenney) sin is “revolt against the holiness and sovereign will of God.  It is a condition of the heart and the outworking of that condition through one’s words and actions.”

We are all tempted (“to entice to do wrong by promise of pleasure or gain” says Webster’s).  Satan tempts to undermine our faith.  God tests (not tempts) to strengthen our faith.

c)  Personal Question.  My answer:  To quit God’s work and purpose for my life.  Some days it’s just not worth it.  It’s a constant temptation.  I’m also tempted to say mean things or not be giving.  Constant temptation to not do as Jesus would do.  Temptation to do what I want to do and not what God wants me to do.

Conclusions:  We discussed the whole sin versus temptation thing in Acts last year except we were asked if it was okay to doubt (see lesson HERE).  We are human.  We will be tempted.  Constantly by the devil.  But we have Free Will to say no.  God always offers us an out (1 Corinthians 10:13) so we can stand up to the devil.  God will not let us be tempted beyond what we can bear.

From Eve we can learn the common steps the devil uses to make us sin:  he plants doubt in our mind; he makes us question God’s word; he entices with something seemingly better.  This pattern we need to be aware of so we don’t fall into sin.  So we can stand up to the devil and say “NO!” in God’s name.  So we don’t lose sight of God like Eve did.

Interesting Side Notes:  Note that God instructed Adam to not partake of the fruit of the tree of knowledge.  Then God created Eve.  Eve must have been told by Adam but she was not instructed by God.  Hence, she was chosen by the serpent to tempt as she was the weaker link.  We don’t know what Adam said to Eve but Adam was standing right there.  He knew it was wrong.  Eve disobeyed God and Adam.

Also, if Adam had been chosen to eat first, Eve might have had an out by saying she was only obeying her husband, the head of the household.  Hence, God allowed Eve to be tested first.

Eve doesn’t even seem to know the name of the tree and exactly what God said since she uses the word “touch” instead of “eat” as God did.  This is not an excuse.  But it does fall upon Adam to communicate to her God’s commands.

Eve was truly deceived by the devil; Adam sinned in full knowledge of what God had said. (Romans 5:12; 1 Corinthians 15:22; 1 Timothy 2:14).

I was always told it was Eve’s fault man sinned.  But upon close examination Adam bears most of the burden.  He was right there (Genesis 3:6) the entire time.  At any moment either one could have ran from the serpent.  But neither did.  It just shows how powerful and cunning the devil truly is.  And what we must fight against daily.

If Adam and Eve could be tricked and disobey–those who actually walked with God–then we must be extra vigilant and strong in the Word in order to resist.

Great explanation of Genesis 3 HERE