In this section the relationship that God had established with man, which is the focus of the creation story, is broken. We can gain a great insight into human nature from this story. Adam and Eve's behavior as recorded here has been repeated by every one of their descendants.
"It is hardly too much to say that this chapter is the pivot of the Bible . . . . With the exception of the fact of Creation, we have here the record of the most important and far-reaching event in the world's history--the entrance of sin."176
". . . Genesis does not explain the origins of evil; rather, the biblical account, if anything, says where evil does nothave its source. Evil was not inherent in man nor can it be said that sin was the consequence of divine entrapment. The tempter stands outside the human pair and stands opposed to God's word."177
3:6 Having succumbed to temptation Eve disobeyedGod's will. Whereas Satan initiated the first two steps, he let Eve's natural desires (her flesh) carry her into his trap.
All three avenues of fleshly temptation are present in verse 6.
1. She saw that the tree was "good for food"(the lust of the flesh: the desire to dosomething contrary to God's will, i.e., eat the tasty fruit).
2. It was a "delight to the eyes"(the lust of the eyes: the desire to havesomething apart from God's will, i.e., possess the beautiful fruit).
3. It was "desirable to make one wise"(the pride of life: the desire to besomething apart from God's will, i.e., as wise as God). It was the quest for wisdom that led Eve to disobey God.178
Eve saw, coveted, and took the fruit (cf. Josh. 7:21; 2 Sam. 11:2-4). We think, then lust, then act.
"We have already noted . . . how the scenes themselves are arranged in a concentric palistrophic pattern (ABCDCBA). Within this central scene, the same device is used; the midpoint and he ate' employs the key verb of this tale--'eat.' On either side we have the woman's hopes of eating, good to eat,' delight to the eyes,' giving insight,' balanced by its effects, eyes opened,' knowing they were nude,' hiding in the trees.' These contrasts are deliberately drawn."179
"The proposition that an adult can gaze at anything is ludicrous and naive, for gazing is too often followed by desiring and sinning."180
In view of Jesus' statement that a lustful look is as sinful as an overt act of sin (Matt. 5:27-28), did Eve commit the first sin when she desired the forbidden fruit? Sinful desires are sinful, but temptations are not sins until we respond by giving in to them. Eve did this when she ate the fruit. Until she did that, she was only experiencing temptation.
Dr. Harry Ironside used to quote a man from Wales. He answered in response to a question about how to avoid temptation, "I can't keep the birds from flying over my head, but I can keep them from nesting in my hair."
"Here is the essence of covetousness. It is the attitude that says I need something I do not now have in order to be happy."181
Ignorance or disregard of God's word makes one very vulnerable to temptation (Ps. 119:11). These conditions produce distrust, dissatisfaction, and finally disobedience. Failure to appreciate God's goodness leads to distrust of His goodness. God's prohibitions as well as His provisions are for our good.
"The root of sin should be understood. The foundation of all sin lies in man's desire of self-assertion and his determination to be independent of God. Adam and Eve chafed under the restriction laid upon them by the command of God, and it was in opposition to this that they asserted themselves, and thereby fell. Man does not like to be dependent upon another, and subject to commands upon another, and subject to commands from without. He desires to go his own way, to be his own master; and as a consequence he sins, and becomes lord of himself, that heritage of woe.'"182
God has always asked people to believe and trust His word that His will for us will result in our blessing. However, Satan has always urged us to have experiences that will convince us that we can obtain even greater blessings. He says, "Try it; you'll like it!"But God says, "Trust me, and you'll live."Satan's appeal to get us to experience something to assure ourselves of its goodness directly contradicts God's will for us. It is the way of sight rather than the way of faith.
3:7-8 The separation that sin produces in man's relationship with God stands out clearly in these verses. Their new knowledge that the serpent promised would make them as God actually taught them that they were no longer even like each other. They were ashamed of their nakedness and sewed fig leaves together to hide their differences from each other (v. 7).183Perhaps they chose fig leaves because fig leaves are large.
The "cool"of the day is literally the "wind"of the day. God came to Adam and Eve in this wind. He came in a wind earlier in Creation (1:2) and later to Job (Job 38:1), Israel (Exod. 20:18-21; cf. Deut. 5:25), and Elijah (1 Kings 19:11).184
"A more complete transformation could not be imagined. The trust of innocence is replaced by the fear of guilt. The trees that God created for man to look at (2:9) are now his hiding place to prevent God seeing him."185
Eve did not die at once physically, but she did die at once spiritually. She experienced alienation in her relationship with God. Death means separation in the Bible, never annihilation. Sin always results in alienation: theologically (between God and man), sociologically (between man and man), psychologically (between man and himself), and ecologically (between man and nature).186
Three kinds of death appear in Scripture: physical--separation of the body and soul (material and immaterial parts of the person), spiritual--separation of the person and God, and eternal--permanent separation of the person and God.
The Apostle Paul wrote that Eve was deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). This does not indicate that women are by nature more easily subject to deception than men.
"There is nothing in Scripture to suggest that the woman was inferior to the man in any way or more susceptible to temptation than he was."187
"The tempter addresses himself to the woman, probably not because she is more open to temptation and prone to sin, for that is hardly the conception of the Old Testament elsewhere. The reason may have lain in this, that the woman had not personally received the prohibition from God, as Adam had."188
Eve may have been deceived because God had given the prohibition to Adam (2:16); she may have received God's word through Adam. Perhaps Satan appealed to Eve because she was not only under God's authority but also under her husband's authority and, therefore, more inclined to think God was withholding something from her.
"It is interesting to observe that when this sin is referred to throughout Scripture, it is not referred to as the sin of Eve--but rather as the sin of Adam! The phrase in verse 6, with her,' seems to suggest that Adam was at Eve's side when she was tempted by Satan. As God's theocratic administrator, and as the appointed head of the family, it was Adam's responsibility to safeguard Eve and to assure that she remained in submission to the command of God. But Adam failed in his God-given responsibility and permitted Eve to eat of the forbidden fruit."189
Adam, however, was not deceived (1 Tim. 2:14). He sinned with his eyes wide open (v. 6b). Eve's was a sin of initiative whereas Adam's was one of acquiescence.190Too much aggressiveness by a woman and too much passivity by a man still are sinful tendencies of the respective sexes. Death "passed unto all men"(Rom. 2:14) when Adam sinned because Adam, not Eve, was the head of the human race under God's administration.191
Some commentators have interpreted eating the forbidden fruit as a euphemism for having sexual intercourse.192They say that the original sin was a sexual sin. However the text makes such an interpretation impossible.
1. Eve sinned first (v. 6).
2. Eve sinned alone (v. 6).
3. God had previously approved sex (1:28).
The timeless lesson of these verses is that victory over temptation to violate God's good will depends on a thorough knowledge of God's word and unwavering confidence in God's goodness. As Israel faced temptations to depart from God's revealed will from the pagans she encountered, this record would have provided a resource for remaining faithful, as it does for us today. Often these temptations attract because they promise superior knowledge, even divinity. Knowing God's word is extremely important (cf. Deut. 6:5-9, 13-25; Ps. 119:9-16). Satan tempted Jesus similarly to the way he tempted Eve. However, Jesus overcame victoriously by accurately using the word of God to remain faithful to the will of God. True wisdom comes by obeying, not disobeying, God's word.
