Genesis Chapter Three Verses 8-15

Genesis 3 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible. Without it, we can’t even begin to understand the darkness that blankets the earth. With it, we can catch a glimpse of the light, which shines in the darkness. Have you seen the light?

When God approached Adam and Eve, His question “Where are you?” was a rhetorical invitation for them to confess and repent. The novice sinners responded to God in ways that are all too familiar to us. 

First, they felt shame, resulting in concealment. (Verse 8indicates that they tried to go unnoticed by an omnipresent Creator by blending with vegetation!)

Second, they felt fear, which resulted in an attempt to escape God’s presence. 

Third, they felt guilt, but then compounded their offense by shifting blame. Adam blamed both Eve and God (“the woman . . . you gave me”). Eve blamed the serpent (“the serpent deceived me”). 

In contrast to Adam and Eve, God did not invite the serpent to repent. Instead, God decreed a series of three judgments—first upon the serpent, then the woman, and finally the man. 

Judgment upon the serpent

Because the serpent had “destroyed” (or ruined) the human race, the serpent would be destroyed by a member of the human race. 

The enmity between the woman and the serpent and their “seed” (or offspring) involves more than future hatred between women and snakes. The Hebrew term translated “enmity” applies not to animals but to moral agents. Here we see a clear indication that Satan is behind the serpent. Though Satan will cause suffering to the “seed of the woman,” he will be dealt a mortal blow by that seed.

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