Genesis 3:2 Commentary - Dr Peter Masters

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Genesis 3:2

Comments

Immediately, we are introduced to something very deep. According to the order of Genesis 2, Adam received the command not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil before Eve was created, but evidently he has told her what God said. She replies, ‘We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden’, and then listen to this: ‘but the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden’ – why doesn’t she name it? Why doesn’t she say, ‘Of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,’ – it has a name. There is the tree of life; that is in the midst of the Garden also. They may very well have been side by side; that is implied, but not distinctly stated. So why call it by its location, and only vaguely at that, rather than by its name? Is it a suggestion, possibly, that Eve was already somewhat disappointed that she could not take of the fruit of that tree, somewhat uncomfortable about having to defend the restriction? So she does not name it by its name which would forbid the taking of the fruit. It looks attractive to her. This is, perhaps, already in her mind an unreasonable thing that she is not allowed to take of that fruit. But anyway, she modifies the words of God. And, though I notice that most modern translations do not follow this reading, the Hebrew is certainly faithfully reproduced in the old King James Version. Listen to this modified form of God’s command – ‘God hath said ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’ There is a possibility that we may die. There is some doubt on God’s command. It has already been diluted by her. Now she is not a sinner yet, but why would she dilute that clear command of God. She is going to be brought down by an animal – an animal is going to have greater authority than God in this discussion. She ought to have been on her guard when an animal over whom she was supposed to have dominion was questioning the commandment of God. Death was at this point a potential outcome, but one she had no experience of. Death had not yet entered the world.

Application

That has been true of man ever since, that base things, fallen instincts have greater authority with him than God’s commands and the word of God. If man is not permanently ruled by beasts, he is certainly ruled by his most base lusts. You see it even in the churches. The base things take precedent over high and holy things. Crashing rhythms, sensations, the feelings that can be stirred up, the more basic, primitive feelings that can be stirred up by heavy rhythms and high decibels govern people these days in worship, instead of the mind and seeing the rich and the wonderful and the deep things of God. And there are people, Christian people, jigging about and behaving like children, and the cheap and the lowly and the small take precedent over the high and the holy and the profound and the glorious. You can see the fall everywhere in the world in subsequent history.

God’s commandment is always enough for us. We do not need to know every reason why God commands us as he does, but it is enough that he who is good, who withholds no good gift, who requires that his creatures trust him; it is enough that he has spoken. We ought to be suspicious of any insinuation against the word of God. God’s word was a sufficient defence even against the subtlety of the serpent and of Satan who spoke through it. Our best defence today is the word of God, and Christ teaches us this by using the written word to defeat Satan’s temptations.

Questions

Why did Satan approach the woman first and not the man? Because he believed that he would have a better chance of success if he came at Adam indirectly. He perhaps thought that to confront him and directly would arouse his suspicions. He may have calculated what did in fact happen: that if the woman fell then the man would follow for her sake. Adam was Satan’s real target for it was Adam that was the representative head of the human race and in him the whole race would be destroyed if he fell. Satan aimed at the creature which displayed the greatest part of the glory of God – man, made in the image of God, the one with whom God’s purposes were most closely connected.

Outline

Purpose

Introduction

Genesis 3:2 Commentary and Bible Study