Tempted by the promise of wisdom and autonomy, mankind disobeyed God by eating from the Tree of Knowledge, prioritizing their desires over obedience. This act shattered their innocence, introducing shame, guilt, and a fractured relationship with God, symbolized by their attempt to cover their nakedness. In response, the LORD confronted the serpent, woman, and man, issuing His judgment.
To the serpent, He declared a curse above all creatures, condemning it to crawl on its belly and prophesying enmity between the serpent and the woman’s offspring—a foreshadowing of ultimate victory over evil as her offspring would crush the serpent’s head while suffering harm in return
Our Enemy Forever
“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.” – Genesis 3:15 (NIV)
Before the fall, there was peace in the Garden of Eden, with all creatures and mankind living in harmony. The serpent’s interaction with woman about the fruit was not initially a hostile confrontation but rather an amicable conversation, subtly guiding her toward the wrong choice. This shows that at first, there was no inherent enmity between mankind and the deceiver, but that enmity was born from disobedience. When mankind chose to follow the serpent’s lies, they not only broke their relationship with God but also began a war with the forces of evil, represented by the serpent.
It is often assumed that God and satan are locked in a cosmic battle of equals, but this is a misconception. The deciever is not on the same level as God. Both angels (including fallen angels) and mankind are God’s creations. While satan revolted against God and was cast out of paradise in Heaven, likewise, mankind’s disobedience led them to be cast out of the earthly paradise, the Garden. Thus, satan’s true adversary is not God but mankind and the war began after the fall, when satan’s rebellion set the stage for mankind’s disobedience.
The enmity between mankind and the serpent began after the fall and continues through generations. This war, rooted in mankind’s original choice to listen to the deceiver, has been passed down through the generations. The conflict is not just an ancient event; it is a reality that endures throughout history, as mankind continues to wrestle with the temptation and deceit of the enemy.
The God of peace will soon crush satan under your feet… – Romans 16:20 (NIV)
This promise is fulfilled in Jesus Christ, the Son of Man, who was sent to die as a ransom for mankind’s sins. Through His death on the cross, Jesus was able to crush the head of the serpent, symbolizing the defeat of evil and the ultimate victory over satan. The sacrifice of Christ rendered the serpent powerless, stripping him of his sting and rendering death impotent. Through Jesus’ resurrection, death no longer holds dominion over mankind, offering eternal life to all who believe.
Though the serpent’s head was crushed, it is also true that the serpent struck the heel of the Son of Man. In Jesus’ crucifixion, He bore the full weight of mankind’s sins. As He hung on the cross, He took upon Himself the burden of all our wrongdoings, suffering and dying in our place. This act, though seemingly a victory for the serpent in the moment, was a crushing blow to satan, as Jesus’ resurrection ensured that the power of sin and death would no longer have the final word. Through His sacrifice, the ultimate victory was secured, and the serpent’s defeat was assured.
The Burden of Womanhood
To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you. ” – Genesis 3:16 (NIV)
God’s punishment of the woman, allowing the man to rule over her, stems from her desire to be superior to her husband, which led to the loss of her privilege. In the Garden of Eden, the woman’s longing for autonomy and power, symbolized by the forbidden fruit, resulted in her choice to disobey God, which ultimately caused the shift in the marital dynamic. The fruit that she sought to elevate herself with was replaced by the authority of her husband. This punishment reflects the reversal of the woman’s desire to control, and instead, she found herself in a subordinate position.
In ancient societies, women were often viewed through the lens of their husbands, with their identities tied to them. They were generally illiterate and lived under the care of their fathers until they married, at which point they became their husband’s responsibility and were only expected to bear children and manage the household. This patriarchal structure still persists in some cultures today.
However, this was not God’s original design. In the Garden of Eden, before sin entered the world, men and women were created as equals, with neither having dominance over the other. They were one body, and God communed with both in perfect harmony. From the perspective of the biblical author, the role of women in ancient society is reflected in his writing, where women are seen as primarily for childbearing and their subordinate status is tied to their disobedience. However, even after humanity’s fall from grace, God never intended for such distinctions. He cared for Hagar when she was abandoned by Abraham and used a young girl, Mary, to deliver the greatest gift to mankind—Jesus Christ. Women were also the first to proclaim the gospel, as they witnessed the empty tomb of Christ.
God does not make distinctions when it comes to His love and care for mankind. It is mankind who often uses roles and responsibilities as an excuse to create barriers between themselves and God. The woman’s sin in the Garden, where she mistakenly deemed herself equal to God, is a reflection of satan’s own prideful mistake. However, even in the face of such disobedience, God’s grace is evident as He continues to show His love and favour without regard to gender or role, treating all equally before Him.
Painful Toil
To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life. – Genesis 3:17 (NIV)
This painful toil is a consequence of the separation between mankind and God, stemming from the original sin. The earth, once a source of life and abundance, now becomes a place of struggle, where every meal must be earned through effort, sweat, and labor. By the sweat of his brow, man would have to work for his food, a stark contrast to the abundant provisions for them in the Garden. Had mankind not sinned, there would have been no need for such toil.
This burden of hard work is a consequence of their exit from the Garden of Eden, a world that was once perfect and abundant. Just as the curse of womanhood—pain in childbirth—was a result of sin, so too was the curse of toil and labor a direct result of mankind’s disobedience. Before sin, mankind’s relationship with creation was one of harmony and ease, but now, with sin introduced into the world, we are at war with all of God’s creation. Whether it is fauna, flora, the climate, or even other human beings, we are in a continuous struggle with all of them due to our fundamental need to survive in this world.
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return. – Genesis 3:19 (NIV)
The words “for dust you are and to dust you will return” serve as a reminder of mankind’s mortality and the inevitable return to the earth from which they came. The cycle of life and death, once free from pain and decay, is now an inescapable reality. The curse on the ground and the necessity of toil reflect the change that sin brought, making every aspect of life—from labor to death—a struggle.
The LORD Still Provides
The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. – Genesis 3:21-22 (NIV)
However God was not angry with mankind in the way we might expect. If He had been truly angry, He could have immediately condemned them to eternal death, fulfilling His warning that eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge would result in death. However, God’s response was not one of anger but of disappointment. He was saddened that His children did not trust Him fully or have faith in His timing and plan.
Instead of executing immediate judgment, God showed compassion and did not cast them into eternal death. God even provided clothing for mankind to cover their shame. He did not simply expel them from the Garden but made clothing for them out of the skins of an animal. This act of provision was also the first instance of animal sacrifice in the Bible. Another one of God’s creation had to die in order to provide the necessary covering for mankind, a powerful symbol of God’s justice and mercy.
Today, we see a parallel in the sacrifice of Jesus as through His death on the cross, He became the ultimate sacrifice for mankind, offering us protection and covering. Just as God covered mankind’s shame with the skin of an animal, we are now covered, not because of our righteousness but because of Christ’s sacrifice. Our sins are not covered up or ignored, but we are covered despite our sins, under the protection of Jesus’ blood.
And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” – Genesis 3:23 (NIV)
Why is God preventing mankind from eating the fruit Of the tree of life, something that was offered to them freely before they sinned? God is averting mankind from eating the fruit of the tree of life after sin because humanity had proven, through their actions, that they no longer trusted God. In their current state of sin and distrust, if they were to eat from the tree of life, their sins would never be absolved, and they would become like the serpent, a wandering spirit.
God’s intention was for mankind to return to the garden only after the price for their sins had been paid. The order in which the fruits were meant to be eaten had now been reversed due to man’s disobedience. The tree of life, which was once freely offered, would be accessible again only at the final judgment when the Lamb—Jesus Christ—will give us the fruit of the tree of life.
“On each side of the river stood the tree of life, bearing twelve crops of fruit, yielding its fruit every month. And the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations…And they will reign for ever and ever.” – Revelation 22:2&5 (NIV)
Discussion Questions
- Did our conflict with the deceiver begin as a result of our disobedience?
- Why did God punish the woman by allowing the man to have dominion over her?
- If humanity had not sinned, would there have been no need for toil?
- Why is God withholding the fruit of the tree of life from mankind, when it was once freely offered before they sinned?
The Jordan Valley 
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