Genesis 3:2-6 (ESV)

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

Adam was standing there the whole time! Wow, that explains a lot. Since it appears that Eve got the command second hand from Adam, he’s her reference. She’s counting on him to know what’s going on.

And he just stands there and lets her get snookered by the serpent. What a sinker. Even though they both ate the fruit, scripture consistently blames sin on Adam alone.

For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. – 1 Corinthians 15:22

Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived. – 1 Timothy 2:14a

Adam’s actions here are so outrageous that one could wonder if Adam and the serpent had set this up beforehand. That’s not the case – Adam and the serpent did not conspire – but Adam’s failure of leadership is so total that it’s traitorous. His silence “aided and abetted” the serpent.

In addition to rebelling against God, Adam betrayed Eve.

This is puzzling. Betrayal isn’t one of the seven deadly sins. Neither is being a complete jerk. However, one of the seven does seem an obvious fit – greed.

Remember, God’s command to Adam was that of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat (Genesis 2:17a). Knowledge is desirable. The tree was to be desired to make one wise. God commanded Adam to not eat of this tree, which prohibited him from having knowledge of good and evil.

Adam wasn’t hungry; he wanted the knowledge. He wanted more than the life God had given him. That’s greed – with a minor in pride. Also, since the serpent said that when they ate the fruit they would, “be like God, knowing good and evil,” envy may be involved. Granted, envying God is a bit of a stretch, but the serpent thought it worth mentioning. Given that he’s “mister crafty,” and given that his trickery worked, envy seems to fit.

This is a great illustration of the stupidity and wickedness of sin. Now try to connect this to your own signature sin. Do you see its ugliness? Can you see its stupidity?

Don’t just ask God to get rid of your signature sin; ask Him to help you see it. See it clearly and that’ll drive you to your knees.

That’ll grow you more than if God just erased the sin.

The weekly study guides, which include discussion questions, are available for download here:

https://www.ailbe.org/resources/itemlist/category/91-deep-studies