Gen 4:17-5:32

Genesis 4:17–26 (ESV) —
17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.


• We have to apply our principles of hermeneutics here. First what is the genre?
• It is prose since is contains no metrical form, but it is also narrative. It is telling a story
• There is no commentary, although it is left to the reader to infer
• We need to be careful with scripture. Just because something is in the bible, does not mean it is teaching. For teaching, we would go to didactic parts of the scripture, usually when God speaks or a prophet speaks for him
• Has God limited marriage to one person?
• Yes, from the very beginning
• The definition of marriage is a union of one man and one women becoming one
• So, in the sixth generation from Adam, we have advanced to bigamy (the first instance)
• Also, what has Cain done since God sent him away?
• He built a city
• This is the first named city in scripture, Enoch (best guess on meaning is xxxxxxxxx)


20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.


• In Cain's line, we see architects (building cities), ranchers, musicians and scientists (specializations). In contrast will be the godly line of Seth. While one line is achieving technological progress and worldly success, it is also the line going further into sin
• I am not saying that there is any correlation between technology and godlessness
• I am saying that Cain's line is substituting success in worldly things for a relationship with God. This is a danger we all face
• Cain’s family is a microcosm: its pattern of technical prowess and moral failure is that of humanity. (Kidner: Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Ge 4:17). Galaxie Software.)


23 Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
24 If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold.”


• Do you understand what Lamech is saying? What is associated with the production of bronze and iron?
• Weapons
• Lamech is using weapons to kill people
• Some refer to this passage as the "Song of the Sword"
• He seems to be boasting that he will kill 70 times compared to the protection God gave Cain, only seven time


• In contrast, to all of this, we have the next passage:
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.


• Obviously Adam and Eve had many children, but the scripture focuses on this new line
• Seth means to set, stand, place, ordain
• It is not clear what Enosh means. One suggestion was "to be intimate"
• In contrast to Cain's great accomplishments, Seth's line has one accomplishment. What is it?
• People begin to call on the Lord
• Some commentators suggests that this is the first mention of prayer
• Cain's descendants were seeking worldly fulfillment through sin and accomplishments
• Seth's descendants were seeking God for their fulfillment


Genesis 5:1–32 (ESV) —
1 This is the book of the generations of Adam. When God created man, he made him in the likeness of God. 2 Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and named them Man when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he fathered Seth were 800 years; and he had other sons and daughters. 5 Thus all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died.
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he fathered Enosh. 7 Seth lived after he fathered Enosh 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Thus all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he fathered Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after he fathered Kenan 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Thus all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he fathered Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after he fathered Mahalalel 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Thus all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he fathered Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after he fathered Jared 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Thus all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he fathered Enoch. 19 Jared lived after he fathered Enoch 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Thus all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he fathered Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after he fathered Methuselah 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Thus all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him.
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he fathered Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived after he fathered Lamech 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he fathered a son 29 and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.” 30 Lamech lived after he fathered Noah 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Thus all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, Noah fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.



Name	Age when Fathered	Lived	Notes
Adam	130	930	Seth was not the firstborn so this is not a firstborn chart
Seth	105	912
Enosh	90	905
Kenan	70	910
Mahalalel	65	895
Jared	162	962
Enoch	65	365**	Enoch walked with God and was no more
Methuselah	187	969
Lamech	182	777	Believed his son would bring relief from toil of work
Noah	500		Fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth



• If Seth's birth come after Abel's death, we see that a lot both Cain and Abel were much older, and probably many children had come from Adam and Eve's union
• Also, you wonder if these were first born, or rather the godly line
• Enoch is unusual
• The emphasis on Seth's line is always the relationship
• Enoch walked with God. We actually haven't seen "walking with God" since Eden when God walked in the garden
• Amazingly, Noah lived a long time before fathering his children (although it could be the last of the children at 500)

Gen 4:1-16

Genesis 4:1–2 (ESV) — 1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground.


• Again, we want to keep an eye out for firsts. So what do we have?
• Cain appears to be the firstborn. It doesn't really say that, but Eve's reaction suggests it
• We also have the first sibling
• Whatever view you take 24 hour literal days or creation with specific beginning and end ages, we don't know how long we are from creation itself
• What are their descriptions?
• Cain was a worker of the ground (a farmer)
• Abel was a keeper of sheep (a shepherd)
• Cain, the word means possession, but used as a verb can be, to buy, to acquire, to create
• Abel, the word is some ancient languages means son, but the Hebrew suggest vanity, vapor, or fragility


Genesis 4:3–5 (ESV) — 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell.


• God's actions almost seem to be unfair, but we need to dig into this. First are there any hints in the text
• Cain brought an offering of fruit
• Abel brought of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions
• Difference:
• One is the first and the best
• The other is only an offering
• NOTE: some have also criticized the offering because it was not a blood offering. This requires some previous instruction from God to man (entirely possible), but there may be another way to look at the passage
• Result:
• God "regarded" Abel's offering
• God had no regard for Cain's offering
• Let's look at what other passages say (cross-reference scripture)
• Jude 11 (ESV) — 11 Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion.
• Balaam wanted to be rich. He wanted to satisfy God and still get the riches that Balak offered him. He wanted to do "just enough"
• Hebrews 11:4 (ESV) — 4 By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.
• Abel's was a faith offering which means what?
• He gave out of need
• He trusted God will provide
• 1 John 3:12 (ESV) — 12 We should not be like Cain, who was of the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous.
• Something about Cain's deeds were evil, prior to the murder of his brother
• Proverbs 21:27 (ESV) — 27 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination;
how much more when he brings it with evil intent.
• All indications are that the gift was not given with good intent
• So, we now have the first example of practicing religion
• Before we saw Adam adding to God's law
• Now, we see men going through the motions and thinking that is good enough
• Finally we do have God's own words to Cain


Genesis 4:6–7 (ESV) — 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”


• What do we see through observation?
• Cain is angry
• In scripture and in psychology, this usually means you did not get your way
• What did Cain want? He wanted to have his offering accepted by God, but without it costing him
• Cain is disappointed or depressed (his face fell)
• This could be the first instance of mental health problems in scripture. Sin has corrupted his view of the world (God should accept whatever he does) and he lashes out emotionally (depression)
• God questions his motives (if you do well)
• What does it mean to do well?
• Well, the focus has to get off of you and what you get out of the situation
• The focus and the heart needs to be centered on God
• Cain was not doing well
• His eyes were on his self (what he got)
• He really didn't trust God (does not appear he gave the first fruits)
• He wasn't sacrificial (he gave of his wealth, but not the best or first)
• He was comparing himself to someone else (his brother). Comparisons are always dangerous. We know he was comparing because we see the results -- He killed his brother in the field (which means it was premeditated -- you don't accidentally run into your brother in the field)
• God warns him of sin and the motive of sin. What does God say about sin?
• Sin crouches at the door (like a cat looking for an opening)
• Its desire is CONTRARY to you (contrary means that it is not in your best interest)
• Satan has made sin look good, but it is not good for our soul
• This is the first explanation on why all sin (even secret or victimless sin) is dangerous
• How do you rule over sin? I have no idea. So, what is God saying?
• I think in this case, he needed to deal with the anger
• If he did not deal with the anger, he would fall prey to the consequences


Genesis 4:8–16 (ESV) — 8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, you have driven me today away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.


• Observations. What is the first thing we see?
• Cain spoke to Abel his brother -- this is not explained. We are left in a dangerous area of inference. Did he blow up? What did they talk about?
• Also it is not clear that when he spoke to Abel is the same time as when they were in the field. Scripture seems to suggest two different times which leads to premeditation
• Also whatever they talked about did not satisfy Cain
• Cain continues to brood, in opposition to what God told him
• Again God questions a person in scripture. God is not looking for information. There is a purpose in God's response. What do we learn from the response?
• I can't believe Cain's response is somehow respectful and some idiom. It just doesn't make sense
• Cain lies to God
• Cain almost ridicules God
• Whereas Adam reluctantly confesses, Cain does not admits to his sin
• What is God's response?
• He curses Cain's work on the ground (his primary livelihood)
• He banishes Cain from the land
• He is separated from his family (Adam, Eve, brothers, and sisters)
• Most commentators believe it is also separation from God (see verse 16)
• Now Cain responds in remorse, after he is caught and the punishment is given
• God puts a mark on him
• There are so many ideas about what the mark means, and I don't think any of them add to the story
• At least two other marks in scripture
• One is to identify followers of the Antichrist
• Another is to protect believers during the tribulation
• Obviously, many years have passed because we find that there are other men (brothers) on the earth. Adam lived around 1000 years
• The mark does protect him -- interesting to note that at this point, capital punishment is not practiced. God changes that after the flood
• APPLICATION:
• Dwelling on issues can lead to sin
• Anger is a warning sign that we are not getting something we want. Also, that are focus is on ourselves and not others
• Our heart is what matters, not the practice of giving

Gen 3:1-3:24

Review:


Gen 3:1-5 (ESV) Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, "Did God actually say, 'You shall not eat of any tree in the garden'?" 2 And the woman said to the serpent, "We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 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.'" 4  But the serpent said to the woman, "You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."



• Who is the serpent?
• This is a case where a literal interpretation does not follow our hermeneutical rule of common sense.  There are two cases in the bible, of an animal talking, and the scripture clearly communicates in the other case that God allows it to talk.  That other case is Balaam and his donkey
• Possible, a pre-fall condition, but unlikely since no mention is made
1. It was a literal snake, and Satan spoke through the snake
2. It was Satan described here as a snake, and also in many other passages fo scripture
• Crafty (Heb aruwm /aw.room/) does not mean wicked as much as wise (Constable)
1. Eve's sin was folly -- she already had all the good she needed but wanted more
• Serpent
• Isa 27:1 (ESV) In that day the Lord with his hard and great and strong sword will punish Leviathan the fleeing serpent, Leviathan the twisting serpent, and he will slay the dragon that is in the sea.
• Rev 20:2 (ESV) And he seized the dragon, that ancient serpent, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years,
• Rev 12:9 (ESV) And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world— he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.
• What is Satan's tactic?
• He questions God' word -- But how does he? He repeats it, almost word for word (2:16-17 with slight change)
Gen 2:16-17 (ESV) And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die."

• Jesus describes Satan as a liar
John 8:44-45 (ESV) You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father's desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has nothing to do with the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

• He questions whether God even said something?
• In other words, does absolute morality really exist
• Has God really said
• He offers the idea of being our own God -- "you will be like God"
• The woman relays God's command, although not perfectly
• She calls it the tree in the middle of the garden (there were two)
• She leaves out "certainly" or "surely"
• And, she says you can't touch it
• How did the woman know God's command?
• Adam must have told her (is it possible she perverted or misquoted God's command)
• Adam, probably added the "don't even touch it" to the command
• Incidentally, Adam is there, but doesn't say anything
• This is the first case of Legalism, adding rules to the word of God
• Satan's reply could be considered partially true, why?
• You won't die for touching it
• You will die (spiritually, and later physically) for eating it
• This is actually the first doctrine denied by Satan in scripture -- that sin results in death (separation from God)
• The lie that you will not die from sin is still Satan's most aggressive argument today
• But Satan goes beyond "denying God's word," what else does he say?
• He adds some secret info
• This is where we get the Greek work "gnostic"
• One of Satan's major tools today is to suggest that there is "secret" knowledge out there: gnostic gospels, letters, etc
• Today, there is a whole realm of Gnosticism, which suggests that God has held out and there is secret knowledge out there
• In the end, the only secret they find out is that they are naked
• Sailhammer observes that Satan's claim directly contradicted the main point of chapters 1 and 2, namely that God would provide what is good for man


Gen 3:6-8 (ESV) 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. 7  Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.



• What three reasons do the scriptures give for the woman eating the fruit
• Good for food --  (lust of the flesh)
• Pleasing to the eye (It has always looked good, but now for some reason, the woman experiences a sense of need or expectation, maybe even disappointment) -- (lust of the eyes)
• Desirable for gaining wisdom -- (pride in possessions -- she would be like God). NOTE: they are already made in the image of God
1 John 2:15-16 (ESV) Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 16 For all that is in the world— the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride in possessions—is not from the Father but is from the world.

• Where is Adam during the discussion between the serpent and Eve?
• He is standing right next to her (3:6) -- The overwhelming evidence is that Adam was with her. She did not seek him out, he was there. Adam was not deceived, he sinned willingly. It is called Adam's sin [look at the Hebrew words]
• He never intervenes
• He never corrects the serpent
• He takes no action to protect his wife
• Scriptures almost uniformly attribute the sin as the sin of Adam
• Implication, Eve was deceived (1 Tim 2:14), but Adam sinned with his eyes wide open (6b)
• Adam sinned in a number of ways
• He didn't protect his wife
• He (possible) did not communicate God's command well
• Eve's sin was a sin of initiative and Adam's sin was a sin of acquiescence (Hamilton)
• “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.”(Pentecost)
• What is the result of their action?
1. Eyes opened -- they lose their creature holiness
2. They realize their naked -- they experience shame
3. They make clothes (out of leaves) -- they experience separation
• Why did they need to make clothes?
• To cover their shame (their new knowledge implied their disobedience)
• APPLICATION: 
• Man's first response to sin is to cover up (or the evidence)
• Second is to hide from God
• Third response is to blame someone else (still true today -- it is always someone else's fault, far be it from us that we should sin or fail)
• Why leaves?
• The leaves are a very poor substitute for clothing, and reveal their fear
• The making of clothes is man's first attempt to deal with sin with his own effort (and we are still doing that today)
• Where is God prior to these verses?
• He is spirit and he is everywhere
• So why does God used a "theophany?"
• Emphasizes the relational aspect of walking with God that is broken
• Why does God call out "where are you?"
• Emphasizes the effect of sin in separating us from God
• God does not ask questions to gain information. The question is always for the hearer's sake
• 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). (Oz Guiness)
• APPLICATION:
• This is one of the pivotal chapters in the bible, if not the most
• It does not explain the origin of sin, but it does explain the root of sin -- Man's determination to be independent of God -- to be his own god
• We learn that man is not created with sin, it was a choice (Eve was deceived, but Adam sinned)
• This is also called "the rebellion" and it explains everything that is happening in life today
• The reason people hate God's word is because we are rebelling against God's rule
• Throughout history, there are times where the rebellion is outright and loud: Sodom, Judges, the Northern Kingdom, Rome, the pagan cultures of southern Europe, and today


Genesis 3:9–13 (ESV) —
9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”


• These are very direct questions from God, and the answers are already known by God -- why does God ask?
• The questions are for our benefit
• The questions were to get Adam and Eve to think, even respond correctly
• What does verse 9 suggest from the all-knowing God?
• Adam was to blame
• Adam had special responsibility (which is another reason I believe "with her" means he was to blame)
• What is Adam's response to God's questions?
• Indirectly, Adam blames God for making Eve
• NOTE: Interesting that what Adam had viewed as a good gift from God, he now blames as a bad gift from God
• Adam blames Eve which is very hypocritical, since by God's very questions to Adam, Adam was there
• How does Eve respond?
• She blames the serpent
• She recognizes that the serpent deceived her
• God does not ask the serpent a question


Genesis 3:14–15 (ESV) —
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”


• The punishment of the Serpent
• If literal, the snake may have had legs
• Isa 65:25 talks about snakes eating dust in the millennium (yet future literal)
• Most likely, it is directed at Satan specifically
• What does the punishment then is the case of it being Satan?
• Crawl on his belly is also an allusion for being the lowest of the low
• Eating dust is an allusion for defeat (still true today and also idioms today)
• Using our principle of hermeneutics, the literal does not make sense. The metaphorical fits better -- the woman in a metaphorical sense is a nation or religion (we see that in Revelation -- Genesis begins the use of the term woman to refer to a religion, or nation and the last book clearly uses the term as well)
Revelation 12:1–6 (ESV) — 1 And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars. 2 She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. 3 And another sign appeared in heaven: behold, a great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, and on his heads seven diadems. 4 His tail swept down a third of the stars of heaven and cast them to the earth. And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. 5 She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, 6 and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.
• Enmity between true faith in God and those who do not believe in God
• Enmity between the nation that believes in God (Israel) and other nations
• Ultimately while Satan will nip at man's heels causing him to stumble (see Hebrews), the last man, Jesus, would crush him


Genesis 3:16 (ESV) —
16 To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be contrary to your husband,
but he shall rule over you.”


• What is the punishment for the woman?
• Pain in childbirth
• Some have suggested pain as a result of childbirth (you suffer for your children your whole life)
• The sentence of the woman (Gen 3:16) consists of three parts: the former two regard her as a mother, the last as a wife. Sorrow is to be multiplied in her pregnancy, and is also to accompany the bearing of children. This sorrow seems to extend to all the mother's pains and anxieties concerning her offspring. With what solicitude she would long for a manifestation of right feeling toward the merciful God in her children, similar to what she had experienced in her own breast! What unutterable bitterness of spirit would she feel when the fruits of disobedience would discover themselves in her little ones, and in some of them, perhaps, gather strength from year to year! (from Barnes' Notes, Electronic Database Copyright © 1997, 2003, 2005, 2006 by Biblesoft, Inc. All rights reserved.)
• There are some issues around the relationship with the man (see Constable 3 views)
• Some suggest an almost morbid attachment to a man
• Also, while being under the authority of a man, she will try to exert her rulership
• Basically, submission will be a major problem between husband and wife (from both sides)


Genesis 3:17–19 (ESV) —
17 And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you shall return.”


• What is the reason for Adam's punishment?
• His lack of leadership
• It is not that he listened to his wife -- read carefully the statement -- it is because he listened to his wife to disobey God
• What is the punishment for man?
• The ground is cursed
• Work will have weeds (it will be frustrating)
• Work will involve sweat (it will be hard and time-consuming)
• Work is necessary to survive (it loses some of the joy of the original creation)
• There is overlap between the man and woman
• Both will suffer to see their children make wrong choices
• Both will sweat and struggle to survive
• Both will spiritually and physically die (unless they have faith)
• APPLICATION:
• Don't play with the words of God to justify sin. Don't blame others for your own sin. Repent immediately and always


Genesis 3:20–24 (ESV) —
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.


• The final punishment?
• Man cannot eat of the tree of life and live forever
• We were designed to live forever in our physical bodies
• This is why I wonder if our eternal bodies will also need the tree of life or will it just be those with physical bodies
• Verse 22 (and the whole of the chapter) shows that man’s happiness (good) does not consist in his being like God as much as it depends on his being with God (cf. Ps. 16:11).221 “Like one of us” may mean like heavenly beings (God and the angels; cf. 1:26). (Wenham -- Constable, T. (2003). Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Ge 3:22). Galaxie Software.)