Genesis Part 1 - Week 8

Day 1 

READ 

Genesis 3:16 

16 Then he said to the woman, “I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you.” 

After God placed a curse on Satan, the serpent, He pronounced a curse on the woman. Her pain in child birth would be increased. There would also be strife between the woman and her husband. She would want to control him, and he would want to control her. Such conflict had not been evident up to this point.  

REFLECT 

No one need question whether these curses pronounced by God on the woman are evident today.  

RESPOND 

Even though strife came between husband and wife, see Ephesians 5:21-33 for what God’s plan is for them. The last verse seems to summarize the other verses. 

Day 2 

READ 

Genesis 3:17-19 

17 And to the man he said, “Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree 

whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. 18 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains. 19 By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return.” 

God also pronounced a curse on the man. Previously he may have been able to gain his needs by a productive ground, but now it is cursed. This means both the man and ground were cursed. The man would find it hard to meet his needs because the ground would be less productive. Man would have this struggle throughout his life ending in his death and returning to dust.  

REFLECT 

Think how actions have consequences and how serious those might be.  

RESPOND 

Regardless of how a person’s body decays after death, a believer in Jesus can be assured of what Jesus said as recorded in John 11:25. The inner person goes to be with Jesus and waits for the body to be raised from the dead as mentioned in 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. 

Day 3 

READ 

Genesis 3:20-21 

20 Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live. 21 And the Lord God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife. 

“Adam” is a name that refers to “man.” He had named all the animals, and now he named his wife “Eve.” Somehow this name related to that of giving life. The Lord God sacrificed some animals to make skins for Adam and Eve. Some see this as a foreshadowing that Jesus would someday give His life for the sins of mankind.  

REFLECT 

Think about Adam and Eve not having a problem with their nakedness before their sin. They sewed fig leaves together afterwards to cover themselves and now God provided the skins of animals to cover them. 

RESPOND 

Modesty seems to be what people naturally desire, and even God provided coverings for the first couple. Those who think they know better than God wish to be gods themselves to decide what is right and wrong. Someday each person will face God to give account.  

Day 4 

READ 

Genesis 3:22-23 

22 Then the Lord God said, “Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!” 23 So the Lord God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made. 

The fact that Adam and Eve now knew evil is seen by the fact they wanted to cover themselves after they sinned. They had disobeyed God’s command not to eat the forbidden fruit and were ashamed of what they had done. God did not want them to eat of the tree of life and live forever in their sinful condition. He shut them out of the Garden of Eden and sent Adam out to cultivate the ground. 

REFLECT 

Sometimes what God does is because of His mercy, not because He is uncaring. 

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about what is sometimes called “The Sinner’s Prayer.” This is from the tax collector who prayed for God to be satisfied, or merciful, for his sins (see Luke 18:13). He prayed that prayer before Jesus died on the cross. Now such a person can be told that God has been merciful for his sins. He sent His Son to die for them. Now what is needed is for the person to believe in Jesus for salvation. 

Day 5 

READ 

Genesis 3:24 

24 After sending them out, the Lord God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. 

God knew He could not trust mankind to stay out of the Garden of Eden. A flaming sword was placed there to “guard the way to the tree of life.” It had to be guarded so people would not eat from it and live forever in their sinful condition. Remember that Adam and Eve had been told to be fruitful and multiply so there could be descendants that needed to stay away from this tree as well as Adam and Eve (see Genesis 1:27-28). 

REFLECT 

Think about the children that could have been born to Adam and Eve although the Bible does not mention them at this time. Even later when some are mentioned, it does not mean there were not others.  

RESPOND 

Talk with a friend about the Bible not referring to everyone on earth. There is a theme being followed and only those individuals important to the theme are mentioned. That theme is the story of creation and man’s fall into sin and God’s provision for lost mankind.