Good News Part 2

Good News! 

Part 2 

The Choice 

In the first part of this study, we began where the Scriptures begin: with the Almighty Creator. We saw that YHWH Elohim created the heavens and the earth, made mankind in His image, and placed Adam and Eve in a world that reflected His goodness. Life, fellowship, purpose, and peace were His design from the beginning. 

Yet in the midst of the garden stood one tree that reminded mankind that the Eternal Creator alone determines what is good. It is here that the narrative changes, and where we encounter the first significant choice recorded in Scripture. 

(Gen 3:1 [TS2009]) 

And the naḥash was more crafty than all the lives of the field which יהוה Elohim had made, and he said to the woman, “Is it true that Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of every tree of the garden’?” (Footnote: Naḥash. Traditionally rendered the “serpent”).  

(Gen 3:2 [TS2009]) 

And the woman said to the naḥash, “We are to eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, 

(Gen 3:3 [TS2009]) 

but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, Elohim has said, ‘Do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest you die.’ ” 

(Gen 3:4 [TS2009]) 

And the naḥash said to the woman, “You shall certainly not die. 

(Gen 3:5 [TS2009]) 

“For Elohim knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like Elohim, knowing good and evil.” 

(Gen 3:6 [TS2009]) 

And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, and she took of its fruit and ate. And she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 

(Gen 3:7 [TS2009]) 

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made loin coverings for themselves. 

Upon reading these verses, I find it interesting that we see that YHWH Elohim had given a commandment, “do not eat of the knowledge of good and evil”, and now the nahash (or serpent) is questioning Eve, “is it true that Elohim has said?” The first thing that comes to my mind is the following verse:  

(1John 4:1 [TS2009]) 

Beloved ones, do not believe every spirit, but prove the spirits, whether they are of Elohim, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 

So, we have two voices. One is the voice of our Almighty Creator, and the other is that of the serpent. Who will Eve trust? Another question we might ask ourselves is this; who will we trust? It is evident in this case that Eve knew the command. This wasn’t a case of ignorance. It was who she was trusting.  

What did Eve see? She saw a “tree that was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise”. It didn’t appear evil. But what can we discern from this in our own life? That evil can look appealing.  

One of the difficulties with the English word evil is that we often picture something obviously wicked or horrifying. Yet the temptation in Eden looked nothing like that. The fruit was "good for food," "pleasant to the eyes," and "desirable to make one wise." Nothing about it appeared destructive. 

Throughout the Scriptures, evil is not merely what appears unpleasant or shocking. Evil is that which stands opposed to the will and character of the Creator. In the garden, the act itself seemed attractive, but it required Adam and Eve to reject the word that YHWH had spoken. That is what made it evil. 

(Gen 3:8 [TS2009]) 

And they heard the voice of יהוה Elohim walking about in the garden in the cool of the day, and Aḏam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of יהוה Elohim among the trees of the garden. 

(Gen 3:9 [TS2009]) 

And יהוה Elohim called unto Aḏam and said to him, “Where are you?” 

Reading verses 8 and 9 above, I linger on the question that YHWH Elohim asks: "Where are you?" It seems clear that this question was not asked because the Creator lacked information. He knew exactly where Adam was. Rather, it is the loving call of the Creator to those who had hidden themselves from His presence. 

What do we see? Adam and Eve had hidden themselves from the One with whom they had enjoyed perfect fellowship, yet the Creator did not abandon them. He came looking for them. 

What does this reveal about the heart of our Creator? It reveals that even after mankind's rebellion, His first response was not silence or abandonment. He sought those who had wandered from Him. Even amid judgment, we begin to see His mercy. As we continue to read, we will see the consequences of the choices made by the first man and woman.  

(Gen 3:10 [TS2009]) 

And he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.” 

 (Gen 3:11 [TS2009]) 

And He said, “Who made you know that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” 

(Gen 3:12 [TS2009]) 

And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I ate.” 

 (Gen 3:13 [TS2009]) 

And יהוה Elohim said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The naḥash deceived me, and I ate.” 

One thing that immediately stands out in these verses is that no one accepts responsibility for his or her own actions. Adam blames the woman, the woman blames the naḥash, and no one simply says, "I sinned." How familiar is this to the human heart?. Even today, we often look for someone or something else to blame rather than humbly acknowledging our own trespasses before the Creator. 

(Gen 3:14 [TS2009]) 

And יהוה Elohim said to the naḥash, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you are to go, and eat dust all the days of your life. 

 (Gen 3:15 [TS2009]) 

“And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel.”  

(Gen 3:16 [TS2009]) 

To the woman He said, “I greatly increase your sorrow and your conception – bring forth children in pain. And your desire is for your husband, and he does rule over you.” 

(Gen 3:17 [TS2009]) 

And to the man He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, saying, ‘Do not eat of it’: “Cursed is the ground because of you, in toil you are to eat of it all the days of your life, 

(Gen 3:18 [TS2009]) 

and the ground shall bring forth thorns and thistles for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. 

(Gen 3:19 [TS2009]) 

“By the sweat of your face you are to eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are, and to dust you return.” 

(Gen 3:20 [TS2009]) 

And the man called his wife’s name Ḥawwah, because she became the mother of all living. 

In verse 14, the text describes the curse that YHWH Elohim places upon the nahash, and in verse 17, the ground is cursed because of Adam, but neither he nor Hawwah (Eve) are cursed. Certainly, they experience severe consequences for their disobedience, but the text does not explicitly say that Adam or Hawwah are cursed. Rather, the naḥash is cursed, and the ground is cursed because of Adam. That distinction is worth noticing. 

Then, amid judgment, something unexpected happens. Before Adam and Hawwah are driven from the garden, YHWH Elohim speaks words of hope. 

(Gen 3:14 [TS2009]) 

And יהוה Elohim said to the naḥash, “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all livestock and more than every beast of the field. On your belly you are to go, and eat dust all the days of your life. 

(Gen 3:15 [TS2009]) 

"And I put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed. He shall crush your head, and you shall crush His heel." 

At the very least, this is a promise that the serpent's victory would not be final. Although mankind had fallen into sin, YHWH Elohim declared that evil would not triumph forever. A Deliverer would come. The conflict begun in the garden would one day reach its conclusion, and the serpent's power would ultimately be broken. 

For this reason, many believers throughout history have understood this verse to be the first promise of redemption recorded in the Scriptures. The Good News did not begin in Bethlehem. Its first rays of hope shine forth here, in the Garden of Eden, immediately after mankind's rebellion. Yet the Creator's mercy does not stop with a promise. 

(Gen 3:21 [TS2009]) 

"And יהוה Elohim made coats of skin for the man and his wife and dressed them." 

Adam and Hawwah attempted to cover themselves with fig leaves, but their own covering proved insufficient. The Creator Himself provided what they could not provide for themselves.

The Scriptures do not tell us every detail surrounding these garments, nor should we claim more than the text reveals. But what the text does reveal is beautiful. The same Creator who pronounced judgment also provided a covering. He did not abandon the man and the woman to their shame. Even as they left the garden, they did so clothed by His provision.

This is the pattern we will see repeated throughout the Scriptures. Humanity rebels. The Creator calls. Humanity falls short. The Creator provides. Repeatedly, Almighty YHWH demonstrates that His desire is not destruction but redemption, not abandonment but restoration.

Genesis Chapter 3 closes with mankind outside the garden, separated from the Tree of Life, bearing the consequences of sin. Yet it also closes with hope. The Creator has spoken a promise, provided a covering, and begun revealing His plan to redeem what had been lost. That is the beginning of the Good News.

In the next part of this study, we will follow Adam and Hawwah beyond the Garden of Eden and discover what happened to mankind after the fall. Did humanity learn from its rebellion, or did the world continue down its own path? As we trace the generations that followed, we will see both the increasing consequences of sin and the unwavering faithfulness of YHWH Elohim. Though mankind repeatedly turned away from Him, the promise spoken in Eden remained. The story of redemption has only just begun.