Genesis 3:1-13
Questions in the Garden
1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”
2The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden,
3but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’”
4“You will not surely die,” the serpent told the woman.
5“For God knows that in the day you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
7And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.
8Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9But the LORD God called out to the man, “Where are you?”
10“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
11“Who told you that you were naked?” asked the LORD God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
12And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
Berean Standard Bible
The serpent begins with a question. God had given the man and woman freedom to eat from the trees of the garden, with one clear boundary around the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The serpent does not begin by denying everything God has said. It makes the command sound uncertain: Did God really say that?
The woman answers that they may eat from the trees, but they must not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden or touch it, or they will die. The serpent contradicts God's warning and suggests that the fruit will open their eyes and make them like God, knowing good and evil. The woman sees that the tree is good for food, pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom. She eats and gives some to her husband, who is with her, and he eats too.
Their eyes are opened, but the result is not the freedom they imagined. They see that they are naked, sew fig leaves together, and hide when they hear God moving through the garden. God calls for the man and asks where he is. The man says he was afraid because he was naked. When God asks how he knows this and whether he has eaten from the forbidden tree, the man points to the woman, and the woman points to the serpent.
The story shows how temptation can begin by making a trustworthy word sound untrustworthy. It also shows that hiding and blame do not repair what has been broken. God comes looking for the people, and his questions bring the truth into the open.
Questions
1 What boundary had God given the man and woman?
AnswerThey could eat from the garden's trees except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
2 How did the serpent challenge God's word?
AnswerIt questioned the command and denied that disobedience would bring death.
3 What did the man and woman do after eating?
AnswerThey realized they were naked, made coverings, and hid from God.
4 How did they respond when God questioned them?
AnswerThe man blamed the woman, and the woman blamed the serpent.
What This Means for Us
When a voice makes a good boundary sound foolish or cruel, slow down before you follow it. We can ask what was actually said, who benefits from our confusion, and whether we are ready to tell the truth. God is not fooled by hiding, but this scene also shows him coming toward people who have failed. Confession begins when we stop passing the blame and answer honestly.
Prayer
God of truth, help us recognize when a tempting question is pulling us away from your wisdom. Give us courage to obey good boundaries, admit our wrong, and come out of hiding when we have failed. Teach our family to speak honestly and to receive your correction without blaming one another. Amen.