The talking snake slithers onto the scene and starts up a deceiving conversation with Eve and then Adam.

Read Genesis 3:6-11- 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”

What do we see? What are key words that stand out to you?

We see the fall, failure, sin which leads to running away from God and running away from one another, hiding, and shame. Scot McKnight in his God’s Story Commentary shares it this way. “That harmony was fractured by their rebellion against God, and thus they forfeited a blessed existence. No longer was their relationship with God or with each other or even themselves harmonious.”

Which is where God could have finished the story. He could have said, well, that was quick. It didn’t take long for humanity to walk away from the blessing.

But he didn’t. He pursued us, but it came at a cost. There was consequences to the brokenness, there was judgement that needed to be had to make things right. It was out of grace, that God pursues redemption.

If you jump down to Genesis 3:21-23- 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one ofus, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.

What do we see? What are key words that stand out to you?

We see our first sacrifice, blood covering the wrongs of another, but it was grace that God covered Adam and Eve.

Again, we will get into this more throughout our time. But this is the pattern that we need to see throughout Genesis and the rest of the story. God creates, gives life, blessing, we fall, fail, sin, God redeems, extends grace, redefines our relationship anew, and this is on repeat.

Take a moment to journal around these questions:

Adam and Eve wanted to decide for themselves what was good and evil. In what areas are you tempted to define good and evil by your own standards rather than God's?

What are the consequences you've experienced when you've chosen your way over God's way?

Write down areas where you're trying to define good and evil for yourself. Pray and ask God to reveal His perspective on these areas