A Journey Thru Genesis

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:1a . . Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which
the Lord God had made.

Probably no other creature in the Bible provokes so much skepticism as the
Serpent. It just smacks of mythology.

But this particular serpent was no ordinary reptile. It was indeed a remarkable
creature. Not only was it capable of language, and able to communicate on a very
sophisticated level with human beings, but it had an exceptional IQ too. It grasped
the significance of a supreme being, and totally understood the workings of human
nature and the human mind. No mere animal is capable of that degree of insight,
cognition, and communication.

The final book in the New Testament confirms the Serpent's true identity, and it is
none other than the dark spirit being well known to everyone as the Devil and
Satan. (Rev 20:1-3).

According to Christ, Mr. Serpent was in the world from the very beginning; and his
stock in trade was murder and deception right from the get go. (John 8:44)

Since Rev 20:1-3 has not yet come to pass, then the Serpent remains at large and
very active in today's modern world. It is highly skilled at mental suggestions:
secretly guiding mankind along a road to self destruction. It is the source of much
of the world's political tensions, and certainly the impetus behind all large scale
anti-Semitic agendas.

I have never seen the Serpent myself; nor would I care to. But I know from Matt
4:1-11 that Christ saw it, and spoke with it. From that passage it's obvious that the
Serpent is capable of human speech, understands human needs and weaknesses,
believes in the existence of God, understands the concept of worship, a master of
sophistry, understands the Bible, and understands the advantages of manipulating
human minds, and world power.

The Serpent certainly wasn't squeamish about tempting the Son of God to sin; so it
should come as no surprise that it wouldn't hesitate to entice a little nobody like
Eve. But Eve was extremely strategic; she was the high ground in the battle for
men's minds, because Eve was destined to be the mother of all subsequent human
beings. If the Serpent could get to the root of humanity, it would surely gain control
over the entire human race; and it did. (Eph 2:1-3)

The Serpent seems possessed with a strange, criminal mentality: beyond
comprehension. But then, so are pedophiles, serial killers, unabombers, ISIS
extremists, terrorists, and men like Son of Sam, Ted Bundy, Paul Bernardo, Karla
Homolka, Ted Kaczynski, and Jack the Ripper. Those kinds of criminals are
prisoners of dark minds clouded with anti-social inclinations. The Serpent, though
surely an incredible genius; is nonetheless an evil genius; not unlike the nefarious
masterminds in action comics.

Psychopaths are a cunning breed of predators who lack empathy, remorse, and
impulse control; readily violating social rules and exploiting others to get what they
want. Curiously, psychopaths are often so charming and manipulative that they are
well-concealed behind a mask of normalcy sometimes for years and even their
entire lives.

But the origin of the Serpent's twisted mind is really puzzling. How did it get that
way? Was it a birth defect? Did it bump its head?

I don't know; but one thing is for sure though: the Serpent's fondness for deceit is
living proof that angels are not mindless robots created to obey the will of God
without thought or question. No; they too have a mind of their own, and the
freedom of choice between good and evil-- the very same choices that Man is at
liberty to exercise. Satan chose poorly, and his human counterparts oftentimes do
too.

The event recorded in this third chapter is a bit of an enigma. The reason being that
not only can God see the future as if watching a video recording, but He's also fully
capable of manipulating it. In other words; the event in this chapter wasn't
unexpected; and God could have, had He wished, easily prevented it.

People get upset with the all-powerful loving God for not stepping in and preventing
the so-called fall of man. But they need to remember that humanity wasn't created
to be the subject of domestication and animal husbandry-- i.e. beasts --no, people
were created in the image and likeness of God, and given complete dominion over
the entire Earth. In that capacity humanity is at liberty to manage its own affairs as
if it were a divine sovereign. (Gen 1:26, Gen 1:28, and Ps 82:6)

Besides; does anybody really want to live in a micro-managed Big Brother society?
I don't think so. But that's the logic behind just about every product liability
lawsuit. Rather than taking the bull by the horns and doing something to cure
humanity's propensity to destroy itself, product liability lawsuits go after suppliers
who provide the means.

God gave humanity the liberty to build itself up and/or tear itself down; and
actually, that's the way many of us prefer it because we want to be our own guiding
lights rather than have I-know-what's-best-for-you fanatics manage our lives for us
without our consent.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:1b . . He said to the woman,

A characteristic of Eden's world was not only a lack of human death, but also a lack
of fear. Man feared neither himself, nor the other creatures, nor the dark, nor the
boogie man.

The woman displayed no recorded astonishment whatsoever when the Serpent
spoke to her; which suggests it had associated with the Adams on other occasions
before this incident; and possibly had become a close family friend. Before making
its move to wreck their life, the Serpent more than likely spent some time in
advance nurturing a rapport with the Adams so the woman would have no cause for
alarm when it approached; and would. therefore not suspect its intentions.

That's actually a pretty effective sales approach. Many years ago I sold vacuum
cleaners for a little while. I was trained to engage potential customers in chit-chat,
a.k.a. small talk, to break the ice and get them to let their guards down. In other
words; to build some trust before I got down to the predatory business of talking
them into buying something expensive that they could easily get by without.

Being an innocent who had never been exposed to evil, the woman would certainly
never suspect one of God's creatures to be anything but honest and truthful. Up to
this point, Eve wasn't even aware that something called dishonesty existed. And
actually, she didn't even know what honesty was either because nobody had taught
her anything about it yet.

• Gen 3:1c . . Did God really say: You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?

Why didn't the Serpent attempt to trick the male before turning to Eve? Well, Adam
was a tougher nut to crack because he got his intel straight from the horse's
mouth. But the woman quite possibly was instructed second hand, in conversations
with her husband; who was, in effect, her personal rabbi. So it would be fairly easy
to convince Eve that maybe she didn't hear her husband correctly; or worse; that
he didn't know what he was talking about. I mean: isn't there more than one way
to interpret the Bible? How do you know your way is the right way?

Of course it was ridiculous to suggest the humans were forbidden to eat of "any"
tree. But the Serpent was slowly sneaking up on the woman with subtle
suggestions. Probing for weak points, the Serpent tested her understanding of
God's instructions by asking a question that she should have been able to answer
with relative ease. In response; the woman bounced right back and quoted God like
a pro (or so she thought).

• Gen 3:2-3 . . The woman replied to the serpent: We may eat of the fruit of the
other trees of the garden. It is only about fruit of the tree in the middle of the
garden that God said: You shall not eat of it or touch it, lest you die.

Is that really what God said? No, that's not what God said. He forbad their eating
the fruit, yes; but said nothing about touching it. (Gen 2:16-17)

Eve failed to repeat what God said, rather, she interpreted what He said.
Apparently, in her mind's eye, the ban on eating the fruit implied not touching it.
Consequently; Eve's humanistic reasoning put a spin on God's instructions so that
instead of following them to the letter, the woman revised them to mean something
that God didn't actually say.

Eve fell prey to a very human weakness-- not only of revising God, but of a
tendency to embellish the laws of God and make them more cumbersome and more
strict than they really are.

Revisions in the form of interpretations change the meanings of God's sayings and
inevitably leads people into error. While often containing a kernel of truth, revisions
are nevertheless not pure truth, rather, amalgams of truth and human error that
falsify God's teachings and direct people off in the wrong direction; leading them to
believe, and to repeat, things that aren't true.

Revisions are also very useful for manipulating people to favor the Serpent's wishes
rather than their creator's. Thus, without their knowing it, they fall in line and
become the Serpent's sheep instead of Christ's.

• Gen 3:4 . . And the serpent said to the woman: You are not going to die,

Having already tested the woman's understanding of God's instructions, and found
it in error, the Serpent was encouraged to push on and attempt to influence her
thinking a bit more.

Hence, we have the beginnings of what's known as deceptive ambiguity. In other
words; the Serpent's statement can be understood in more ways than one. Without
an explanation, Eve was left to her own imagination as to what he meant. But it
likely never occurred to her to ask for clarification.

The Serpent was somehow aware that Eve wouldn't drop dead to the floor from
eating the forbidden fruit; that much of his statement was true. But it was a half
truth rather than the whole truth. What he didn't tell Eve was that death via the
fruit would come to her by means of Adam eating it rather than her own eating.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:5 . . God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened,
and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.

If someone presented you with an opportunity to bring your mind up to the level of
God's intelligence, and you didn't know any better, wouldn't you take it? I think so.

The thing to note is that the Serpent's prediction wasn't altogether untrue. In time
their eyes were opened and they became conscious of good and evil (Gen 3:7 and
Gen 3:22) but as upcoming events will reveal, his prediction was a half-truth; viz:
their consciousness of good and evil was natural, i.e. human rather than divine.

Anyway: the Serpent insinuated that their creator was withholding the tree, not
because it was poisonous or anything like that; but to keep the humans in check:
much in the way that some of the world's despots utilize illiteracy, control of radio
and television programming, restricted contact with foreigners, and limited internet
access to keep their citizens subdued.

In effect, the Serpent was saying that God got His wisdom from that very same
tree and that's why He didn't want to share the fruit with them; because then they
might become savvy enough to go out on their own without depending so much
upon their maker.

In her defense; the woman was inexperienced, and certainly no match for the
Serpent's cunning nor his powers of persuasion. But her defeat wasn't inevitable.
She could have easily resisted the Serpent by simply sticking to her guns and
parroting God's instructions over and over again until the Serpent got disgusted
and gave up. She also could've talked the matter over with her husband before
deciding what to do. But no, she dropped God's instructions early on and left her
husband out of it; thus laying the groundwork for the utter ruin of her own
posterity.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:6a . . When the woman saw that the tree was good for eating

By watching what birds and animals eat, people can often tell what's safe for
human consumption. That's not always true of course, but it's a pretty good rule of
thumb. So the woman could safely assume the tree wasn't poisonous if there
wasn't a growing pile of sick and/or dead critters at the base of the tree.

• Gen 3:6b . . and a delight to the eyes,

Most fruits and vegetables are appealing-- just look at bananas and pears and
apples and oranges and watermelon and cantaloupe and grapes and carrots, and
radishes, and plums and mangoes and strawberries and whatever. God doubtless
made them that way so Man could not only nourish himself, but also enjoy his food;
viz: not only eat because he has to, but also because he'd like to.

• Gen 3:6c . . and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom,

The Hebrew word for "wisdom" is sakal (saw-kal') which essentially means
circumspect, i.e. sensible; which Webster's defines as careful to consider all
circumstances and possible consequences, viz: prudence.

People with a high degree of circumspection make fewer mistakes in life while those
of us with a low degree oftentimes fail to do, say, or decide what's best.

Sakal shows up no less than thirteen times in the book of Proverbs alone, and is
always depicted as desirable; so it's not like Eve was wanting something that was
eo ipso bad for her.

Anyway, Eve probably figured that a fruit as attractive to the eye, and appealing to
one's mind, as that of the forbidden tree couldn't possibly be as bad as God led
them to believe. I mean, if it at least had some sharp needles like cactus pears, or
maybe a prickly surface like a pineapple, then it would at least have been a bit
intimidating; but the forbidden fruit was nothing like that; no, it looked very
benevolent.

NOTE: Ironically, Eve's first step towards obtaining wisdom was to do something
really stupid.

• Gen 3:6d . . she took of its fruit and ate.

The important thing to note at this point, is that Eve was unaffected by the fruit:
she experienced no ill side effects and went right on naked as usual; feeling no
shame about it whatsoever.

• Gen 3:6e . . She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.

Did Eve first deftly dice the fruit and camouflage it in a tasty parfait so her husband
wouldn't know what he was eating? No; according to 1Tim 2:14 Adam went into it
with eyes wide open.

I have to wonder why the husband followed his wife's lead and did something he
knew full well to be breaking God's edict and putting himself at risk of death.
Genesis doesn't reveal why Adam chose to eat the fruit. I suppose he had his
reasons, but apparently God didn't think they were sufficient to excuse the man's
defiance.

But I think Adam was cautious at first, and kept a wary eye on Eve for some time
waiting to see if she would get sick; and when she didn't, he surely had to wonder if
maybe he misunderstood God.

I think most husbands would sympathize with Adam. I mean: he was told by a
supposedly competent source that the forbidden tree was unfit for human
consumption. But here's your wife sitting right beside you happily munching away
and she's still healthy, lucid, and exhibiting no ill side effects. How is a reasonable
man supposed to argue with empirical evidence as good as that?
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:7 . .Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they perceived that
they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves and made themselves
loincloths.

Adam was warned that he would lose immortality by tasting the forbidden fruit, but
it appears he wasn't warned about this new perception of themselves; at least not
on record. If we can safely read between the lines, then we may assume that he
and God discussed this issue during one of their daily meetings. And again, the
prophets didn't record everything they knew. For example; prophecy predicted that
Jesus would be called a Nazarene (Matt 2:19-23) but good luck finding that in the
Old Testament because it isn't there.

It's believed by a pretty large percentage of Christians that the so-called fallen
nature is inherited from one's parents; specifically one's biological father. However;
God constructed Eve with material taken from Adam's body prior to the forbidden
fruit incident. Since he tasted the fruit after she was born; then it was impossible
for Adam to pass the so-called fallen nature to Eve by means of his body.

In the past, I was sure that the chemistry of the forbidden fruit had something to
do with their new state of mind; but now I seriously doubt it because Eve was the
first to eat it, and when she did, nothing happened. She remained shameless and
went about in the buff as usual; Eve's self awareness was unchanged, and her
feelings about the human body remained the same. It wasn't till Adam tasted the
fruit that something altered Eve's conscience; so I'm pretty sure that the underlying
cause is far more serious than the chemistry of that fruit.

Ruling out the fruit; we're left with two alternatives: either God did it to them or the
Serpent did it. My money is on the Serpent, a.k.a. the Devil (Rev 20:2)

He has the power of death (Heb 2:14) and the ability to tamper with the human
body and the human mind in ways not easily detected; e.g. Luke 13:16, Mark 5:1
5, and Eph 2:2.

The Serpent was apparently all set and ready to wield his power the moment that
Adam crossed the line and ate that fruit. It amazes me how quickly it worked. As
soon as Adam tasted the fruit, they immediately set to work with the fig leaves.

FAQ: Why wasn't Eve effected by the Serpent's power of death when she tasted the
forbidden fruit?

A: It was apparently God's decision that if sin and death were to come into the
world, it would come via a male's actions just as life and righteousness would later
be offered to the world via a male's actions. (Rom 5:12-21)

FAQ: When does the Serpent do his lethal work on people. . . in the womb or out of
the womb?

A: Adam and Eve demonstrate that it can be done on adults, but I'm guessing that
for most of us it's in the womb. (Ps 51:5)

In conclusion: even if Joseph had been baby Jesus' end-game biological father, the
child wouldn't have necessarily been born with the so-called fallen nature because
it's not passed on by one's biological father nor by one's biological mother. It's
obtained from humanity's other father; the Serpent-- ergo: protecting baby Jesus
from the so-called fallen nature was just a simple matter of keeping the Serpent's
paws off him.

"He has no hold on me" (John 14:30)

NOTE: "Serpent" is certainly an appropriate name for the Devil seeing as how
snakes are typically portrayed in scripture as poisonous; for example Num 21:5-9.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:8a . . They heard the voice of the Lord God moving about in the garden at
the breezy time of day;

The Hebrew word for "voice" is somewhat ambiguous. It can not only indicate a
vocal sound, but lots of other kinds of noises too; e.g. horns, crackling, snapping,
cackling, bleating, tweeting, roaring, whooshing, swishing, hissing, barking,
thudding, whistling, and booming, et al.

• Gen 3:8b-9 . . and the man and his wife hid from Yhvh God among the trees of
the garden. Yhvh God called out to the man and said to him: Where are you?

Since God is omniscient, "where are you" can be taken to mean: Adam; come out,
come out, wherever you are!

• Gen 3:10 . . He replied: I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid
because I was naked, so I hid.

Adam wasn't totally disrobed; just partially. But even that degree of undress lacked
adequate propriety to his newly acquired sense of right and wrong. But the thing to
note is Adam's unease in the presence of God while lacking what he thought in his
own mind to be appropriate clothing.

This incident tells me that even the most seasoned exotic dancer, normally
comfortable disrobed in a room of leering men, would probably want to put
something on should God come thru the door and take a seat around the dance
floor. (cf. John 21:7)

• Gen 3:11 . .Then He asked: Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of
the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?

In other words: who said undress is indecent? Where'd you get that idea?

Well; nobody had said undress is indecent, nor even suggested that it's indecent--
the concept of a dress code was unheard of at that time. No; they just "felt" it's
indecent. In other words; it was their new perception of right and wrong telling
them that undress is indecent. Unfortunately, their newly acquired moral compass
was unreliable; the reason being they didn't get it from God.

• Gen 3:12 . .The man said: The woman You put at my side-- she gave me of the
tree, and I ate.

Adam attempted to get himself off the hook by accusing God of entrapment.

Like: "This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't imposed that female upon me. Did
I ask for a wife? NO! And what kind of person is this woman you gave me anyway?
She has managed to ruin my life in very short order. Is this your concept of the
perfect companion for a man?"
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:13 . . And Yhvh God said to the woman: What is this you have done? The
woman replied: The serpent duped me, and I ate.

That's a very popular excuse even still today; like when it turned out that Iraq
didn't have any weapons of mass destruction to justify an invasion; President Bush
said he was given some bad information.

The first couple exhibited early-on a very common aspect of human nature of which
all of us are so familiar-- blaming others for the way we act. I once worked in a
boatyard with a very hot tempered man. Previous to his employment with us, we
had another with just about the same temperament who quit right before the
second one signed on. Some time later, the new guy got irate about something or
other and said: Now I know why that other guy was difficult. You made him that
way. (chuckle) Wasn't that a perfectly natural excuse?

I dated a girl like that once. When I pointed out one day that she was behaving
peevishly; she retorted: "I'm only responding to you". (chuckle) Ms. Peevish
employed the age-old excuse of blaming someone else for the way she acted when
really the blame was just simply her own lack of self-control; which can be roughly
defined as inadequate restraint exercised over one's own impulses, emotions,
and/or desires.

• Gen 3:14a . .Then the Lord God said to the serpent:

A marked departure in procedure is very evident here. God gave the humans an
opportunity to defend themselves; but not so with Mr. Serpent. On the page of
scripture, the trial phase was skipped and proceedings went straight to the
sentencing stage just like Osama Bin Laden's assassination. It's almost as if the
Serpent had already discussed with God how it planned to turn the humans against
Him; like when it later moved against Job.

One thing for sure about the Serpent; it is an utterly condemned individual.
Repentance is out of the question and definitely NOT an option. Its destiny was
determined long, long ago.

"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand: Depart from me, ye cursed,
into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels" (Matt 25:41)

The apostle John saw the Serpent's fate; like a video clip from the future.

"And the Devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, and
shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever." (Rev 20:10)

It is only too obvious that the Serpent crossed over a line somewhere in the past
and now there is no going back. Humanity is redeemable; but the Serpent is
beyond hope. The scary part is: the Serpent is not only doomed, but busy making
every effort to take as many people down with it as possible-- like a disgruntled
postal worker coming in one day and cutting loose on everybody with a shotgun.

• Gen 3:14b . . Because you did this, more cursed shall you be than all cattle and
all the wild beasts:

The Hebrew word for "curse" is from 'arar (aw-rar') which means: to execrate.
Webster's defines execrate as: to declare to be evil or detestable; viz: denounce.
Synonyms listed for execrate are: hate, abhor, abominate, detest, and loathe.
When the Bible's God has those kinds of feelings for someone; they are really in
trouble.

But what really caught my attention is that God implied cattle and beasts would be
cursed too. Up ahead we'll see that even the soil would be cursed. In other words:
Adam's progeny would never live on the planet as it was when their ancient
grandparents were created. We today exist on a cursed world.

In point of fact, an article in the January 15 edition of Scientific American magazine
said: "Earth is past its prime and the biosphere is nearing its end. All things
considered, our planet is only marginally habitable."

The third chapter began by stating that the Serpent was more cunning than any of
the beasts of the field, a creature that began with a level of dignity way over and
beyond the land animals; but fell to a position of esteem far below them because of
what it did to the Adams family. In other words, the Serpent is now lower than the
lowest thing on the face of the earth.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:14c . . On your belly shall you crawl and dirt shall you eat all the days of
your life.

Ancient Jews thought maybe the Serpent was originally equipped with feet.

T. Upon thy belly thou shalt go, and thy feet shall be cut off, and thy skin thou shalt
cast away once in seven years; and the poison of death shall be in thy mouth, and
dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. (Targum Jonathan)

It's probably best to interpret Gen 3:14c as poetic language because I have never
seen, nor yet heard of, a species of snake that eats soil for its food. True, snakes
crawl on their bellies; but they probably always did; because that's the way they're
designed. Some snakes live in trees and others live in water. Those kinds don't
spend a whole lot of time on the ground so not all snakes are alike. I really don't
think snakes crawl because they were condemned to crawl. Nor was every species
of snake condemned; just the one snake in verse 14.

A person who crawls and eats dirt is typically someone held in very low regard; in
other words: a worm. And "all the days of your life" is saying that God's low opinion
of the Serpent will never be rescinded.

Serpents will eat dirt in the kingdom of God; possibly as a perpetual reminder of
Man's first great mistake.

"The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and the serpent's food shall be earth." (Isa 65:25)

Today, snakes don't eat earth, they eat prey. How serpents will survive on dirt is
unclear, unless their digestive system will be changed to that of a night crawler.

Serpents are never portrayed in the Bible as beneficial to Man. They are always of
the poisonous variety and a serious threat to Man's health and well being. That will
all be different in the kingdom of God.

"A babe shall play over a viper's hole, and an infant pass his hand over an adder's
den. In all of My sacred mount nothing evil or vile shall be done; for the land shall
be filled with devotion to the Lord as water covers the sea. In that day, the stock of
Jesse that has remained standing shall become a standard to peoples-- nations
shall seek his counsel and his abode shall be honored." (Isa 11:8-10)

NOTE: Targums aren't translations; rather, very old Aramaic paraphrases of the
Hebrew bible. They were authoritative, and spoken aloud in the synagogues along
with the Hebrew of the Torah and Haftarah readings.

Public readings of the scriptures in ancient synagogues were accompanied by
commentary in Aramaic because that was the spoken language of most Jews in
Israel and Babylonia during the Talmudic era. The normal practice was that after
each verse was read from the sacred Torah scroll, an official commentator known
as the Turgeman, or Meturgeman, would then recite orally an Aramaic explanation;
usually from memory.

Targums were utilized in the synagogues before, during, and after the times of
Christ-- being necessary because many of the Jewish people of that day could not
understand Hebrew.

The major Targums are those that originated in Palestine and those that were
revised in Babylon. Recently a complete manuscript of the Palestinian Targum has
come to light-- Neofiti 1 of the Vatican Library. The best known Babylonian
Targums are those of Onkelos and Jonathan.

Targums are important as evidence for a history of thought among the Jewish
communities in Israel and abroad during Christ's day.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:14c . . On your belly shall you crawl and dirt shall you eat all the days of
your life.

Ancient Jews thought maybe the Serpent was originally equipped with feet.

T. Upon thy belly thou shalt go, and thy feet shall be cut off, and thy skin thou shalt
cast away once in seven years; and the poison of death shall be in thy mouth, and
dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. (Targum Jonathan)

It's probably best to interpret Gen 3:14c as poetic language because I have never
seen, nor yet heard of, a species of snake that eats soil for its food. True, snakes
crawl on their bellies; but they probably always did; because that's the way they're
designed. Some snakes live in trees and others live in water. Those kinds don't
spend a whole lot of time on the ground so not all snakes are alike. I really don't
think snakes crawl because they were condemned to crawl. Nor was every species
of snake condemned; just the one snake in verse 14.

A person who crawls and eats dirt is typically someone held in very low regard; in
other words: a worm. And "all the days of your life" is saying that God's low opinion
of the Serpent will never be rescinded.

Serpents will eat dirt in the kingdom of God; possibly as a perpetual reminder of
Man's first great mistake.

"The wolf and the lamb shall graze together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox,
and the serpent's food shall be earth." (Isa 65:25)

Today, snakes don't eat earth, they eat prey. How serpents will survive on dirt is
unclear, unless their digestive system will be changed to that of a night crawler.

Serpents are never portrayed in the Bible as beneficial to Man. They are always of
the poisonous variety and a serious threat to Man's health and well being. That will
all be different in the kingdom of God.

"A babe shall play over a viper's hole, and an infant pass his hand over an adder's
den. In all of My sacred mount nothing evil or vile shall be done; for the land shall
be filled with devotion to the Lord as water covers the sea. In that day, the stock of
Jesse that has remained standing shall become a standard to peoples-- nations
shall seek his counsel and his abode shall be honored." (Isa 11:8-10)

NOTE: Targums aren't translations; rather, very old Aramaic paraphrases of the
Hebrew bible. They were authoritative, and spoken aloud in the synagogues along
with the Hebrew of the Torah and Haftarah readings.

Public readings of the scriptures in ancient synagogues were accompanied by
commentary in Aramaic because that was the spoken language of most Jews in
Israel and Babylonia during the Talmudic era. The normal practice was that after
each verse was read from the sacred Torah scroll, an official commentator known
as the Turgeman, or Meturgeman, would then recite orally an Aramaic explanation;
usually from memory.

Targums were utilized in the synagogues before, during, and after the times of
Christ-- being necessary because many of the Jewish people of that day could not
understand Hebrew.

The major Targums are those that originated in Palestine and those that were
revised in Babylon. Recently a complete manuscript of the Palestinian Targum has
come to light-- Neofiti 1 of the Vatican Library. The best known Babylonian
Targums are those of Onkelos and Jonathan.

Targums are important as evidence for a history of thought among the Jewish
communities in Israel and abroad during Christ's day.
_

 

[civic]

.
Hello;

For the idly curious, Genesis is a pretty good place to begin poking around in the
Bible. Lots of interesting stuff is there: the origin of the cosmos, Adam and Eve, Cain
and Abel, Noah and the Flood, the Tower of Babel, Abraham, Sarah, Isaac and
Ishmael, Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel, and Joseph's reunion with his brothers.

Not there are Moses vs. Pharaoh and the parting of the Red Sea. That story is in
Exodus; Samson and Delilah are in Judges, David and Goliath are in 1Samuel; and
Ruth and Esther are in books of the Bible named after them.

Back around the turn of the century; I got the daring idea to begin composing a
daily, bite size commentary on the book of Genesis practically verse by verse from
the opening gun to Joseph's coffin in Egypt. It was a clumsy effort at first and drew
a lot of mockery. But I weathered it out, and as time went by, the effort improved.
On just about every forum where I've survived opposition long enough to complete
the whole fifty chapters, Genesis has attracted several thousand views.

As of today's date, I'm 76 years old; and an on-going student of the Bible since
1968 via sermons, seminars, lectures, Sunday school classes, radio Bible programs,
and various authors of a number of Bible-related books. Fifty-two years of Bible
under my belt hasn't made me an authority; but they've at least made me
competent enough to tackle Genesis.

The author of Genesis is currently unknown; but commonly attributed to Moses.
Seeing as he penned Exodus (Mark 12:26) it's conceivable that Moses also penned
Genesis; but in reality, nobody really knows for sure.

Scholars have estimated the date of its writing at around 1450-1410 BC; a mere
3,400± years ago, which is pretty recent in the grand scheme of Earth's geological
history.

Genesis may in fact be the result of several contributors beginning as far back as
Adam himself; who would certainly know more about the creation than anybody,
and who entertained no doubts whatsoever about the existence of an intelligent
designer since he knew the creator Himself like a next door neighbor.

As time went by, others like Seth and Noah would add their own experiences to the
record, and then Abraham his, Isaac his, Jacob his, and finally Judah or one of his
descendants completing the record with Joseph's burial.

Genesis is quoted more than sixty times in the New Testament; and Christ
authenticated its Divine inspiration by referring to it in his own teachings. (e.g. Matt
19:4-6, Matt 24:37-39, Mk 10:4-9, Luke 11:49-51, Luke 17:26 29 & 32, John
7:21-23, John 8:44 and John 8:56)

Pleasant Journey
_

Where is the evidence outside of the bible for Genesis ?

No one was present for creation to give an eyewitness account.

Why waist our time with something you cannot prove ?

 

[Dant01]

.

Why waist our time with something you cannot prove ?

For the same reason that people waste their time with video games, comic
conventions, social networking, crossword puzzles, and Jane Austen book clubs: it's
fun, challenging, amusing, and entertaining.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:15a . . I will put enmity between you and the woman,

The Hebrew word for enmity indicates hostility; i.e. ill will. Never again would the
Serpent be allowed to get chummy with Eve nor would she ever again trust him like
she once did. From now on, the woman would eye the Serpent with suspicion; so
he would have to figure out ways to deceive the humans indirectly rather than one
on-one face to face.

• Gen 3:15b . . And between your offspring and her offspring.

The word for "offspring" is from zera' (zeh'-rah) which is an ambiguous Hebrew
word that technically means seed; but not always the biological kind. It can also
mean a product and/or a result (e.g. Isa 53:10) and also fruit, plant, sowing-time,
and/or progeny and posterity.

To my knowledge, none of Eve's children were virgin-conceived; but even had they
been, those would've still been Adam's children because her body was made with
materials taken from his.

It's pretty much agreed by upon by Christians that Eve's predicted offspring found
its fulfillment in Christ.

"When the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a woman" (Gal 4:4)

• Gen 3:15c . . Hers will pound your head,

"Since then the children share in flesh and blood, He Himself likewise also partook
of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power
of death, that is, the Devil" (Heb 2:14)

• Gen 3:15d . . and yours will bite his heel.

Who were the "yours"? Well, as much as is known; the Devil doesn't reproduce. So
his progeny shouldn't be thought of as biological. Judas Iscariot is certainly a likely
candidate; but in my opinion, he's a red herring.

Romans carried out the dirty business of crucifying Christ, but his own countrymen
are responsible for getting him executed. (Matt 26:3-5, Act 7:52)

Jesus told his Jewish enemies face to face that they were the Serpent's offspring.
(John 8:44)

NOTE: I suggest keeping all of the above under your hat lest by blabbing about it
you get yourself accused of anti-Semitism.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:16a . . And to the woman He said: I will make most severe your pangs in
childbearing;

The Hebrew word for "pangs" is 'itstsabown (its-tsaw-bone') and means:
worrisome-ness. Webster's defines worrisome-ness as: causing distress or worry or
inclined to worry or fret; viz: anxiety, insecurity, and perhaps melancholy.

For many women, the preggers stage of motherhood is often characterized by
bloating, illness, nausea, depression, anxiety, insecurity, and irritability. For them,
pregnancy is more like a curse than the intended blessing of Gen 1:28.

• Gen 3:16b . . in pain shall you bear children.

It's difficult to imagine bearing children without pain because that's the way it's
always been right from the beginning, even with Eve's very first child. Apparently
before Man's fall, having a baby would've caused no more discomfort than doing
one's business in the ladies room-- and just as lacking in danger to mom and
infant.

The thing to note is: this particular punishment was unexpected; viz: it isn't
specifically listed in Gen 2:17 as a consequence for tasting the forbidden fruit.

Something else that's notable is that neither the Serpent nor the tree's chemistry,
played a role in Eve's new circumstances. God said "I will make". In other words;
the physical and emotional unpleasantries associated with bearing children came
about via the hand of God.

There's more.

• Gen 3:16c . .Your desire shall be for your husband,

The Hebrew of that passage is apparently somewhat difficult; not even the great
rabbis Rashi and Ramban were in agreement how best to interpret it. But it appears
to me simply the very first prohibition against adultery and pre-marital intimacy.

Precisely why God waited till this moment to lay down some moral law is a
mystery; but suggests to me that even had they not eaten the forbidden fruit, He
would've gotten around to it; after all, in the beginning, Adam and his wife knew
nothing of right and wrong.

I believe it's reasonable to assume that their association with God would've
eventually included some form of catechism because left to themselves, it would've
been natural for the first couple, in their innocence, to assume it was okay to sleep
with everybody and anybody that opportunity afforded.

And then there's this:

• Gen 3:16d . . and he shall rule over you.

That is probably one of the most hated verses in the book of Genesis. Eve's
daughters do not like to be subjugated to, and/or dominated by, men. It really goes
against their grain; and if the women's suffrage movement that took place in
America's early 1900's were to be thoroughly analyzed, it would not surprise me
that women's right to vote wasn't really a political issue: it was rebellion against
male supremacy; which of course is to be expected in a world gone mad with evil.

The current "strong woman" attitude is no doubt another aspect of that same kind
of rebellion; which in reality is not only a standing up to men, but also a standing
up to God seeing as how Gen 3:16d is a divine requirement rather than human.

My guess is that the purpose of Gen 3:16d is mostly to discourage wives from
making life-changing decisions on their own, independent of their husband's
feelings about it. I mean; if Eve had first consulted with her husband to see what
he thought of the Serpent's discussion before tasting the fruit, things may have
turned out quite differently.
_

 

[TrevorL]

Greetings again Dant01,

But this particular serpent was no ordinary reptile. It was indeed a remarkable creature. Not only was it capable of language, and able to communicate on a very
sophisticated level with human beings, but it had an exceptional IQ too. It grasped the significance of a supreme being, and totally understood the workings of human nature and the human mind. No mere animal is capable of that degree of insight, cognition, and communication.

The final book in the New Testament confirms the Serpent's true identity, and it is none other than the dark spirit being well known to everyone as the Devil and
Satan. (Rev 20:1-3).

I am interested in how you reconcile the idea that the Serpent is the Devil and Satan with the fact that it appears from the sentence upon the Serpent that it would from then on be reduced in its’ ability, moving on its’ belly? It appears that the Serpent of Genesis 3 is still a serpent, not a supernatural creature. Is there one particular serpent today who is the Devil and Satan, and is he limited to crawling on the ground?

Kind regards
Trevor

 

[Dant01]

.

It appears that the Serpent of Genesis 3 is still a serpent, not a supernatural creature.

There's a couple of versions I could name that translate Gen 3:1 similar to this:

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the LORD God
had made."

The word "other" isn't from the actual Hebrew; it's what's called an editorial
insertion, i.e. an interpretation rather than a translation.

That passage is supposed to look like this:

"Now the serpent was more subtle than any wild creature that the LORD God had
made."

So then, the serpent in the 3rd chapter of Genesis wasn't a wild creature, i.e.
wasn't an actual reptile.

I am interested in how you reconcile the idea that the Serpent is the Devil and
Satan with the fact that it appears from the sentence upon the Serpent that it
would from then on be reduced in its’ ability, moving on its’ belly?

The information you seek is located in post No.48
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:17a . .To Adam He said: Because you did as your wife said, and ate of the
tree about which I commanded you; "You shall not eat of it"

A portion of God's gripe with Adam was that he put a subordinate creature's wishes
over and above the wishes of the creature's superior; thus forcing God to compete
for Adam's loyalty; i.e. a rival. Unfortunately, when it comes to choosing between
pleasing women or pleasing God; men all too often sell their souls to the women.
(cf. Luke 14:26)

• Gen 3:17b . . Cursed be the ground because of you

That was unexpected; it isn't specifically listed in Gen 2:17 as a consequence for
tasting the forbidden fruit. It's likely discipline relative to Adam's throwing God over
for his wife.

Not only would Man himself be effected by a curse upon the ground, but every
living thing that depends upon the ground for its survival would be effected too;
from lowly nematodes and earthworms right on up to the top of the food chain. The
whole animal world, and all the seed-bearing plant life too, would suffer collateral
damages for Adam's mistake.

God somehow manipulated the soil's fertility so that it now no longer produces as
well as it did in the beginning. Seeing as how He invented soil's chemistry in the
first place, then it likely wasn't too difficult for Him to alter it's behavior.

Unfortunately the abundant swarms of life that God created in the beginning would,
at that point, begin to thin out as the competition for available natural food stuffs
would begin to intensify.

• Gen 3:17c . . By toil shall you eat of it all the days of your life

Adam was no stranger to work because God already had him tending the garden.
But matters worsened with a new ingredient. The word for "toil" is from 'itstsabown
(its-tsaw-bone') and means the very same thing as it did in Gen 3:16.

The element of 'itstsabown took some of the pleasure out of Adam's existence.
Where before his daily routine was relatively care-free, now he'd begin to worry and
fret over things that are especially pertinent to farmers e.g. weather, insects, and
plant diseases; which, among farmers, are common causes of anxiety and feelings
of insecurity.

• Gen 3:18a . . thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you.

God finished the entire cosmos in six days; and no more creating took place after
that because He's been on sabbatical ever since day 7: so thorns and thistles
already existed prior to the events of chapter 3.

But in the beginning, noxious plants doubtless weren't so dominant. Today they're
a nuisance because if ground is left fallow, it will soon be covered with dock,
mustard, dandelion, chaparral, wild flowers, brambles, reed canary grass, and stuff
like that. Those kinds of plants may be okay for wildlife, but humanity needs
something quite a bit more nutritious.

• Gen 3:18b . . and your food shall be the grasses of the field;

Apparently Adam was a fruitarian at first, and then his diet later expanded to
include other kinds of vegetation. However, I don't think Man is supposed to graze
on pasture like buffalo or deer and elk. Many of the grasses God intended for him to
eat fall into the food group we call cereals; which are raised primarily for their
grain; e.g. corn, wheat, oats, and rice; et al. In their natural form-- whole grain
cereals are a rich source of vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, fats, oils, and
protein. After refinement grains are pretty much good for nothing but carbs.

• Gen 3:19a . . By the sweat of your brow shall you get bread to eat,

Adam was given a farm complete with orchards already in place and producing
before he came along; all he had to do was take care of it. But now, if he wanted a
farm, he was going to have to make one of his own, on his own; from scratch. Plus
he'll be faced with stubborn soil that needs plowing, sowing, and weeding. Very few
natural grains exist abundantly in nature. These days; if he wants them in any
sizable amount, Man has to farm.

Those of us who live in 9 to 5 leisure-intensive America really don't appreciate just
how laborious and time consuming the work is to grow your own food. Early
humanity's days were hard. They're still hard in many developing countries. Adam
had to get out there with a hoe and a plow to provide for his family. Today, only
about 2% in the USA work the soil for a living.

• Gen 3:19b . . until you return to the ground-- for from it you were taken. For
dust you are, and to dust you shall return.

Did God have to smite Adam in order for him to stop living? No; it was only
necessary to deny Adam access to the tree of life and let nature and hard work take
their toll. In other words: since he was no longer immortal, it would be only a
matter of time before Adam simply gave out and passed away from wear and tear
and old age.

But what happened to Adam when his body returned to dust? Did he return to dust
too? No; and that's because Adam wasn't entirely organic. His body came from the
soil; but according to Gen 2:7, his consciousness came from God. The afterlife
disposition of human consciousness is one of life's greatest mysteries. Heck, even
the origin of human consciousness is mystery enough for some, let alone where it
goes when people pass away.
_

 

[TrevorL]

Greetings again Dant01,

So then, the serpent in the 3rd chapter of Genesis wasn't a wild creature, i.e. wasn't an actual reptile.

The sentence upon the serpent and the promise concerning the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman indicate firstly that the serpent was an actual reptile.
Genesis 3:15 (KJV): And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
This is speaking of greater things, but it is first based upon the literal conflict between man and serpents.

But what happened to Adam when his body returned to dust? Did he return to dust too? No

The sentence upon Adam does not indicate that man has an immortal soul or spirit that preserves his consciousness after death.
Genesis 3:19 (KJV): In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Daniel 12:2–3 (KJV): 2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.
The Bible teaches the resurrection, not immortal souls.

Kind regards
Trevor

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:20 . .The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the
living.

According to the Bible, humanity wasn't created in groups nor in swarms like the
other nephesh. The human race was created in its entirety a singular, solo, male
specimen. Every human being since, including the first woman, came from the
constitutional elements of that one lone male; and subsequently, his wife.

"He made from one, every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth"
(Acts 17:26)

Everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human
being who ever was; every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every
creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in
love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher
of morals, every corrupt politician, every superstar, every supreme leader, every
saint and sinner in the history of our species; is related to Eve.
(Adapted from Carl Sagan's "Pale Blue Dot")

NOTE: The Phylogenetic Tree Of Life is an interesting scientific diagram that traces
all forms of life back to a singular genetic heritage regardless of species. In other
words; if you started with a raccoon, and followed its branch down the tree far
enough, you'd eventually intersect with another branch that you could then trace to
mushrooms. The tree is sort of the equivalent of a Big Bang of living things.

The branch on that tree that interests me the most is the one that traces human
life. According to the diagram; any two people you might select-- no matter what
their age, race, or gender --if traced back far enough, can eventually be linked to a
common human ancestor; which of course is no surprise to Bible students.
_

 

[Dant01]

.
• Gen 3:21 . . And the Lord God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife,
and clothed them.

Precisely what species of animal God slaughtered in order to make the Adams their
first suit of real clothing is unknown.

That day, humans learned something about the advantages of leather goods. Most
of it is produced from cattle hides: calfskin, goatskin, kidskin, sheepskin, and
lambskin. Other hides and skins used include those of the horse, pig, kangaroo,
deer, crocodile, alligator, seal, walrus, and of late; python. Humans have used
animal skins for a variety of practical purposes since ancient times, and to this good
day leather is still a useful material all around the world.

The exact cut and design of their garments isn't specified; the Hebrew words
kethoneth (keth-o'-neth) and/or kuttoneth (koot-to'-neth) just indicate a shirt, or
covering; as hanging from the shoulder.

A garment hanging from the shoulder indicates that Eve's topless days were over;
although that wouldn't necessarily rule out the possibility that she may have
become the Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel of her day and created some interesting
necklines.

The garments actually facilitated the people's association with God. They were
unbearably uncomfortable around their maker in the buff, even in the semi-buff,
and that was principally the reason they hid from the Lord when He came calling.
However, fig leaves aren't very durable; they're merely an expedient. God showed
them a much better way-- actually a way they would never have thought of all by
themselves because who would have guessed that animals could be killed and
stripped of their hides for clothing until God showed them?

The point to note is that the clothing that humanity's maker crafted for the Adams
didn't cost them one red cent nor did they have to contribute even the slightest bit
of labor to its construction. God slaughtered the animals, treated the hides, and
fabricated the garments Himself; and gave the clothing to them totally free of
charge and no strings attached. However, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the couple
watched how God went about the whole business so they'd know how to take care
of themselves.

NOTE: They'd eventually have to know how to make fire; no doubt God showed
them how to do that too.

I believe God went to all that trouble for a couple of reasons.

First; because He wasn't indifferent to their situation; rather, God felt compassion
for the Adams-- defined as sympathetic consciousness of others' distress together
with a desire to alleviate it. And secondly; He didn't want anything hampering His
association with the humans. In other words, Adam's felt-shame and
embarrassment over undress was a barrier between himself and his maker, so God
showed him a really good way to overcome it: a way that not only improved the
quality of Adam's association with God; but also greatly enhanced his limited
survival skills.

• Gen 3:22a . . And the Lord God said: Now that Man has become as one of us

Humanity was created in the image and likeness of God (Gen 1:26-27). But that
image and likeness stopped short of "one of us". i.e. a fellow deity of equal status.

In other words; Man made himself a fellow deity of equal status by placing his own
wants ahead of God's.

From the limited amount of information we're given, it's readily seen that it's fairly
easy to make one's self an autonomous deity; it's only necessary to rebel against
constituted authority; viz: go your own way instead of complying with the laws,
rules, and dictates of a higher power; viz: anarchy. (cf. Judg 17:6 and Isa 53:6)

NOTE: We were seeing some of that in 2020 USA when unruly elements were
taking the law into their own hands with riots, looting, and vandalism in the name
of "social justice" which not all that long ago was condemned as mob rule.

• Gen 3:22b . . discerning good and evil,

Discerning good and evil isn't a bad thing per se; that is; if it's an instructed
discernment rather than a natural, intuitive discernment. (Rom 12:2 and Heb 5:13
14)

• Gen 3:22c . . what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of
life and eat, and live forever!

The Hebrew word translated "forever" doesn't always indicate infinity. Normally it
just means perpetual as "in perpetuity" viz: indefinitely; which Webster's defines
as: having no exact limits.

Adam contracted mortality via eating from the other tree. Had God allowed him
access to the tree of life, it's fruit would've healed the mortality infecting his body
and restored it to immortality.

The thing is: God predicted Adam's demise; so in order to ensure that the
prediction came to pass; God had to cut off his access to the tree of life; which is a
pretty interesting tree seeing as how it's not only an elixir, but also a remedy for
whatever ails you. (Rev 22:2)
_

 

[Cynthia]

who is God in Genesis 1:1 ?

who is it that existed prior to any time, space, matter, created things etc... ?

Hi civic,

excuse me, but this fellow has mistaken this discussion forum for a free place to post his blog.