Advent Day 04: The Rebellion
Today, we light the Green Candle and the Black Candle. The Green Candle represents life and all that Father God created in Christ, Good and Whole. The Black Candle represents the Evil and Corruption of Sin that entered our World through our rebellion.
Genesis 3:1–19
3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”
3:2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3:3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’ ”
3:4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 3:5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
3:6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
3:7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 3:8 And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
After the first Man and Woman were created, the Lord placed them in a Garden He had planted in Eden – which means “Delight” in Hebrew. The Man was given the responsibility for tending and watching over the Garden.
“And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”(Genesis 2:9 ESV)
The Lord God had provided everything the Man and Woman would need to fulfill their purposes and also to enjoy all the Good things that the Lord God had provided. They could eat as much from any of the trees in the Garden as they desired. Except for one.
In the middle of the Garden was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil and the Lord had given the command to the Man: “… but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”(Genesis 2:17 ESV).
Everything began good. As the Lord looked over all He had created, He said, “It is very good.”
And then The Serpent speaks. He begins to question the Woman about the command the Lord had given – “Did he really say that you can’t eat from any of these trees!???” The Woman tells the Serpent they can eat from any of the trees except the one in the middle of the Garden. If they do, they will die.
Then the Serpent directly contradicts the Word of the Lord: “No! You will not die!” The Serpent convinces the Woman that God is withholding something from her; He is keeping her out of the “inner circle,” He is not allowing her to “be all she could be.”
The Serpent subtly tempts the Woman with things she already possesses—her eyes are open, she and the man are the only two things already created like God—they were created in His image and likeness! Everything that she experiences in the Garden is good. So in eating of the fruit the only thing that will be gained is the knowledge of evil. The Serpent is the first crooked salesman: he tempts the Woman with what she already has to get her to “buy” the very thing she does not need!
Instead of listening to what the Lord has said, the Woman looks at the circumstances. The Tree is good for food; so is every other tree. The Tree is good-looking; so is every other tree (see Genesis 2:9). But here is the catch: the Serpent has convinced the Woman that the Tree will make her wise, not bring death. And so she eats from the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. Then she turns and gives it to the Man who has been there the whole time, listening to all that was said. He too eats the forbidden fruit.
The Man and Woman trust the words of the Serpent rather than the Word of God.
This is the terrible turning point in The Story. Sin, Shame and Death enter the Human experience. The last thing that is said about the Man and the Woman before the Serpent enters is, “They were both naked and yet unashamed” (Genesis 2:25). Now they look at one another and they feel shame. They try to cover their nakedness with fig leaves.
When the Lord comes to the Garden at the end of the day, the man and woman are hiding from Him. As He questions them about what has gone wrong, they all pass the blame. The Man blames the Woman. The Woman blames the Serpent. Everything has changed.
Many years later, the Apostle Paul pondering that happened here, writes:
Romans 5:12–19
Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man [Adam], and death through sin, in this way death spread to all men, because all sinned.… by the one man’s trespass the many died,…because from one sin came the judgment, resulting in condemnation,…So then, as through one trespass there is condemnation for everyone, …through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners,… {HCSB}
Even though the Woman ate the fruit first, the Man had the responsibility of watching over and protecting the Garden. He was entrusted with the Lord’s Word – His instructions and commands. The Man rebelled against God and his choices have affected us all. Every human being that would be born would now be subject to sin, death and condemnation.
Except one.
Tomorrow we will hear the first Word that foretells His coming.
*This year, we have a downloadable pdf with the complete readings. You can get it HERE.
