Well, I have a daunting task in front of me to some degree; to take you into the third chapter of Genesis and deal with one of the great portions of scripture. But turn in your Bible if you will to the third chapter of Genesis, and we’ll see how far we can go in this incredibly important portion of scripture. As I’ve said to you in the past in our study of Genesis Chapter 3, for some people this is deemed the most important chapter in the Bible, because it is the third chapter of Genesis which defines for us why the world is the way it is. It defines for us the problem of a fallen civilization, a fallen society, fallen humanity and a fallen universe. Not to understand the third chapter of Genesis is not to understand anything about the reality of the world in which we live and the people who are a part of it. On the other hand, to grasp Genesis 3 is to have an appropriate world view. It is to understand, as I said at the concert a few nights ago, that all the problems that exist in the universe are a result of sin. And that sin originates in the account of Genesis Chapter 3.
Now, we come in our study of Genesis Chapter 3 to Verses 14 and 15. Let me read them to you. “And the Lord God said to the serpent, ‘Because you have done this, cursed are you more than all cattle, more than every beast of the field; On your belly shall you go, and dust shall you eat all the days of your life; And I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.’”
Here is the beginning of the section of Genesis 3 in which we have the divine curse. We have a curse on the serpent; we have a curse on Satan; we have a curse also on the woman, in Verse 16; we have a curse on the man, from Verse 17 to 19. All of the principals involved in the fall are cursed by God. We have already studied the fall itself. We have studied the divine confrontation that occurred after the fall. The fall is in Verses 1 to 7. Verses 8 to 13 is the divine confrontation when God comes to Adam and Eve in the garden and confronts about their sin. And now you have, starting in Verse 14, the curse. And here, we find out why the world is the way it is.
I was reading again Irwin Lutzer’s book ‘The Serpent of Paradise’ this week. And he begins one of his chapters in that book with an interesting account. He says there was a construction company that invited various contractors to submit bids for a major building complex. All things being equal, the contractor who submitted the lowest bid would get the job. Needless to say, the bids had to be submitted in secret. On the last day the bids could be tendered, a contractor walked into the office of the president of the company with a bid application in his hand. To his surprise, the office of the president was empty. He stood alone, venturing a glance at the huge mahogany desk. Much to his surprise, he saw on the desk the bid of his major competitor lying there. The only problem was that there was a can of pop sitting directly over the most important figure in the document, the final bid. If this contractor knew the amount that was written on that line, he could adjust his own bid to come in just beneath it, and the multi-million dollar job would be his. The contractor nervously paced the floor, knowing full well what was at stake. He contemplated moving the can for just a second, reading the figure and then putting it back. He touched the can, but found himself unable to do that. He glanced around the room one more time. Now confident that no one was looking, he lifted the can quickly, intending to glance at the number and put the can back instantly. Much to his chagrin as he lifted the can from the desk, hundreds of BBs spilled onto the desk and rolled all over the floor. This was a set-up. That contractor experienced the law of unintended consequences. He thought he could control the fall-out of his dishonesty, but discovered that unforeseen events had been built into the temptation. One single act had repercussions he could not have anticipated. The can of soda was not what it appeared to be.
That’s exactly what happened to Satan when he felt the law of unintended consequences at his own rebellion in heaven against God. And that is exactly what happened to Adam and Eve when they set in motion a spiritual avalanche as a result of their sin. And they, too, experienced the law of unintended consequences. Lucifer had no idea of what would be set in motion over his rebellion in heaven. And neither did Adam and Eve have any idea what would be the effect of them succumbing to the temptation. The ultimate impact of that temptation comes in the form of a curse. And as I just read, the curse begins with the serpent and with Satan in Verses 14 and 15.
Now, remember, this is a very, very important chapter. It defines for us why the world is the way it is, why man is the way he is. It also helps us to understand why there has to be a plan of salvation; why there has to be a sacrifice for sin. But it also defines for us Satan and how we are to view him, for here in this curse we are given a condensed course in Satanology. From the first part of the chapter where we saw the fall, to a discussion of the meaning of depravity in Verses 8 to 13, we now come to the curse.
Going back to the discussion we had on depravity, which was a long time ago, I want to remind you that depravity I define as a condition of the human soul in which there is disobedience to God; lack of fellowship with God; the sentence of death; unwillingness to acknowledge sin; concern only for the consequences of evil, not the evil itself; blame-shifting and constant effort to exonerate and exalt oneself. This condition is so comprehensive that even the sinner before God, though afraid, cannot honestly repent. And that is the definition I gave you a few weeks ago. This is the condition of depravity. Man is evil, and he cannot understand how evil. He has no fellowship with God and, no matter how he tries, he cannot honestly repent. We saw that with Adam and Eve. This condition is true of every person. It cannot in any way be altered by any sinner. We have not the power, nor the will, to do that.
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
