1. The Backstory of Christmas, Part 2
Bill Perry

2. Genesis 2:15– Then the Lord took the man and put him in the garden…
“The man” = Adam

3. Genesis 3:20– And Adam called his wife’s name Eve, because she is the mother of all living.
“Living” = Eve

4. Adam and Eve are in the garden God made for them.

5. In Genesis chapter 2 we can see how God created them.

6. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.
-- Genesis 2:7

7. Comment Genesis 2:7 Man has 2 parts to him:
And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living being.
The dust is the physical part, made from the earth, the material elements.
The breath of God or the spiritual part that gives life and power to humanity.

9. Genesis 2:16
And the Lord God commanded the man saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”

10. Comment God provided plenty of trees to choose from.
And the Lord God commanded the man saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”

11. Comment God provided plenty of trees to choose from.
The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” indicated Adam has a choice.
And the Lord God commanded the man saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”

12. Comment God provided plenty of trees to choose from.
The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” indicated Adam has a choice.
Adam was not allowed to eat of this tree.
And the Lord God commanded the man saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”

13. Comment God provided plenty of trees to choose from.
The “tree of the knowledge of good and evil” indicated Adam has a choice.
Adam was not allowed to eat of this tree.
If he did eat, he would die.
And the Lord God commanded the man saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 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.”

14. “You shall surely die” This is better translated,
“When you die, you really die,” or
“in dying you will die.”

15. “You shall surely die” This is better translated,
“When you die, you really die,” or
“in dying you will die.”
What does this mean?

16. “You shall surely die”
Human beings have a physical part and a spiritual part.
The physical part is our body and includes the 5 senses: touch, smell, taste, see, and hear to operate in the physical world.
The spiritual part includes our minds, emotions, will (choosing), and conscience (all from the image of God).

17. “You shall surely die” In the Bible death means separation.
“In dying you will die” means when your physical body dies, your spiritual part is separated from your body. When that happens, your spiritual part is permanently separated from God too.
Death would cause the unity, harmony and fellowship human beings had with God at the beginning of time to end immediately and physical death would become the final result of the aging process.

18. “You shall surely die”  Why is God doing this?  “This is a trick!
 “This is a trap!”
“God is setting them up to fail!”

19. It is not a trick because God has made the choices and their outcomes clear before anything happens.
“You shall surely die”
 Why is God doing this?
 “This is a trick!
 “This is a trap!”
“God is setting them up to fail!”

20. It is not a trick because God has made the choices and their outcomes clear before anything happens.
It is not a trap because Adam has all kinds of other trees with fruit to choose from.
“You shall surely die”
 Why is God doing this?
 “This is a trick!
 “This is a trap!”
“God is setting them up to fail!”

21. It is not a trick because God has made the choices and their outcomes clear before anything happens
It is not a trap because Adam has all kinds of other trees with fruit to choose from.
God is not setting them up to fail because everything is good and nothing is bad at this point.
“You shall surely die”
 Why is God doing this?
 “This is a trick!
 “This is a trap!”
“God is setting them up to fail!”

22. God created man and set up a good environment to live in
God created man and set up a good environment to live in. He simply wanted to give Adam a real choice that had real consequences for Adam to keep his relationship with God in the good environment God made.
“You shall surely die”
 Why is God doing this?
 “This is a trick!
 “This is a trap!”
“God is setting them up to fail!”

23. God created man and set up a good environment to live in
God created man and set up a good environment to live in. He simply wanted to give Adam a real choice that had real consequences for Adam to keep his relationship with God in the good environment God made.
Love is something that cannot be forced on a person. Love and force (or compulsion) are opposites. God wants Adam to freely choose to love him in return.
“You shall surely die”
 Why is God doing this?
 “This is a trick!
 “This is a trap!”
“God is setting them up to fail!”

24. Genesis 2:18, 20
And the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him…. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him [among the animals].”

25. Genesis 2:21-22
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and close up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man he made into a woman, and he brought her to the man.

26. Genesis 2:21-22 Rib can also mean “side.”
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and close up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man he made into a woman, and he brought her to the man.
Rib can also mean “side.”

27. Genesis 2:21-22 Rib can also mean “side.” Woman means “from man.”
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and close up the flesh in its place. Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man he made into a woman, and he brought her to the man.
Rib can also mean “side.”
Woman means “from man.”

28. Genesis 2:23
And Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because was taken out of Man.”

29. Genesis 2:23
And Adam said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because was taken out of Man.” Adam’s delight with his new companion, made comparable to him, is illustrated by this poem, the first one in the Bible.

30. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:24-25

31. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:24-25
1 man + 1 woman = 1 flesh

32. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:24-25
1 man + 1 woman = 1 flesh
Naked and not ashamed because they were in a condition of innocence. They had harmony not only with God (vertical relationship) but also with each other (horizontal relationship).

33. Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife and they shall become one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 2:24-25
Adam and Eve were the king and queen of creation, living in a perfect world in perfect peace and harmony. There was no evil, no pollution, no animal extinction, no crime, no sickness, no sorrows and no death. Everything was the way God designed it to be. Everything was very good (1:31)!

34. Genesis 3
Now the drama begins…

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

36. Comment Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the
field, which the Lord
God had made.
Serpent is a creature that hisses (hhsssssss). Serpent means it was a snake. Since we don’t know how it looked, pictures won’t help us.

37. Comment Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the
field, which the Lord
God had made.
Serpent is a creature that hisses (hhsssssss). Serpent means it was a snake. Since we don’t know how it looked, pictures won’t help us.
Cunning means shrewd, sly, sneaky.

38. Genesis 3:1b
And he [the serpent] said to the woman, “Has God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

39. How can an animal talk?
Some people think that because of this talking serpent, the Bible is a book of mythology and fables. The problem with this idea is that the Bible isn’t written like a book of fables or mythology. It reads like history and Bible scholars understand it as speaking of history. So to answer this question, we must first ask another question.

40. What is the source of evil?

41. What is the source of evil?
God who lives in heaven made spiritual creatures (no physical body) called angels who served God in God’s presence. Angels had a choice to serve God or not. One angel named Lucifer decided he did not want to serve God. Additionally, he wanted to rebel against God, so he asked other angels to join him. One third of the angels joined him, and God threw them all out of heaven. They are now called evil spirits and demons. Lucifer is called the Devil and Satan. Since Heaven is no longer their home, they came to ruin God’s paradise on earth .

42. How can an animal talk?
Therefore, the spiritual creature Satan, now an evil spirit roaming
the earth, entered into the serpent. Therefore, it was Satan in the serpent that spoke to Eve
in the garden.

43. Comment
And he [Satan in the serpent] said to the woman, “Has God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Satan chooses to talk to the woman because she had less time with God than Adam.

44. Comment
And he [Satan in the serpent] said to the woman, “Has God said you shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Satan chooses to talk to the woman because she had less time with God than Adam.
Satan does not directly challenge God’s command but only asks a question first that can create doubt.

45. Genesis 3:2-3 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may
eat the fruit from the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”

46. Genesis 3:4-5
Then the serpent [Satan] said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 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.”

47. Comment
Then the serpent [Satan] said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 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.”
Satan now challenges God’s command directly and denies death will come.

48. Comment
Then the serpent [Satan] said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 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.”
Satan now challenges God’s command directly and denies death will come.
Satan accuses God’s character as being selfish.

49. Comment
Then the serpent [Satan] said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 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.”
Satan now challenges God’s command directly and denies death will come.
Satan accuses God’s character as being selfish.
Satan says it is possible for humans to be more like God beyond being made in his image.

50. The Two Stories From God From Satan The fruit belongs to God.
Do not eat it.
If you eat it you will die. You are in his image.
When your body dies, your spirit will not return to God.
You should trust God.
The fruit is for anyone.
Go ahead and eat it.
You will not die. You will be (more) like God.
You will not die so your spirit will not be separated from God.
God can not be trusted.

51. Question
From Satqn
Can anyone become (more) like God from eating a fruit from one tree? Really??
The fruit is for anyone.
Go ahead and eat it.
You will not die. You will be (more) like God.
You will not die and your spirit will not be separated from God.
God can not be trusted.

52. Other Questions
Since God made Adam and Eve and the garden and the serpent and the fruit, whom should Eve believe?
So is this situation really about fruit or is it about whom does Eve trust?
How could Eve better respond to Satan’s claims? What could she have said?

53. Genesis 3:6a
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise…

54. Genesis 3:6a Whom did she believe?
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise…
Whom did
she believe?

55. Genesis 3:6b
…She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her and he ate.

56. Comment
She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her and he ate.
Another part of the Bible says Eve was deceived, but Adam was not. He chose Eve over God.

57. Comment
She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her and he ate.
Adam decided to stay with his wife whom he could see rather than trust in God whom he could not see. He decided to live by sight and not by faith in God.

58. Comment
She took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her and he ate.
Even though Eve began the disobedience, the Bible everywhere holds Adam responsible for the fall of human beings, never Eve.

59. Genesis 3:7
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that the were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

60. Comment
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that the were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
For the first time human beings experienced guilt.

61. Comment
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that the were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
For the first time human beings experienced guilt. beings experienced shame.

62. Comment
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that the were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
For the first time human beings experienced guilt. beings experienced shame. Neither Adam nor Eve felt like God! Far from it!

63. Genesis 3:8b-9 Adam and his wife hid themselves from the
presence of the Lord among the trees of the
garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and
said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, I heard
your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

64. Comment For the first time human beings experienced fear.
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
For the first time human beings experienced fear.

65. Comment
Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord among the trees of the garden. Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” So he said, I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
For the first time human beings experienced fear. People in societies all over the world struggle against guilt, shame and fear, and prefer to have innocence, honor and power.

66. Genesis 3:14
So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.”

67. Comment
So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.”
Because Satan used the serpent to get Adam and Eve to disobey God, all creation was cursed. All became subject to death. The serpent was changed to crawl on his stomach.

68. Comment
So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.”
Because snakes quickly bring a strong negative response from a large majority of people in the world, it appears that God made them a symbol of danger and evil worldwide.

69. Comment
So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.”
This does not say snakes eat dust for food. It suggests that as snakes find their food in the dirt or the dust of the earth, they will eat some dust along with their food.

70. Genesis 3:15
“And I will put enmity [hatred] between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”

71. Comment
“And I will put enmity [hatred] between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
Over all of time there will be hatred between Satan and women who give birth to babies made in God’s image. Satan is the enemy of God and human beings.

72. Comment
“And I will put enmity [hatred] between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
“Seed” means descendant or offspring. Satan’s “seed” or offspring are all the evil spirits following him. Women don’t have seed; men do. (Women have eggs.) So this “seed” of the woman is a male offspring or a descendant that will come in the future.

73. Comment
“And I will put enmity [hatred] between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
The “he” is the offspring of Eve. He will wound Satan’s head. The picture is of a man stepping on a snake’s head. It bites the heel of the man as he steps on it. The snake dies from the head wound and the man is seriously injured.

74. Comment
“And I will put enmity [hatred] between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.”
In summary, God takes on the responsibility and promises to send someone, a man to take away the evil and restore the good. We call him “The Promised One.”

75. Genesis 3:15 says that God would not let the history of human beings end with evil and corruption, sickness and death, destruction, pain and decay. At the beginning of time he told us in advance that a man will come and kill the source of evil. Since this event in the garden, we see the signs of evil everyday. But God wrote his story in the middle of this mess, and next time we will see why we celebrate Christmas.

76. The Promised One of God is coming!