Genesis 3 Toxic sin and the detoxification from sin.

Genesis 3  

Toxic sin and the detoxification from sin.

Wesley’s progression of thought on the events of “the Fall:” 1.) Unbelief begot pride 2.) Pride begot self-will 3.) Self-will begot foolish desires.

When Adam sinned, “the life of God was extinguished in his soul.”  The human moral image is lost, rendering humankind no longer “capable of God” (able to know love and obey God as we were designed to do).  Thus we become dead to God.  Our refusal to return God’s love is at the heart of Wesley’s description of the fall of humanity into sin.

I.             The Temptation:

                A.            Satan questions the Word of God (“Did God really say…?”) [v 1]

1.                   Notice that Satan MISQUOTES God.

2.                   This misquote is an EXAGERATION.

3.                   This exaggeration REFRAMES God’s intention from freedom to restriction.

4.                   Casting God as someone who wishes to restrict, Satan claims God is UNREASONABLE.

*****The power of doubt is the destruction of belief. ***** [me]

B.            Satan contradicts the Word of God.

1.                   LIE: No you will not die. [v 4] (Challenge to God’s authority to do what is said.)

2.                   LIE: God is keeping something good from you. [v 5] (Challenge to God’s character as wanting the best for us.)

C.            Mistakes in dealing with temptation.

1.            Eve talked to Satan.  (Notice Adam did not… becomes a passive player in the story.)

                        2.            Eve misquotes the Word of God. (Notice Adam did not correct her.)

                        3.            They believed Satan.  (Unbelief is not believing God… believing Satan.)

II.            The desires:

                A.            [v 6] The eyes: Eve saw the tree and fruit was beautiful.)

                        1.            The eyes are a problem because what you see is not always what it is…

“For we walk by faith, not by sight” [2 Corinthians 5:7 KJV, ESV, etc.]

                        2.            This got Eve’s imagination and feelings going…

            3.            Doubt of God’s Word leads to a disregard. 

*****The power of disregarding belief is the destruction of trust. *****

(The lack of trust creates false sense independence.  This false independence is PRIDE.)

                B.            [v 6] The flesh: Eve thought the fruit would taste delicious.

1.            Once the eyes touched the imagination then the passions of the body were set in motion.

2.            Interesting that sin started with eating… God’s response was also in eating (The Lord’s Supper).

C.            [v 6] The desire: Eve’s self-will kicked into gear.

                       1.            We see this foolish desire moved her to action.

“Carefully guard your thoughts because they are the source of true life.” [Proverbs 4:23 CEV]

               

·         “Thoughts”… typically translated “heart” meaning what is the kernel, the center, the substance of the person.

·         Not the physical heart… it is the ethical, moral, emotional, intellect place were decisions are made.

2.            Our desires measure the heart:  Want to know what’s in the heart?  Check the DESIRES.

***** The power of desire is the destruction of reality. ***** (me)

III.           The Consequences:

               

A.            Self-determination to find happiness in our hands.

                1.            Notice there is a direct correlation between becoming unholy and unhappy.

                2.            Degradation, slavery, and ruin of the soul in sin.

                3.            General discontent… (e.g. complaining)

B.            Separation from God (“spiritual death”) and from each other.

                1.            [v 7] Shame from being naked.

                2.            [v 7] Attempted to cover themselves… unsuccessfully.

                3.            [v 8] They hid from God.

                4.            [v 10] They became afraid of God.

C.            Straight- out refused responsibility by blaming someone else.

                1.            [v 12] Adam blames the woman (who was a gift of God… blaming God).

                2.            [v 13] Eve blames the woman (“tricked me”)

D.            Sin’s curse is pronounced.

                1.            To Satan: crawl and eat dust [v 14], contempt and total failure [v 15]

                2.            To Eve: painful pregnancy [v 16], ruled by men [v 16]

                3.            To Adam:  struggle to survive [v 17], physical death [v 19]

***** The power of a reality broken by sin is the destroying pain of every kind. ***** (me)

IV.          Salvation is offered.

A.            Satan would be crushed by the “seed of the woman.” [v 15] 

1.            “Proto-evangelical”

2.            Jesus, born of a virgin… crucified (heal) but resurrected and returning (head).

B.          God clothed them in leather [v 21].  

1.            The first death they had seen.

2.            This became the foundation for the “blood sacrifice” to atone [meaning “cover”] for sin.)

3.            BECAUCE the consequence of sin is death (spiritual and physical) then the redemption of sin would also be death (the blood of Jesus).

“…without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”  [Hebrews 9:22b ESV]

C.            God drove them out of Eden [v 24].  

1.            The irreversible loss of Eden puts in us the feeling this world is broken and unnatural.  (It’s why we ask “why?” when something bad happens.)

2.            The desire is to find or make Eden on earth… which is not possible since only God could create Eden.

3.            So we live with this uneasy discord between the unlimited potential of what we were created to be and the reality of the grip and slavery to sin.  (Death is a mercy in dealing with that life-long frustration.)

4.            This should motivate us to seek salvation from sin (consequences and power) in Jesus (who happens to be “the Word.”).

5.            It’s here we discover that our potential is fulfilled in being loved by God and loving God back (no matter how imperfect our love may be).

***** The power of God’s love, demonstrated on the cross, is the destroying of sin’s control of our daily lives, our eternal destiny, our current potential. ***** (me)

The unloved wife

Genesis 29:31 – 35
The unloved wife

A. Disturbing theological and moral things:

1. Two wives...

a. There is no Scripture guidance into how many wives a man may have.

b. However:

“The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” [Genesis 2:18 NIV]

“Now the overseer must be above reproach, the husband of but one wife...” [1 Timothy 3:2a also see 1 Timothy 3:12, Titus 1:6 NIV]

c. If you use example [Peter, Priscilla and Aquila, and others] then you also have to consider Abraham, Jacob, Moses, etc...

2. Married sisters...

“Do not take your wife's sister as a rival wife and have sexual relations with her while your wife is living.” [Leviticus 18:18] (Jacob lived long before the Law was given, but I wonder if the social norms were not already in place.)

3. God takes Leah’s side when God did the same thing...


"I have loved you," says the LORD. "But you ask, `How have you loved us?' "Was not Esau”
Jacob's brother?" the LORD says. "Yet I have loved Jacob, [3] but Esau I have hated...” [Malachi 1:2 – 3a NIV]

“Just as it is written: ‘Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.’” [Romans 9:13 NIV]

***** BOTH are in context to nations NOT individuals. Jacob represents of Israel and Esau represents Edom. *****

B. Leah’s plight:

“When the LORD saw that Leah was hated, he opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.” [Genesis 29:31 ESV] (ASV, RSV, KJV)

The NIV says, “Leah was not loved”

The CEV says, “Jacob loved Rachel more than he did Leah”

The Geneva (before the KJV) says, “Leah was despised”

1. Think about how this marriage came to be...

a. Jacob loved Rachel, it was “love at first sight.” What could be more romantic?

b. Jacob agreed to work for SEVEN years for Rachel... aaawwwww.

c. Uncle Laban TRICKED Jacob into marrying Leah. (How can you be that drunk?)

d. Jacob then agreed to work ANOTHER seven years for Rachael...

Rachel was wanted... 14 years of hard work to get her. Leah was part of him getting conned.

2. With two wife and two concubines a “baby race” was started...

a. God took Leah’s side... [v 31] “He opened her womb, but Rachel was barren.”

b. Situation:

1.) Jealousy between the wives.

2.) Unchecked sexual appetite from Jacob (sexual relations with four women at the same time).

3.) The playing of favorites (which Jacob learned from his parents).

Wesley – “When the Lord saw that Leah was hated - That is, loved less than Rachel, ... the Lord granted her a child, which was a rebuke to Jacob for making so great a difference between those he was equally related to; a check to Rachel, who, perhaps insulted over her sister upon that account; and a comfort to Leah, that she might not be overwhelmed with the contempt put upon her.”

C. Universal husband – wife problem:

1. “The unloved wife.”

“Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her.” [Ephesians 5:25]

a. We “love” what we value...

b. Who/what we love becomes our priority, passion, and possibly obsession.

2. “The disrespected husband”

a. Contempt is THE major relationship killer. (It is “almost” impossible to recover from contempt...)

“However, let each one of you love his wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.” [Ephesians 5:33]

b. A lack of "respect" means “contempt” (Oxford University Press) and comes from:

“Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.” [Ephesians 5:22]

3. What is missing:

a. Wives need their husband’s love AND husbands need their wives’ respect or the relationship breaks down into an ugly spiral that increases the lack of love and lack of respect to the point were one, if not both, check out of the relationship (in some way).

b. There is a very real sense of MUTUAL submission required!

“Submitting to one another out of reverence for Christ.” [Ephesians 5:21]

Or as the CEV puts it: “Honor Christ and put others first.”

D. Leah’s journey and solution:

1. She had four children... each had a different meaning.

a. [v 32] Reuben... (lit. “see a son”) “now my husband will love me.”

b. [v 33] Simon... (lit. “hearing”) “the LORD has heard I am hated.”

c. [v 34] Levi... (lit. “attached”) “this time my husband will be attached to me.”

d. [v 35] Judah... (lit. “celebrated”) “this time I will praise the Lord.”

2. What this means:

a. She starts with the desperate need of having Jacob love her.

b. She becomes bitter because her husband will not respond.

c. She gives up trying. The best she hopes for is “attachment.”


d. She praises God... something has changed.

1.) She has either become loved by her husband OR

2.) She has found her self-worth in God OR

3.) Both...

3. Jacob chose to buried with Leah... in their ancestral tomb.

“Then he commanded them and said to them, "I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, [30] in the cave that is in the field at Machpelah, to the east of Mamre, in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite to possess as a burying place. [31] There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.” [Genesis 49:29 – 31]

Conclusion:

1. Maybe our problem is that we depend to much on the other person for our emotional well being... (respect, love)

2. Since our emotional well being is rooted in the need to understand our relationship in terms of “love” we enter unhealthy downward spirals.

3. Leah’s lesson is to ground our self-worth and being in God, not others (husband, wife, children, work, church, etc...)

4. That frees us to fulfill our side of what is necessary in the relationship.

5. Result: the probability that the other person(s) will fulfill their responsibilities!