Outline
The serpent deceives Eve. (Verse 1-5.)
Adam and Eve transgress the Divine command, and fall into sin and misery. (Verse 6-8.)
God calls upon Adam and Eve to answer. (Verse 9-13.)
The serpent cursed, The promised Seed. (Verse 14,15.)
The punishment of mankind. (Verse 16-19.)
The first clothing of mankind. (Verse 20,21.)
Adam and Eve are driven out from paradise. (Verse 22-24.)
Genesis is the book of first mentions and here Satan is revealed to us in the form of a serpent. Adam had nothing to fear from any beast for he had dominion over them and they feared him, but this was no ordinary creature.
Temptation Of Man
1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
[Matt 3:7, Matt 12:34, Matt 23:33, Luke 3:7, John 8:44, Rev 20:2 Rev 21:9]
[serpent-the shining one, The Hebrew word for serpent is nachash.]
The first recorded words of the devil in the Bible have two notable points: 1) it is positive rather than negative “Yea…”; and 2) he questions God’s words. These two characteristics of the devil can be noted throughout the Bible and are evident even today. Few Christians are willing to sit and listen to “negative” preaching about their sins, failures, etc. – people want to hear the positives and not the whole counsel of God.
Study Question
What does II Timothy 4:3-4 say about such people today?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
[Gen 2:16-17]
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
[Gen 2:17, Rev 22:14]
Have you ever heard the saying, “He fell for the oldest trick in the Book”? Well most people have but they don’t have a clue as to what that means. The Book referred to is the Bible and the oldest trick is Eve falling for the Devil’s lie. First, Satan set her up by deliberately questioning God’s Word:
“Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”
Notice also that Eve left out a word that God had given to Adam, she left out the word “freely”, we are not to add to the word of God not are we to take from it. It could be that Adam did not tell Eve that God say they may “freely” eat from every tree or she could have forgotten, or worse yet she could have watered God’s word down herself. I don’t think Eve was intentionly watering down God’s word here to Satan, because it would serve no purpose for her to do so.
Satan then outright contradicts God by saying:
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
[Gen 3:13, 2nd Cor 11:3, 1st Tim 2:14]
When people begin to “mess around” with God’s words, they will do so in one of three ways: 1) they will SUBTRACT from God’s words – in verse two the word “freely” is missing from the command that God actually gave in 2:16; 2) they will ADD to God’s words – in vs. 3 Eve said that they were not allowed to touch this tree when God had said no such thing; 3) they will also flatly DENY what God has said – in vs. 4 the devil flatly contradicts what God actually said. Today we see these same three tactics being used against God’s words by many of the new “bibles” – thousands of clear additions, subtractions and blunt changes can be found in most of the new “bibles” and the modern Christian blindly accepts them as God’s words when in fact they are not. Be sure you use the Bible that allows you to keep the command of Christ in Matthew 4:4 to live not by bread alone, but by “EVERY WORD” that proceeds out of the mouth of God!
Study Question
What command is given in Deuteronomy 12:32?
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
[Gen 3:7, Is 14:14, Acts 26:18]
Notice, we have a serpent here that can talk. Now I know I am arguing from a position of silence here, but I don’t believe any of the other animals had the gift of speech.
So Satan, disguised as a Serpent, claims to be another authority other than God. What an interesting concept. This authority claims we can run our own lives apart from God. We can determine for ourselves what is right or wrong. After 6,000 years we are still falling for this same lie.
Notice that after Adam and Eve had sinned their eyes were opened and they were ashamed of their nakedness because they now possessed the knowledge of good and evil, The Bible says that, “they knew that they were naked”.
“your eyes shall be opened and ye shall be as gods…” – many of the cults today tempt the unwary with “new knowledge” and “new revelations” – BEWARE! The Mormons even go so far as to promise their converts eventual “godhood” if they practice Mormon doctrine. Becoming a god, or like gods, is what the devil tempted Eve with, and he is still using the same line today.
Fall Of Man
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
[Rom 5:14]
According to I John 2:16 are the three categories of sin into which all sin. Note that the devil uses all three approaches on Eve appealing to her flesh (“food”), her eyes, and her pride (“to make one wise”). If you read the temptation of Christ in Matthew four, you will notice that the devil used the same three attacks against our Lord.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
[Gen 3:15, Gen 3:21]
Notice that they made aprons of fig leaves to cover what they perceived to be their nakedness, the fig tree is used by God as a type of the Nation of Israel in the Bible with the figs themselves representing the works of Israel.
So, if this fig tree represented Israel and her works, it was definitely the wrong time for this tree to be eaten from figuratively. Adam and Eve were not Jews but Gentiles. The time for Israel (the fig tree) would not come until after the flood.
In this case, having your eyes “opened” was negative; not all new information is good for you! – “sewed fig leaves…” – this is a tragic picture of man’s self-righteousness. People attempt to cover their sins by their own efforts.
Study Questions
What does Isa. 64:6 say about our righteousnesses?
Rom. 10:3 says that we need what kind of righteousness?
Judgement Of Man
8 And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
[Job 38:1 Job 31:33, Ps 139:7, Jer 23:24, Amos 9:3]
The Hebrew word voice is also the same as the word “Word” found throughout the Scriptures. You can’t hear a voice walking, but you can hear the Word of God (Jesus Christ) walking in the garden.
This was a pre-incarnate appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ physically walking in the midst of the garden. Theologians refer to this as a Theophany
9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
[Gen 4:9]
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
[Gen 2:25,Job 23:15, 1st John 3:20]
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
[Rom 5:12]
Now, wait a minute! Why did Adam say that he was naked when he and Eve just made themselves clothes out of fig leaves? Because they were clothed enough for themselves to feel comfortable in until God showed up and conviction set in. Notice also that Adam hid himself “amongst the trees,” he didn’t want God to see any of his nakedness.
Would you feel comfortable wearing what you wear to work and play in to the Judgment Seat of Christ? What if you are wearing spandex when the rapture takes place and God allows us to stand in front of Him in what we had on at that moment?
I know what some will immediately say, “God doesn’t care what you wear. God looks at the heart, and not at their outside appearance. And they are right. But God is not referring to a poorly dressed person i.e., in rags or a rich person dressed in fancy suits, that does not matter to God. By the way, the when God told Samuel that concerning David’s oldest brother, he was teaching the exact opposite of what people used it teach today.
God has plenty to say about exposing our thighs and cleavage. People say, “There is nothing wrong with dressing attractive.” But God would ask “Just who is it that you are trying to attract? Our bodies are not our own, they belong to God and to our spouses, or to our future spouse if we are not yet married. We do not have the right to go around exposing ourselves to everyone and anyone.
1 Corinthians 6:19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
[Prov 28:13, Luke 18]
13 And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
[Gen 3:4, 2nd Cor 11:3, 1st Tim 2:14]
[beguile-deceive, trick]
2 Cor 11:3 But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.
14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
[Deut 28:15-20, Isa 65:25, Micah 7:17]
15 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.
[Matt 13:38, John 8:44, Acts 13:10, 2nd Peter 2:14, 1st John 3:10 Rom 16:20, Heb 2:14, 1st John 3:8, Gal 4:4]
[He-It]
The serpent lost its legs as a reminder to us today when we see it that the Devil is sneaky. Verse fifteen is a prophecy of the virgin birth of Jesus Christ, (the seed of a woman). All other humans are of the seed of their Father except Jesus Christ.
This is because the Saviour of all mankind must not be born as a sinner like you and I are because of Adam’s fall. Praise God, It doesn’t say the Serpent will bruise the seed (Jesus) of the woman’s head.
The bruising of Jesus’ heal is in reference to his crucifixion while the reference to the bruising of Satan’s head is for when he is cast into the lake of fire forever and ever.
This is the first great prophecy of the Bible and outlines the struggle that can be seen down through the entire Bible between the kingdom of Satan and the kingdom of God. This prophecy concerns “the seed” of the woman versus the seed of the serpent. Though this is quite a study in and of itself, we will suffice to say at this point that Judas Iscariot was a “seed” or type of descendent of the devil (John 6:70-71) who was instrumental in bruising Christ (the seed of the woman – Rom. 1:3; Luke 1:35) on the cross – Christ’s death however was not permanent and in a sense only his heel was bruised (a non-fatal wound). The antichrist of the book of Revelation is another seed of the devil who Christ will bruise permanently at his second coming (Rev. 19:19-20) – this defeat of the devil’s right hand man will be fatal – like a death blow to the head. Compare Rom. 16:20. – “enmity between thee and the woman…” – it is interesting to note that women generally are quite terrified of snakes
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
[John 16:21, 1st Tim 2:15 1st Cor 11:3, I Tim 2:12]
[to=for]
Ladies, don’t blame your husband in the delivery room for all the pain you are going through, Eve had a lot to do with it. You can bring it up to her out in eternity one day.
The woman’s punishment was threefold: sorrow in conception (ie. the associated pains of the menstrual cycle), sorrow in childbearing, and submission to the husband. Despite the advances of science and the woman’s liberation movement, God’s word is still true – see I Peter 3:1-7.
Notice also that God further explains the role of the husband and wife in this verse. I wonder how different it might have been for women if Eve hadn’t of listened to the Devil?
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
[Gen 5:29 Job 5:7, Eccl 2:23]
Though Eve was deceived, Adam knowingly disobeyed God and hearkened, or listened to the voice of his wife. See I Tim. 2:14.
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 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.
[1st Cor 15:22]
The earth was cursed because of Adam’s sin of listening to his wife, the curse upon Eve and the Earth will be lifted during the Millennial Kingdom.
20 And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
[Eve-life]
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
[Gen 3:7, Job 29:14, Zech 3:4, Rev 19:8]
“coats of skins” – something had to die and have its blood shed in order to produce these coats; therefore, God sets a precedent of the need for blood to be shed in order for sins to be forgiven.
Study Question
What does Hebrews 9:22 say about this matter?
22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
[Gen 2:9, Rev 2:7 Rev 22:2, Rev 22:14]
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
[Gen 4:2, Gen 9:20]
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
[Gen 2:8]
The serpent deceives Eve. (1-5) Adam and Eve transgress the Divine command, and fall into sin and misery. (6-8) God calls upon Adam and Eve to answer. (9-13) The serpent cursed, The promised Seed. (14,15) The punishment of mankind. (16-19) The first clothing of mankind. (20,21) Adam and Eve are driven out from paradise. (22-24)
Commentary by Matthew Henry, 1710.
Verse 1-5 – Satan assaulted our first parents, to draw them to sin, and the temptation proved fatal to them. The tempter was the devil, in the shape and likeness of a serpent. Satan’s plan was to draw our first parents to sin, and so to separate between them and their God. Thus the devil was from the beginning a murderer, and the great mischief maker. The person tempted was the woman: it was Satan’s policy to enter into talk with her when she was alone. There are many temptations to which being alone gives great advantage; but the communion of saints tends very much to their strength and safety. Satan took advantage by finding her near the forbidden tree. They that would not eat the forbidden fruit, must not come near the forbidden tree. Satan tempted Eve, that by her he might tempt Adam. It is his policy to send temptations by hands we do not suspect, and by those that have most influence upon us. Satan questioned whether it were a sin or not, to eat of this tree. He did not disclose his design at first, but he put a question which seemed innocent. Those who would be safe, need to be shy of talking with the tempter. He quoted the command wrong. He spoke in a taunting way. The devil, as he is a liar, so he is a scoffer from the beginning; and scoffers are his children. It is the craft of Satan to speak of the Divine law as uncertain or unreasonable, and so to draw people to sin; it is our wisdom to keep up a firm belief of God’s command, and a high respect for it. Has God said, Ye shall not lie, nor take his name in vain, nor be drunk, &c.? Yes, I am sure he has, and it is well said; and by his grace I will abide by it. It was Eve’s weakness to enter into this talk with the serpent: she might have perceived by his question, that he had no good design, and should therefore have started back. Satan teaches men first to doubt, and then to deny. He promises advantage from their eating this fruit. He aims to make them discontented with their present state, as if it were not so good as it might be, and should be. No condition will of itself bring content, unless the mind be brought to it. He tempts them to seek preferment, as if they were fit to be gods. Satan ruined himself by desiring to be like the Most High, therefore he sought to infect our first parents with the same desire, that he might ruin them too. And still the devil draws people into his interest, by suggesting to them hard thoughts of God, and false hopes of advantage by sin. Let us, therefore, always think well of God as the best good, and think ill of sin as the worst evil: thus let us resist the devil, and he will flee from us.
Verse 6-8 – Observe the steps of the transgression: not steps upward, but downward toward the pit.
1. She saw. A great deal of sin comes in at the eye. Let us not look on that which we are in danger of lusting after, Matthew 5:28.
2. She took. It was her own act and deed. Satan may tempt, but he cannot force; may persuade us to cast ourselves down, but he cannot cast us down, Matthew 4:6.
3. She did eat. When she looked perhaps she did not intend to take; or when she took, not to eat: but it ended in that. It is wisdom to stop the first motions of sin, and to leave it off before it be meddled with.
4. She gave it also to her husband with her. Those that have done ill, are willing to draw in others to do the same.
5. He did eat. In neglecting the tree of life, of which he was allowed to eat, and eating of the tree of knowledge, which was forbidden, Adam plainly showed a contempt of what God had bestowed on him, and a desire for what God did not see fit to give him. He would have what he pleased, and do what he pleased. His sin was, in one word, disobedience, Romans 5:19. disobedience to a plain, easy, and express command. He had no corrupt nature within, to betray him; but had a freedom of will, in full strength, not weakened or impaired. He turned aside quickly. He drew all his posterity into sin and ruin. Who then can say that Adam’s sin had but little harm in it? When too late, Adam and Eve saw the folly of eating forbidden fruit. They saw the happiness they fell from, and the misery they were fallen into. They saw a loving God provoked, his grace and favour forfeited. See her what dishonour and trouble sin is; it makes mischief wherever it gets in, and destroys all comfort. Sooner or later it will bring shame; either the shame of true repentance, which ends in glory, or that shame and everlasting contempt, to which the wicked shall rise at the great day. See here what is commonly the folly of those that have sinned. They have more care to save their credit before men, than to obtain their pardon from God. The excuses men make to cover and lessen their sins, are vain and frivolous; like the aprons of fig-leaves, they make the matter never the better: yet we are all apt to cover our transgressions as Adam. Before they sinned, they would have welcomed God’s gracious visits with humble joy; but now he was become a terror to them. No marvel that they became a terror to themselves, and full of confusion. This shows the falsehood of the tempter, and the frauds of his temptations. Satan promised they should be safe, but they cannot so much as think themselves so! Adam and Eve were now miserable comforters to each other!
Verse 9-13 – Observe the startling question, Adam, where art thou? Those who by sin go astray from God, should seriously consider where they are; they are afar off from all good, in the midst of their enemies, in bondage to Satan, and in the high road to utter ruin. This lost sheep had wandered without end, if the good Shepherd had not sought after him, and told him, that where he was straying he could not be either happy or easy. If sinners will but consider where they are, they will not rest till they return to God. It is the common fault and folly of those that have done ill, when questioned about it, to acknowledge only that which is so manifest that they cannot deny it. Like Adam, we have reason to be afraid of approaching to God, if we are not covered and clothed with the righteousness of Christ. Sin appears most plainly in the glass of the commandment, therefore God set it before Adam; and in it we should see our faces. But instead of acknowledging the sin in its full extent, and taking shame to themselves, Adam and Eve excuse the sin, and lay the shame and blame on others. There is a strange proneness in those that are tempted, to say, they are tempted of God; as if our abuse of God’s gifts would excuse our breaking God’s laws. Those who are willing to take the pleasure and profit of sin, are backward to take the blame and shame of it. Learn hence, that Satan’s temptations are all beguilings; his arguments are all deceits; his allurements are all cheats; when he speaks fair, believe him not. It is by the deceitfulness of sin the heart is hardened. See Romans 7:11. Hebrews 3:13. But though Satan’s subtlety may draw us into sin, yet it will not justify us in sin. Though he is the tempter, we are the sinners. Let it not lessen our sorrow for sin, that we were beguiled into it; but let it increase our self-indignation, that we should suffer ourselves to be deceived by a known cheat, and a sworn enemy, who would destroy our souls.
Verse 14,15 – God passes sentence; and he begins where the sin began, with the serpent. The devil’s instruments must share in the devil’s punishments. Under the cover of the serpent, the devil is sentenced to be degraded and accursed of God; detested and abhorred of all mankind: also to be destroyed and ruined at last by the great Redeemer, signified by the breaking of his head. War is proclaimed between the Seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. It is the fruit of this enmity, that there is a continual warfare between grace and corruption, in the hearts of God’s people. Satan, by their corruptions, buffets them, sifts them, and seeks to devour them. Heaven and hell can never be reconciled, nor light and darkness; no more can Satan and a sanctified soul. Also, there is a continual struggle between the wicked and the godly in this world. A gracious promise is here made of Christ, as the Deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. Here was the drawn of the gospel day: no sooner was the wound given, than the remedy was provided and revealed. This gracious revelation of a Saviour came unasked, and unlooked for. Without a revelation of mercy, giving some hope of forgiveness, the convinced sinner would sink into despair, and be hardened. By faith in this promise, our first parents, and the patriarchs before the flood, were justified and saved. Notice is given concerning Christ.
1. His incarnation, or coming in the flesh. It speaks great encouragement to sinners, that their Saviour is the Seed of the woman, bone of our bone, Hebrews 2:11,14.
2. His sufferings and death; pointed at in Satan’s bruising his heel, that is, his human nature. And Christ’s sufferings are continued in the sufferings of the saints for his name. The devil tempts them, persecutes and slays them; and so bruises the heel of Christ, who is afflicted in their afflictions. But while the heel is bruised on earth, the Head is in heaven.
3. His victory over Satan thereby. Christ baffled Satan’s temptations, rescued souls out of his hands. By his death he gave a fatal blow to the devil’s kingdom, a wound to the head of this serpent that cannot be healed. As the gospel gains ground, Satan falls.
Verse 16-19 – The woman, for her sin, is condemned to a state of sorrow, and of subjection; proper punishments of that sin, in which she had sought to gratify the desire of her eye, and of the flesh, and her pride. Sin brought sorrow into the world; that made the world a vale of tears. No wonder our sorrows are multiplied, when our sins are so. He shall rule over thee, is but God’s command, Wives, be subject to your own husbands. If man had not sinned, he would always have ruled with wisdom and love; if the woman had not sinned, she would always have obeyed with humility and meekness. Adam laid the blame on his wife; but though it was her fault to persuade him to eat the forbidden fruit, it was his fault to hearken to her. Thus men’s frivolous pleas will, in the day of God’s judgment, be turned against them. God put marks of displeasure on Adam.
1. His habitation is cursed. God gave the earth to the children of men, to be a comfortable dwelling; but it is now cursed for man’s sin. Yet Adam is not himself cursed, as the serpent was, but only the ground for his sake.
2. His employments and enjoyments are imbittered to him. Labour is our duty, which we must faithfully perform; it is part of man’s sentence, which idleness daringly defies. Uneasiness and weariness with labour are our just punishment, which we must patiently submit to, since they are less than our iniquity deserves. Man’s food shall become unpleasant to him. Yet man is not sentenced to eat dust as the serpent, only to eat the herb of the field.
3. His life also is but short; considering how full of trouble his days are, it is in favour to him that they are few. Yet death being dreadful to nature, even when life is unpleasant, that concludes the punishment. Sin brought death into the world: if Adam had not sinned, he had not died. He gave way to temptation, but the Saviour withstood it. And how admirably the satisfaction of our Lord Jesus, by his death and sufferings, answered the sentence passed on our first parents! Did travailing pains come with sin? We read of the travail of Christ’s soul, Isaiah 53:11. and the pains of death he was held by, are so called, Acts 2:24. Did subjection came in with sin? Christ was made under the law, Galatians 4:4. Did the curse come in with sin? Christ was made a curse for us, he died a cursed death, Galatians 3:13. Did thorns come in with sin? He was crowned with thorns for us. Did sweat come in with sin? He sweat for us, as it had been great drops of blood. Did sorrow come in with sin? He was a man of sorrows; his soul was, in his agony, exceeding sorrowful. Did death come in with sin? He became obedient unto death. Thus is the plaster as wide as the wound. Blessed be God for his Son our Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 20,21 – God named the man, and called him Adam, which signifies red earth; Adam named the woman, and called her Eve, that is, life. Adam bears the name of the dying body, Eve of the living soul. Adam probably had regard to the blessing of a Redeemer, the promised Seed, in calling his wife Eve, or life; for He should be the life of all believers, and in Him all the families of the earth should be blessed. See also God’s care for our first parents, notwithstanding their sin. Clothes came in with sin. Little reason have we to be proud of our clothes, which are but the badges of our shame. When God made clothes for our first parents, he made them warm and strong, but coarse and very plain; not robes of scarlet, but coats of skin. Let those that are meanly clad, learn from hence not to complain. Having food and a covering, let them be content; they are as well off as Adam and Eve. And let those that are finely clad, learn not to make the putting on of apparel their adorning. The beasts, from whose skins they were clothed, it is supposed were slain, not for man’s food, but for sacrifice, to typify Christ, the great Sacrifice. Adam and Eve made for themselves aprons of fig-leaves, a covering too narrow for them to wrap themselves in, Isaiah 28:20. Such are all the rags of our own righteousness. But God made them coats of skin, large, strong, durable, and fit for them: such is the righteousness of Christ; therefore put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ.
Verse 22-24 – God bid man go out; told him he should no longer occupy and enjoy that garden: but man liked the place, and was unwilling to leave it, therefore God made him go out. This signified the shutting out of him, and all his guilty race, from that communion with God, which was the bliss and glory of paradise. But man was only sent to till the ground out of which he was taken. He was sent to a place of toil, not to a place of torment. Our first parents were shut out from the privileges of their state of innocency, yet they were not left to despair. The way to the tree of life was shut. It was henceforward in vain for him and his to expect righteousness, life, and happiness, by the covenant of works; for the command of that covenant being broken, the curse of it is in full force: we are all undone, if we are judged by that covenant. God revealed this to Adam, not to drive him to despair, but to quicken him to look for life and happiness in the promised Seed, by whom a new and living way into the holiest is laid open for us.