KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL

 

 

BY THE END OF THE LESSON, WE WILL:

IDENTIFY ways in which sin creates barriers to healthy relationships with God and others; EXPRESS sorrow and repentance for wrongdoing; and SEEK God's help in discerning right from wrong.

 

FOCAL VERSES

Genesis 3:8b-17

 

KEEP IN MIND

"And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken" (Genesis 3:22-23).

AT-A-GLANCE

1. Hiding from and Breaking God's Heart (Genesis 3:8-8)

2. Broken Fellowship Caused by Sin (vv. 10-13)

3. The First Judgment upon Sin (vv. 14-17)

 

IN FOCUS STORY

Ken had been saved for three years now. Today was, in fact, his spiritual birthday. The saints had welcomed him. His pastor was a blessing to him and the fellowship of the brotherhood was awesome. He was learning what it meant to be a man of God. He had grown tremendously over these three years, yet he harbored a secret that he struggled with daily.

 

The saints knew he had a child from a relationship before he was saved and that his daughter lived in another state. What they didn't know was that he was not paying child support. He told himself that he would do better when he found a better job, that her mother had a good job and probably didn't need his money. As he watched the brothers in the church with their children, he wanted more and more to be the kind of father he saw in them. 

God was beginning to convict him. Ken knew he had to make a change, because not being a good father and not meeting his obligations was a sin that he could not hide any longer. He wasn't sure where to turn for help, but he knew that God would not give him rest until he made a change.

 

Sin destroys and leads to broken relationships. In today's lesson, we see the consequences of sin and the provisions God makes for His creation.

 

THE PEOPLE, PLACES, AND TIMES

GARDEN. The beautiful garden made by God for Adam and Eve. The word "Eden" refers to a well-watered place, suggesting a luxuriant park. The word translated "garden" does not typically refer to vegetable plots but to orchards or parks containing trees.

 

COOL OF THE DAY. Akkadian terminology has demonstrated that word translated "day" also has the meaning "storm." This meaning can also be seen for the same Hebrew word for "day" in Zephaniah 2:2. It is at times connected to the deity coming in a storm of judgment. If this is the correct rendering of the word in this passage, Adam and Eve heard the thunder of the Lord moving about in the garden in the wind of the storm.

 

BACKGROUND

God created the heaven and the earth and the Holy Spirit moved on the waters (Genesis 1:1-2). He created the light and the firmament (vv. 3-8), separated the waters (vv. 9-13), made the sun, moon, and stars (vv. 14-19), and created man in His image (vv. 26-28). God then planted a garden in Eden, where He placed the man and took care of him (vv. 29-31). God made the trees to grow, including the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil (2:8-9). God told the man he may eat freely of every tree in the garden except the tree of knowledge of good and evil (vv. 16-17). Then, God made a help meet for the man because it was not good for man to be alone. The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam. Performing the first surgery, God took one of Adam's ribs and made a woman (vv. 18-25). They were given only one prohibition, but we see in today's lesson that they failed to obey God and began to experience life under the curse.

 

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

1. Why did God call out to Adam and ask, "Where art thou?" Didn't He Know where Adam was (Genesis 3:9)?

2. Why was the serpent punished (v. 15)?

3. Why were Adam and Eve punished (vv. 16-17)?

 

DISCUSS THE MEANING

1. In what ways do we try to hide from the "presence of God"?

2. Why did God ask about "nakedness"? What does nakedness represent?

3. Ken in the In Focus story was engage in sin that no one around him knew about. If no one knows we are hiding sin, why is hiding sin so detrimental to us and others?

4. Ken was playing "hide and seek" with God and sin. How do we play hide and seek with sin? With God?

 

LESSON IN OUR SOCIETY

Sin affects everyone. When we sin, we sin against God. That sin is passed down from generation and destroys people, families, and communities. Through Jesus Christ, provision has been made for salvation so that we no longer have to "hide from God" or deceive others and ourselves regarding sin. As Apostolic believers, how well do we tell the message about what God has done? What should we individually and collectively do to better help realize that God's grace is for their deliverance?

 

MAKE IT HAPPEN

1. Failing to encourage others when we can, not accepting the help that God has sent through other people, and not offering help when we are able can all be considered sin because they represent our failure to please God. What other sins can you identify that are subtle, but real, in the lives of people (saved and unsaved) today?

 

2. Each of us is called to face our sins of omission (what we fail to do but should) and our sins of commission (what we do that is not pleasing to God). In your own life, think about the sin (whether omission or commission) you are hiding. What will you do this week to relieve the guilt?

(Except from the Apostolic Light)

 

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