Genesis 3:1-24
3:1 The serpent represents the figure of deception. Throughout the Bible, this figure engages with humanity only ever in a deceptive manner and always with the same objective: its own gain. Let's identify this figure with further and complete explanation from Ezekiel 28.
Ezekiel 28:11-15
11 Moreover the word of the Lord came to me, saying,
12 “Son of man, take up a lamentation for the king of Tyre, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord God:“You were the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.
13 You were in Eden, the garden of God;
Every precious stone was your covering:
The sardius, topaz, and diamond,
Beryl, onyx, and jasper,
Sapphire, turquoise, and emerald with gold.
The workmanship of your timbrels and pipes
Was prepared for you on the day you were created.
14 “You were the anointed cherub who covers;
I established you;
You were on the holy mountain of God;
You walked back and forth in the midst of fiery stones.
15 You were perfect in your ways from the day you were created,
Till iniquity was found in you.
This figure was made in excellence by Creation. He was given great ability and responsibility but rather than expressing gratitude and humility, he saw selfish-opportunity. And such is the crux of every evil deed.
This serpent (the same figure) represents an opposing lifestyle than the one God offers. The figure in this chapter of Genesis uses deception and temptation to lure innocents and corrupt their world, and this is a theme not just of this chapter or the even the entire Bible, but also life. Evil actions (on any level) corrupt and taint humanity; because of pride and greed, humanity disables itself from basking innocently in perfection (represented by the Garden of Eden).
3:2-3 Here begins the disintegration of humanity's trust in God. God outlined a philosophy by which to live: having compassion for all, nourishing body and soul and retaining innocence (not dabbling in that which the serpent represents).
3:4 This is the first lie. God had explained in the previous chapter that partaking in evil would lead to inevitable death (spiritual death). Why does the serpent suggest otherwise? Well, the serpent is referred to in the Bible by many names, one of them being: The Son of Perdition. Perdition meaning: eternal punishment (death). At minimum, this figure does not want to go into perdition alone. At maximum and as is consistent with evil, this figure delights in disarray, deception and ruin.
3:5 As we read in Ezekiel 28, the serpent envied God and because of pride, worked deceptively in an attempt to be like a god. By infiltrating the minds of humanity with this same lethal amount of pride, Adam and Eve (representing humanity) step out of their protected zone and into complexity.
Humanity had lived in a neutral zone of love and comfort. Yet in partaking from the knowledge of good and evil, humanity gained the ability to think without protective borders. The consequence of such is that some thoughts lead to self detriment.
3:6 Humanity became (and is now) enthralled by all that the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil represented: vanity, wealth, power, fame.
3:7 Suddenly the Earth became a difference place. The relationship between Earth and humanity changed. Humanity began to pillage its host, this planet and continues to do so today. Humanity had everything, needed and desired nothing more as it thrived in perfect abundance. With the veil of protection torn, humanity became desperate to procure in an attempt to fill a vast void created by selfish desire.
8:8-10 Adam and Eve (humanity) became aware of new emotions and conditions: shame and embarrassment. Knowledge of shame had never before been necessary, for everything was done in kindness. Embarrassment unnecessary because nakedness was irrelevant; nakedness can be thought to represent deficit. Adam and Eve became (humanity) exposed as corrupted (figuratively). Fallibility cannot be hid for our actions become cloaked in all its elements: shame, embarrassment, greed, discontentment...
3:11-13 Another display of the fundamental flaw of selfishness: an inability to take responsibility and a readiness to use others to absolve oneself. We need to examine this situation in acknowledgement of its complexity. Briefly journey to Revelation 12:4, the serpent is repeating a scenario which happened in Spirit.
We have spoken before of Earth being a classroom through which to grow our Spirits. This once-great angel worked deceptively in Spirit (before earth) in the same attempt to gain power for itself... and he tempted and manipulated others to join him. We are reliving it, but this time, we have the ability to know better and therefore make a more informed decision.
Whether we accept or realize this bigger picture of life, we each make an informed decision about our values and about where we stand through the decisions we make throughout our lives here. Having the knowledge of both good and evil, when we choose a side (even subconsciously) this time it is a personal and conscious decision.
Our spiritual lives were put on hold as we took (take) this earthly intermission. When we return, we will have the ability to make a final and informed decision about who we stand with: Good or Evil, vanity or humility.
3:14-15 God allows for the repercussions of our own decisions. Humanity's decision to flirt figuratively with evil caused the potential and likeliness for disparity on the earth: a constant struggle on both the individual and global scale between good and evil, justice and injustice. We introduced complication to our world by desiring to be more than we were and have more than we had (even though we lacked nothing).
3:16 God's impartiality allowed for a perfect world of balance. Humanity, having become conscious of difference, has exploited difference ever since. In the acknowledgement of difference, instead of finding beauty, humanity found a reason to categorize itself (such divisions are even today the core of tensions around the globe within households and nations).
3:17-19 The symbiotic relationship with the Earth tarnished, the planet would become less habitable for humanity (due to our own exploitation of it) and we can certainly see the effects now (deforestation, climate change, extinction of critical species).
3:20 Eve is named as the mother of all living. Biologically an entire species cannot healthily be created by two people (and this will be cemented further in the coming chapter). Rather Eve represents womanhood.
3:21 We have been loved by God since the beginning despite our fallibility. Although we had corrupted ourselves (and our Earth) He made arrangements that would sustain us... in the hope that through our experience here, we would one day return to our spiritual origin.
3:22 And thus began our journey here on earth: we are meant to find and partake of the tree of life (spirituality, nature) to find our way home and back to perfection and innocence.
3:23 No longer a fit place for humanity, the garden of Eden discontinued in being our home; we rejected it. We became products of the earth more than children of Spirit.
3:24 And yet there are paths here which lead us back home, to that protected spiritual home. All are welcome, but only compassionate souls can exist there. This is our spiritual home.
