• Read Genesis 3:16

Reflect on the following:

• Eve’s curse is very relational in nature. How do you see this worked out today? In your own sphere?

I had it explained to me once that the word translated desire here is
the same word used later in Genesis when God is telling Cain to resist
the desire to kill his brother, Abel. There it says, “sin is crouching at
your door and it desires to control you.”

• Do you see a desire for control in yourself?

• God creates them “side-by-side,” using a piece of the man’s side to create the woman, and now it has become a competition. I grieve this in so many ways. How do you see this competition in play in our world today?

• Are there examples in your life of a godly “side-by-side” relationship and serving?

As is our rhythm, spend some time with the Father. Bring to him
the things that you can tend to doubt. Turn towards Him with your
questions, doubts, and fears.

• Read Genesis 3:14-15

Matthew Henry’s commentary says regarding verse 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…A gracious promise is here made of Christ, as the
Deliverer of fallen man from the power of Satan. Here was the
dawn 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.

• What does it tell you about God’s character that He judges the deceit of the serpent?

• What does it tell you about Him that He alludes to a future deliverer who would crush the serpent?

• Read Genesis 3:11-13

Reflect and consider these questions as you go about your day today:

• How do the man and the woman respond when confronted with their sin?

• Who knows you well enough to see the sin in your life? Have you given them permission to confront you?

• When you are confronted by a friend about some sin in your own life, how do you generally respond?

• Read Genesis 3:8-10

These are some of the saddest verses in the Bible for me. God comes to walk with His friends, His creation. He gently calls them to move towards Him when He says, “where are you?”

• What do you think Adam is afraid of in this encounter with his creator?

• In your life, what would you fear having exposed?

• How do you hide from others or from God?

• If God asked you today, “where are you” do you perceive that you are moving towards Him or away from Him?

• What would be a relief for Him to see and know about you?

• Read Genesis 3:6-7

Ponder the following questions today:

• What motivates the woman to eat? What is motivating this first sin?

• What are the immediate consequences?

• How is shame introduced immediately into their relationship, where we saw earlier there was no shame?

• Are there areas in our life, past sin, present sin, or character issues that cause you to want to hide from God?

Spend some time talking to God about this. Is there a trusted friend
you could bring this to as well?

• Read Genesis 3:1-5

It seems especially cunning and cruel, to me, when the serpent in verses
4-5 seems to say subtly, “God doesn’t want you to be like Him, He’s
keeping you separate from Him, you aren’t good enough to be like Him.”

• How have you felt “less than” in your own life? How does Satan use this tactic with you?

• How does the serpent sow seeds of doubt related to God’s character with the woman (and the man who was with her)?

• Why do you think the man is so quiet? How do you think that this impacts the woman next to him?