Genesis 3:8-15 (NRSV)
Read Genesis 3:8-15 on biblegateway.com
Verse 8They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Verse 9But the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?" Verse 10He said, "I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."
Verse 11He said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?" Verse 12The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate." Verse 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, "What is this that you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent tricked me, and I ate."
Verse 14The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you among all animals and among all wild creatures; upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. Verse 15I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."
Devotion
The “Fall” happens and the first humans are afraid of the vulnerability in which they now find themselves. When God comes to them, walking in the garden in the gentle evening breeze, their response is to pass the blame—Adam to Eve, and Eve to the serpent. Then God passes judgment on the serpent, cursing it to crawl on its belly in the dust and putting enmity between it and humankind.
I have always liked this second creation story in Genesis because of the intimacy of God it describes. God comes to us! Even in the fallen state of sin of our human condition, God comes to us. Even now in this broken, hurting world, the Creator God comes to us in our vulnerability, showing us his love for us in Jesus Christ.
Prayer
God of all Creation, thank you for coming to us in our vulnerability when we mess up. Thank you for your forgiving love in Jesus Christ. Amen.
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