October 20, 2025
Genesis 3:1–13
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
“When Trust Breaks”
I believe that every broken relationship begins the same way, with a loss of trust.
We stop believing the other person’s words, or we start to question their motives. That’s exactly what happened in the garden of Eden. Before there was sin, before there was shame, there was doubt.
When the serpent came to Eve, did you notice he didn’t start with temptation, he started with suspicion. He planted the thought: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). Just a few words, but they created the first fracture between God and humanity. You see, the serpent wasn’t just twisting God’s command; he was distorting God’s character.
The question underneath was this: Can you really trust that God is good?
If God is holding something back, the serpent suggests, then just maybe He doesn’t have your best in mind. Maybe you’d be better off taking control yourself.
That lie has persisted through every generation. We may not be in a flawless garden, like Eden, yet we still face the same temptation to see God’s way as restrictive, to believe He’s distant, and to interpret His “no” as a lack of care. The truth is when we lose trust in God’s heart, in God's character, we begin shaping our lives around our own control.
Look back at our reading today, for Adam and Eve, mistrust led to hiding.
When they heard God walking in the garden, they didn’t approach Him; instead, they hid. What we witness in this is that shame cast its shadow over the broken trust. But, and please do not miss this, what is striking is that God didn’t walk away from them. God came looking, calling out: “Where are you?”
That question wasn’t about location, what shrub or tree they were hiding behind, it was about relationship. It was an invitation to come out of hiding, to bring their fear and failure into the open so that healing could begin. See that is Gospel truth.
God still asks that same question today.
When our trust has been shaken, by disappointment, unanswered prayer, or the pain of the world, His invitation is not condemnation but conversation. God meets us not with punishment, but with pursuit. I believe that what we are to understand is that God wants to restore trust, not demand perfection.
I believe that every broken relationship begins the same way, with a loss of trust.
We stop believing the other person’s words, or we start to question their motives. That’s exactly what happened in the garden of Eden. Before there was sin, before there was shame, there was doubt.
When the serpent came to Eve, did you notice he didn’t start with temptation, he started with suspicion. He planted the thought: “Did God really say…?” (Genesis 3:1). Just a few words, but they created the first fracture between God and humanity. You see, the serpent wasn’t just twisting God’s command; he was distorting God’s character.
The question underneath was this: Can you really trust that God is good?
If God is holding something back, the serpent suggests, then just maybe He doesn’t have your best in mind. Maybe you’d be better off taking control yourself.
That lie has persisted through every generation. We may not be in a flawless garden, like Eden, yet we still face the same temptation to see God’s way as restrictive, to believe He’s distant, and to interpret His “no” as a lack of care. The truth is when we lose trust in God’s heart, in God's character, we begin shaping our lives around our own control.
Look back at our reading today, for Adam and Eve, mistrust led to hiding.
When they heard God walking in the garden, they didn’t approach Him; instead, they hid. What we witness in this is that shame cast its shadow over the broken trust. But, and please do not miss this, what is striking is that God didn’t walk away from them. God came looking, calling out: “Where are you?”
That question wasn’t about location, what shrub or tree they were hiding behind, it was about relationship. It was an invitation to come out of hiding, to bring their fear and failure into the open so that healing could begin. See that is Gospel truth.
God still asks that same question today.
When our trust has been shaken, by disappointment, unanswered prayer, or the pain of the world, His invitation is not condemnation but conversation. God meets us not with punishment, but with pursuit. I believe that what we are to understand is that God wants to restore trust, not demand perfection.
Let's Pray
God, it’s tough to trust You when life feels confusing. Like Adam and Eve, I’ve fallen for the lie that You’re keeping something good from me. Help me to trust in Your love and to see that every command and every “no” comes from care. Draw me out of hiding and teach me to walk confidently with You again. Amen.
No comments:
Post a Comment