The First Promise

Genesis 3:1-15 (NKJV)

[1] Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?” [2] And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; [3] but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.'” [4] Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. [5] For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” [6] So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband who was with her, and he ate. [7] Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings. [8] And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. [9] Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?” [10] So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.” [11] And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?” [12] Then the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” [13] And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” [14] So the Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all cattle, and more than every beast of the field; on your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life. [15] And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”

🎯 Warm-Up Question

When someone you trusted has broken a promise or let you down, have you ever been surprised by someone else stepping in to help when you didn’t deserve it? How did that make you feel?

🔍 Exploring the Passage

1. What tactics did the serpent use to convince Eve to eat the forbidden fruit? (verses 1-5)
2. How did Adam and Eve respond when they heard God coming, and what does this tell us about how sin affected their relationship with Him? (verses 8-10)
3. What specific promise did God make in verse 15, and who was involved in this promise?

💬 Discussion Questions

1. Why do you think God asked “Where are you?” when He already knew where Adam was hiding? What does this reveal about God’s character and His desire for relationship with humanity?
2. Notice that even though Adam and Eve had just disobeyed God, He immediately began revealing His plan to rescue them (verse 15). What does this tell us about how God responds when people fail or make mistakes?
3. The promise in verse 15 is considered the first prophecy about Jesus Christ in the Bible. How does it encourage you to know that God’s plan for salvation was announced right after the very first sin?

🗝 Main Takeaway

Even in humanity’s darkest moment of rebellion and disobedience, God immediately revealed His heart of love and His plan for redemption. Rather than abandoning Adam and Eve to the consequences of their choice, God promised that through the woman’s offspring (ultimately fulfilled in Jesus Christ), victory would come over the serpent and sin itself. This passage shows us that no matter how far we may fall, God’s grace is greater than our failure, and His plan for our salvation was in place from the very beginning.

📘 Commentary

• “Has God indeed said?” – The serpent’s first tactic was to create doubt about God’s word, the same strategy used today to undermine faith in Scripture’s reliability and authority.
• “You will not surely die” – Satan’s lie directly contradicted God’s clear warning, showing how deception often works by denying the serious consequences of sin.
• “She took… and ate” – The progression from seeing to desiring to taking reveals how temptation works, and why we need God’s strength to resist sin’s appeal.
• “Where are you?” – God’s question wasn’t for His information but for Adam’s confession, demonstrating that God pursues us even when we’re running from Him.
• “The woman whom You gave” – Adam’s blame-shifting shows how sin damages relationships not only with God but also with others, yet God’s love remains constant.
• “I will put enmity” – This verse contains the first gospel promise, revealing that God had already planned Jesus’ victory over Satan before sin had fully taken its course.
• “He shall bruise your head” – This prophecy points directly to Christ’s ultimate defeat of Satan through His death and resurrection, giving hope to every person who feels defeated by sin.

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Tagalog

🎯 Pampainit na Tanong

May nakatiwala ka bang tao na nagsalita ng hindi totoo o nagkukulang sa iyo, tapos may ibang tao naman na tumulong sa iyo kahit hindi mo naman deserve? Ano ang naramdaman mo noon?

🔍 Pag-aralan Natin ang Talata

1. Anong mga paraan ang ginamit ng ahas para makumbinsi si Eva na kainin ang bawal na prutas? (talata 1-5)
2. Ano ang ginawa nina Adan at Eva nang marinig nila na paparating ang Diyos, at ano ang sinasabi nito sa atin tungkol sa epekto ng kasalanan sa kanilang relasyon sa Diyos? (talata 8-10)
3. Anong tiyak na pangako ang ginawa ng Diyos sa talata 15, at sino-sino ang kasama sa pangakong ito?

💬 Mga Tanong para sa Talakayan

1. Sa tingin ninyo, bakit nagtanong ang Diyos na “Nasaan ka?” eh alam naman Niya kung nasaan si Adan? Ano ang sinasabi nito sa atin tungkol sa ugali ng Diyos at sa Kanyang pagnanais na makipag-ugnayan sa tao?
2. Napansin ninyo ba na kahit kakatapos lang ni Adan at Eva na sumuway sa Diyos, agad-agad Niyang inihayag ang Kanyang plano para iligtas sila (talata 15)? Ano ang sinasabi nito sa atin tungkol sa pagtugon ng Diyos kapag nagkakamali o bumabagsak ang mga tao?
3. Ang pangako sa talata 15 ay tinuturing na unang propesiya tungkol kay Jesu-Cristo sa Bibliya. Paano kayo nagiging hopeful sa pag-alam na ang plano ng Diyos para sa kaligtasan ay inihayag na agad pagkatapos ng unang kasalanan?

🗝 Pangunahing Aral

Kahit sa pinakamadilim na sandali ng paghihimagsik at pagsuway ng tao, agad na inihayag ng Diyos ang Kanyang pusong puno ng pagmamahal at ang Kanyang plano para sa pagtubos. Hindi Niya iniwan sina Adan at Eva sa mga bunga ng kanilang pagpili, kundi nangako Siya na sa pamamagitan ng anak ng babae (na natupad kay Jesu-Cristo), magkakaroon ng tagumpay laban sa ahas at sa kasalanan. Pinapakita sa atin ng talatang ito na kahit gaano pa tayo kalalim na mahulog, mas malaki pa rin ang biyaya ng Diyos kaysa sa aming pagkukulang, at ang Kanyang plano para sa aming kaligtasan ay nandoon na simula pa sa umpisa.

📘 Paliwanag

• “Sinabi ba talaga ng Diyos?” – Ang unang diskarte ng ahas ay pagdududa sa salita ng Diyos, parehong strategy na ginagamit ngayon para sirain ang tiwala natin sa kapangyarihan at katotohanan ng Kasulatan.
• “Hindi kayo mamamatay” – Ang kasinungalingan ni Satanas ay direktang kumalaban sa malinaw na babala ng Diyos, pinapakita kung paano gumagana ang panlilinlang sa pamamagitan ng pagtanggi sa seryosong mga bunga ng kasalanan.
• “Kinuha niya… at kumain” – Ang progression mula sa pagkakita hanggang sa pagnanasa hanggang sa pagkuha ay nagpapakita kung paano gumagana ang tukso, at bakit kailangan natin ng lakas ng Diyos para labanan ang akit ng kasalanan.
• “Nasaan ka?” – Ang tanong ng Diyos ay hindi para sa Kanyang kaalaman kundi para sa pagamin ni Adan, pinapakita na hinahanap tayo ng Diyos kahit tumakas tayo sa Kanya.
• “Ang babaeng ibinigay Mo” – Ang pagsisisi ni Adan ay nagpapakita na ang kasalanan ay nakakasira hindi lang ng relasyon natin sa Diyos kundi pati na rin sa iba, pero ang pagmamahal ng Diyos ay nananatiling hindi nagbabago.
• “Maglalagay ako ng galit” – Ang talatang ito ay naglalaman ng unang pangako ng ebanghelyo, inihahayag na ang Diyos ay may plano na para sa tagumpay ni Jesus laban kay Satanas bago pa man tuluyang kumalat ang kasalanan.
• “Dudurugin niya ang inyong ulo” – Ang propesiyang ito ay tumuturo nang direkta sa sukdulang pagkatalo ni Satanas sa pamamagitan ng kamatayan at muling pagkabuhay ni Cristo, nagbibigay ng pag-asa sa bawat taong nararamdamang natalo ng kasalanan.