Dust You Shall Eat - Genesis 3:14

Genesis 3:14 ESV 

The Lord God said to the serpent, 

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.”

The serpent is cursed to eat dust all the days of its life. Adam is cursed to return to dust, which is food for the serpent. 

Both fall to the ground for their transgression. Adam to work the ground instead of the garden and the serpent to slither on its belly on that ground as an enemy of man. 

Later Jesus would provide the way for man to rise from that dust to the the kingdom of heaven as a new creature. The dust is left behind, but there is plenty left for the serpent. 

They Knew - Genesis 3:2-7

Genesis 3:2-7 ESV 

And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

The prospect of being like God is too much for Eve and she succumbs to the temptation. Not only is the tree pleasing to the eye and good for food, but provides a wisdom apart from God. It sounds too good to be true and it is. She and Adam trade the wisdom of God for wisdom of their own. Their eyes are opened, but they see something different than expected. 

She ate for the wisdom it would bring, but only their knowledge was increased and they knew they were naked, having lost the garment of right standing with God. 

Did He Actually Say - Genesis 3:1

Genesis 3:1 ESV 

​Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. 

He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

The serpent is near the forbidden tree and is filled with the darkness of Satan. Satan was in heaven until he was cast out. To be present in the garden along with the tree of temptation explains why he, the embodiment of temptation and rebellion, would be found in this sacred place. He is there to allow the man to choose God.

The snake is part of God's plan just as the forbidden tree. We are placed on this earth that we might choose God, that we would enter that light which would separate from the darkness. Satan seeks to undermine the very word of God which brought forth creation. That strategy has proved very successful through the ages. 

"Did God actually say..."

With Flesh - Genesis 2:21-22

Genesis 2:21-22 ESV 

So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man.

Contained in this account which leads to the fall of man is a foreshadowing of the rise of man. The bride of Christ would be taken from His side and become His body, one with Him. We will meet Christ when He returns. 

Adam falls into a deep sleep. Jesus would fall into the sleep of death on behalf of every man.

From Adam's side a rib is taken and made into a woman. Flesh is added to close the place on his side. Jesus imparts the Holy Spirit to believers and in their flesh they become the hands and feet of the risen Lord, the body of Christ. 

Jesus enters our flesh through the Holy Spirit bringing the "rib" of divinity to our flesh. We become one with Him as flesh of His flesh and bone of His bone. 

Make Him A Helper - Genesis 2:18

Genesis 2:18 ESV 

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.”

On the sixth day of creation man was created, male and female. Adam was not created male and female. A suitable helper was not found as a companion in the world. From his side a woman would be taken from him and became his bride. 

When Jesus came into the world there was not a suitable companion for Him. The Father would give the church as His bride. 

But Of The Tree - Genesis 2:16-17

Genesis 2:16-17 ESV 

And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

There is one way out of the garden and that is to disobey God. 

There is one way into the garden and that is to obey God. He says we must believe the Son. The Son says I am the way, the door to the Father and no one comes to the Father except by me. If we obey we shall surely live. 

There is one tree of death and one tree of life. We can choose either tree, but forever is a very, very long time. 

Work And Keep It - Genesis 2:15

Genesis 2:15 ESV

The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.

Adam was placed in the garden with a unique task. He was taken out of the world and placed in the garden of Eden with the charge of working and keeping it. He is the only man there, with no companion. 

Jesus would arrive in the world alone to work the earth planting the seed of the word in the garden of the hearts of man. He comes to work the earth and keep it, to save it. He was sent into creation by His Father God.