Genesis 3 tells the famous story of Eve being tempted by the serpent, to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Eve then gives the fruit to Adam, and he eats it, too. They suddenly realize that they are naked, and are ashamed, so they make clothes for themselves out of fig leaves. Jehovah finds out what has happened. He curses the serpent, and sends Adam and Eve out of the garden, to make their way in the world, with work and hardship.

Here’s a brief outline:

• Eve and Adam cave in to the serpent’s temptation (Genesis 3:1-7)
• Jehovah hears their excuses (8-13)
• Jehovah curses the serpent, and judges Eve and Adam (15)
• They have to leave Eden (23, 24)

This third chapter of Genesis continues the story of the Most Ancient Church and its fall from grace. We are introduced to “the serpent” who encourages thinking "my way" instead of in the ways that God is leading us. The people of the Most Ancient Church gradually turned away from the teachings of their ancestors and began to rely on their own worldly knowledge. The people used sensual interpretations of the world to define their relationship with God. While still a holy people, their connection to God was not as intimate as that of their forefathers, since they had lost their direct line of communication with the Divine. This chapter gives an overview of this church and its fall. The following chapters will go into more detail about the subsequent generations, that eventually lead us to Noah.

Spiritual lessons from this chapter: This chapter teaches us about the misguided use of worldly knowledge to find God. As the ancient peoples began to get more natural, sensual knowledge, they began to value it more, and to think of their lives and power and knowledge as being their own. As they fell deeper and deeper into this illusion, they slowly cut off their connection to God. As can be seen in Genesis 1, there is a spiritual progression that leads to God, and in the same way there is an opposite progression that leads man away from God. It's not irreversible, though. In the end, the Lord is always present, and we always have the option to turn to or away from Him.