The Story

Adam and Eve lived happily in God’s beautiful garden. God had given them one command about one tree. Of that tree He had said, "thou shalt not eat of it". If they ate from it, they would surely die. Everything else in the garden was theirs to enjoy.

But the serpent came to Eve. The serpent was sly, and he made Eve question God’s word. He told her that God’s warning was not true, and that the fruit would make her wise like God. Eve looked at the tree. The fruit looked good for food and pleasant to her eyes, and she wanted the wisdom the serpent promised. So Eve took the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to Adam, who was with her, and he ate it too.

Right away, Adam and Eve knew they had done wrong. They felt ashamed, and they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves. When they heard the LORD God walking in the garden, they hid among the trees. God called to Adam and asked what he had done. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent.

Then God spoke about what their sin had brought. The serpent would crawl on its belly and eat dust, and there would be fighting between the serpent and the woman’s seed. But hidden in God’s words was a wonderful promise: "it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel". One day, a child born of a woman would crush the serpent’s power, though He Himself would be hurt in doing it. That promised One is the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour.

God also told Eve that her life would now have sorrow, and Adam that his work in the ground would be hard, with thorns and sweat, and that people would die and return to dust. Adam named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all living people. Then God showed that He still cared for them: "Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." At last God sent Adam and Eve out of the garden, and He placed angels with a flaming sword to guard the way to the tree of life. It was a sad day — but God’s promise of a Saviour had already been given.