Adam and Eve and the Serpent
Theme: What does it mean to Sin?
God made a beautiful place for the first humans to live. It was so much fun they didn’t need TV or phones. All the animals liked to play with them – even the lions and the bears. They only had one rule that God made them follow. Adam and Eve loved God and didn’t even think of disobeying. Then came the serpent snake. What happened when he tried to trick them?
Day 1 – Adam Placed in The Garden
Passage
Genesis 2:5-15
7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being…
Key verses: 7 and 15
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.
Observations
- God created Adam out of the dust of the ground.
- God had planted lots of beautiful trees in a garden called Eden. The trees had all kinds of awesome fruit to eat.
- God brought Adam to the Garden of Eden. “I want you to take care of this place for me,” God told him.
- Adam had so much to explore. He followed four rivers that flowed through the garden.
- He found gold and gemstones, and stuff that smelled great.
- The animals were all friendly. He had nothing to be afraid of. And he could talk to God whenever he wanted.
Discussion
- Adam didn’t go through childhood. He just came to life after God breathed into his nose. Do you think he was scared at first?
- Would you have been excited with so much to explore? Or would you have been bored? There were lots of fun animals, but Adam was the only human.
Day 2 – Adam Needs a Helper
Passage
Genesis 2:18-20
20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
Key verse: 20
But for Adam no suitable helper was found.
Observations
- God loved Adam. He felt bad that Adam was alone without a helper.
- He gave Adam a job – name all the animals.
- He told Adam to look for that special animal that could be his helper.
- One by one, the animals came to Adam, and he named them all. He probably laughed and marveled at God’s creativity.
- Adam had a great time, but no suitable helper was found.
Discussion
- What animal would you have named differently?
- Why did God have Adam name the animals instead of doing it himself and telling Adam the names?
- What do you think Adam was looking for in his helper? Why couldn’t he find it in the animals?
Day 3 – The Helper Arrives – Hello, Eve!
Passage
Genesis 2:21-23
21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
Key verse: 23
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
Observations
- Adam fell into a deep sleep, caused by God.
- God formed Eve from his rib, and then healed Adam before he awoke.
- It was the first surgery! 😁
- Adam woke up, and there was Eve!
- Adam called her woman, because she was taken out of man.
Discussion
- Do you think it was love at first sight?
- Which animal did he want to show her first? Which fruit did he want her to try first?
- Why did God use Adam’s rib instead of the dust of the ground like he had done with Adam?
- God designed men and women for each other.
Day 4 – The Forbidden Tree
Passage
Genesis 2:16-17
16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Key verse: 16-17
Observations
- Verse 9 says that the tree of the knowledge of good and evil is in the middle of the garden.
- God told Adam that he could eat from every tree except that one.
- He warned Adam that the day he ate of it, he would surely die.
Discussion
- If you were Adam, would you want to eat from that tree? If your parents told you not to go into a yard, would it make you want to go there?
- This is a hard one – why did God put the tree in the garden in the first place?
- What would you rather have:
- A robot that always does what you command?
- A puppy who loves you because they want to, but doesn’t always do what you tell it?
Day 5 – Saddest Day Ever
Passage
Genesis 3:1-13
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.
Key verse: 6
Observations
- Satan took the form of a snake to deceive Adam and Eve.
- Satan accused God of lying. “Did God say you will die? No you won’t. You’ll just become smarter, that’s all. He doesn’t want you to become as smart as him.”
- Satan spoke to Eve, and she ate first.
- Adam didn’t stop either of them.
- When Eve offered it to Adam, he also ate it.
- Both of them knew this was wrong. Both of them sinned against God.
- When God questioned them, they had excuses. Both of them wanted to say it wasn’t their fault:
- Adam said “It’s Eve’s fault! You gave this woman to me, God. She gave me the fruit.”
- Eve said “It’s the serpent’s fault! He tricked me!”
Discussion
- Whose fault was it?
- When you get caught doing something wrong, do you always say it was somebody else’s fault?
- Pretend you are Adam. You hear the snake lying to Eve. What would you say to stop her from eating?
Day 6 – Goodbye, Garden
Passage
Genesis 3:14-24
23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
Key verse: 23
Observations
- God handed out punishments:
- The snake would crawl on its belly forever.
- The woman would have pain in childbirth. It hurts a lot to have a baby.
- Unlike in the garden, work would be hard for the man. Thorns would grow up. The ground would be difficult to farm.
- Mankind came from dust, and to dust will our bodies return when we die.
- God still loved them. He made them their first sets of clothes to wear.
- But he could no longer allow them in the garden.
- God banished them from Eden.
- He set an angel at the entrance with a flaming sword to guard it.
Discussion
You’ve just been kicked out of the garden. A scary-looking angel with a flaming sword stands guard. You aren’t going back that way!
- What did Adam and Eve do their first day outside the garden?
- If you are a girl, pretend you are Eve. What do you say to Adam? (Dad or a sibling take the role of Adam)
- If you are a boy, pretend you are Adam. What do you say to Eve? (Mom or a sibling take the role of Eve)
- Do you understand what it means to commit a sin?
Bible study methodology adapted from Searching the Scriptures with permission from Tyndale House:
Swindoll, Charles, Searching the Scriptures. Tyndale House Publishers, 2016.
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