The Bible in a Year (with Fr. Mike Schmitz) - Day 2: The Fall of Adam and Eve (2023)

Episode Date: January 2, 2023

In today's readings of Genesis 3-4 and Psalm 104, Fr. Mike draws the connection between love and sacrifice in the story of Adam and Eve and explains the story of Cain and Abel. For the complete reading plan, text CATHOLICBIBLE to 33-777 or visit ascensionpress.com/bibleinayear.

Hi, I'm Father Mike Schmitz, and you're listening to the Bible in a Year podcast, where we encounter God's voice and live life through the lens of Scripture. The Bible in a Year podcast is brought to you by Ascension. Using the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, we'll read all the way from Genesis to Revelation, discovering how the story of salvation unfolds and how we fit into that story today. This is day two, so let's get started. Today, we'll be reading Genesis chapter 3 and Genesis chapter 4. So after the great news of creation, or the good news of creation, what happened then? How did things get so terribly

messed up? We'll also be reading from the book of Psalms, Psalm 104. The Bible that I'm reading from today and all this year is the RSVCE, the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition. And I'm using the Great Adventure Bible from Ascension. If you are interested in following along, not just listening along, but reading along, you can download your Catholic Bible in a Year reading plan by visiting ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year. Again, ascensionpress.com slash Bible in a Year to get the reading plan or to get or

and to get those these daily updates. Just subscribe in your podcast app and we will keep popping up every single day for the next 365 days. So you do not miss a day. You can also sign up for our email list by texting the word Catholic Bible to 33777. That's all one word Catholic Bible to 33777. Let's get started. Genesis 3 and 4. Now, the serpent was more subtle than any other wild creature that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, did God say you

shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, we may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but God said you shall not eat of the fruit of the tree which 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 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, 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 aprons.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, where are you? And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. He said, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree which I commanded you not to eat? The man said, The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree, and I ate. Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I ate.

The Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle and above all wild animals. Upon your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 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. To the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your pain and childbearing. In pain you shall bring forth children, yet your desire shall be for your husband, and he shall rule over you. And to Adam he said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and eaten of the tree of which I

commanded you, you shall not eat of it. Cursed is the ground because of you. In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Thorns and thistles it shall bring forth to you, and you shall eat the plants of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. You are dust, and to dust you shall return. The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. And the Lord God said, Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.

And now lest he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever. Therefore, the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man. And at the east of the garden of Eden, he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. Now Adam knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord. And again she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of the sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground. In the course of time, Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel brought some of the firstlings of his

flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell. The Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it. Cain said to Abel, his brother, Let us go out to the field. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel, your brother? He said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper. Then the Lord said to Cain, where is Abel your brother? He said, I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper? And the Lord said, what have you done? The voice of your brother's blood

is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, you have driven me this day away from the ground, and from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth,

and whoever finds me will slay me. Then the Lord said to him, Not so. If anyone slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord put a mark on Cain, lest anyone who came upon him should kill him. Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden. Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch, and he built a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father

of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech. And Lamech took two wives, the name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. Adah bore Jebel. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have cattle. His brother's name was Jubal, and he was the father of all who play the lyre and pipe. Zillah bore Tubal-Cain. He was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naama. Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, hearken to what I say. I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me. If Cain is avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold. And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth.

For she said, God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, for Cain slew him. To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time men began to call upon the name of the Lord. Psalm 104, God the Creator and Provider. who have laid the beams of your chambers on the waters, who make the clouds your chariot, who ride on the wings of the wind, who make the winds your messengers, fire and flame your ministers. You set the earth on its foundations so that it should never be shaken. You covered it with the deep as with a garment.

The waters stood above the mountains. At your rebuke they fled. At the sound of your thunder they took to flight. The mountains rose. The valleys sank down to the place which you appointed for them. You set a bound which they should not pass, so that they might not again cover the earth. You make springs gush forth in the valleys. They flow between the hills.

They give drink to every beast of the field. The wild donkeys quench their thirst. By them the birds of the air have their habitation. They sing among the branches. From your lofty abode you water the mountains. The earth is satisfied with the fruit of your work. You cause the grass to grow for the cattle and plants for man to cultivate, that he may bring forth fruit from the earth and wine to gladden the heart of men,

oil to make his face shine, and bread to strengthen man's heart. The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon which he planted. In them the birds build their nests. The stork has her home in the fir trees. The high mountains are for the wild goats. The rocks are a refuge for the badgers. You have made the moon to mark the seasons. The sun knows it's time for setting. You make darkness and it is night when all the beasts of the forest creep forth. The young lions roar for their prey, seeking their food from God. When the sun rises, they get them away and lie down in their dens. Man goes forth to his work and to his labor until the evening.

O Lord, how manifold are your works! In wisdom you have made them all. The earth is full of your creatures. Yonder is the sea, great and wide, which teems with things innumerable, living things, both great and small. There go the ships and Leviathan, which you formed to sport in it. These all look to you to give them their food in due season. When you give it to them, they gather it up. When you open your hand, they are filled with good

things. When you hide your face, they are dismayed. When you take away their spirit, they die and return to the dust. When you sent forth your spirit, they are created and you renew the face of the earth. May the glory of the Lord endure forever. May the Lord rejoice in his works, who look upon the earth and it trembles, who touches the mountains and they smoke. I will sing to the Lord as long as I live. I will sing praise to my God while I have being. May my meditation be pleasing to him, for I rejoice in the Lord. Let sinners be consumed from the earth, and let the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul.

Praise the Lord. Father in heaven, we give you thanks and praise. We give you glory, and we love you. Thank you for sharing your word with us, and thank you for giving us this clear vision of how you had created this world and how we had allowed sin to enter into it. Thank you for not abandoning us in the midst of our woundedness, but always following us into the wilderness, following us into the darkness so that you can be our light. Thank you, Father.

And we give you praise in Jesus name. Amen. Gosh, things kind of messed up pretty quickly. We went from yesterday where we had this incredible two stories of creation and the way in which God had not just made this macro universe, right, But also the way in which God had made even the smallest detail of care for the man and for the woman of not only calling them to be with each other and calling them to enter into leisure and labor and love, but also his divine intimacy with them. And it's remarkable. So what do we got here? We have in Genesis three, we have this incredible

story. When I say incredible, I don't mean good incredible. I mean terrible, horrible, but powerful. And the temptation of Eve. And I'm sure you maybe have heard some of this because there's so much to say about Genesis chapter 3 and chapter 4. But the first thing we can note is that term, that word that's used to describe Satan, it's the term that in other parts of the Bible, it means Leviathan or sea monster or dragon. So it's a fearsome creature, right? So it's not just a simple garter snake. Remember Jeff Cavins, who had created the Great Adventure Bible Timeline, pointed this out. And part of that is because it reveals the fact that this serpent is powerful.

This serpent is dangerous. And Eve would know that this serpent would be dangerous in that moment as well. And yet, he doesn't overtly challenge, well, we say this, he doesn't overtly challenge God's existence. He doesn't even overtly challenge God's authority to declare the tree to be off limits, but he does challenge God's trustworthiness when he says, did God really say? And she says, yeah, he said we couldn't eat of any of the trees or even touch the fruit of the tree. We can't, we can eat of any of the fruit of the, any of the trees except for this one, a tree of good and evil.

And we can't even touch it, which is actually kind of, you think, that's not true. He never said you cannot touch it, although that would be a near occasion of sin, unless we die. And then here is Satan, this Leviathan sea monster who says, you'll certainly not die. God knows full well that if you eat of this, you'll be like him. And the implication is, and he doesn't want you to be like him. And so again, it's not a challenge of God's authority. It's not a challenge of God's existence. It's a challenge of God's trustworthiness. It's a challenge of, will you belong to him or will you have to take out, take your, your life into your own hands? And this is the contest. This is the test for every one of us. You know, so often we can ask the question, God, why don't you reveal yourself more? Why don't you just show yourself to us and we would believe in you. And the truth of the

matter is God doesn't simply want us to believe in him. That's not the point. The point is not to believe in him. The point is to belong to him. And God could, he could reveal his goodness and his beauty and his power. He could reveal his existence and we would still have to have the same exact decision, the same exact challenge, or I guess essentially test, we might say it, that Eve and I guess subsequently Adam had gone through, which is not, do you believe in God? The question is, do you belong to him? Will you obey him because you know that he loves you? And this is the thing, up to this point, all Adam and Eve had ever known is that God loved them.

And the first challenge here of the serpent is he doesn't actually love you. Because if he loved you, he would give you, he would allow you to eat this fruit. And think about how scripture describes this. The woman saw that the tree was good for food, delight to the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to make one wise.

I mean, those are all good things. And so that's often what we do, isn't it? We look at sin and we think, well, that's silly. That's ridiculous that the church says that's not allowed or that the Bible says that we ought not to do this or that kind of thing. Because look, it actually works. It seems like it would be a good idea. And yet, when any decision, any option, any choice goes against God's will, we know that that is, we're making the decision.

Like, I don't belong to him anymore. So as scripture says, their eyes of both of them were open and they were naked and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons. Another translation said, made loincloths for themselves. And then what happens is then God comes along. Remember, this is the God who is so intimate with them. In the cool of the evening, they used to walk with him. And he calls out, where are you?

And Adam responds, I was afraid because I was naked. So I hid myself. Now, the very next line, I've heard it said, and I'll say it again, the way in which we hear the very next line tells us everything that we need to know about our vision of God. The very next line, God's next line, how we hear it, the words are simple. The words are, who told you that you are naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? If we hear that, sometimes we can hear that as God's anger.

We hear God's anger, his wrath in a voice that's like, who told you that you were naked? You know, kind of a thing. He's just so mad. Or we could hear the true heart of the father who would say, who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I've commanded you not to eat? What we hear is the heartbreak of the father in his voice because he knows the plan

he had for his children. And that plan for his children was that he would belong to them and they would belong to him and they would be able to actually live their lives in peace and in joy and in the love of his presence. And in this moment, the story reveals that they don't get to, they have a different path they have to follow. And that different path is then spelled out where we hear the curses. Now, actually, that's singular. These are not curses. This is one curse. Only the serpent gets cursed, right? The next two things, what God says to Adam and what God says to Eve are not strictly speaking curses. They're more remedies. Yeah, they're painful, absolutely painful. Here is a pain in childbearing and broken relationships.

Here is Adam who basically has to go to work at his horrible job every day and commute back and forth, living by the sweat of his brow. But that is not meant to be a curse. In fact, the scripture does not call it a curse. It's the remedy. Because why? Because Adam and Eve failed to choose love. They're made for love. Remember, they're made for labor, leisure, and love.

They failed to choose love. And love always involves sacrifice. And so now, for Eve to love, for the woman to love, she will bring forth life in pain and learn that love involves sacrifice. And for Adam to care for his wife and to care for his family, he will have to bring forth fruit of the earth in toil and sweat and amongst thorns and thistles. And he will have to learn that to love requires sacrifice. And yet here is the key thing. How do we know that this is true? How do we know this is not God just bringing the smack down on Adam and Eve? It's because at the end, after God drives out the man

and the woman out of the Garden of Eden, he places the cherubim, the flaming sword, to guard the way to the Tree of Life. Well, A, why does he guard the tree of life? My gosh, there's so much to say about this. Why does God guard the tree of life? Because if they eat of the tree of life, they'll never die. And so, well, God doesn't want them to never die. No, not like this. God doesn't want them to live in this brokenness forever. Like, yeah, maybe that their destiny originally was to be created and live in wholeness and holiness and to live forever in that wholeness and holiness. But since they're broken, God's saying, no, stay away from the tree of life because I don't want you to live in this brokenness for eternity. I will now allow you to live in this world in such a way that you will end up dying so that you can be raised up. That's ultimately

the key for this. But here's how do we know this? How do we know that God's still caring for his people? Because it says in chapter three, verse 21, and the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. And one of the things that is, is here's God continuing to provide, continuing to care for the man and the woman. Yes, they have rebelled against him. Yes, they cannot any longer live in the Garden of Eden, but here is God still caring for them. And what does he, how does he clothe them? Garments of skins, leather garments, which means something had to die for God to be able to love Adam and Eve. And again, this profound reality, the connection between love and sacrifice,

love and caring for another. Of course, we have then Genesis chapter four. And I know there's been so much said already about Genesis chapter three, but things escalate quickly. Humanity goes from eating a piece of fruit to a brother killing brother. And we wonder like, what, what is this? Why, why does we have this story of Cain and Abel and we have Cain offering a sacrifice and Abel offering a sacrifice. And it says that the Lord God accepted the offering of Abel, but for Cain and his offering, he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, angry, and his countenance fell. And we asked the question, well, why? Why did God accept Abel's offering and didn't accept Cain's offering? Ultimately, we don't know. But one of the thoughts

would be this, is that the nature of Abel's offering was he had brought out the first fruits of the flock. And the nature of Cain's offering is that he just gave God whatever. So Abel says he brought some of the firstlings of his flock, but for Cain, an offering of fruit from the ground, not necessarily first fruits. Because of that, we can look at ourselves and say, how am I offering God? What am I offering God? Do I give God the best or do I just give God whatever's left? Because one offering is acceptable and gives glory to God.

And the other offering might in some ways be meaningless, not because it's meaningless to God per se, but because it was meaningless to us. We just kind of gave God whatever was left. We can do this when it comes to our prayer, right? Is do I give God the first fruit? So I give God the first moment of my day.

And that doesn't even have to be the first chronological moment of the day. It can be, do I first put that rock of, I will pray at this time in my calendar? And that doesn't get moved. That's the first pebble, first rock that goes into my daily calendar. That's giving God our first fruits.

There's a challenge here because Cain was so angry with his brother. But God is saying, he says this powerful word. He says, if you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must master it. That even when we are broken, even when we are angry, even when we are tempted, we do not have to sin. God is declaring that we do not have to sin. You can be the master of the

evil that is within us. You can be the master of the evil that's within you. And so one of the things that we recognize right now is, okay, gosh, Lord, you created this world very good. And humanity has sinned and turned against you. We've not trusted you. We might believe in you, but so often we don't belong to you, but you continue to care for us. And so now as an act of love, love always involves sacrifice. And so I will now, in order to love you, I have to sacrifice something. And each day, what that means is I have to sacrifice some of my time to spend with you, to be in prayer. And I want to let that time that I sacrificed to you be not whatever's left,

but I want that time to be the best, my first fruits. Anyways, it's so good to be starting this journey with you. It's so good to be underway and cracking open the Bible. I cannot wait to be with you again tomorrow as we continue moving forward in this early world period of Genesis and just kind of continue to follow this incredible story that is part of your story and my story. My name is Father Mike. God bless.