Metaphysical Bible Interpretation of Genesis Chapter 3
Metaphysically Interpreting Genesis 3:1-24
3:1Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?3:2And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: 3:3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 3:4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 3:5for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.
3:6And 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 the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. 3:7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 3:8And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden.
3:9And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou? 3:10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
3:11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? 3:12And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. 3:13And Jehovah God said unto the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
3:14And Jehovah God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 3:15and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed: he shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
3:16Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy pain and thy conception; in pain thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
3:17And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 3:18thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; 3:19in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
3:20And the man called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
3:21And Jehovah God made for Adam and for his wife coats of skins, and clothed them.
3:22And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever- 3:23therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 3:24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
May 13, 1917: Genesis 3:1-12
3:1Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which Jehovah God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden? -- The serpent, a creation of Jehovah God, or I AM, represents the sensation set up through the union of life and substance. The woman typifies the affectional nature, and the garden, the body consciousness.
3:2And the woman said unto the serpent, Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat: -- The "tree" in the garden stands for progressive thoughts, and is represented in the body consciousness by the nervous system. The "fruit" of this tree is the nerve energy
3:3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. -- The "tree in the midst of the garden" is the Creative Life Principle, the fruit of which is nerve energy. This is the great seminal reservoir which nourishes the whole organism and is not to be drawn upon directly lest the life forces of the body be depleted and the body die.
3:4And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: -- It is the serpent which says man does not dies when he loses his body, but God hath said, "Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."
3:5for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil. -- God and evil contend for supremacy. The serpent, or sense consciousness, feels that its way of experience is the way of knowledge.
3:6And 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 the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. -- The soul, perceiving that it is pleasant to work out a Truth, is liable to appropriate or "eat" it for the pleasure of it, but Truth must be set into activity through the direction of the I AM.
3:7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. -- Man and woman realize they have dissipated their life forces — Wisdom and Love, have become separated.
3:8And they heard the voice of Jehovah God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God amongst the trees of the garden. -- After intense soul desire has disappeared, conscience in the form of Jehovah God makes known its presence. The mind seeks to "hide" from adjusting sin, but unless sin is forgiven it sinks back into the subconsciousness and eventually has to be met in some form.
3:9And Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou? -- Man seeks to eliminate the effect of sin without dealing with the cause. He talks to Jehovah God from a distance, because he is naked. That is, he realizes he has not the full consciousness of his original power and dominion.
3:11And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? -- It is through the affections, the feminine in us, that we partake of both good and evil. The soul, or woman, was given to man by Jehovah God, and is the avenue through which the inspirations of the Spirit come. When the I Am assumes mastery over the soul, it brings forth only good.
May 13, 1917: Genesis 3:22-24
3:22And Jehovah God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever- -- If man could lay hold of the “tree of life,” while thinking both good and evil to be real, he would go on living in the negative part of his being, and bring destruction upon both soul and body.
3:23therefore Jehovah God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. -- Man lost consciousness of his Divine nature in Spirit, and so must begin again to lay hold of the potential ideas in substance and “till the ground from which he was taken.”
3:24So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden the Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. -- The spiritual life is protected from the coarser consciousness by the “flaming sword,” or Word of God and “cherubim”, sacred wisdom. Man can regain entrance into Eden only through being born of the Spirit.
May 11, 1919: Genesis 3:1-13
Of what are the word-pictures of this lesson symbolical? The word-pictures of this lesson are symbolical of Mind-action.
What and where is the “garden of Eden”? The garden of Eden is man's inherent spiritual body, in which are the potentialities of Spirit.
What, in consciousness, is “Jehovah God”? In consciousness, “Jehovah God” is the real or spiritual Man Idea established in Mind-substance.
What, in consciousness, is represented by “serpent”? In individual consciousness, the serpent represents wisdom of sense.
What, in consciousness does the “woman” represent? In consciousness, the “woman” represents the intuitive faculty: that in the soul which develops into feeling of life and substance, without the positive guiding light of Divine Wisdom.
[Transcriber's note: Four lines of text are unreadable, except for reference to a question about the meaning of eating of the tree in the midst of the garden.] [Eating of the tree] which is in the midst of the garden is representative of man’s appropriation of ideas of life and substance. It purposes less than that of regeneration of the body.
What is the result of the disobedience to the Divine Consciousness {Jehovah God}? When man is disobedient to the divine urge of creation, he becomes lost in effects, and desires to live and enjoy according to effects and feelings.
What is the true method of bringing forth Divine Ideas? We bring forth Divine Ideas in right relation through contemplating our birthright (Christ likeness) and by shaping our thoughts and words according to the standards of Spirit. We are covenanted, when “born of the Spirit,” to use the forces of which we have gained consciousness to the glory of God and to the upbuilding of perfect man.
April 18, 1926: Genesis 3:1-12
What is the theme of this lesson? The theme of this lesson is the fall of man.
Of what value to us is the study of the fall of man? The only good that can come to us from the study of the fall of man is the discovery of the path by which we can retrace our steps, which will lead us back into the Edenic state idealized by God in the beginning.
What does the serpent represent? The serpent represents sense consciousness; it is the untamed power within man which usurps the fine essence of life for the pleasure of the flesh.
Explain how sensation depletes soul and body. When the soul, through desire for sensation, indulges in pleasures that lie beyond the perfect balance of the creative law, it is robbed of its vital elements; consequently the body is shorn of the sustaining power of life, and decomposition results.
How does man establish his supreme rulership? Man establishes his supreme rulership by proving that he is master over all the appetites, the passions, and the sensations of his nature. “He that ruleth his spirit {is better} than he that taketh a city.”
Define the word “Eden.” The word “Eden” means delight, pleasure. In it are hidden the joys of spiritual unfoldment. Man draws from God supply for every need of soul and body. When he is able to refine and harmonize his nature, he establishes the right relationship between himself and Spirit-Mind. Then he is restored to the Edenic state of consciousness.
Explain verse 3: “But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” The fruit of the wonderful tree in the midst of the garden is the pure essence of life, the transmuted seminal fluid, which should be used only for the glory of God. When one uses this holy fruit to gain selfish sensation, there is waste, depletion, and finally death.
How shall our nakedness be overcome and our bodies be clothed with radiant spiritual essence? We must get understanding of the law of transmutation, by which the elemental substance and life are raised to spiritual consciousness. Knowledge of this law is imparted to us by the Lord, when we earnestly ask for guidance and submit our wills to the divine will. “Not my will, but thine, be done.”
How shall we overcome concealment in sexual matters? Through ignorance of the divine law the generative function is being misused by many persons. A sense of guilt and disobedience leads to concealment. “The man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah God.” The remedy is open confession to the Lord and denial of self in the use of this source of physical life. In this, as in everything else, we must “do all to the glory of God.”
April 10, 1932: Genesis 3:1-8
Why does death follow the eating or appropriation of this tree in the midst of the garden (the body)? The excessive appropriation of, or indulgence in, sensation, followed by the evil, or reaction, sets up cross currents that gradually destroy the cells composing the organism, and this destruction results in the death of the body.
How is man saved from the enticement of Satan, or sensation? Jehovah God, or Christ, the supermind in man, when appealed to, brings to bear His spiritual power in both mind and body, and sensation is thereby lifted up and harmonized. “As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up.”
April 11, 1937: Genesis 3:1-15
Explain the easy and the hard way of gaining experience. We gain experience the easy way, when we choose to be guided by divine wisdom and to express the divine will. We take the hard way when we reject divine guidance and express the will of the personal self.
Is it necessary for man to know both good and evil in order to reach his highest development? To reach his highest development man must know good. To know evil in the sense of experiencing evil in himself is to lose ground, or retrogress, instead of developing.
Does God know good and evil, as the serpent is represented as stating? God, All-Good, knows no evil. The belief that infinite wisdom includes knowledge of both good and evil is the first great error that let the soul ([represented by] woman) astray.
Why does man persist in the belief that knowledge of good and evil is necessary to him? Man is convinced that he cannot exercise balanced judgment without knowledge of these opposites, the positive and the negative. In reality they neutralize his power to express the divine image and likeness involved in him.
What does the serpent represent? The serpent represents sensation, by which the soul is beguiled into seeking self-consciousness through disobedience of divine law.
What office do the senses fulfill in man? They are avenues through which man grows conscious of the manifest world, but because they tend to draw his attention away from the ideal to the world of form and limit him to what is passing, instead of what is enduring, he needs to control and direct them intelligently.
Does this lesson contain examples of [one or two unreadable words]? That the forbidden fruit was useful (“good for food”), beautiful (“a delight to the eyes”), and capable of bestowing wisdom (“to be desired to make one wise”) are all specious reasonings by which the soul attempts to justify its intention to disregard the divine law. These are not the true reasons why the soul heeds the voice of sensation.
Does man gain wisdom through following the behests of the senses? He gains consciousness of self, not wisdom, and the gain is to his disadvantage, since consciousness of self decreases his self-control, and brings him knowledge of fear and shame. These negative states are unknown to those who obey the divine law.
What does the Garden of Eden represent? It represents the divine consciousness. When we are driven out of Eden, we are bereft of the supreme blessing.
How do we start the journey back to Eden? By recognizing God and acknowledging His presence and His will in all that comes to us, whether good or seemingly evil, we make such a start.
Explain how man hides from God. Man hides from God by allowing himself to be ruled by his emotions and allowing his powers to be wasted in fruitless living to himself, instead of merging his aims and efforts in the universal life expression.
Is the fact that enmity exists between the soul and sensation (woman and the serpent) a good sign? As long as man continues to fight the good fight of self or to direct his sensations, there is hope for him that he may demonstrate singleness of mind and be able to express his better self perfectly.
July 12, 1942: Genesis 3:1-13
What makes sin possible to man? Free will and man's urgent desire express it.
What does the, serpent represent? It represents sensation, and when sensation is misdirected, it turns free will into self-will, with results that are destructive of the ideal in life and in man's world.
What was the tree whose fruit was pronounced fatal to man? The tree of the knowledge of good and evil; that is, consciousness of duality instead of a consciousness of the reality, good.
How does consciousness of duality [TruthUnity note: the PDF has the word "quality" but this must be a misprint for the word "duality"] gain entrance to the mind? By way of the soul, which is subject to impressions from the realm of appearances. The woman {the soul} 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.
Were these reasons true or false? They were false reasons or so-called rationalizations. A knowledge of both good and evil is not necessary to man's well-being, and is not good for the mind. Evil is not “a delight to the eyes,” and man's cultivation of this consciousness of duality does not make him wise.
In man’s struggle for self-expression what does the triumph of sensation over his better nature bring about? When sensation is allowed to rule him, his soul and body are both shorn of the vital elements that feed and clothe him with dignify and honor. He is left naked before Divine Mind, bereft of his contact with perfection.
To what is the overcoming of temptation due? To a choice exercised by the will. This is not the will that revolves around the self, but the will that is in harmony with the will of God.
Is the divine impulse lost to the person, who, by following duality, has fallen short of perfect obedience? No, he can always feel the impulse to change his mind and heart. The man hid himself “from the presence of Jehovah God,” but “Jehovah God called unto the man, and said unto him, Where art thou?”
July 12, 1942: Genesis 3:23-24
What inner meaning is found in the “Cherubim, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to keep the way of this tree of life”? The word “Cherubim” meads protection or sacred life. The inner spiritual life is protected from the outer, coarser consciousness. The “flame of a sword” is the divine idea or Word of God. Man unites with the inner Word or sacred life, through spiritual thought, meditation, and prayer. These protect him from consciousness of duality.
Transcription started by LuAnn Stevens in October 2013 and completed by Lloyd Kinder on 12-04-2013
