The lesson study for Tuesday, December 28, 2004 is titled Satan's Earthly Exile.

I want to draw your attention to this part of that study:

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Read Genesis 3:1. Compare it with Genesis 2:16, 17. What ploy did Satan use to set his trap?

How fascinating that Satan used a mixture of truth and error. He took a direct command from God and simply rephrased it in a way that sounded almost as if he were repeating what God said, only he put a different spin on it. In other words, he mixed just enough truth with error in order to make it sound right.

Read Genesis 3:2,3. What does it say about Eve's knowledge of God's command and, thus, her responsibility for her action?

Though deceived (1 Tim. 2:14), Eve, by her words, showed that she knew what God had told her to do. That's a powerful lesson for us: We could save ourselves a lot of heartache, sin, and deception if we simply obeyed the clear commands of God, no matter how much we might not understand a certain situation or all the variables in it. Deplorable as Eve's sin was, Adam transgressed with eyes wide open. Even amid their ignorance, they could have saved themselves from deception simply by obeying God, trusting that His way was the best way, even when they didn't fully understand it.

Read Genesis 3:6. What were the things about the tree that led Eve to disobey? What principles were at work there? How are these same principles manifested today?

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I now want to quote Genesis 3:1-7 below:

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Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
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.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

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Was Adam also there with Eve during the conversation between her and the devil through the medium of the serpent?

Nope. Even a casual reading of the SOP makes it clear Adam wasn't with her. And the Bible implies it. Adam resolved, unwisely, to die with his beloved wife. But Jesus offered them forgiveness and salvation.

1 Timothy
2:14 And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.

Even reading the Bible by itself it's pretty clear.

If Adam had been with Eve at the tree, it would certainly seem that he would have been conversing with the serpent as Eve was. But we have no record of that; just Eve and the serpent talking.

When God came looking for Adam and Eve, the answers they gave to Him show what happened:

Genesis 3
12 "And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."

If Adam had been with Eve when the conversation with the serpent took place, wouldn't Eve have said, "The serpent beguiled us"? Wouldn't Adam have said something about the serpent beguiling him as well?

Pardon my being picky, but God actually *gave* Adam and Eve salvation, not just offered it. He unilaterally acted to save the race in a physical sense, and His gift of the animal skin to cover their nakedness represents the gift of Christ's righteousness to cover their spiritual nakedness.

I'd say 'offered' is correct, and so is 'gave.' He didn't force them to put on the skins; they had to choose to do so. Just like in Rev. 3:20, He stands at the door and knocks. He's not trying to kick it in. We have to choose to open the door and let Him in.

I agree with John, and for the same reasons. God forces no one to receive the gift of salvation. But He does offer it with strong incentives. Thank you, Jesus.

The reason why I created this topic was that somebody I know stated that the Bible clearly states that Adam was with Eve based on this verse:

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Genesis 3:6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

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How would you respond to this person?

The way John did.

We can get more insights by looking at God's pronouncements of punishments/consequences:

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Genesis 3
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed 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:

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"Because thou hast done this..." What is the "this" that God is referring to? In the verse just previous, Eve said, "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." There's no mention of the serpent beguiling Adam, so that's what God is punishing the serpent for; beguiling Eve. And only Eve.

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15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

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Notice that it's not stated as putting enmity between the serpent and Adam, or the seed of Adam. That's because the serpent beguiled Eve, not Adam.

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16 Unto the woman He said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

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That's hardly fair, to make Eve subject to Adam's rule, if Adam was standing right beside Eve when the serpent beguiled her, and Adam did nothing to stop her.

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17 And 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 sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In 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.

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Why does God tell Adam the ground is cursed, and all these other sorrows? "Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife." Not the voice of the serpent.

All of the foregoing makes it pretty plain that Adam was not with Eve at the tree.

Yes, the Bible does clearly imply that Adam wasn't there with Eve when the serpent beguiled Eve.

The way God interacted with Adam and Eve, and dealt with the serpent, with Eve, and with Adam testifies to that.