This chapter is full of symbolism. If we had a good grasp of the symbols, and still understand the story, we would have a much greater knowledge of God.

The serpent is able to talk to the woman. Jesus called Herod - ‘That Fox’. Could the serpent just be a name for Lucifer?

The tree of the knowledge of good and evil is often thought as being the Tree of Evil. This is wrong. Adam was made innocent, only knowing good. Children are originally innocent, but as we grow up we want to know good and evil as we see how far we can go without Mum or Dad, and society stopping us. We eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because we want things, enjoy the glamour of getting them, and possessing them makes us wise in the eyes of our friends. In getting things that God does not want us to have, we sin, become more wretched but become wiser. Stupid people aren’t we.

The reason why men and women were made was
(1) to worship and enjoy God
(2) to govern the animal world.
For this reason we have a godly and animal nature. The rest of the kingdom just has an animal nature. Is this the reason why we have to pray to God. Christian men and women and children rule this world. God does not rule this world as much as we would like him to do so. We have to get His help and power to help us rule the world.