Adam and Eve had sinned; they had disobeyed. They had not heeded God's warning that to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil would result in death. When faced with temptation each of them made the wrong decision.
You see, God created us with the ability to make choices. Otherwise we would be hollow and incomplete - not human. We learn from making decisions, good and bad, throughout our lives. Disobedience (like eating the forbidden fruit) is sin. In fact, it's probably the most frequent sin of mankind. Somehow, we are often willing to listen to voices other than the Good Shepherd's, resulting in disobedience to God's word. Sigh. But, when we recognize and confess our sins God is always there, willing to forgive us, restore our relationship with Him, and help us try not to make the same mistake again.
Not only did Adam and Eve disobey God, they also tried to hide from Him. I remember hearing this story as a child and thinking how silly they were to try to hide from God... After all, God knows and sees eveything, right? Well, then, why do we today try to hide from God through the misuse of drugs, alcohol, materialism, or _____________________? (You fill in the blank.)
When confronted by God no one in the Garden of Eden was willing to take responsibility for what happened. Adam blamed Eve. And Eve blamed the serpent. Owning up to what we have done isn't usually easy, but it's the right thing to do. God already knows; don't try to put the blame on someone else or on circumstances. Confess your sins and ask Him for forgiveness. Receive God's forgiveness. Then, move on!
Okay. We can easily be forgiven, but sometimes there IS punishment for sin. There ARE consequences for our actions. (Reminds me, somehow, of Newton's third law of motion: "For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.") In reading through the remainder of the book of Genesis, we find many examples of life's poor choices and their resulting consequences. Those stories are there for a purpose - to give us examples of what NOT to do, how NOT to act, what NOT to say... As we read in the Bible, we might feel that some of the punishments seem a bit harsh. But, we need to remember that God is Holy, totally Righteous, a completely moral Being. We make our choices, and, if we choose sin, He chooses the consequences. We don't necessarily understand because all we see is the life we are living. But, He sees the larger picture called eternity.
So... when you are tempted, if that little voice in the back of your mind says, "Don't do that",
DON'T DO IT!
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| "After The Fall" My watercolor collage of Eve and the serpent - after the sin of disobedience. She doesn't look very happy, does she? |
Every mistake we make begins with questioning the clear directions that Adonai has given us.
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