Our First Lesson in Futility
In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth. (I know. I know. You’ve heard of these events before, but kindly indulge me.)
He created day and night, the sun, the moon, and all the stars above. Then He went on to separate the land from the seas, and to form all of the plants, trees, birds, fish, and animals as well. But on the sixth day, God made man to keep and enjoy everything that He had made. This man, Adam, was created by God, in His own image; and likewise, God created the woman, Eve, to be a helper to the man.
Now, not only did He make Adam and Eve to have this earth as their domain, but He gave them authority over all the birds of the air, fish of the sea, and every living creature that moved upon the face of the earth . The Lord also produced a special garden in Eden just for them, and He placed them there as husband and wife. Mind you, this garden came complete with cool waters running through it, and every sort of tree pleasing for the eye, and good for eating from. Also in the garden grew The Tree of Life, as well as The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. So it should no doubt be noted that Adam and Eve were given everything they needed, and they were allowed to do pretty much whatever they pleased. Though God did set down one boundary, and that solitary rule was this: 16 The Lord commanded the man saying, “From any tree of the garden, you may eat freely; 17 but from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it, you will surely die.”
Genesis 2: 16,17 NIV
Okay. So let’s imagine ourselves in the Garden of Eden, and survey the situation at hand. We’ve been given a spouse custom~made compatible for us by God Himself, furnished with a beautiful place to dwell, complete with an abundance of fresh food, water, and every sort of pet imaginable, and we’re given the luxury to roam about naked, doing pretty much whatever we please. . . all free of charge. Sounds like we’ve got it made, doesn’t it? We’d like to think so. But for those possibly unfamiliar with where things went from there, I’ll go on. . .
By the time we reach Genesis 3, we find Eve being tempted by a crafty serpent: 1bAnd he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any fruit of the garden’?'” 2The woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit trees of the garden we may eat; 3but from the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.'”‘” 4The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!” 5For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from it’s fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
8They 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. 9Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?” 10He said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.” 11And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
The Bible goes on to tell us that The Lord eternally condemned the serpent for deceiving Eve, and for tempting her to sin. Then, God punished not only Eve for her disobedience, but all women by providing pain in childbirth, and by deeming them to be submissive to men for generations to come. As for Adam and his own disobedience, well, God punished all men with a different sort of labor pain. God said, “By the sweat of your face, you will eat your bread”, as He sentenced man to toil for his food from that day forward. Then, God cast them both from Eden, never to return. . .
Wow. What a bummer, eh?!? You know, I used to get really frustrated with Adam and Eve, considering how they seemingly blew it for everyone. I dare say at least some of us do so because we believe that we somehow could have done better. But then, we need to ask ourselves the following: If we could somehow do better than they did, (in refraining from sin altogether), then why don’t we?!?
I mean, we’ve all had waaay more lessons to learn from, and still none of us can claim excellence. Even the very strongest of us in the faith fall at certain points. It seems inevitable. And The Good Lord even tells us that it’s inevitable.
Please, take some time to pray and meditate on this before reading on. Then seriously consider the following questions as additional food for thought.
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#1) In Genesis 1, vs. 26 & 27, what do you suppose God meant by creating man in His Image? And does that include endowing us with all of His righteous traits?
#2) Why did The Lord create us all with a capacity to sin, since He could have just as easily avoided that?
#3) Why do you suppose God set The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil in the garden, only to tell Adam and Eve not to eat from it? Was this really fair?
#4) We know that God is omniscient, (that is, all~ knowing). So wouldn’t He have known that the serpent would tempt Eve, and that both Adam and Eve would fall to that temptation?
#5) How involved was God in the entire situation, and what “wisdom” did He attempt to share with both Adam and Eve from the start?
#6) What exactly was the “original sin” that Adam n’ Eve committed? Was it. . .
a) second~ guessing God?
b) not loving God?
c) just thinking about eating the forbidden fruit?
d) actually eating the forbidden fruit?
e) actively disobeying any directive of God’s?
#7) In Genesis 3:5, was the serpent actually “lying” about the effects of the forbidden fruit? Or was he just being deceitful? Is either of these sins any worse than the other?
#8) God warned Adam and Eve that they “would surely die” if they ate from The Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. What did He actually mean by this statement? And do you believe that He was concise enough in His warning to Adam and Eve for them to understand what He really meant?
#9) So who actually committed the greatest sin? Was it. . .
a) Adam?
b) Eve?
c) the serpent?
#10) Since God gave Adam n’ Eve authority over all the creatures of the garden, wouldn’t that have included the serpent as well?
As Christians, what sort of authority do we have these days?
#11) Is it possible that Adam’s human rationale tripped him up when he saw that Eve wasn’t actually (physically) dead after eating the forbidden fruit? And did that contribute to his partaking of the fruit as well?
#12) In Genesis 3:9, God calls out to Adam, “Where are you?”
Is it even possible that Adam was so well hidden, God really couldn’t find him? And if The Lord is truly all~knowing, what was God’s purpose in calling Adam out, let alone in asking him what had happened?
#13) In Genesis 3: 11-13, God asks Adam and Eve for an explanation of what had transpired, and they offer one. What was their basic reasoning, and was it justified? Have you ever reacted to a situation in a similar way?
#14) What exactly were Adam and Eve’s purposes on this Earth, and did they fully serve (or fulfill) their callings?
#15) Counting both Adam and Eve themselves, how many were hurt as a result of their actions? Would you say that was unique to their story?
This one, just for fun) What do you suppose would have happened if Adam n’ Eve had eaten from The Tree of Life instead of the one they had been warned against? Trippy concept, eh?
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Lots of questions arise, and there’s much to be gained from this detailed account. So tell me now, how blessed are we that God has provided us details, that we might learn from the experiences of others? I know. We’re very blessed, aren’t we?!? Constant evidences reveal that God is forever looking out for our best interest. . . if only we’d recognize. So what can we gather from Adam and Eve’s experience, and take to heart ourselves?
Well~ each of us should always be asking God for true Spiritual wisdom and discernment, of course. Then, we should ideally take the time to ponder whatever He shares.
With that being said, here’s my own take away, for whatever it’s worth to ya~
God reeeally loves us, dear reader, just as He loved Adam and Eve.
They were created in His Image, and blessed with everything they needed in order to live good lives while following His lead. God even imparted His own wisdom and insight, as He warned them to stay away from that forbidden tree for their own good. Though He knew they would falter. He did.
Now some might want to know why God would ever put that tree there to start with, {let alone putting it smack dab in the center of the garden}, but if we truly believe in God and His love for us, then it really isn’t for us to question. Why He placed that tree there in the garden was His own prerogative, as God rightfully does whatever He pleases. . . and whatever He deems to be “just” or “righteous” is simply that.
Therefore, even if He were to place Adam and Eve in the garden with the serpent, full- knowing that they would falter and partake of the forbidden fruit. . . and even if He created them with that capacity to sin in the first place. . . then this entire ordeal would be God’s own righteous prerogative. Wouldn’t you concur, dear reader?
You know, some might not. Some might say that the Lord wouldn’t/ couldn’t do certain things, because in their opinion, those actions just wouldn’t be righteous. Poppycock! (That’s like an old-timey word basically meaning ‘bullshit!’) Truth is, we all have to start training ourselves to follow God’s true mindset instead of our own. I mean, what do we really know? And who are we, to ever try to put limitations on God?
So, what if The Lord did have anything or everything to do with the situation in Eden? So what if the entire ordeal were (for lack of a better term) a “set-up”? Could anyone ever rightly say that God was at fault for what took place?!? Of course not! In fact, it must be noted that God has no faults. Everything that He does is deliberate, and in itself becomes a righteous action. Because He is God. . . and God reigns Sovereign over all things. Can I get an “Amen”?!?
To rephrase this truth: God has no parameters, laws, or rules to follow. God is God. And God is Sovereign, ruling over everyone and everything. . . even the very ideals of holiness. In fact, He actually creates the very definition of righteousness as He exudes it in all that He says and does. You may want to take a moment to absorb this. Seriously. I realize That we’ve reached the deep end of the pool rather quickly but ~
The aforementioned is actually a very simple, yet crucial concept that most people never seem to wrap their heads around. Instead, people (yes, even Christians) opt to veto such facts in exchange for their own notions. . . which typically return nothing but an abundance of frustration to that so-called believer. There’s a lot more to be divulged on the subject, but rest assured, we’ll be addressing this plenty.
Now whether it was the serpent or Eve or Adam himself that was most to blame is most likely inconsequential. They all sinned, and they were all guilty of going against God’s direction. . . just like we all do at times. What’s more, they were all accountable, just like all of us.
But tell me, dear reader, have you ever wondered whether Adam and Eve could’ve averted sin altogether, or if they were eventually going to sin no matter what? And if they had loved or revered God more, would they have been able to resist temptation indefinitely? Or were they, (dare I say), ‘destined’ to fall as they did?
Personally, I’m convinced that although those two definitely had a choice that day, it was definitively their time to choose that wickedness that they did, with zero variation. There’s no sense in speculating into further excuses for their behavior. Nor would I ever suggest that things could have gone any differently. . . unless The Good Lord Himself had caused them to.
Think about it~ Could God have saved Adam and Eve from themselves, (that is, from their own inclinations) at any given moment? Sure. Did He? Nope. Dare we ask ‘why not’?!? You can, but I wouldn’t. Once again, The Lord doesn’t have to answer to us. Nor is He accountable to anyone. And have you ever heard someone murmur that God has a plan? Well, it’s true. And His plans are perfection. So what I’m saying is that at the proper day and time that they were meant to sin, they did. In this particular situation, it was meant to be.
Therefore, they decided to follow the words of a deceitful serpent, (one of the creatures that God had given them authority over). And what exactly did the serpent tempt Eve with? As he deceived her, he also tempted her with the promise of having a wisdom and knowledge that God had attempted to share with them, in order to (by their own sinful means) gain a wisdom and knowledge supposedly like God’s own.
So basically, Adam and Eve chose to reject the wisdom and knowledge that God had attempted to share with them, in order to (by their own sinful means) gain a wisdom and knowledge like God’s own.
Could we call this ironic? Perhaps. Stupid and futile? Oh yeah. Incredibly so. Though our human rationale is often faulty like that, (which we’ll certainly go into more, in just a bit). Suffice it to say, we humans do a lot of dumb things when left to our natural mentality, and we have no excuses. Sure, we may try n’ pass the blame on, as Adam did unto God and Eve, and as Eve did unto the serpent, but there’s no escaping the truth.
We’re all sinners, and we’re all accountable. And this too is meant to be. Now, not to make light of our sins, but rest assured, our capacity to sin is very much a part of God’s blueprints, and all according to His plans. One might even venture to say that it’s a part of our internal program. This isn’t to say that we’re not accountable whenever acting on our natural inclinations. We’re plenty accountable. I’m just stating that certain things are meant to be, dear reader. Such as sin. And redemption.
I mean, is it even possible that God made an error or unintentional defect in the way in which we were created? No way! We know that God is perfect, and He makes no mistakes, which can only lead us to this conclusion: In His Sovereign Will, and in His deliberate, perfect prerogative, God made mankind with the capacity to make our own mistakes, and to do wrong. In fact, it seems that we’re practically destined to do so, whenever we make decisions apart from God. Therefore, it seems that our need to consistently rely on God has also been designed by The Almighty Himself, which is fine. . . being that HE IS Our Sovereign God, yes?
Now one may wonder, “exactly how much should we involve Him in our daily lives? Shall we hit God up over every little step we take?” Well, let’s just put it this way. . . you might be alright picking out which socks to wear, or what kind of chimichanga you’d like for lunch, but I’d keep God involved in everything beyond that. (Note: In a way, I’m kiddin’ here. ‘Cause the truth is, God is actually already involved in every situation to whatever extent He wishes to be, but I digress. . .) Simply put, we should all take this well-known Scripture to heart~
5“Trust in The Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding. 6In all your ways, acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3: 5,6 NIV
Obviously, this is much more than just a popular verse for us to rattle off ’round church. These are exceptional words to live by. So embrace this thought, if you would: God knows what trials await us in our daily lives, just as He knew in the garden. And yes, at times, those trials may very well be provided by The Good Lord Himself. (For the record, dear reader: While it’s true that God Himself will never tempt us, it is entirely possible that He may lead us right into temptation, for whatever His reasons.) Therefore, He continually looks out for our well~being, by making it obvious that He loves us, while consistently giving us the choice to love Him back. Now, even as committed Christians, we’re not always going to do what’s right. That’s a given.
Yet having a genuine love and admiration for God is key nevertheless, as it will move us to follow Him in righteousness much of the time.