Lessons from the Fall
It is always interesting to find the adjustment back to our time zone, even with such a small change from the east coast to the mountain time zone. Today was a good day to get “caught up” and ready for the week ahead. We watched the Bronco game with interest and breathed a sigh of relief when they finally won a critical game against a weaker but resilient San Diego team.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY… “Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You can’t eat from any tree in the garden’?” Genesis 3:1 HCSB
As we look at the temptation of Adam and Eve and the sin that resulted in their fall, the curse and their removal from God’s paradise, there are some important observations. Ones that have significance for all times.
Don’t underestimate your enemy. “I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.” (2 Corinthians 2:10-11 NKJV) We have an enemy that is “cunning” and dangerous. He is able to use what seems to be rationale thoughts, even our own thoughts against us. We also face temptations from our present world and our own natural evil tendencies.
We are warned, “For everything in the world–the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life–comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:16 NIV)
Don’t doubt God’s plan. “No! You will not die,” the serpent said to the woman. “In fact, God knows that when you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:4,5 HCSB)
The “serpent” told Eve that God was trying to keep something from her and Adam. He challenged God’s truthfulness and God’s word. We fall prey to temptation when we believe life according to God’s standards are keeping us from “something” – something good. The “serpent” wanted Eve to believe that God’s instructions were not protecting her but “holding her back.” They were told the lie that, God’s “rules” were not keeping them from bad, but from good.
Don’t let your senses overrule your mind and heart . Eve knew what God said, but she “saw” and she desired what God had set apart. “…then the woman saw that the tree was good for food and delightful to look at, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom.” (Genesis 3:6 HCSB) The Psalmist prayed, “Turn my eyes away from worthless things…” (Psa. 119:37 NIV)
Sin promises, but doesn’t deliver. “…the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.” (Genesis 3:7 HCSB) The “god-like” knowledge the serpent told Eve she was missing, was knowledge of “self” outside of the covering provided by God. They became self-conscious and ashamed.
Sin causes a change in behavior. [Adam and Eve] “…heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and they hid themselves from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. So the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard You in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” (Genesis 3:8-10 HCSB)
Adam and Eve hid from God and became afraid of God. The openness they had up to this time changed and their attitude toward God changed. You will find these traits common in people’s lives today. This relates more to those who know what it is to be in relationship with the Lord than it does for those who have never experienced that fellowship.
Sin brings consequences. The fall of Adam and Eve had consequences for their lives, the earth and those who would come after them. For Eve, increased pain in childbearing. For Adam, hard labor for the land to produce. For the “serpent” judgment as well. We also see the ramifications of the relationship between Adam and Eve as man and woman and the eternal conflict that would exist between mankind and sin.
The spiritual battle of the ages is not between God and Satan, it is over the hearts of people. God judges Satan and through Jesus Christ people triumph over Satan and his counterfeit plans and purposes.
These early events of the beginning of the world are not just “Bible stories.” They contain instructive truths for us to heed and understand for our lives today.