Verse 1 shows how
Satan clearly sought to undermine God with subtle speech and manipulation.
He knows how to play us. Even without the vulnerability of a sinful nature, Eve
was susceptible, but Temptation is not Sin until it conceives and acts.
Clearly God set the
tree in the middle of the garden, meaning it was well out of reach. It was akin
to being in the middle of a jungle and jungle it was as the garden had enjoy
immense growth.
Even so she saw what
was “good for food” and “pleasing to the eye” (verse 6). Therein lies the crux
of all temptation and the reason why Jesus said, “man shall not live by bread
alone”.
The first consequence
was awareness of nakedness.
That is true of all sin. It leaves us feeling inadequate
and in need of clothing, which drove us all to religion. It also makes us
susceptible to all the charms of life and leads us astray.
We tend to see sin as marks against us, as decided by some schoolmaster - those are incidents, as in sins. SIN has character, a life of its own and is rooted in our self-ness. What offends God far more than incidental sins, is the SIN that separates us from Him and destroys our lives.
In Verse 11, Adam
blamed her. He passed the buck. But in verse 16 God made him accountable for the
future. Her naivety left her under his rule.
Contrast the way Adam blamed his wife, with the moment when Jesus clung to His bride and took full responsibility for her sins and failings, by being cut off from life, not just Eden.
Contrast the way Adam blamed his wife, with the moment when Jesus clung to His bride and took full responsibility for her sins and failings, by being cut off from life, not just Eden.
God knew where
the problem lay and cursed the serpent, promising a comeuppance. The
advent of Adam and Eve, which must have taken Satan’s breath from him, for all its
wonders, points to the objective thereof: which was to bring Satan to heel
through her offspring, Jesus.
The sin makes them
like God. It infers that God was not always acquainted with evil. It was
imposed.
The garden was a shadow of heaven, hinting at an eternal bliss that
once existed in the garden above until Satan fell in love with his own image.
Therein lies the root of our self-awareness.
So they had to go and
since then the way back grew over and could not be regained. Yet, the image of
the angels overshadowing the mercy seat, points to a way back – through the
blood that covered the things that exposed sin namely, the Law, Aaron’s rod and
the pot of manna.
Sin then overflows into the first family
(chapter 4)
Cain rose against
Abel even though God gave him the chance to do the right thing in order to be
accepted. Abel’s blood cries for vengeance, in contrast to what we read in
Hebrews 12:24 about the mercy cry of Jesus’ blood.
That then led to the
prophetic inference of a future redeemer. He is hidden in the names of Adam’s
descendants, up to Noah. Their name are explored and explained in the attached
picture. It’s a powerful hidden message.
One of those names is notable, namely Enoch, who went to heaven without dying, just as Elijah did. The mystery of Elijah is seen in the gospels, where Jesus plainly said about John, "If you can receive it, this is Elijah". Could Enoch not have been Elijah too? Its a deep mystery.
Notable among them is a righteous man who was taken by God. We don't know how, but as Elijah was taken up in a chariot, maybe something similar happened to Enoch. He is a mystery man and his departure is intriguing, but my views about it may be controversial.
One of those names is notable, namely Enoch, who went to heaven without dying, just as Elijah did. The mystery of Elijah is seen in the gospels, where Jesus plainly said about John, "If you can receive it, this is Elijah". Could Enoch not have been Elijah too? Its a deep mystery.
Notable among them is a righteous man who was taken by God. We don't know how, but as Elijah was taken up in a chariot, maybe something similar happened to Enoch. He is a mystery man and his departure is intriguing, but my views about it may be controversial.
(c) Peter Missing @ bethelstone.com
Source of image: Yahislove.blogspot.com
Source of image: Yahislove.blogspot.com
