Text: Genesis 3:1-24
I can picture Eve walking in the garden that day. Unique and beautiful animals all around her, very Snow White-esque. Gold and topaz and diamonds scattered on the ground à la Cartier (Ezekiel 28:13), glorious plants and food, an abundant furnishing for her world. (I’m going with Whole Foods meets the Amazon rainforest here). Gracious provisions and so much more! It is paradise. Perfection.
If I’m honest, I wish that was all there was to tell – that the story would end here.
But then comes Chapter 3, verse 1, and the serpent enters the scene. The musical score gets low and ominous. Calamity is looming. The opponent of Christ, the deceiver of the brethren, a beast of the field, approaches Eve; and all I want to do is shout as if in slow motion, “Nooooooo!”
And the story does continue.
The tempter speaks, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” Eve untwists his lie for him, but the evil one continues, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Like God?
All animals and gardens and precious stones become dull to her at this thought. She is no longer content among His plentiful provisions, but only has eyes for one thing. It is the thing she is told she cannot have.
I want to blame Eve for what she does next. I want to be so mad at her! But friends, I stand today just as guilty as she. She knew and I know that there is only one God. We both have everything we could possibly need in Him. But the thought of being in control – of being independent of my need for Him – and calling my own shots? Being the god of my own life? I’m afraid to say I have taken a bite of that same life-condemning fruit. I have been discontent to trust the Lord God in the garden of provision He has made for me.
Guilty.
With Eve’s sin and Adam’s, too, life as they know it is over (Rom. 5:12). Satan’s promise was an empty one. And life as we know it now includes death, pain, disease, sorrow and a deep, apparent need for a Redeemer.
I may have wanted the story to end with Eden, but I’m sure grateful it doesn’t end here.
We are no longer in the Garden, but we do have a Great Provider who will give us all we need when we need it (Matt. 6:25-34).
And the serpent? The serpent is crafty now as ever (2 Cor. 11:3), and the Bible says the thief still comes to steal and kill and destroy (John 10:10). But we need not fear him, for the doom of Satan has already been sealed (John 16:11, Col. 2:15, Rev. 12:9-10, Rev. 20:10).
And for us today? God’s Word is beautifully clear on that as well.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7
“Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.”
Ephesians 6:11
“You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.”
1 John 4:4
Thanks be to God.
After the post yesterday about rising from dust and being given life from the Lord, today’s post is bittersweet knowing how the rest of mankind came to be on this earth. I’m sad Eve gave into temptation, but also grateful that now there is a great need and desire for God to be in control of our lives. Another reminder to “let go and let God”.
“Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7
PTL!!! I don’t think I’ve ever really thought about the last part of this verse…stay strong…resist…he WILL eventually give up. STAY STRONG! GOD IS THERE!! SEEK HIM!!!
I love that the capstone verse says RESIST the devil, and he will FLEE from you. We don't need, ourselves, to defeat him, attack him, yell at him, wail against him, or put forth very much effort at all. All we need to do is RESIST! And that's all it takes for him to not only leave us alone, to walk away, to drop it, but he will FLEE! What a great thing!
As I was reading Genisis 3, I noticed a little tidbit in there that is often overlooked… Genisis 3:21 says,”The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and His wife and clothed them.” That is a beautiful picture of Gods love and mercy. He had just rebuked Adam and Eve for what they had done and was about to banish them from “paradise” and yet, with His own hands, He made them clothes to wear. This is unconditional love! I’ve said it in an earlier post and I’ll say it again… God loves us where we are. He loves us just as much when we’re up to our eyeballs in sin as He does when we’re up on the mountain and in the center of His will. He doesn’t love us any less because of our sin. He is willing and READY to take us or take us back just as we are! There isn’t anything in us or about any of us that is good. What Jesus did is what makes us righteous. God no longer sees our sin, but Christs blood… And it is the Spirit in us who leads us to do anything good. We are human beings and, except for Christ-in Spirit form, living in us, we don’t have any power at all to do what’s right. The times I’ve seen God work the biggest and most in my own life is when I’ve come to the end of my rope, trying to do things in my own power, falling flat on my face and realizing I can’t, and crying out to the LORD to do it because I can’t. I don’t cry out,”LORD do it for me because I can’t by myself…” I don’t have any power, God has ALL power and through His Holy Spirit is the only way I can do anything. Do you get what I’m saying? I’m stubborn so God has had to put me on my face plenty of times to remind me of this. It’s not fun but I’m glad He does because it is a reminder to me that He loves me!
The thing that really stood out to me is that even as sin entered we have the promise that the offspring of Eve would bruise the head of the serpent (which we know to be Jesus) in Genesis 3:15. And as quoted above in Romans 5:12 we see that “by one man sin entered into the world” but if you continue on in Romans 5 we see the fulfillment of Genesis 3:15 “Therefore as by the offense of ONE judgement came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of ONE the free gift came upon all men unto the justification of life.” Romans 5:18
This really resonated with me today. I DO sin in the same way as Eve, so very often. Thanks be to God for his forgiveness and love. This has reminded me of the repentance I am called to on what surely needs to be a daily basis.
What does it exactly mean to "submit yourselves to God"? I struggle with this and am trying to be patient to let God guide me thru prayer and faith. But sometimes I still feel off track and/or impatient waiting for a sign of some sort.
As often as we want to be angry with God and not understand the path he has lead us, or circumstances to have happened to us, we must remember to trust in the Lord, and be always be thankful. We so often ask God for this and that, but do we take time to speak to him and thank Him? Not ask him for anything but thank him for our blessings? Matthew 6:25-34 really spoke to me today. Thank you SRT, and Thank You Jesus!