Life commenced in the Garden of Eden, where the worst occurred. We have learnt that we have been freely sold or should I say given to the slave market of sin by Adam. Adam was surrounded by everything that was good, yet he fell as a result he gave mankind up for slavery. I mean like there was no need for them to eat from that tree because they were surrounded by many trees already with good fruits. Then this disobedience drove them out of the Garden.
Let’s see in the bible, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘Has God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die”’. Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil’” (Genesis 3:1-5).
The devil is clever right? He knows who to target in this instance. Where is Adam? Adam is there, and you will learn that in a moment. The serpent discussed this matter with Eve knowing her emotional stability; the serpent knew that it would not be possible for Adam to fall for that. If he was told to sit on a stone, he would sit on a stone until another word comes to tell him to move. The serpent understood very well the purpose which God created Eve, to be his helper — in essence, to inspire Adam.
Psychology has proven that the way men think is very much different from women’s. Psychology defined men’s mind as a box of files, and when he is challenged to think, it is like he pulls out that file in a box ensuring he is not interfering with other files. This explains why men cannot multitask like women do. Of course, this is general but not all men are like this. Women have been given the gift to think much way quicker than men. The serpent knowing all this, and knowing that men (Adam and Eve) do not know, he took advantage of that and utilised it and it connected.
I mean, Adam was with Eve and the serpent negotiated with Eve not involving Adam in the conversation. Why? The serpent here is he, so he knows Adam will not consider it. In this I am not belittling women. I just want us to focus on the context first. The only person who could change the mind of Adam was Eve. Hence the reason the serpent targeted her. Now the question is why is Adam so quiet? He is tempted already but he was afraid to eat from it. He needed a little pull from someone whom he trusted.
Let us see the story, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave her husband with her, and he ate” (Genesis 3:6). I always thought Eve waited for her husband to come so that she could give him, but they were together. No wonder God did not consider Adam’s story that it was Eve who caused him to eat. He was there as if he was not there. What a hypocrite!
Then look at this, “Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves covering” (Genesis 3:7). Their eyes were opened to see their nakedness, wow. But when Jesus gave His disciples bread, their constrained eyes were opened to see Him. Then Adam and Eve sewed fig leaves to make the coverings for themselves. The fig leaves here are the picture of self-efforts works, when someone is living in sin but is covering his sins with his self-efforts. They rather covered their nakedness with their own efforts, but God covered them with the skin of animals.
From this point mankind incurred death as a penalty. Surprisingly, they did not die the same day, but they saw themselves living even more years. But God pronounced a spiritual battle between men and a serpent. Look at this, “And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15).
Look at that! Wow! We see God already prophesying the birth of Jesus through the virgin. How do we know that? God said, ‘her Seed shall bruise your head’, referring to our Lord Jesus Christ. We all know that no woman has a seed, only men have seed. So the woman having a seed in this instance means a woman will have a Babe by herself without having to know a man. Mary was a virgin when she conceived a Babe. She had not known Joseph and Joseph thought that maybe she had known someone else, which would be infidelity. The angel of God said, “But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, ‘Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Mary your wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name JESUS, for He shall save His people from their sins” (Matthew 1:20-21).
We then see God making tunics for both Adam and Eve from animals’ skins that they may be clothed. The way they clothed themselves was not perfect, but God’s way is always perfect. God killed animals for them. When God clothed them they had to be covered with blood all over; the blood of innocent animals. God’s eyes can penetrate through everything but not through the blood. When we are covered with blood, blood of the innocent animal, God sees innocence. The animals God killed for Adam and Eve here are the picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. Meaning, the innocent will die for the guilty that the guilty may be free and live.
Maybe this whole thing is confusing you. Like who is it that God is trying to prove a point at? The throne of God is run with righteousness, and God is unlike men, He cannot deviate from the principles of His throne. Look at this, “It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness, for a throne is established by righteousness” (Proverbs 16:12). So God cannot deviate for it is an abomination, and where there is abomination the devil is able to enter. If there is any, even the slightest infringement on God’s throne, then Satan would have found a way to dethrone God.
Look at this again, “Mercy and truth preserve the king, and by lovingkindness he upholds his throne” (Proverbs 20:28). This is what to learn here: God cannot execute mercy at the expense of righteousness. Meaning that, God cannot overlook even the smallest piece of sin, He will have to judge it correctly. However, through the blood of the innocent Lamb, which is our Lord Jesus Christ we are saved. So ‘God cannot’ means He cannot, unlike if I say ‘He would not’, that is to mean that He would but He just chose not to.
Adam was given a choice to live for a while or to live forever, but he chose to live for a while. If Adam had found the tree of life first he would live for eternity. I want to share something with you right now; I know that during the time of Adam is before the law. But now look at this, Adam found the wrong tree first and the one which he was supposed to find and eat, he missed it. Why? Because of the law which said, you shall not eat, he first found the tree which he was forbidden to eat from than the tree of life. As soon as you are under the law, sin becomes irresistible. The bible affirms, “...the strength of sin is the law” (1 Corinthians 15:56).
We thank God for Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour who can to redeem us from this slave market of sin. Through Christ Jesus, we are no longer under law but under grace where God is constantly supplying with everything that is good. Under grace we feel the love of God than under law where we feel God’s judgement and anger all the time. So if Adam focused on God’s love for him, he would not have to be tempted to eat from the tree of knowing good and evil.
Now see what God said, “…Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever—therefore the LORD God sent him out of the Garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken. So he drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:22-24).
This tree of life that God is referring to is the picture of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is the prophecy of the Holy Communion that those who partake of it will live long on the earth physically and will have eternal life. If they had found this tree, they would have found the Life. In essence, those who focus on the law will find it difficult to see the workings of Jesus in their lives. This is caused by the fact that they are focused on their self-efforts to please God, which they will find themselves not being able to because mankind is imperfect by nature.
Stay in health through grace and favour
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