From nearly the beginning men and women have been less than excited about serving God and much more eager to declare themselves gods, or at least to be considered His equal. It's the same in nearly every situation in which one person feels (whether they truly are or not) subservient to another. Children can't wait to be out from under their parents control. Some women today believe that even the institution of marriage is a form of control. Our Declaration of Independence talks about throwing off such government... I'm not saying in some of these cases that's a bad thing, but trying to show that in pretty much every area of our lives we fight for independence, superiority and control of our own lives.
Genesis 3 shows us that we are selfish people. We do not want to be told what to do even if it is for our own benefit.
That's how Satan got her and it's how he gets us. If you eat this fruit you will be "like God."
Let me give you an analogy. When I was too young to remember my whole family went to the Grand Canyon. I've seen pictures but have no recollection of it, though I was old enough to get around. Now, knowing my mother like I do, I would guess that she spent the whole time telling my brother, sister and I to stay away from the edge. Not because she didn't want us to get the whole view but she knew that it was dangerous. Satan puts a piece of candy right on the edge. He doesn't push us off, he can't, but he does entice us to go places and do things that he knows (as we do) have a high likelihood of a fall.
He couldn't make Eve eat the fruit, but he could taste it himself to "prove" to her that you wouldn't immediately die. Of course, he already knew the difference between good and evil and had his death date secured. (Part of this was Adam's fault for telling her that if she even touched the fruit/tree she would die, that is not what God said, but Adam was trying to protect her.)
When God comes back around there is a discussion and immediately Adam blames Eve and Eve blames Satan saying, he "deceived me..." Consider this, deception only works if the person being deceived wants to be deceived. How do most deceptions work? We are offered something that it too good to be true or we are convinced that what we've been told NOT to do is really okay. In the first case we so desire that which is not real (too good to be true for a reason) that we are willing to risk what we already have and in the second case we simply set aside what we've been told in order to buy into something else.
In reality, we're not really deceived we simply choose to take the risk. We know the ledge is slippery and it's a long way down but we risk it in order to get the candy. We weren't deceived by the candy, we chose it over our own safety.
My guess is that I will never become a drug addict because I have never and will never try a drug. They could legalize marijuana and it wouldn't matter. I believe that God wants me in control of my faculties and does not want my judgement impaired because He knows the dangers. So I won't try it. In part, because I might like it and if I like it I'll want more and soon that won't be enough and I'll pick up every piece of candy that is laid down until I go over the edge. So I don't drink. I don't smoke. I don't use. That does not mean that I am sinless - if you only knew - but it does mean that in these cases I choose to give up my "freedom" so that I might remain free.
Eve and then Adam took the bait and feel over the edge. Not only did they get kicked out of the Garden but they pretty much ruined things for the rest of us AND allowed Satan to have pretty much free reign to place those little tasty, tempting pieces of sin-candy wherever he wanted.
Galatians 6:7 says, "Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows." What are you sowing in your life? Are you following the candy trails? Or are you sowing seed that will keep you grounded. I'll leave you with one more passage, James 4:7, "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
I'm thankful for a loving God who continues to rescue me from the ledge, but I'd really like to keep Him less busy rescuing and more busy teaching/training and loving me.
Thoughts on the Bible, Church, life and living it to its full potential in Jesus Christ!
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