Sunday, October 2
The world, as it came from the Lord, was perfect (Genesis 1:31). Death was an unknown experience for Adam and Eve. In that context, God came to the Garden of Eden and warned: “Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Genesis 2:16, 17).
How does Genesis 2:16, 17 show the reality of free will in the perfection of Eden? That is, why would God have needed to warn them if they couldn’t freely choose?
Sometime after this warning from God, Satan assumed the form of a serpent and also entered Eden. Eve beheld the serpent joyfully eating the forbidden fruit without dying. “He himself had eaten of the forbidden fruit” (Patriarchs and Prophets, p. 54), and nothing had happened to him.
Read Genesis 3:1-4. Putting yourself in the position of Eve, why might those words have sounded convincing?
From the perspective of human logic, the argument of the serpent sounded much more convincing than did the word of God. First of all, there was no evidence in the natural world, so far, for the existence of sin and death. Second, the serpent was actually eating the forbidden fruit and enjoying it very much. So, why should Eve restrain herself from doing the same? God’s command seemed to be too restrictive and senseless.
Unfortunately, in deciding between the two conflicting statements, Eve ignored three basic principles: 1. human reason is not always the safest way to evaluate spiritual matters; 2. the Word of God can appear to be illogical and senseless to us, but it is always right and trustworthy; and 3. there are things that are not evil or wrong in themselves, but God has chosen them as tests of obedience.
We should realize that the experience of Eve in the Garden of Eden is not a single case in time. Every day and every moment we need to decide between the Word of God (which for many can be unpopular) and the seductive appeals of our surrounding culture. Our choice will have eternal consequences.
What are ways that the clear teaching of the Bible conflicts with the ways of the world?
Monday, October 3
Read Genesis 3:1-7. What criteria did Eve use to choose between God’s Word and that of the serpent?
Genesis 3 is one of the clearest examples of the psychology of temptation. God had warned Adam and Eve that if they ate from the forbidden fruit, they would certainly die (Genesis 2:16, 17). Assuming the form of a serpent, Satan used several rhetorical strategies to mislead Eve into sin.
First, he generalized God’s specific prohibition. He asked her, “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” (Genesis 3:1). Eve counter-argued that the prohibition was in regard only to that specific tree, for if they were ever to eat from it or touch it, they would die.
Then, Satan contradicted God’s statement. He asserted categorically, “Ye shall not surely die” (Genesis 3:4).
And finally, Satan accused God of deliberately suppressing essential knowledge from her and her husband. The deceiver argued, “For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.” (Genesis 3:5).
Eve’s curiosity led her onto the enchanted ground of Satan. There she was forced to decide either to remain faithful to God’s restraining command or to embrace Satan’s seductive allurements. Doubting God’s word, she used her own senses — the empirical method, that of personal observation — to decide between the two conflicting statements.
First, she saw that from a dietary perspective, “the tree was good for food.” Second, from an aesthetic viewpoint, she saw that “it was a delight to the eyes.” Third, from a logical analysis, “the tree was desirable to make one wise.” Hence, in her own mind, she certainly had good reasons to heed the words of the serpent and to eat from the forbidden tree. Unfortunately, this is what she did.
Some people argue that all forms of knowledge are valid, as long as we retain “that which is good” (1 Thessalonians 5:21). But the tragic experiences of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden demonstrate that knowledge, in and of itself, can be very detrimental. There are some things that, indeed, we are better off not knowing.
What does this account teach us about how easy it is to rationalize and justify our sinful choices?
