Would You Adam and Eve It? [3]

O.K. Let's finish the story

The snake was the most cunning creature God had made. The snake tempted the woman to eat from the forbidden tree. "If you do eat," said the snake, "you will not die but will become like God."

The snake was right; they didn't die, did they?

In a life and death way, no, they didn't. But think what the temptation means. Adam and Eve were tempted to disobey God when there was no need. There was plenty for them to eat. Mostly when people today disobey or do wrong, they know what "wrong" is - and they don't need to do it anyway.

NO COMMENT!

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Eve took some of the fruit, ate it and gave some to her husband who also ate it.

So they're in big trouble now.

Because they have disobeyed; because they have experienced what "wrong" is. Suddenly the perfect life has become spoiled. Perfection is DEAD. So, although they haven't physically died, their perfect life in the garden has gone for ever. All sorts of sad and bad things start to happen; and have been happening ever since.

What sort of bad things?

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As soon as they had eaten the fruit, they felt guilty and naked; and sewed fig leaves together and covered themselves. That evening they heard God walking in the garden and they hid from him.

So they realised they'd messed it up?

Exactly. From total contentment in the Garden, their actions have let in...
SHAME

'cos they realise they are naked,
GUILT

'cos the know they've done wrong,

FEAR

of what God might do;
And it gets worse...

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"Who told you thay you were naked?" asked God, "did you eat the fruit I told you NOT to eat?" The man answered, "The woman made me do it!" and the woman said, "The snake tricked me."

So they started

LYING 

and

BLAMING

each other

Sounds familiar? "It wasn't me, it was everybody else!" Where have I heard that before?

NO COMMENT! - again!

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And God said "I will make the snake and the woman hate each other - and Woman will suffer paid in childbirth - and Man will have to work hard to make the soil produce crops - and This hardship will continue until you return to dust."

So the perfect life becomes the tough life. And I really hate snakes!

And to complete the punishment they are evicted from the Garden of Eden to cope as best they can with the real, dangerous and difficult world.

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Makes you think; doesn't it

The story of the "fall" may be literally true or just a parable of the decline of the human condition, brought about by disobeying God, by abusing the richness of what he was providing for his people. In a very real way, all the bad things that humans do can be explained in these terms. Our failings are derived from "Adam and Eve's" failings.

You're making ME feel guilty now!

So maybe the Adam and Eve story does make more sense than you realise?

So where do they go from here?

 Next Bible Blog : Thursday 8th November