Misled and Misunderstood

Misled and Misunderstood

February 5, 2018

Genesis 3:1  ". . . Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'"

When Adam and Eve were told not to eat the forbidden fruit, the Lord gave them strict instructions.  He said they could not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, because they would specifically die from eating its fruit. It is unclear if the Lord told them the name of the tree was "the tree of the knowledge of good and evil," as everyone suspects. Regardless, the instructions were clear they should not eat its fruit. If you and I were told we would not live if we ate a certain fruit, we would think death might be imminent. Nonetheless, the serpent decided to use the truth about the tree to deceive Adam and Eve.

He told them they would not certainly die. This directly flies in the face of the Lord's words regarding death, and in hindsight they did not die right away. The Lord did not mislead them, but as Adam and Eve might have understood it, it wasn't perfectly true. Adam and Eve did not understand right from wrong at that point, their eyes had not yet been opened to the knowledge of good and evil prior to tasting the fruit. Their understanding of the consequences (death) was impossible, since it had never happened before and they did not understand eternity or possible separation from the Lord.  They allowed themselves to be deceived, however, because Satan's words were partially true, they would now possess an understanding and insight (although regrettable) that they did not have earlier. It was now too late. They doubted the Lord's truth and wisdom in an effort to experience the forbidden.

The most likely scenario is they regretted their decision for the rest of their lives. If you and I were watching their lives play out in a movie, we would see the moment before the fall and yell out a recommendation to stop. If Adam and Eve could have gone back in time to warn themselves of the consequences, they would knock that apple out of their own hands. But the funny thing is, they were already warned sufficiently and the Lord's instructions were perfect and clear. He did not mislead them and they did not misunderstand the directions. They knew it was forbidden and decided not to heed the warning.

You and I have an understanding Adam and Eve did not. We not only know the consequences of our sin, but we have seen it first hand in our own lives and the lives of others before us. We have more than enough warning, instruction from the Lord as to what to avoid, what to do and not do. His Bible is more than clear on instructions, meant to keep us from pain and heartache and destruction and death. Yet, we, like Adam and Eve, deliberately partake in the forbidden refusing His truth and wisdom. If you have regret in your life, then you either made the wrong choice or have the wrong perspective of what happened to you. If you made the right decision, per the Lord's instructions, then trust that the results are still part of the Lord's plan, even if seemingly unpleasant. If you made the wrong choice, was and is avoidable. Your future self never has to warn your present self of impending decisions, the Lord has already made the warnings more than perfectly clear throughout Scripture. Heed the warnings and live the life the Lord has for you. His intend is never for you to feel misled or misunderstood. 

Don't take my word for it; look it up: Gen 2 & 3, Ps 86:11, Pr 14:12, Is 30:21, Rom 8:28, Gal 5:16, Phil 3:13-15