Men of the Bible: Adam

The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Geneses 2:15-17

Imagine being totally alone, it is dark and dirty, the ground is dry and not very lush. Trying to keep busy during the daylight but having fear and loneliness in the darkness of night, the place they now stay so much different than the place they were just a short time ago. Adam had Eve for company, comfort, and support but how much time did they spend blaming each other for their problems. Problems that neither of them ever knew existed.

 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
    through painful toil you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.

 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.

By the sweat of your brow
    you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”

                              Geneses 3:17-19

For Adam this meant a new home, a home that required him to learn survival, a violent home full of wild consequences, animals, demons, storms, arguments, pain, and sin. Prior to sin Adam and his helper Eve walked freely in a bountiful garden of life and love and along with God himself. God gave Adam and Eve the right to choose, or as Christians call it, free will. Why did God do this? Because God made man in His own image and desired man to love Him. If he did not give man free will to choose that love would not have been really. Love is given without condition and free will removes those conditions. Eve was tempted by the serpent; Adam still had the choice to not eat from the Tree of knowledge. Sadly Adam ignored God’s warnings and chose to eat with Eve and Adam became the father of sin. Adam and Eve would be cast out of the garden, have children together and eventually find that the new world they live in full of scary murderous beasts would eventually include their own son.

The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. Geneses 4:10

Cain murdered Able because Able had it good with the Big Guy. Cain was insanely jealous and struck him dead. Because of that day in the garden when Adam, like many young children did not listen to his Father, the consequences became more than could have been imagined.

What is your forbidden fruit and what damaging affects has sin had in your life?

Are you willing to trade what God has given you (Grace) for some substitute?

Adam had huge regrets; he did nothing to prevent Eve’s actions, are you willing to help those around you, be accountable for, and learn together how God wants you to live?

 These are question I want you to ask yourself today, and every day really. We are all descendants of Eve, tempted by the evil one just as she was; will we follow him or except God’s grace and unfailing love?