Thursday, March 22, 2018

Large Plants & Middle East Real Estate

We know God's intention was to redeem humanity, but we really have no idea how difficult that will be.  Go ahead, read the account again and again, and each time you can see another facet of the plan. Dirt, air, promises, and faith. 
found this image online at baddom24.blogspot.com

Most are familiar with the death warning attached to joining oneself to the knowledge of good and evil, illustrating God's desire that His creation choose to honor and serve Him as an act of free-will. But there is so much more packed in a few verses.

 Couple things to look at. Apparently the specifics of God's request were not communicated accurately. God told Adam to not eat (become one with) the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil (judgment)...  Genesis 2: 9, 16, 17

And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil...And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, 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. 

But that's not what Eve told Satan in Genesis 3:2, 3:

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.

What?  Wait a minute.  Who said anything about touching?  And hello, news flash! There were two trees in the middle of God's garden;  life AND the knowledge of good and evil (judgment).   Talk about getting lost in translation!

I think Adam, in an attempt to protect Eve beefed up the warning (cuz God so needs our help).  Don't eat it, better yet, don't even touch it.... no, in fact don't go anywhere near it - steer clear of the tree that'll kill you - too bad the tree of life is right next door, but better safe than sorry. Tell you what, I'm making a new and better law; stay away from the middle of the garden. (Artistic license being liberally applied here)

And like every other time we think God needs our help, things got all messed up.

Another disturbing issue, definitions of death and life. 

Genesis 3:4, 5, 
 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 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. 

Seemed plausible.  Here was a creature that, by Eve's estimation, appeared to be alive.  It was breathing, speaking, and reasoning. Lesson to be learned: without an accurate definition of life, death is unrecognizable as well.  

Jesus cleared up the confusion in John 17:3
"And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

Life eternal is found in knowing God. If that isn't clear, we substitute knowing God with knowing good and evil and then we can be duped into thinking life is nothing more than having a body that continues to breathe.  

Point #3

Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

Hold the phone.  What did God say about trees? They are good to look at and good for food.  They are not avenues for attaining wisdom.  

Proverbs 2:6
For the LORD giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding. 

By now I hope you realize that 'trees' are more than large plants,  Trees represent any number of intellectual, creative, fascinating, spiritual, physical, or economic pursuits. None of which are fountains of life or actual wisdom.  You have probably figured out that God's garden is in the hearts of humanity, not just a piece of Middle East Real Estate. 

By now I hope you recognize areas in your own life where you have a grip on something, maybe it's a profession, maybe it's a hobby, maybe it's an intellectual understanding or academic accomplishment. Go ahead. You can touch it, but don't be deceived into thinking it is adequate for defining you or being a life-source. 

By know I hope you know that Life is knowing God.  Once that issue is settled, all the other stuff is just stuff.  Not life-giving stuff.  Not wisdom-giving stuff.  Not purpose-for-existence stuff.  Not this-is-who-I-am stuff.  Not I-will-be-less-than-who-God-created-me-to-be-if-I don't-have-it stuff.  Stuff given richly for you to enjoy (I Tim. 6:17) not to judge the value of your life by.

Here we are, 6,000 years removed from that life altering, history defining event, and we find ourselves fighting the same battle. Only our 'tree' might look like a relationship, or a college degree, or a bank account, or a church membership, or a grudge, or a political platform, or a .....  But God remains the only true source of life, purpose, and wisdom.  Oh, did I mention that the Cross is what makes it possible for mankind to once again have access to the 'tree' that is Life?  Yep, That was the prize The Father had His heart set on and the Son recovered.  That is the prize we are tempted to diminish, overlook, or over complicate. I'm His. He's mine. That's it. What if The Cross Changed Everything?




  

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