June 3 - Temptation
Scripture focus: The serpent told the Woman, "You won't die. God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you'll see what's really going on. You'll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil." When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it-she'd know everything!-she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate. Genesis 3:4-6 (The Message)
So what is it that got Eve in trouble? Could it be that she was tempted by knowledge ("she'd know everything")? Maybe. Did she suffer from a case of God-envy - wanting in on all the stuff that God knew? Is knowledge power and was Eve on a mission to increase her power potential? If so, what was her desired outcome? She and Adam already were CEO's of their large and fruitful organization (God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth." (Genesis 1:28)) called planet earth. Each evening God showed up and strolled through the garden with them. He didn't abandon nor forsake them, leaving them to their own devices and in so doing, accidentally trigger self-esteem issues and fear of failure. In fact, up to this point in the story it appears as if Adam and Eve have the perfect life.
In summary, Eve and Adam her co-conspirator, are without excuse.
They don't have absentee or angry parents to blame for their misdeed.
They haven't experienced a world where God seems distant and unavailable.
But something triggered their self-destruct button. What was it?
And given that information, what causes us to self-destruct?
This is really, really important. Because for far too long we might have been looking under the wrong rocks to uncover the nature of our "problems" and find a "solution."
The human condition unites us. Eve is one of us. Her story can instruct ours. When Eve spoke to the principle rather than her trust relationship with God, she opened the door to making a choice independent of her love relationship with God. In that moment, she abandoned her commitment to loving and trusting God, and instead, entered into a contractual relationship determined by rules, rights and responsibilities. The moment we begin to care more about what we know or do than who we love, the second we become distrustful of another's love for us, we will move to betrayal. At the heart of this issue is Eve's betrayal of her love relationship with God. She betrayed his trust.
May God provide each of us with new and profound insights into the nature of betrayal - because betrayal is Eve's issue - not a propensity to eat the wrong kind of fruit.
Recommended reading: Acts 21-24
- click on the word comments and join our conversation
Copyright 2009 NorthStar Community
2 comments:
I have always seem to work hard to get to a so called good place in life only to blow it up or self destruct.I am not sure what the triggers were for the destructive behavior.I do know it was at those times when I thought that I had everything under control and could do no wrong.I was without out a doubt living completely independently of god.I know I have felt betrayed by god, that was only when I was blaming him for my choices.I would get mad at god for letting me do exactly what I wanted to or giving me exactly what I asked for.I was making god accountable for my actions.In my passed life I only needed god when times were bad never good.Today god is a part of my everyday and when I keep him front and center I find no need to self destruct.I have to ask where have I been betrayed or more importantly whom have I betrayed?God Bless
Bye Bye fox hole prayers hello building relationship with the King
Post a Comment