I find Eve’s conversation with the serpent fascinating. Horrifying, but fascinating. So many human doubts and insecurities summed up in a few devastating sentences.
Today it was Genesis 3:4 that caught my attention. The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”
Whoa, doggies! For the most part she was right on, but if God said that bit about not touching the fruit, it isn’t recorded in scripture. Avoiding the fruit is a good idea, of course, but Eve is adding her own rules to God’s.
We humans do this a lot. (Maybe it’s genetic!) It’s okay to have our own rules, since we all need some sense of boundaries in our lives. But when we start attributing our rules to God, we create HUGE problems for ourselves and others.
Seriously. I can’t tell you how many of my friends have walked away from the faith because they couldn’t adhere to the rules, traditions, and philosophies they were raised with–traditions that are not central to following Jesus, but WERE central to being accepted in their church. They failed their church’s flimsy litmus test of faith, and weren’t willing to fake it. It called everything into question.
I wonder if this is what happened to Eve. She had to touch the fruit before she took a bite. What was going through her mind as she cupped the fruit in her palm, feeling its smooth, plump flesh? She didn’t die, as she had believed she would–or at least, as she professed that she believed. Did it call all her other beliefs into question?
Man-made rules can protect us, but they can also cause immeasureable harm, especially when we put them on par with God’s. Let’s be careful how we weild them.
“When we start attributing our rules to God…”
I am beginning to loosen my unreasonable grip on that smooth, fleshy fruit. Grace for the Pharisee in me.
I love the way you put that.
love this Jenny! I personally relate to others and myself putting faith-quenching rules on me. I left my faith for 2 years because of it. The shame and doubt I felt kept me thinking that I was a major disappointment. All I could say to God when I did decide to say something to Him was; “I’m so sorry”.
We need proper teaching like this to empower people to thrive in their faith! Thanks girl
Thank YOU Connie!!!
On facebook you asked how many know of someone who left Chrisitianity because of church rules; well, I did not leave Christianity behind but I left the mainstream religious denominations. It was when I was studying for an A.A. when the curriculium changed just as I finished my last course and I had to take one more course to receive my degree. That course caused me to read the Bible from start to finish. That’s when I realized that a lot of what I was being taught in churches is not the way scripture intended. Take a verse out of its context and you can have a scriptural refence for anything and everything.
I believe this quote is from Mile Cloverdale:
“It shall Greatly Helpe Ye to Understande Scripture,
If Thou Mark Not only What is Spoken or Written,
But of Whom, And to Whom,
With what Words,
At what Time,
Where,
To what Intent,
With what Circumstances,
Considering what Goeth Before
And what Followeth.”
Taking this advice and the quote from Eve, it is clear that it was Eve, not God that said “…neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.” No, Eve did not die in the physical sense, but something happened the moment Eve and Adam ate. They became sinners.
Rom 5:12 Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
It is my understanding of the scripture that they knew what had happened to them when their eyes were opened and they hid themselves from the presence of God. I believe she knew Satan lied to her when he said, “Ye shall surely not die…”(Gen 3:4) Life became hard for them at that moment and I am almost certain they spent a lot of time wondering about the “What if I hadn’t…”
SO true!!! That Cloverdale quote is fabulous–love hearing the concept in Ye Olde English.
God also told Adam about that tree before Eve was created. Communication is lacking even with the first couple.
Ha, true!
“flimsy litmus test of faith” What a great way to put it, Jen!
Both Eve and Adam showed a talent for dissembling in that episode. Eve makes up stuff and attributes it to God, while Adam hides his own part in this behind half-truths and blame shifting: “The woman you put here with me —she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
It’s her fault! It’s your fault! I was just an innocent bystander!
I’ve done much the same, sad to say. Glad I’m redeemed through the work of Christ. If I were dependent on my own merits, I’d be sunk!
Tim
P.S. Another guest post went up yesterday! I linked it through my name above.
That they did! I feel like Genesis 3, in many ways, is humanity in a nutshell! So glad the protoeuangelion is in there to keep things from seeming completely hopeless.
Isn’t it amazing how the Bible was written so long ago and yet it is so relevant for today.
Now you have me wondering why did Eve say she couldn’t touch the fruit…I haven’t found anything yet but I’ll keep searching. I guess Adam & Eve died spiritually after they ate the fruit.
The whole man made up rules thing is why I love & cling to my Catholic faith. If I have a question or doubt about something the Church teaches I can research anything and follow it right back to the Apostles and to the teachings of Jesus. In the past I have had questions or doubts about some of the teachings of the Catholic Church but the more I learn about them the more I see the wisdom and beauty of Sacred Tradition and the Bible both inspired by the Holy Spirit and handed down through the ages from Jesus to the Apostles and on to us now some 2000 years later! I hate to think that I could have easily given up my faith because of something I didn’t understand or relied on what someone told me the Church taught and not what is really taught. Only through God’s grace did I hang on and I’m sure happy that I did!
God bless you Jenny, I love reading your blog!
Thanks, Beth! One of the things that occurs to me as I read Genesis 3, and think about this issue of people leaving the faith, is that it could really all be solved by trusting God’s CHARACTER. There are a whole lot of things in life that don’t make sense, and it’s a lot easier to cope with them when you’re 100% convinced that God is good, and loving, no matter what’s going on around you. Ultimately I think that’s why people fall or walk away–they’re not convinced of God’s goodness. Like you, I’m sure thankful that God held on to me, even when things didn’t make sense!
I emphasize to my 3rd & 4th grade religion class when we talk about the 10 Commandments that they are God’s laws of love and not rules for the sake of rules. That God gives us His laws because he loves us and wants us to be happy here on earth. I think I have the rules down but I constantly struggle with showing the love to others that God gives to me every day.
I recently had someone ask me if I thought I could pass through the “eye of the needle” and then he said “I think not”! Ouch! Only through the grace of God was my answer:)