Have you ever wondered why God would create a tree and place it in the middle of paradise, but not allow Adam and Eve to eat from it? Why would God make it possible to mess up? Wouldn’t it have been better if the option to sin were never even there? God, why put the tree there if it would cause so many problems?
I’ve often wondered this. Why mess up paradise with the ability to sin? What was the point?
Well, it was CHOICE. Free will is only free when there is an opportunity to do as much bad as there is good. Free will must include a choice. God desired for his greatest creation to choose him from their own free will, so he designed an opportunity to listen and obey him, or not. Unfortunately for us, Adam and Eve chose to not listen. But, the truth is, we would have all done the same. If you’ve ever made a wrong choice in your entire life, if you’ve ever messed up, then you would have eaten the apple too, my friend.
But do you realize there are actually two trees in the middle of the garden where Adam and Eve were? There wasn’t just the forbidden tree of knowledge of good and evil, but there was another tree, the tree of life. The tree of life offered eternal life to live forever. The fruit of this tree was not off limits, it was fully available. But the other tree which held the knowledge of good and evil was the one and only limitation given to them.
One thing, Adam, don’t eat from that tree. And Adam, tell Eve too. Tell her not to eat from that tree, it will change everything.
But, they fail. The temptation to do what they were told not to do is too great and they eat that fruit. Suddenly, their eyes are opened and shame comes into the world for the first time.
The other tree stood untouched, the tree that offered life forever. Instead they chose to eat from the tree that brought guilt, shame and regret. It was the first sin. Sin is choosing what we think we want in life over what truly gives life. And guess what … we’re still doing it today. We’re still choosing the wrong tree. We’re still choosing the things that aren’t good for us. We’re still making messes. We’re still leaving the offering of true and abundant life just hanging on the branch.
The first mistake was not filling up on the good stuff. They could have been so full eating from the tree of life that there was no room for the forbidden fruit from the other tree.
The second mistake was eating the fruit they were told not to eat.
The third mistake was hiding in shame. Genesis 3:8, “When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the Lord God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the Lord God among the trees.”
Shame was never part of God’s plan. Hiding from him was not the design of his masterpiece. But that’s what sin did. And that’s what sin still does. When we do what we know is wrong, we hide.
My grandson is 3. When he gets quiet, we know there’s a problem. He’s either eating play-dough, drawing on a wall, or sneaking candy. He hides when he’s doing something wrong. Here we are, grown women, essentially hiding while we eat play-dough. Sneaking around hoping no one finds out. Pulling away from God because of the guilt we feel within.
But imagine if Adam and Eve wouldn’t have hidden. Imagine if they would have ran straight to God after that first bite and said, “Oh no, we messed up! Help us!”
Imagine if we did that! Wouldn’t everything change?
The first mistake was not filling up on the tree of life. The emptiness created space for what wasn’t good for them.
The second mistake was choosing to do what they knew was wrong.
The third mistake was hiding in shame.
Now, their fourth mistake was casting blame.
Genesis 3: 9-13, “The the Lord God called to the man,