“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, 

that it was pleasant to the eyes, 

and a tree desirable to make one wise, 

she took of its fruit and ate. 

She also gave to her husband with her, 

and he ate. 

Then the eyes of both of them were opened, 

and they knew that they were naked; 

and they sewed fig leaves together 

and made themselves coverings.”

my twocents…

this was the very first sin of humankind. this was the very first temptation. upon reading this passage, we can identify and familiarize ourselves with what temptation to sin looks like. and well, it’s usually pretty enticing. it appears to be ‘good for food’ or nourishing. so there’s some reason to believe that by compromising God’s directions, this action we will choose will nourish us, make us grow, and satisfy our tastebuds. heh…reminds me of the marketing schemes of cereal boxes, how they inaudibly scream at every child saying, “buy me! this will be the best decision of your life!” with twisted ‘facts’ claiming it will offer rewards of health as well as the sweetest ride their tastebuds could ever fathom. hmm… sounds too good to be true, yet parents buy into it all the time. or at least they give in to their children’s begging …sounds familiar to adam giving in to eve… so then there’s the ‘pleasant to the eyes’ trick. my my, how looks can be so deceiving. it’s really so difficult in our nature to not see things and judge them by the looks. we can be molded by society’s definition of beauty and then go forward to reject people who don’t fit into that mold. we judge the book by the cover and miss the entire story. often a story we really could have benefited from. we are drawn to what’s attractive many times before we ask God for confirmation. we very seldom know the means in which a beautiful person or object has journeyed to appear before us and to grab our attention. but God knows. He knows it all…

and finally there’s the ‘desirable to make one wise’… it is true, we can never know enough. we can never know everything. we will always be deficient in knowledge. so when eve chose to know good and evil, that was a deception in itself because she could never know it all. thankfully too. the amount of contrast that we are exposed to in this short life is often too overwhelming as it is. that’s why knowledge-seeking can be a unfulfilling feat. i’m not saying to not pursue education or wisdom through experience, but don’t let that be your leader. relying on God’s wisdom is much more fulfilling, and it brings such joy. 

making our own decisions and making our own mistakes does, in fact, teach us. just as adam and eve became aware that they were naked, they learned something new. this knowledge is something they couldn’t unlearn, but it sure could have been nice to go on through life blissfully unashamed of their natural state. they just couldn’t unlearn it. just like when we make a decision to tread into dark territory, we might want to think twice about damaging our mental sanctuary. images we see and things we learn can haunt us. there are so many repercussions to sin that we just don’t understand. just look at the beautiful eden that they left behind by being so distracted by one temptation. with one decision, everything we love can disappear... there’s a reason God warns against it through the whole Bible. yet His grace, mercy and love is still greater, allowing us to be saved and cleansed from the stains of sin, and eventually, and thankfully, inviting us back into His heavenly sanctuary to dwell forever. Praise Jesus!

12/14/22

“Then He said, “Take now your son, 

your only son Isaac, 

whom you love, 

and go to the land of Moriah, 

and offer him there as a burnt offering 

on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.”

my twocents…

this verse shows us the first mention of the word ‘love’ in the Bible. this moment is so laced with symbolism, foreshadowing, and deep meaning. and here, we find this verse with the word ‘love’… 

abraham was the beginning of the line of God’s chosen people because his faith was true. abraham was devoted to God and he was willing to sacrifice his only son. he was devastated and broken about doing it, but went as far as stretching out his hand with the knife before God stopped him. this dedication reflects what took place many years later, when our Savior came to earth and fulfilled the Lord’s promises. God loved the world so, that He gave His only begotten Son to the cross. yet His Son did die in the flesh, He rose from the grave. and He blessed us with His loving Spirit.

it’s almost as if abraham’s faith was the first glimpse of hope for all of mankind. that maybe, this great expression of human faith could be enough to move mountains... can we find that faith in our daliy lives and put it to the test? 

notice how the Lord has these beautiful ways of interweaving His promises and His love throughout the waves of time. this word ‘love’ comes to us in the first book of the Holy Bible and it echoes on and on. that’s what this story is all about. by seeking His Word, we will find so many more treasures like this one. when our Father only wants to tell us how much He loves us, open your ears to His Word and hear the beautiful truth.

1/3/23