Who Makes the Rules Around Here? -- Part One

04Jan15
Genesis 3:1-7
Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made.  He said to the woman, "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden'?"  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.'"  "You will not surely die," the serpent said to the woman.  "For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."  When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.  She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.  Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

I had to stop myself on this one; this chapter is packed with too much to quickly pass through.  First off, there are questions.  Who is the serpent, and I mean the talking serpent?  Is this the devil, a devil, a devilish snake, a dragon, a spirit, a bigfoot?  Eve is not reported to recoil at the idea of a talking serpent, who apparently is known to be a crafty devil, no pun intended.

The crafty serpent certainly talks like the devil, whose work is to constantly deny the word of God.  This makes us wonder what the mental maturity of Eve really is.  Here comes God himself, the Lord Creator of The Universe, and he says something to the effect of "Don't eat from this one tree over here, got it?"  I would think that settles the matter, but oh no, once the crafty serpent comes along, Eve is led to believe that, not only is God's word false (that she will die), but that God Himself, The Lord God, is somehow jealous of her getting wisdom, afraid of Adam and Eve becoming wiseguys.

On the other hand, there is no definite scene which details precisely who gives instructions to Eve.  Suspiciously, she does not correctly repeat God's words, but adds the prohibition against touching the tree.  This is peculiar and reminds me of my older brother.  The Dad tells Mike that we are to understand he will watch the baseball game when he gets home.  My brother Mike tells me that Dad decreed the television be dedicated to baseball until he returns.  Wasn't it really Adam who gave instructions to Eve?  Isn't this the same thing men in positions of authority in the church (or the home) do, that is, make constricting rules to keep us from getting close to misbehvaing?  Good intentions, bad rules?

I can't let this passage go without commenting on the these words:  her husband, who was with her. Adam was there when Eve fell.  I have heard it preached that there was no fall until Adam himself sinned.  This would be fitting in proportion to the level of control men exert upon their wives.  Not necessarily a bad thing, I often told my family of five that, regardless of who does what, I alone am responsible for each of their actions as well as my own.  They each are accountable as individuals, but as Husband and Dad, I am responsible for everything that happens.  This ever present thought guided my actions for twenty years and more.  This is no longer true as each of my children are adults and live on their own, but the relevance to the Fall of Eve remains.  

Without a lot to go on, it looks bad for Adam. Did he really just stand there, curious to find out what would happen as a result of disobedience, but too chicken livered to do the deed himself?

Do I wait around for my wife to take an interest in something edgy, just so I can enjoy watching it without being accused by her?  (OK, I am talking about Game of Thrones).  Do I hope she gives me some gossip, so that I can participate, while retaining the card that says You were the one who brought it up . . .?