Tempted by the Forbidden

I believe the verse from my last post deserves a deeper dive, so this time I’d like to focus more on Eve and the forbidden fruit rather than the serpent. Here is Eve’s response to the serpent’s question again:

“It’s only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, ‘You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.’”

Genesis 3:3 NLT

Many Good Options

Granted, the serpent got the ball rolling by choosing words that put the emphasis on God’s restrictions, but it was Eve who made it even bigger than it was. God said she could eat the fruit from any tree in the garden, except for one. Because I don’t know how many trees were in the garden, I can only guess, but I imagine there were quite a number of them. Eve had options from which to choose, but it was the forbidden tree that captured her attention. However, she did get some assistance from the enemy.

The serpent went on in the next two verses to tempt Eve in a way that made that forbidden fruit simply irresistible.

“You won’t die!” the serpent replied to the woman. “God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil.”

Genesis 3:4-5 NLT

Focusing on the Forbidden

If you don’t have kids of your own, I imagine you remember being one yourself. Aren’t we much like Eve when it comes to boundaries? Parents set boundaries for their children to protect them. And God does the same for His children. Kids aren’t real fond of boundaries! Do you remember thinking your parents were the meanest people in the world when the answer was “No”? Even when we’re allowed to do plenty of things, we tend to get fixated on the thing that we are forbidden to do! That, I believe, is called human nature.

Decisions Have Consequences

God has given each of us freewill, but there are always consequences to the choices we make. When Eve made the decision to indulge in the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, the consequences affected all of humankind. Because of Eve’s choice, sin entered the world and separated us from our Heavenly Father. But, God had a plan for our redemption. His name is Jesus.

“Jesus gave his life for our sins, just as God our Father planned, in order to rescue us from this evil world in which we live.”

Galatians 1:4 NLT

So, Jesus bridged the gap between us and God as the final and perfect sacrifice for our sin.

“Thanks be to God for his indescribable gift!”

2 Corinthians 9:15 NIV

Some might say the ULTIMATE gift!