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Food for Thought: Adam: She Gave It to Me

From the "Bad Boys of the Bible" series...

Dr. Mark Ruppert

Genesis 3:8-9

Let’s be honest, many of the men, and so that it doesn’t appear to be a sexist statement, there are also women in the good Book who have been great champions for God and that same person has been, well, let’s just say a chump. Men and women of scripture who have been Champs and Chumps one in the same. They have embodied many heroic qualities and done marvelous things for God but have also done shameful things. Saints and Sinners all wrapped up into one. And since this series is only going to deal with the male gender let me say that it has been said of some of these men that, “they proclaim powerful insights about the relationship between God and God’s people. They perform magnificent acts of valor and courage. They symbolize the tenderness and nurture inherent in a close, intimate relationship with God. They exercise justice and are able to present a bigger picture than the human mind can grasp.

But they also commit outrageous acts. They lie, cheat, and steal. They kill and maim. They are cunning and underhanded.

They are arrogant, uncontrollable, and weak. They whine and complain. They betray and deceive. They rape and plunder. Their stories are those of human beings who are strong and weak, faithful and challenged.” (Bad Boys of the Bible, Barbara Essex, p.xi.) It has also been said that too often in our teaching and our preaching we have overlooked, downplayed, even excused their flaws and sins. Their actions are sometimes seen as a means to an end that might support God’s purpose and intentions. And yet in taking a closer look at these men we will find out some very human and sometimes basic instincts and character flaws. It is in our study of these Biblical characters that we can hopefully learn from them because their actions and times of non-action can give us life lessons on how to behave and even how we can exercise leadership both in the church and in the world, the society where we live.

Hopefully as we look into the lives of some of these men their stories will inspire us, encourage us and yes, challenge us. For their stories are the stories of countless others who have walked a similar path and by delving deeper into their lives we in turn can delve deeper into who we are as God’s children and people who are giving their all to be followers of Jesus Christ. One of the questions I want us to ask ourselves as we begin this series is: HOW CAN THESE MEN’S STORIES STREGTHEN AND DEEPEN OUR COMMITMENT TO CHRIST AND OTHERS IN HEALTHY, PRODUCTIVE WAYS? Can these stories help us along our faith journey? So let’s talk about Adam and Eve.

God created, and man and woman had their run of the mill except, except there was a few restrictions. Chapter 2, verses 15-17 says, “” The Lord God took man and put him in the Garden of Eden to till it and keep it.” Let me stop right there and say that Adam and Eve didn’t just sit back and be waited on.

This verse has a command from God to “till and keep” the garden showing that work was not a curse, since sin had not come into the world as of yet. Work was a part of the divine order, the divine economy from the get go. Back to verses 16-17. “And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.’” There were two special trees in the garden as it says in Genesis 2:9 where we read, “Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Now were there two literal trees in the garden? Let me just say that I believe there is no reason to assume the trees were not literal, but let’s not make them into some Hollywood special effects production. The point is that God decided to make them special. He could have made two rocks special and told Adam and Eve not to move them.

The universal lesson is that God, and God alone determines what is RIGHT and WRONG . And if we do right we are doing the will of God and if we are doing wrong we are going against His will. Stuart Briscoe once said, “Man’s moral sensibilities are God-given and His moral standards are God-ordained.” (The Communicator’s Commentary, Genesis, Briscoe, p.50) They could eat from every tree, even the tree of life whose fruit imparted immortality to those who ate it. But the other tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil, that fruit was forbidden because this tree represented knowledge which God alone had and which God alone could give.

Now watch what happens in verses 15-17. There are three elements that are to be kept in harmony, for they are a part of the divine purpose. In verse 15 thereis a VOCATION. Human beings were to care for and tend the garden. In verse 16 there is a PERMISSION. There is permission to have free run of the place, eat from every tree. And in verse 17 there is a RESTRICTION.

Eat everything except the one tree. That is all, the one tree. And it was up to Adam and Eve and it is up to us to hold these three facets of divine purpose together. And any two without the third will pervert life. Isn’t it interesting that when we look at this story little attention is given to the mandate of vocation or the gift of permission? The divine will for vocation and freedom has become lost. We only seem to focus on the God of restrictions. And yet the restriction only makes sense in terms of the other two.

So God tells them what they can and cannot do. But there is a choice. To eat or not to eat, to live and not live and that means to die. If Adam does what God commands he will continue in that right relationship with God but if he chooses to eat the outcome is fatal. The only suitable consequence for overstepping the boundaries God has set is death and return to lifelessness, to dust. Adam’s essential nature is dirt because that is from whence he came; he was formed out of the dust of the ground.

Now the story goes something like this: In chapter 3 the serpent meets up with the woman. They discuss God’s command restricting them from eating from the tree of good and evil. The woman clarifies that she knows quite well what the command is but the serpent tells her that God is a liar and that they will not die but rather when they eat their eyes will be opened and they will be like God.

Now let’s talk about Adam and what he does or doesn’t do. First of all, Adam is SILENT. Was Adam present at the conversation between the serpent and Eve? Yes he was. Look at Genesis 3:6. It says, “So when woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.” Yes the serpent speaks to the woman but Adam was present, he was there but he remained silent. That was his first mistake. Silence.

Let me ask you, how many times have we remained silent when we should have spoken up? When the off-color joke was shared that was derogatory to a particular race or nationality? When someone did or said something inappropriate and we remained silent? When an injustice was perpetrated and we did nothing? When we could speak up for Jesus Christ but we sheepishly turn the other way? We have all been silent when we should have spoken up for truth.

Second, Adam looks to shift the BLAME. Their harmonious relationship has now been dramatically changed. They will now hide their bodies from each other and they both feel shame and embarrassment. No wonder nudity and sexuality is equated with shame and quilt. Adam’s voice is now filled with fear, anger and accusations. Pointing to the woman in anger as he speaks with the Almighty and says, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” What would have been the right thing to do? Own up to one’s own responsibility, but no.

You can almost see the wheels turning in Adam’s head as he thinks to himself, “If God hadn’t given me this woman I wouldn’t be in this mess.” Right. Adam is ticked. Yet Adam never owns up to his silence. He doesn’t recite the command not to eat and he never tries to try and talk the woman out of eating. He gives in and then he blames the woman and God. Adam sold out, he was passive and docile.

Have we every tried to shift the blame to someone or something else? Have we ever blamed God for something when it was us who needed to own up to what we did or didn’t do, say or didn’t say? Let me also say that the woman does not own up to her role. For she blames the serpent, even though she doesn’t blame God for creating the serpent and, God bless her, she doesn’t blame Adam. So what is God left to do? He passes judgement on all three. They must all suffer the consequences for their actions. The world of all three changed. The serpent is forced to crawl on the ground and eat the dust. The serpent is cursed and alienated from its fellow creatures. The woman is not cursed but her world is changed as is her husband’s.

There are two other lessons to be learned. Third, there is a sense of GREED, there is a desire for more. They had all the blessings that life could offer, plus they did not have any concept of death. They were going to live forever with God. But they wanted more. Do we ever want more? Are there any of us for whom the blessings of this life are not enough? We want more things, a bigger house, a nicer car, more play toys-and I am talking to the adults just as I am the kids. The problem with Adam and Eve is they were told if they would eat they would, 1) not die and 2) their eyes would be open and they would be like God. Oh to be like God, to try and play God….

And the fourth thing about this story is the SEDUCTIVENESS of sin. Sin can sneak up on us and trap us so quickly. The quick glance on to someone else’s paper that was only for one answer can lead to more glances and the writing of a cheat-sheet.

There is so much I could say about sin, and yet the bottom line is we know. We know when we have let sin seduce us and feed us the lie. Maybe it isn’t the lie that we can become like God but it is the lie that a little peak, a little fudging of the numbers, a little this and a little that will not hurt. Or will it? The only thing we can do is seek to resist, run not walk the other way, and lean mightily on the Almighty to resist.

The bad news is that sin came into the world through one man, Adam, but the good news is that the sins of the world were hung on a tree when Christ bore the sins of the world at Calvary . Adam made a bad choice and he had to live with the consequences of that choice. But the good news is also that God doesn’t leave him or abandon him. God promises to never leave us or forsake us even when we turn our backs on Him and sin against Him and against others. God provided for Adam, suitable clothes to replace the fig leaves, a way to earn a living, an ongoing relationship with Eve and with God. Things changed but God provided. And God is still providing.

He provides hope through Christ, He provides love, He provides grace, He provides life, eternal life through His only Son, the Savior of the world. There is always hope with God. Amen.

Key Points

Introduction: Many of the men in the good Book who have been great champions for God have also been chumps

One of the questions: How can these men’s stories strengthen and deepen our commitment to Christ and others in healthy, productive ways?

Adam and Eve

The universal lesson is that God, and God alone determines what is ________ & ________

Three elements that are to be kept in harmony and that are a part of the divine purpose

In vs. 15 there is a __________

In vs. 16 there is a __________

In vs. 17 there is a __________

What Adam does or doesn’t do

First, Adam is ________

Second, Adam looks to shift the ________

We learn two other lessons

Third, there is a sense of _______

Fourth, the ___________ of sin

Conclusion: Adam made a bad choice but God provided for him, and God is still providing. There is always hope with God.

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)