Life or Death

Scripture: 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.’” Genesis 3:2-3

Observation: God did NOT say that. He said:

The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ... And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” Genesis 2:9,16-17

There were TWO trees in the middle of the garden, and only one was forbidden. The tree of life was not forbidden. In addition, there was no law about touching anything. In other words:

-- God was specific about which tree was forbidden; Eve acted without distinction between the two trees in the middle of the garden.

-- God was specific about what act was forbidden; Eve is both broad and inaccurate.

-- God gave a command that was initiated by freedom to choose; Eve turned it into a threat.

-- God tied the punishment to a very explicit and intentional act; Eve related the punishment to an incident that might even happen on accident.

-- God effectively said 'choose life or death'; Eve heard 'don't even think about touching this' and became fascinated with the forbidden.

Application: He has given us a choice of "live a great life in eternity" or "die hopeless". God has given us some pretty easy rules ... to love him, and to love others. He has given us clear guidelines regarding the behavior of love that we can only violate if we intentionally try.

And every day, I do the wrong thing. We all do. We hate and sin. We stress and yell and covet. Then we lie about it all ... to others, to ourselves, and to God.

Does this happened because we missed the fact that there is a choice? We missed the part that said, "there are TWO trees, one called the Tree of Life, and you can choose that one!!" (That tree is, of course, a metaphor for Jesus - the way, the truth, and the life - and the option anyone can choose if they wish.) Or did this happen because all of us fail to actually understand God's intention and will for us? He loves us and wants us to have an easy life with all blessing and provision, but we obsess over forbidden fruit.

I am not pointing fingers ... I obsess over work, money, and worldly distractions at least as much as anyone. I need to fix my thinking in 2015. I need to choose the Tree of Life every day, eat of that fruit, and take comfort in God's blessings. I need to focus on the good and easy way of loving God and others, and simply doing whatever is consistent with that daily walk.

Prayer: Lord, in 2015, guide me in a daily relationship with you. Let me walk in the garden with you during the cool of the evening, by focusing on 'the life'. May I become increasing obsessed with Jesus, and focus on the fact that following your way will naturally result in peace and joy. Amen.