trust

...the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being...The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 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 of it you will surely die."

Many recognize these verses from the creation account in the first book of the Bible, Genesis. I really enjoy reading these chapters. Every time I do, I get fresh revelation. This time, it's about Trust.

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.' "

Okay, I need to pause here. First off all, does anyone notice something strange from these verses. (Other than a talking snake.) The thing that sticks out to me is that Eve misquotes God. Earlier, He commanded that they not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But here, Eve says that God commanded them not to eat from it or even touch it. Where did she get that from?! Why did she add that in? Why didn't she know what He said?

Ultimately, regardless of the reason, Eve didn't know what God's word really was on the matter. And she exposed a crucial weakness to her enemy. She didn't know the Word. She didn't know the truth. So, she apparently didn't understand the heart of God.

"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."

First off, Satan leads with a blatant lie, contradicting the very words of God. Secondly, he plants a seed of doubt into her already confused heart. This seed was mistrust. He led her to believe that, for whatever reason, God, who loved her and created her and blessed her with everything around her, was somehow holding out on her. And the same lie has worked ever since.

When I was a teenager, I so desperately wanted to be able to spend time with my friends. But my parents were strict. And for good reason. The few times that I was given any freedom, I blew it. I found a way to find trouble everywhere I went and spent most of my high school years grounded. I loved God, but I didn't know Him that well. And since I didn't know Him, I didn't understand Him or His motives. Often I found myself questioning why I had such strict parents. And why the rules were so hard to live by. Why did my friends all get to go out and have fun, while I stayed at home? These were the questions that popped into my mind when I would lay down to sleep. What it came down to, was that I began to mistrust God's heart toward me. I thought He was holding out on me; for some reason, keeping me from fun and friends and life and happiness. What I later discovered was that He was protecting me from a life of terrible choices, addictions, and self-destruction. If I had spent half the time I spent questioning God on actually getting to know Him and learning about His character and His love for me, I would have realized this much sooner.

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.

So, first Eve misquotes God's word. Second, she's deceived into thinking that God isn't trustworthy and He doesn't love her. From here, her reaction speaks a lot. Instead of crying out or asking for help or clarity, she turns to the one person she think she can trust - herself. She decided to rely on her senses and rational (aka her flesh) to get her through. She started to examine the fruit - it looked good and appetizing. (Most sin does.) And the straw that broke the camel's back? It was desirable for gaining wisdom. Rather than trusting Him, she wanted to know it all for herself. And she doesn't stop there. She brings her husband down with her. Don't get me wrong. He had a choice in the matter, but what guy isn't going to do what his naked wife tells him to. :P

Anyway, I just see from this story how important it is for us to trust God. I mean, really trust Him. And to truly know Him and His word. When we really know the truth, the lie will be obvious. We can't trust in our own understanding. It will lead us astray. And we should never bring others down with us.

Lots of good stuff here. Read the Bible. Its alive. And trust God.