For Ladies Only

Ladies and of course, Gentlemen, for a long time I always felt the guilt of Eve's sin. I thought she was responsible for the fall of mankind. The book of Genesis is one of my favorite books in the Bible.

My husband and I searched through the scriptures today; it was enjoyable talking to him about the Word of God. Well, of course, after reading the first and second chapter, we concluded that Adam really was the one who messed up and all this time, I had thought Eve was the real culprit. Now Eve did mess up, but God had given specific instructions to Adam. Chapter 1:27 states, "So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." So let's look at what was read and discussed today.

First, let deal with the word, "command." Webster's New World Dictionary states that command means 1) to give an order; direct, and 2) to have authority over; control.

Chapter 2 of the book of Genesis tells of how God formed man, v. 7 and how He formed the woman, v. 22. The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it, v. 15, 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, v. 17. In v. 18, the Lord God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone, I will make a helper suitable for him. There you have it, Adam and Eve, in the Garden of Eden.

In Chapter 3 the serpent convinces Eve that she should eat the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, v. 1-5. Eve ate and then gave some to Adam, her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, v. 6.

What happens when we do something wrong and we don't want anyone to know? We try to hide and cover up the wrong, v. 8. The only problem here is that you cannot hide anything from God, v. 9; God is all-knowing and He cannot be deceived.

Adam, not realizing that God sees and knows everything, is hiding and he tells God he is afraid because he was naked. I tell you those of you who are mothers, doesn't this sound like your child or children? God asked Adam how does he know he is naked and He asked Adam this question: "Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?

God doesn't go to Eve and ask her what she has done, He goes directly to one He commanded, Adam.

Adam, like most children, wanted to lay the blame elsewhere, away from himself. He tells God, "The woman you put here with me---she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it, v. 12. Now we should know that what from this? God created man; he gave him a helper, woman, but God commanded Adam, the man not to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil. What does God expect of us, both men and women? He expects obedience.

God has given us free will but this free will must be in the image of God, used with God's intellect. We should use our free will to make good choices. When God directs us, and God is usually very specific, we are to obey his direction. God is our Creator and He is in command, or better said, has authority over our lives.

The Bible has been said by some to be Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. We are blessed to have the Bible to instruct us on how to live this earthly life. God has given us His specific instructions for a good reason and for His purposes.

Thought for Today: God created us for His purpose, and for His plan.