Thursday, February 23
| Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 |
| 15The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17but 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.” 1Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden; 3but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’” 4But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die; 5for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6So when the 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. 7Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves. |
| We all know the story. God puts man and woman in the garden of Eden. Everything they need for survival is provided. But for the man and woman, that’s not enough. So they do the very thing God tells them not to do. They eat the forbidden fruit. Enter the serpent. Crafty and full of questions that get the man and woman into further trouble. As the serpent says, ‘You will not die,’ and they believe. All of Genesis 3 seems to describe the mystery of sin that arises from God’s good creation. All of creation is good as God is the creator. But within the human heart from the very beginning is the continual tendency to rebel against God. God’s creation is good, but God sets boundaries that humankind continue to test. Why? Because deep within we want to be like God, not just God’s faithful creatures. From the beginning of life we rebel. Children at a very young age begin to test the boundaries set by their parents. Even with a good explanation as to why, children quickly learn that even the why isn’t enough to stop them from doing what is wrong and hurtful. But it doesn’t stop with children. As we age through adolescence and into adulthood ,the mystery of sin continues to hit us head on. As we move through the season of Lent, let us be mindful that we are ‘sinful and unclean.’ But let us also remember that God sent Jesus to wipe away our sin, through his life, death and glorious resurrection. Thanks be to God! Prayer: Lord, help us to see each and everyday that we are sinful and unclean. But you have come, and are coming again to wipe us clean by your life, death and resurrection. Amen. —Mike Carlson |
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