(Excerpt Beyond Pretend: A Sheep’s Guide to the Universe! © 2010 by David Lee Scott. All rights reserved, pp 27-28.)
A lesson in ethical and moral decision-making as you try to personally answer the question – “Where am I?”
The rebel’s rule of convolution …
Eve’s extended conversation with the snake has a very specific purpose, and it was not to gain a better understanding of God’s words. She wanted a way out, so she applied the rebel’s rule of convolution and transformed a straight line into a maze. She wiggled like a snake to wriggle out of the will of God.
Which part of “Don’t eat from that tree!” didn’t you understand?
Our most important decisions are usually not overly-complex. And the most basic principles of life as God instructs are as clearly defined as “don’t eat from that tree.” In Matthew 22.40 Jesus squeezed two simple truths out of the entire Law and the Prophets. “Love God. Love your neighbor.” Do we sometimes face very intricate and complex issues? Undeniably. But the greatest proportion of decisions we make are as simple as Eve’s choice in this text. Listen to God and obey him or seek other data to justify a different course for your life.
First play with the words …
Her clever adversary knew precisely where to strike. He challenged not her intellect but her will and defeated both ever so deftly with such an innocent question: “Did God really say?” Eve didn’t become entangled in a labyrinth of ethics and morals; she tripped over herself and pulled Adam down with her. They were going to do what they wanted to do and needed some “biblical” data to back up their decision. Don’t miss this distinction. They didn’t just turn from God in disobedience; they first played with the words, they quoted the words of God for goodness sake, and then set about making their own pudding pie.
It wasn’t because they cut theology class …
Adam and Eve did not sin because they weren’t boned up on the intricacies and complexities of theology or the ethical and moral nuances of the day. They sinned because they disobeyed simple words from the mouth of God. “Don’t eat from that tree.” They fell, and we along with them. In the world as they saw it, the created beings knew better than the Creator.
