Eve and the First Sin - part 2

Genesis 3:6 tells us, “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.”

Isn’t that how the world entices us?  The food is so good (not usually good for us) and pleasing to the eye.  Who can resist that?  (Instead of food, you could fill in whatever worldly idol has a hold on you - shopping, alcohol, food, drugs, gossip, sex…) Most of us have a strong desire, also, for gaining wisdom.  Why study and take the time to learn if you could gain wisdom through just eating some fruit?  Sounds good to me!  

Here lies the beginning of instant gratification, something that seems to rule the choices of most of the world today.  Eve was so taken by how good the fruit looked and influenced by the desire to gain wisdom that in her haste for pleasure, she didn’t stop and think of the consequences that would follow..

How often do we say things or do things in our marriages before thinking it through or realizing how it might affect our spouse or our families?  Or how it might affect our relationship with God?  We haven’t learned a lot since the fall of Adam and Eve.  We want what we want right now.

And then Eve “gave some to her husband”.  Nothing is said here about Adam’s hesitance or how he questioned Eve or tried to talk her out of it.  He ate it.  Maybe if Adam had stood up as the Godly husband he should have been there wouldn’t be so much struggle for women these days to allow their husbands to be the leaders. Then again, neither of them had ever dealt with temptation or disobedience prior to this.

I had a brief glimpse, today, into what Eve may have experienced in her moment of weakness.  With perfect Florida weather, Rick and I decided to take our 1938 Buick convertible for a drive.  Ten minutes into our drive and Rick says, “Can you eat something from Dairy Queen?”

I’ve been carefully avoiding all the foods that I’m sensitive to with dairy and sugar near the top of the list. (Although I’m not sure how much dairy is actually in Dairy Queen ice cream - will have to check that out.)  I walked into DQ telling myself that a small dish of plain ice cream would be a little cheat for the week.  It would be okay.  (I haven’t eaten anything like that in ages.) 

I wound up getting a blizzard with chocolate, caramel and pecans. (Mind you, it was a mini-blizzard.)  I couldn’t resist the temptation.  Rick and I went to our table waiting for the server to bring out our treats.  The moment I sat down I became aware of the consequences of my action.  What was I thinking?  Was it worth five minutes of pleasure for days of not feeling well?  How could I have forgotten how these foods affect me?

I had been so wrapped up in the pure pleasure of ice cream with chocolate and caramel that I lost my mind for a brief moment when I placed my order.  My flesh overcame the sensibility of my thoughts.  I couldn’t think clearly nor see past the luscious desire of this food that had no redeeming qualities whatsoever.

I almost decided not to eat it, and then the server placed it in front of me, and eat, I did.  It honestly wasn’t worth the effort.  Oh, maybe the first few bites were glorious.  They say that after the first few bites of a candy bar (or probably everything else for that matter) you don’t really taste the rest.  I should have quit after those first few bites.

Rick got something even more iniquitous than I did, and we both sat there looking at each other wondering what we had been thinking.  We had both succumbed to the sins of Dairy Queen ice cream.  I want to blame it all on Eve.

I wonder how Eve felt after she ate the fruit.  She and Adam probably looked at each other pondering what in the world they had been thinking.  I would guess they felt great remorse.  It didn’t taste nearly as good as it looked, especially after the first few bites.  One moment of fleshly indulgence surely wasn’t worth  the irreversible consequences - life outside of the Garden of Eden, and inevitably, death.