EHP Day 6-Clarity About God’s Revelation
Genesis 3:1-3
Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
It is impossible to know how much Adam and Eve discussed what God had said to them before the incidents of this fatal chapter. The account suggests that
God directly gave Adam the command to be obeyed
God never directly spoke to Eve vocalizing the command
Adam, therefore, was responsible for communicating God’s command accurately and clearly (presumably, they discussed how to obey and apply the command).
Eve, in her response to the Serpent, added something to the command given to Adam. [God never told Adam he could not touch the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge, rather that he could not eat it.]
Eve’s addition is curious; its origin uncertain. Not surprisingly, the shrewd serpent saw in the “extra” (indicating a measure of confusion) an opening to further muddy the waters.
Have you ever felt our spiritual Enemy’s attack in the form of uncertainty, confusion, lack of clarity over what God has actually said, prohibited, permitted? If so—and we all have—how much more important is it to spend time with God EACH day, giving His Spirit a chance to clarify and confirm the truth we have been given. We live by “every word that proceeds from the mouth of God” (Jesus, Matthew 4:4). And, we have the Spirit of Truth whose ministry is to teach us truth, remind us of truth, and to form Jesus in us through its life-changing application.
Journal Notes