Posted by Chester Morton / Tuesday 17 January 2017 / No comments
The fall of man
God created every tree that
was pleasant to the eye and for food, including the tree of life which was in the
middle of the garden and also the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil. God warned man not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil lest he dies.
After a while God saw that man was lonely so he created
a woman to be his companion. He put man into a deep sleep and took a bone from his rib
with which he made a companion for man. Man called the companion, woman because
she was taken out of man.
One day, while the man was away, the serpent came to the
woman and succeeded in convincing her to eat from the fruit of the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil. Initially, the woman told the serpent about God’s
warning that if they ate the fruit, they were going to die. The serpent lied that
it was not true. They were not going to die. Rather they were going to become as
wise as God himself knowing both good and evil.
When the woman heard this, she looked again at the tree and
realized that it was good for food and was a delight to behold and better still,
make her become wise; she ate some of the fruit and gave her husband too. After eating, they realized that they were naked so they sewed fig leaves to cover their
nakedness.
In the cool of the day, God was walking in the garden and
when the man and the woman heard of God’s footsteps, they hid themselves among
the trees. God called the man and asked where he was. The man
said he heard of him and was afraid because he was naked. God asked who told
him he was naked; he also asked whether he had eaten of the tree he told them
not to. The man replied that it was the woman who gave him to eat. When God
questioned the woman, she said it was the serpent which deceived her and she
ate of the fruit.
Then God cursed all the characters who took part in the
dastardly act of disobedience. The serpent shall walk on its stomach for the
rest of its life and there would be enmity between the serpent and man. The man
shall bruise the serpent on the head and the serpent shall bite the heels of
the man.
God cursed the woman by saying she shall bear children in
pain but her desire shall always be for her husband.
God told the man that since he chose to listen to the woman
and disobey God, he shall suffer to cultivate the land. He shall sweat before
he eats all the days of his life.
However, God made leather clothing for the man and his wife
to cover their nakedness. God said, since man had eaten the tree of the
knowledge of good and evil and had become wise, he could also find a way to eat
from the tree of life and remain alive forever. So God banished man from the Garden
of Eden.
God placed cherubim at the east of the garden and swords of
fire which turned in all directions so that man can be prevented from getting
to the tree of life.
MORAL LESSONS OF THE
STORY
1. Suffering follows disobedience
2. God abhors sin
3. Sin can send humans from the presence of God
4. Men must be on the look lest they fall into the trap of Satan.
