The Beginning

“In this moment their distrust of the Lord trickled down to us. Their disobedience became ours. Their longing for more and their belief that maybe they knew better than Almighty God became our struggle as well.”

Let’s get one thing out of the way. If you have a longing inside of you, a dissatisfaction in your heart, you aren’t alone. It can point you to something better. Any longing we have can be redeemed when we place it in the hands of the Lord.

I want to start by asking you to think of all the things you wish for. Where do you feel dissatisfied? What do you want more of? What do you feel is missing? What is the “better” that you long for? Maybe it is a better family, a better spouse, a better job, better friends, a better home, a better past, a better future, better material possessions, better health.

Haven’t we all longed for something more? It began so long ago, in a garden.

Adam and Eve lived in an unfallen world. Can you even begin to imagine what that was like? No sin, no sickness or disease, no heartache. It was perfection in the presence of God. They literally walked with Him, and every need was met in Him. Until the moment when the serpent interjected and asked Eve a simple, yet jarring question– one Satan continues to ask us today: “Did God actually say…?”

And there began a doubt which continues to plague us– What if God is withholding? What if there is something better that He isn’t giving me? What if another path is easier, more fulfilling, more fun? And when I have allowed these questions to take root, they propelled me to wander away from the Lord in search of something “better.” I somehow convinced myself that I could find whatever was missing, and I bet you’ve done the same. It never satisifies.

You see, God gave Adam and Eve rule over land and animals. He tasked Adam with working the land and protecting it. And He gave the man one simple rule: “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but 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 surely die” (Genesis 2:16-17 ESV). Many people look at this command and see restriction. But there is freedom in this command. There is love and protection. We’ll get to an explanation in a second. But know this– when God places boundaries on us, they are for our good. And it’s the better way.

We all know what happened when the serpent approached Eve. She took the bait, and in that moment, everything shifted for mankind. In this moment their distrust of the Lord trickled down to us. Their disobedience became ours. Their longing for more and their belief that maybe they knew better than Almighty God became our struggle as well. Adam and Eve are removed from the garden, and they both receive immediate consequences for disobeying God’s command. Adam will toil and struggle against the earth and the animals, and Eve…well, childbirth would now be excruciating, and her husband would rule over her. But beyond these consequences was one of even more gravity: separation from the Lord because of sin. They don’t physically die on this day, but they suffer spiritual death.

Have you ever wondered why God removed them from Eden? Have you ever thought that maybe it was a little harsh? I have. But buckle up because this is beautiful. Their punishment is mercy.

“Then the Lord God said, ‘Behold, the man has become like us in knowing good and evil. Now lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat and live forever–‘” (Genesis 3:22 ESV). Before we keep going, I want you to notice two things:

1.     God says “us.” This is so cool. Jesus is present in this moment as He has always been. The Word, there with the Father, always in existence. The Spirit too. Our God– three in One.

2.     God doesn’t finish his sentence. The fact that man now knows sin, pain, disease, and separation AND he has the possibility of eating of the tree of life means that he (we) could live FOREVER in this state.

So the Lord acts swiftly. And in His mercy, He banishes the man and woman from the Garden to prevent them (and us) from living forever separated from Him: “He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life” (Genesis 3:24 ESV). The Lord determined that man would never have the chance to eat of this tree and live forever under the rule of sin and separation.

The better way was to live within the freedom of the Lord’s command. The better way was unbroken fellowship with Him. But then the better way was merciful banishment.

Doesn’t the father of lies ask us the same question: “Did God really say?” Doesn’t he want us to doubt the very word of the Lord? “Did He really say you can’t or shouldn’t do that? Is that thing really that bad for you? Do you really need to go to church? Do you really need to say no to that friendship or that drink? I mean, it can’t be that harmful?”

And we so often take the bait and go our own way in search of something we think could be better. We so often believe God is withholding something from us.

Friend, His way is better. Our struggle began in Eden, but God continues to show us mercy. We don’t have to doubt Him. He has never given us reason to. Live in the freedom of this, and trust His word is truth.

Where do things go from here? Mostly wilderness. And that’s where we will spend our time in the rest of the series. I am so excited to look at this with you guys, mostly because I am a fellow wilderness traveler. See you next week!