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Genesis 3:22

And the Lord God said, "The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and life forever."

Adam and Eve are on the cusp of changes. Their world has collapsed and they must make decisions they never knew they should.

First of all, did they know the consequences of their earlier action? (Eating of the forbidden fruit) It would appear that they were very aware of their transgression (sin) and wanted to cover it up quickly before God had wind of it (2nd sin). They used grape vine leaves to create a skirt that covered their nakedness to some extent.

So, they quickly adapted to their new "status" of being aware of evil. They made bad decisions one after the other.

This teaches us about jumping on the "sin" train. You jump on when you should not. Then you need to hide because you have done this wrong. Next, you try to hide from the conductor collecting the tickets. Once confronted, you again try to wriggle your way out of the mess.

How many of us have done this in our own lives?

BEING BITTEN BY THE SNAKE I remember that I accidentally stood on some doggie doo. We were being cared for by our neighbour, Mrs Connor. We all sat at her kitchen table and had a drink and some bread. She noticed a "smell" and asked "Who has brought in doggie doo?" (not exact words). I knew instantly that it was me, but I kept my shoes on my feet under the table and ducked my head to hide the truth.  In that instance I was relieved to go out her back door and run home quickly. I escaped her wrath by the skin of my teeth.  I never told anyone about that, but scraped my shoes in the grass before I went into my own home across the way.

In Adam and Eve's case, they had done worse than my doggie doo incident, they had blatantly disobeyed the Lord's orders, and then tried to cover it up. They had a snake bite and could not find a cure.

Their punishment was swift and severe. They lost their paradise. They lost their standing with the Lord God. He was their friend and now their foe. Barriers were created instantly, not the least the one of a Cherubim and a flaming sword turning in all directions. They could no longer eat from the tree and rest under its branches, dreaming of its nourishment. Now they would need to actually "work" for their food, their living, especially Adam, the man. Eve would suffer in childbirth more than before the transgression. The ground was also cursed by God. So, thorns and thistles would grow instead of beautiful things. 

What can we learn from this record today?

1. Hide from sin, run from the temptations of the devil, not from God.

2. Listen to the Lord's instructions to our hearts.

3. Look ahead and see if danger is coming your way and do something practical about it.

4. Note that the Lord said, "As one of US", therefore God is plural and in agreement with his personalities.

We know that God has revealed his Spirit, His Son, Jesus, and His Fatherly figure.  This was a unanimous decision, worked through for its outcomes.

We know that when we are unsure about our decisions, we should consult with other like minded folk who are rational and who care about our future.

5. Another note here, sometimes we get insights as to destiny, so we should talk to the Lord about that. For instance, those who made plans to leave Afghanistan are now safer than those who were busy and not aware of what was going on.  Discussion is the key here. We all should discuss our thoughts with someone who cares about us and find our pathway before it is too late. 

6. The snake was also punished by the Lord, destined to eat dust for the rest of its life. It was cursed for facilitating Lucifer in his evil quest to confound humans with lies. 

Knowing all these things can help us to be wise in our choices as we work our way through troubled times on the earth. I pray that you will find your way through by the spirit of the Lord into a safe place.