We are on the playground with first graders on a beautiful day. It’s my turn to watch over the running, sliding, swinging, laughing, playing tag, first graders, when I spot a couple of them running up the slide, a rule not to be broken for their own safety. Before I could get to them, I saw one little one about to jump from the top of the slide, another expressed rule. I blew the whistle. They both knew they were “had”.
Here is the human progression of the expression of guilt:
–Everyone’s doing it. (Eyes looking away from teacher.)
–He did it first. (Eyes looking down as he points blame to someone else.)
–Yes, I did it. I’m sorry. (Eyes with tears looking at teacher for mercy.)
Every. Time.
And all you have to do is just stare at them, with the teacher look, and not say a word. Within a few seconds, guilt and shame are felt, blame is placed, then the truth comes to surface and regret and mercy is desired. Are they sorry they did it? Or just sorry they were caught doing it? That is debatable. But when did all this begin? In the Garden of Eden.
Genesis 3:
“Now the serpent was the shrewdest of all the creatures the LORD God had made. ‘Really?’ he asked the woman. ‘Did God really say you must not eat any of the fruit in the garden?’
A choice is presented.
“‘Of course we may eat it,’ the woman told him. ‘It’s only the fruit from the tree at the center of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God says we must not eat it or even touch it, or we will die.'”
Truth expressed.
“‘You won’t die!” the serpent hissed. ‘God knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat it. You will become just like God, knowing everything, both good and evil.'”
Truth challenged.
“The woman was convinced. The fruit looked so fresh and delicious, and it would make her so wise! So she ate some of the fruit. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. Then he ate it, too. At that moment, their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they strung fig leaves together around their hips to cover themselves.”
Shame and guilt for disobedience to God.
“Toward evening they heard the LORD God walking about in the garden so they hid themselves among the trees.”
Caught. Their eyes cannot look into the face of their Creator.
“The LORD God called to Adm, ‘Where are you?’
“He replied, ‘I heard you, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked.'”
“‘Who told you that you were naked?’ the LORD God asked. “Have you eaten the fruit I commanded you not to eat?'”
The CHOICE
“‘Yes’, Adam admitted, ‘but it was the woman you gave me who brought me the fruit, and I ate it.'” Then the LORD God asked the woman, ‘How could you do such a thing?'”
BLAME someone else.
“‘The serpent tricked me,’ she replied. ‘That’s why I ate it.'”
Sin, as a result of disobedience to God, separates man from God. Punishment for making a bad choice, accepting a lie, and blaming someone else for the decision to disobey is dealt with by God. The serpent, the woman and the man is cursed for life.
And now, animals God created must die to clothe the shamed man and woman. Then they are banished from the perfect, self sustaining, Garden of Eden that God created for them to live. Adam was put to work to scrape out a living for the rest of his life on God’s created earth.
The choice to sin, to disobey God has consequences. God created the right to choose because He wants us to be free to want to obey and love Him back. God’s best for us is best expressed by our obedience and sincere love for him.
Since the fall of Adam and Eve, sin is present, alive and well, and is a choice today. However, God also created a way, a strong bridge, in the shape of a Cross, for a repentant people to come back into His Presence. He sent his son, Jesus Christ to die on that Cross, pay for our sin, defeat eternal death for our sin and turned the tables on the one who wants to defeat us. We would surely die without Jesus Christ. Instead we live forever by choosing Christ!
We are caught. The playground whistle signals our disobedience. We are “had”. What will we do? Blame someone else? Or fall on the mercy and grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ? Accept and repent.
The created choice is ours. Every. Day.
Dear Heavenly Father, I pray we choose You for You chose us. We love You because You loved us first. Thank you for salvation from our own sins. In Jesus Name, Amen
