Friday, June 6, 2025

Good Stuff; Bad Stuff - Ruminating in the Word of God

The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, and majestic in his radiant splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saohim today anwhat came to my heart and mind in Genesis 3:1-6,

"Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, 'Did God really say, "You must not eat from any tree in the garden"?' The woman said to the serpent, 'We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, "You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die."' 'You will not certainly die,' the serpent said to the woman. 'For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.' When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it."

Here is the account of the temptation of Eve by the serpent. There are a number of things to learn from this account, but there is one that sticks out to me this morning beyond others. That is this: a false but convincing notion that God wants to keep us from "good stuff".

The serpent's approach to Eve was based on questioning God's word, "Did God really say...", verse 1. Eve answered honestly, "God did say...", verse 3. Then the serpent made the accusation to Eve that God was lying to her, "You will certainly not die", verse 4.

We are told that it was those attractive things about the forbidden fruit that drew Eve. She saw the fruit of the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eye and also for gaining wisdom. It all looked like "good stuff" to Eve - stuff that God forbid Adam and Eve to partake in. In my mind she must have made the transition in her thinking that God was keeping her from this good stuff, and determined to not let him keep her from it.

It was a huge misreading by the couple of the context within which Adam and Eve had their communion with God. It resulted in their rejection of God in favor of the "good stuff" the serpent used to entice Eve with.

All of it a lie. Here is the truth: "Don't be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created." James 1:16-18.

God does not keep the truly "good stuff" from us! He is the One who gives us the "good stuff". The serpent, as well as our own sinful condition, is who attempts to keep God's good stuff from us by attracting us to those things that are always harmful for us - the "bad stuff".

Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!

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