These days hardly an hour goes by that you don't read or hear about someone's tragic event that was totally unexpected, and yet they were somehow at fault. They made a simple but costly mistake. Sometimes we can easily identify with them because it's happened to us, but maybe not with the same tragic ending or result. The harsh reality happens in just a matter of seconds or minutes, yet the damage is done and nothing can be done to change the outcome. You may have just taken your eyes off the road for a second and... or you turned your attention away from your child for just a moment and then the child is taken or harmed. Or you said or did something you really regretted. And now, no matter how many times you wish you could turn back time, the painful consequences remain the same. This happens because of poor choices and/or actions. Often the most compelling stories we hear come from grieving parents, and the tragedy can be life changing for them and many others.
We find many such stories in the Bible, most relating to the mistakes of men, because God places greater responsibility on their shoulders. They are the ones expected to lead and set an example for others to follow, whether single or married. But men still make mistakes, and so do fathers. And they all have to learn to live with the mistakes. Stories such as Jacob deceiving his father, or Joseph's brothers' selling him, or King David's scandal with Bathsheba, or Jephthah offering the Lord the first thing that comes out of his house as a sacrifice. All their choices had serious consequences.
Many of the feelings of these men are seldom told, but you can imagine what they must of felt like—that is, if you had been in the same situation. Someday you would realize that you would eventually need to explain or tell the truth. Others would want to know what happened and why. Once they knew the truth and understood the consequences, it would hopefully change them enough to make sure they wouldn't make the same mistake. But it often doesn't. It seems that each man is destined to learn his own weakness. Men's lives are full of mistakes (women's are too) and we often learn from those mistakes. Hopefully, through the grace of God we live to see another day.
And so it was also, with the most tragic story never told—the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis Chp. 3). Very little is said about their emotions other than they were afraid and tried to blame the other person. Yet, the consequences of their actions drastically altered history. However, God was still in control of it all, there were no surprises to him. What I'm about to share now is strictly an opinion (hopefully God-inspired) of what may have transpired after man was forced out of the Garden of Eden:
After Adam and Eve had been removed from the Garden of Eden, they both had a lot of time to think about their mistakes. Probably more than they desired. However, working the field helped take Adam's mind off his mistake, or he maybe he used it to vent his frustrations over his stupidity by hacking at the soil and removing weeds and rocks. But then, hard work was the consequence of his mistake. The same for Eve, who was probably busy learning what to do with fire, fix an occasional warm meal and make clothes for them and their children. This too was all new for her, and she too had plenty of time to think about her catastrophic mistake. They also learned the results of their physical attractions—babies. They had two sons at first, yet no experience on what to do with them—after all, neither Adam or Eve had gone through this stage of growing up for themselves. Father God must have given them some pointers and thoughts on many things, just as any good parent would do. God probably still visited them, but not in the way it had been before and maybe not as often.
Conversation with the family were probably brief, after all there was little to influence their lives at this time. (Most people today would have been bored stiff after a few weeks not to mention years.) Adam was a brilliant man, after all he named all the animals and had God genes, but the fall probably took a tole on his IQ. They all were still fascinated with the wonder of God's creation and were able to laugh and cry from time to time as they learned new things. However, many years had gone by now and the two boy where getting older along with their sister and their curiosity and questions were getting more serious. Adam knew sooner or later he was going to have to tell his sons and daughters what happened in the beginning. Their questions couldn't be put off any longer. He had to give them an answer and it had to be the truth. Finally the day came and Adam gathered the family together. He probably did most of the talking, and maybe Eve shared some things from her point of view, of that fateful day when everything changed.
Adam shared how he had failed his responsibility to obey God and protect his wife. He made foolish choices when he should have known better. He had misplaced his priorities and with the freedom God had given him, he chose to disobey. He was not content to stay within God's guidelines, and pride got the best of him. He also allowed the serpent to deceive their mother; and his love for her also influenced his decisions. He could have still refused to eat the forbidden fruit after Eve had eaten, but he didn't. In the end he failed God, his wife and himself, and as a result everyone and everything would suffer, including his children. Adam wept as he told them the greatest loss. The wonderful relationship he had with Father God, when the two of them would take long walks in cool of the evening. He also missed the beautiful Garden. It was all so wonderful and then it was gone along with the special covering they wore. They could no longer stay there because of his mistake. And finally, he added, they would all continue to suffer hardship because of his stupid and selfish mistake. There, he finally said it. The confession and remorse that had built up over the years had finally come out into the open. With that off his chest and a clear mind again, Adam felt it was time that they should start to worship God as a family.
Everything the two young men just heard was totally foreign to them. But it did explain some things, including their parents' sad moods every now and then. It also raised their curiosity about God and The Serpent. Adam had often talked about God and how wonderful He was, but had said nothing about The Serpent. Who were they really and what was this thing their father called worship?
Cain, the oldest, had spent a lot of his time out in the field with his father. He seemed to take an offense with God and may have felt God was being too hard on all of them, especially his father. After all, it was just a simple mistake. Besides, he felt his father Adam was a "good" man. Cain followed in his father's footsteps over the years. He had learned to work the fields and how to cultivate the soil. And now he had also been given his own portion of the land to work. They were both very close and he was also Adam's firstborn son, which made him special.
Then one day Adam got inspired, and told the family they were to offer God a sacrifice as a form of worship. He suggested to his sons that they follow his example and then bring a portion of their labor to offer to God as a burnt offering, as to show God how much they loved Him and appreciated His blessing them and their work.
Knowing the truth is seldom learned without making mistakes, and some are very costly. God uses our mistakes to humble us. Sometimes we would like to forget or pretend they never happened. But the truth will eventually surface if we don't confess, even though we would prefer to put it off such confession. We need to be honest and tell others what really happened and the reason why things are the way they are. Confession frees us from mental bondages, and often our confession and confessions are to family members.
Children ask many questions; the most common questions are, "How come?" and "Why?" As parents, we need to tell them the truth. Telling lies usually makes things worse. Depending upon how and what the children are told, and depending upon how they assimilate the information they are given, the confession can affect them for the rest of their lives.
It is interesting that the feelings of most Bible characters are left out of scripture. I believe this is for two important reasons: First, it allows us to ask ourselves the questions and to use our imagination to fill in the blanks, therefore, making it relevant to every generation that reads or hears it. And secondly, we are not to live by feelings, but by faith in the Word of God.
And so it was also, with the most tragic story never told—the fall of Adam and Eve (Genesis Chp. 3). Very little is said about their emotions other than they were afraid and tried to blame the other person. Yet, the consequences of their actions drastically altered history. However, God was still in control of it all, there were no surprises to him. What I'm about to share now is strictly an opinion (hopefully God-inspired) of what may have transpired after man was forced out of the Garden of Eden:
After Adam and Eve had been removed from the Garden of Eden, they both had a lot of time to think about their mistakes. Probably more than they desired. However, working the field helped take Adam's mind off his mistake, or he maybe he used it to vent his frustrations over his stupidity by hacking at the soil and removing weeds and rocks. But then, hard work was the consequence of his mistake. The same for Eve, who was probably busy learning what to do with fire, fix an occasional warm meal and make clothes for them and their children. This too was all new for her, and she too had plenty of time to think about her catastrophic mistake. They also learned the results of their physical attractions—babies. They had two sons at first, yet no experience on what to do with them—after all, neither Adam or Eve had gone through this stage of growing up for themselves. Father God must have given them some pointers and thoughts on many things, just as any good parent would do. God probably still visited them, but not in the way it had been before and maybe not as often.
Conversation with the family were probably brief, after all there was little to influence their lives at this time. (Most people today would have been bored stiff after a few weeks not to mention years.) Adam was a brilliant man, after all he named all the animals and had God genes, but the fall probably took a tole on his IQ. They all were still fascinated with the wonder of God's creation and were able to laugh and cry from time to time as they learned new things. However, many years had gone by now and the two boy where getting older along with their sister and their curiosity and questions were getting more serious. Adam knew sooner or later he was going to have to tell his sons and daughters what happened in the beginning. Their questions couldn't be put off any longer. He had to give them an answer and it had to be the truth. Finally the day came and Adam gathered the family together. He probably did most of the talking, and maybe Eve shared some things from her point of view, of that fateful day when everything changed.
Adam shared how he had failed his responsibility to obey God and protect his wife. He made foolish choices when he should have known better. He had misplaced his priorities and with the freedom God had given him, he chose to disobey. He was not content to stay within God's guidelines, and pride got the best of him. He also allowed the serpent to deceive their mother; and his love for her also influenced his decisions. He could have still refused to eat the forbidden fruit after Eve had eaten, but he didn't. In the end he failed God, his wife and himself, and as a result everyone and everything would suffer, including his children. Adam wept as he told them the greatest loss. The wonderful relationship he had with Father God, when the two of them would take long walks in cool of the evening. He also missed the beautiful Garden. It was all so wonderful and then it was gone along with the special covering they wore. They could no longer stay there because of his mistake. And finally, he added, they would all continue to suffer hardship because of his stupid and selfish mistake. There, he finally said it. The confession and remorse that had built up over the years had finally come out into the open. With that off his chest and a clear mind again, Adam felt it was time that they should start to worship God as a family.
Everything the two young men just heard was totally foreign to them. But it did explain some things, including their parents' sad moods every now and then. It also raised their curiosity about God and The Serpent. Adam had often talked about God and how wonderful He was, but had said nothing about The Serpent. Who were they really and what was this thing their father called worship?
Cain, the oldest, had spent a lot of his time out in the field with his father. He seemed to take an offense with God and may have felt God was being too hard on all of them, especially his father. After all, it was just a simple mistake. Besides, he felt his father Adam was a "good" man. Cain followed in his father's footsteps over the years. He had learned to work the fields and how to cultivate the soil. And now he had also been given his own portion of the land to work. They were both very close and he was also Adam's firstborn son, which made him special.
Abel, however was the opposite of Cain's personality. He was a gentle and caring man, and that is why he liked being a shepherd. He also saw the grief in his father's eyes over the loss he caused them so many years ago. Yet, Abel wanted to know more about Father God, and the intimate relationship his father Adam had in this wonderful Garden called Eden. He wondered if it was still possible to have that same kind of relationship with God while tending his sheep, even if they weren't in the Garden anymore. There were days he thought he could hear God whispering his name. And so while he was shepherding his flock he would look up into the sky and talk to Father God, hoping He was listening and smiling down on him. And over time God let him know He was listening and they began to have heart to heart conversations.
Then one day Adam got inspired, and told the family they were to offer God a sacrifice as a form of worship. He suggested to his sons that they follow his example and then bring a portion of their labor to offer to God as a burnt offering, as to show God how much they loved Him and appreciated His blessing them and their work.
When the time came to sacrifice, both of the sons brought their offering. Abel brought his best, the first young sheep of his flock, because he loved God; and God was very pleased. However, Cain offered some of the grain and maybe some fruit from his field, but his heart was not right towards God; so God was displeased with his offering. Cain became very angry and God gave him a stern warning. But he chose to ignore it. As a result, Cain became jealous of Abel, and later, while he thought no one was looking, killed him out in the field. Then God confronted Cain with the slaying of his brother Abel, and said, "The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground." There was no remorse in Cains heart for is actions. So God sent him away from his parents.
That day two father's wept over another great lost, all because of a Cain's selfish choice.
Life's Choices
Life's choices. They will force us to go one of two ways, it is basically impossible to remain neutral in our thoughts or actions afterwards. You will either agree or disagree with God's Word. Choices have to be made. For example, when you hear the Gospel message for salvation. You have to make a decision whether Jesus Christ is or is not going to be your Lord and Savior. The purpose of that decision is to build a relationship with The Father. Your words and actions will verify your decision on a daily bases. You can't remain neutral regardless of what you say. No answer or no action is still a negative decision.
"Choose you this day whom you will serve," (Joshua 24:15). God loves you and he will help you make the right choices if your heart is right. He's not expecting you to be perfect, but to love and trust Him. But, most importantly this is an opportunity to enter back into the spiritual Garden of Eden with the Heavenly Father, into an intimate relationship and friendship.
