Honey From The Rock

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Honey From The Rock
Psalm 81:16

"Sweet Stuff From God's Word"

A daily Bible study with Victor Knowles
Copyright 2007

SELF: THE ROOT OF EVERY SIN

This entry was posted on 01-13-2010 and is filed under STUDIES IN GENESIS.

I believe that selfishness is the root of every sin that we commit. I base this on today's passage, Genesis 3:6. "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat." Even though God had told Adam and Eve that a death penalty would be imposed upon them if they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (see Gen. 2:17), Eve let her selfish desires take over. The world has paid a terrible price for that act of selfishness!

I am sure that all the other trees in the garden where nice to look at too. But once the serpent had introduced the idea of there being no death penalty, the woman was overcome with the beauty of the tree. Adam was complicit with her in this sin. I have often thought that he should have said to her: "Woman, what are you doing with the piece of fruit? You know God told us not to eat of it. Put it back!" But, alas, he did not; then he showed his own disregard for God's command when he tasted of the fruit as well. The ESV Study Bible says, "The fact that Adam was 'with her' and that he knowingly ate what God had forbidden indicates that Adam's sin was both an act of conscious rebellion against God and a failure to carry out his divinely ordained responsibility to guard or 'keep' (Gen. 2:15) both the garden and the woman that God had created 'as a helper fit for him' (2:18, 20). The disastrous consequences of Adam's sin cannot be overemphasized, resulting in the fall of mankind, the beginning of every kind of sin, suffering, and pain, as well as physical and spiritual death for the human race."

It is interesting that the apostle Paul cites this very account in stating his reasons why a woman is not to teach or usurp authority over the man in the church. "I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor" ( 1 Tim. 2:12-14 ESV).

Prayer: Holy Father, help us to always take seriously the commands that You have given us in Your Word. May we lay aside self and seek only to please You. In Jesus' Name we pray, Amen.