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Genesis 3:6
● Gen 3:6a . . When the woman saw that the tree was good for
eating
By watching what birds and animals eat, people can often tell what's safe for
human consumption. That's not always true of course, but it's a pretty good
rule of thumb. So the woman could safely assume the tree wasn't poisonous
if there wasn't a growing pile of sick and/or dead critters at the base of the
tree.
● Gen 3:6b . . and a delight to the eyes,
Most fruits and vegetables are appealing-- just look at bananas and pears
and apples and oranges and watermelon and cantaloupe and grapes and
carrots, and radishes, and plums and mangoes and strawberries and
whatever. God doubtless made them that way so Man could not only nourish
himself, but also enjoy his food; viz: not only eat because he has to, but
also because he'd like to.
● Gen 3:6c . . and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom,
The Hebrew word for "wisdom" is sakal (saw-kal') which essentially means
circumspect, which Webster's defines as careful to consider all circumstances
and possible consequences, i.e. to be smart and/or prudent.
People with a high degree of circumspection make fewer mistakes in life
while those of us with a low degree oftentimes fail to do, say, or decide
what's best for us. So we end up seeking advice and guidance from experts
because us dummies just aren't sharp enough to go it alone.
Sakal shows up no less than thirteen times in the book of Proverbs alone,
and is always depicted as desirable; so it's not like Eve was wanting
something that was bad for her.
Anyway, Eve probably figured that a fruit as attractive to the eye, and
appealing to one's mind, as that of the forbidden tree couldn't possibly be as
bad as God led them to believe. I mean, if it at least had some sharp
needles like cactus pears, or maybe a prickly surface like a pineapple, then it
would at least have been a bit intimidating; but the forbidden fruit was
nothing like that; no, it looked very benevolent.
NOTE: Ironically, Eve's first step towards obtaining wisdom was to do
something really stupid.
● Gen 3:6d . . she took of its fruit and ate.
The important thing to note at this point, is that Eve was unaffected by the
fruit: she went right on naked as usual; experiencing no shame about it
whatsoever.
● Gen 3:6e . . She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Did Eve first deftly dice the fruit and camouflage it in a tasty parfait so her
husband wouldn't know what he was eating? No. Adam knew exactly what
he was doing. He went into it with eyes wide open.
"Adam was not the one deceived" (1Tim 2:14)
I have to wonder why the husband followed his wife's lead and did
something he knew full well to be breaking God's edict and putting himself
at risk of death. Genesis doesn't reveal why Adam chose to eat the fruit. I
suppose he had his reasons, but apparently God didn't think they were
sufficient to excuse the man's defiance.
I think Adam was cautious at first, and kept a wary eye on Eve for some
time waiting to see if she would get sick; and when she didn't, he surely had
to wonder if maybe God was wrong. I think most husbands would
sympathize with Adam. I mean: here's your wife sitting right beside you
happily munching away on something that you were led to believe was toxic,
and she's still healthy, lucid, and exhibiting no ill side effects. How is a
reasonable man supposed to argue with empirical evidence as good as that
was?
/
Genesis 3:6
● Gen 3:6a . . When the woman saw that the tree was good for
eating
By watching what birds and animals eat, people can often tell what's safe for
human consumption. That's not always true of course, but it's a pretty good
rule of thumb. So the woman could safely assume the tree wasn't poisonous
if there wasn't a growing pile of sick and/or dead critters at the base of the
tree.
● Gen 3:6b . . and a delight to the eyes,
Most fruits and vegetables are appealing-- just look at bananas and pears
and apples and oranges and watermelon and cantaloupe and grapes and
carrots, and radishes, and plums and mangoes and strawberries and
whatever. God doubtless made them that way so Man could not only nourish
himself, but also enjoy his food; viz: not only eat because he has to, but
also because he'd like to.
● Gen 3:6c . . and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom,
The Hebrew word for "wisdom" is sakal (saw-kal') which essentially means
circumspect, which Webster's defines as careful to consider all circumstances
and possible consequences, i.e. to be smart and/or prudent.
People with a high degree of circumspection make fewer mistakes in life
while those of us with a low degree oftentimes fail to do, say, or decide
what's best for us. So we end up seeking advice and guidance from experts
because us dummies just aren't sharp enough to go it alone.
Sakal shows up no less than thirteen times in the book of Proverbs alone,
and is always depicted as desirable; so it's not like Eve was wanting
something that was bad for her.
Anyway, Eve probably figured that a fruit as attractive to the eye, and
appealing to one's mind, as that of the forbidden tree couldn't possibly be as
bad as God led them to believe. I mean, if it at least had some sharp
needles like cactus pears, or maybe a prickly surface like a pineapple, then it
would at least have been a bit intimidating; but the forbidden fruit was
nothing like that; no, it looked very benevolent.
NOTE: Ironically, Eve's first step towards obtaining wisdom was to do
something really stupid.
● Gen 3:6d . . she took of its fruit and ate.
The important thing to note at this point, is that Eve was unaffected by the
fruit: she went right on naked as usual; experiencing no shame about it
whatsoever.
● Gen 3:6e . . She also gave some to her husband, and he ate.
Did Eve first deftly dice the fruit and camouflage it in a tasty parfait so her
husband wouldn't know what he was eating? No. Adam knew exactly what
he was doing. He went into it with eyes wide open.
"Adam was not the one deceived" (1Tim 2:14)
I have to wonder why the husband followed his wife's lead and did
something he knew full well to be breaking God's edict and putting himself
at risk of death. Genesis doesn't reveal why Adam chose to eat the fruit. I
suppose he had his reasons, but apparently God didn't think they were
sufficient to excuse the man's defiance.
I think Adam was cautious at first, and kept a wary eye on Eve for some
time waiting to see if she would get sick; and when she didn't, he surely had
to wonder if maybe God was wrong. I think most husbands would
sympathize with Adam. I mean: here's your wife sitting right beside you
happily munching away on something that you were led to believe was toxic,
and she's still healthy, lucid, and exhibiting no ill side effects. How is a
reasonable man supposed to argue with empirical evidence as good as that
was?
/
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