What I don't think literalists can avoid is: What was Satan (if that's what you believe the serpent was) doing in the Garden?
He was a “covering cherub” assigned to the Garden….a position of responsibility and guardianship that he abused. He was right there watching, and out of selfish ambition he began planning his move to take the humans from God in order to worship him.
According to Ezekiel….who was told to “lift up a dirge to the King of Tyre”, we see that it was a direct application to the one this wicked king was emulating….
“You were in Eʹden, the garden of God.
You were adorned with every precious stone . . .
And their settings and mountings were made of gold.
They were prepared on the day you were created.
14 I assigned you as the anointed covering cherub.
You were on the holy mountain of God, and you walked about among fiery stones.
15 You were faultless in your ways from the day you were created
Until unrighteousness was found in you.
16 Because of your abundant trade,
You became filled with violence, and you began to sin.
So I will cast you out as profane from the mountain of God and destroy you,
O covering cherub, away from the stones of fire.
17 Your heart became haughty because of your beauty.
You corrupted your wisdom because of your own glorious splendor.
I will throw you down to the earth.
I will make you a spectacle before kings.” (Ezek 28:11-19)
The king of Tyre was not in the garden of Eden, he was not a cherub, nor was he ”created”.
Why was he allowed access to the innocent humans?
Because rebellion began in the spirit realm…among God’s angelic sons, we see from the Bible’s account that this one angel derailed God’s first purpose and introduced sin, not only in the material realm, but also in heaven.
Angels are very powerful creatures as the Bible indicates, so this was never just about humans. We are basically the hostages in this situation.
In order to restore his first purpose, Jehovah had to make sure that this abuse of free will could never happen again. If he had simply dispatched the rebels and started again, there was nothing to stop a repeat performance with the next angel who might get carried away with his own magnificence and see humans as a source of worship. So an object lesson of major proportions was implemented to establish precedents and to create real life experiences that would deter anyone from repeating the scenario.
God could fix the humans by restoring all that they lost, but he cannot fix the angels powerful angels if they go wrong. He has to destroy them. Free will determines the future of all of God’s intelligent “sons and daughters”.
Perhaps it could be illustrated this way…..a child is born with a major physical defect that affects their whole quality of life…..and only a series of painful operations will correct it. Because it is going to be painful, would the parents refrain from consenting to such intervention if they knew that a better life was at the end of the suffering? With the defect completely cured, would the child remember the pain or revel in the freedom that the operations afforded? Does the end justify the means? Who would say no?
This painful lesson would have a major impact on the quality of life that God offered his human children.
Think back to what God provided in the Garden for their enjoyment….beautiful surroundings, an abundance of life in many forms, a perpetual supply of delicious food at their fingertips, a useful purpose to their life in populating the earth and spreading the boundaries of paradise until the whole world looked like the Garden of Eden.….then think about what they lost as the penalty. They were evicted from their paradise home, and access to the only thing that would keep them alive forever was denied. (Gen 3:22-24)
They could not be told of the benefits of obedience, so they were shown the consequences of disobedience….they chose a course of independence from God…..a life without God’s abundant protection and blessing. Within one generation a murderer was produced and death entered their lives in a way they had not imagined. Hardship on cursed ground replaced their privileged life in the Garden. What a contrast!
The rebels would be permitted to live the life they chose, and it affected all their children, who were now caught up in the results of their parent’s disobedience.
What are the lessons?
Humans are not designed to rule themselves, but to be ruled by their Creator.
independence from God results in a life of selfish misery….corruption of every sort hampers peace and security.
Obedience would have protected them from all harm….forever.
Our actions affect not only ourselves but others, especially our children.
When things are good, why expect better? Contentment means not always wanting more.
Every free willed creature would be tested as to their worthiness to continue living. And all who qualify both in heaven and on earth will be those who have proven their love and loyalty to God under test.
The apostle Peter spoke of the joy that those who qualify will experience as those….
“…being safeguarded by God’s power through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last period of time. 6 Because of this you are greatly rejoicing, though for a short time, if it must be, you have been distressed by various trials, 7 in order that the tested quality of your faith, of much greater value than gold that perishes despite its being tested by fire, may be found a cause for praise and glory and honor at the revelation of Jesus Christ. 8 Though you never saw him, you love him. Though you do not see him now, yet you exercise faith in him and are greatly rejoicing with an indescribable and glorious joy, 9 as you attain the goal of your faith, your salvation.”
If the placement of the tree and the divine warning were simply a test as to whether the humans would obey, why would God allow Evil to have unfettered access to them? Why not just let their free will take whatever course it might?
That is what he did…they withdrew from him…he did not withdraw from them. Despite the activity of the wicked, he still provided for them…but not in the way he would have if they had remained obedient.
They got what they asked for…..they did not want God telling them what they could and couldn’t do…so he gave them the freedom they wanted…..but was it really what they wanted? Life without God is no life at all.
The life we have is not the life we want….having experienced this life, will we ever want it back?
I want you simply to obey My commands, free of any knowledge of Good and Evil, but I allow Pure Evil to beguile you. Rather a stacked deck.
I believe you have missed the whole purpose of allowing free willed creatures to reap what they have sown.
Pure evil cannot “beguile” one who has God as his teacher and Christ as his mentor. Only the children of the devil can enjoy sin and wickedness…..God allows each and every one of us to be caught in the act of being ourselves. The worthy ones will not be overtaken…they will seek God and find him, and then enjoy his protection from the wicked acts of others. Even if they lose their lives due to circumstances beyond their control, he will restore anything they have lost as a result of their faithfulness and loyalty….even their lives.
A literalist reading just doesn't work. As myth, the Genesis account is profound on several levels. As a literal newspaper report, it's silly. If someone thinks a literal reading is mandated in order to be a believer, I find that silly, too, but so be it.
It works beautifully if you have the right perspective. God will not alter anything to suit our perspective….we have to adopt his…and if we don’t want to, that is our free willed choice, and we will also reap what we sow.
It’s called “faith” and it is not the possession of all. It has to be built like a wall…one brick at a time.