I got achey after a day of complete obliterating organization. I am starting to feel the effects of that walk up the hill despite my youthful looks or my immaturity (depending on who you ask). That got me to thinking about when age sets in...mortality...and the now steady decline of my fleshly body with age. It really sucks getting older (not old...because I am still in denial). It doesn't suck maturing....but it sucks not being able to move the next morning after you just swept the whole house, did ALL the laundry and moved furniture around. I felt like I did when my husband and I went dog sledding 15 years ago in Canada. No one warned us that we would be plastered in bruises the day after dog sledding. I was warned about the creaking aches.
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
So as I was licking my old woman wounds in the shower I got to thinking about the beginning, and the garden of eden and when the decline of the fleshly body spiritually began. I have long long long thought about the relationship Adam and Eve must have had with each other....what came first the chicken or the egg kind of thoughts. Did God create the egg or the chicken? Come on spiritually speaking...and I've often wondered in Genesis Adam's conversation with Eve regarding the tree haven't you? God told the man first (as Eve was not created at that point) about the law regarding the tree. God said you must not eat of the tree lest you die. I've always wondered about the relationship dynamics of an unashamed and innocent couple and their communication with each other. I imagine the conversation something like this.
Adam: "Hey woman, darling o' rib of mine... I have to go and name some animals over here on the shady part of the garden...there are some interesting species that I need to observe so let's review what God said about that tree over there."
Eve: "Okay darling Adam, you've told me everyday since I was created. I've got it, don't touch the tree with that fruit on it. Why did God put that in the middle of the garden anyway?...hey what was that thing you named yesterday...Baboon? Where did you get that name...what does it mean? Baboon?"
Adam: "Woman God told me before you even got created to not eat that fruit from that tree....so, I have to go and name some animals over here on the shady part of the garden...there are some interesting species that I need to observe. I think those insects should be called mosquitoes don't you think? Hey...you know in fact Eve, just don't TOUCH that tree okay?"
Eve: "okay okay...but what is knowledge Adam? What is evil? God told you we would die? What does that mean...to die?"
Adam: " you just got to trust me on this one Woman...don't even touch it...don't even smell it, don't look at it...just wait here 'til I get back from my little trip to the shady part where those strange jumping hairy things are...I need to give them a name. I have a job to do. Got to subdue!"
Eve: "....okay....have a good trip dear....." (thinking to herself...gosh, he really doesn't want me to touch that tree. Why? I have so many questions about that tree. I wish he gave me a better sounding name...like.....Oh...I know maybe I'll go and just look at the tree and see what kind of animals and insects live on the tree...and think of a unique name...just like Adam. He'll be so proud of me!)
Eve walks to the tree, and sees a ...reptilian thing that flicks it's tongue. Flick. Flick. Flick. Eve sits and stares at the tree and stares at the animal...she watches it shed it's skin. Now there is a weird thing...
Eve thinks to herself: you don't have a name...you seem to really like that fruit on that tree...I've had all the fruit of the garden, except this one....
The serpent is friendly, bright eyed and has the look of wisdom on his face. A similar look she had seen on God's face..no other animal ate from this tree but this animal had the face of God....it must be the fruit! Then amazingly the animal spoke....to Eve!
And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
Eve: “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden;but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.’”
Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
Eve: what eyes is this serpent talking about? I can see...the sky, the birds, I can see Adam over there counting what looks to be chickens...or eggs. What is evil? What is this dying thing that God, and this serpent talking about? You know if Adam weren't so quick to get on with his job of naming all of creation and subduing the animals maybe he'd answer my questions...I mean we've got time... Every time I ask God what knowledge means and what is evil...and why we can't touch the fruit he smiles and tell me to eat the fruit from the tree of Life and that he loves me and as long as I don't eat...I'll live in the garden...forever. I have to admit, it is the best fruit in the garden... and God is so wise and I love our walks in the garden all together but I would love to know what God knows. I wonder if God has eaten this fruit...if I will be like God, why does he get to eat it but we don't? but I've never tasted this fruit...what if this dying thing was even better tasting than the fruit from the tree of Life. I will be as wise and know what everything is like! Then I can decide which is the best tasting fruit in the garden...just one bite. Maybe God won't even notice.
Hey there's a draft in this garden now...it's getting cold
I will run over and get Adam and let him enjoy the best fruit in the garden.
Okay...that's probably when the truth sank in. The clouds started covering the sun...it was windy, getting chilly and for the first time they were COLD. They realized that that they disobeyed and of course Adam had his own set of guilt issues and blamed God and the woman!
"that women you gave me made me do it!"
I wonder maybe if Adam had stopped calling Eve "Woman" and just gave her a name she might be more receptive to what Adam might have had to tell her?
I've always thought God made man perfect in the garden. And that it was sin that degraded our nature. I don't know why I thought that...but this blog again is about me debunking some of my Lucy2Shoes assumptions in my faith walk. Sin did bring about death and aging...so thanks to Adam and Eve I am creaking about after a normal day of putzing about the house and frankly turning 40 this year hopefully will not over the hill for me. I intend to live an eternal life, glorified and sin free but of course that's on another relm. Every time I come to the beginning of scripture in a new year, the beginning of the account of creation I see new things and wonder. There is something inside of us that thinks the grass is greener on the other side, and it is the sense of wonder that in the end actually forges our desire to find God and get back to eden. Ah the innocence! I sometimes place myself in that garden and find myself eating of that fruit way sooner than Eve ever contemplated it. I would have probably served Adam a hot baked pie with that fruit and served it ala mode.
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