The True Nature of Ourselves (Genesis 3-5)

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Genesis 3-5

"Where did it all go wrong?"  I'm sure that's what Adam and Eve must have asked, in the aftermath of the death of their son Abel at the hands of their son Cain. 

I don't know if we ever think of Adam and Eve, when it comes to the story of Cain and Abel, but we should.  The pain of parents dealing with the tragic outcome of a sibling rivalry gone terribly bad.  To mourn the loss of one at the hands of another is almost like two deaths:  a physical death that one will never come home again and a mental anguish every bit as painful as death, the torturous thoughts of parents asking over and over again "What could we have done different so this wouldn't have happened?"  "What signs did we miss?"

When Adam and Eve chose to eat the fruit and disobey God, they knew things were going to be rough.  God already told them they were going to die, that plowing the fields would be harder, that childbirth would be more painful and that the serpent and his offspring would be enemies to them and their offspring.  They were kicked out of the garden.  But this was their action, their sin, their consequence. 

I don't know if they had any idea that it would be passed down to their children...and their children's children quite in this way.  In the case of Cain, he wished to cover his murderous action up, but it was exposed by the Lord.  In the case of Lamech, just a few generations later (but well within the lifetime of Adam and Eve), his murderous actions became a warning and something to brag about.

With each consequent evil action witnessed by Adam and Eve, I wonder if they ever wished they could take it back?  I wonder how much they blamed themselves for all they were seeing. 

It seemed so innocent at the time.  A bite of forbidden fruit.  The promise of knowledge and being like God.  So much pain.  So much suffering.  So much evil.  Knowing what they knew now and given the same proposition by the snake, I think they would have cut his head off.

Don't ever be fooled by the thought of an innocent sin.  It will cost more than you can imagine and it will take you places you never thought you would go.