"When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it." Genesis 3:6
Once again, I'm reading the Bible cover to cover, starting back in Genesis. I noticed that the first ever sin committed dealt with eating. Did you ever think about that? From the time man was created, God put limits on what he could and could not eat. The Lord told Adam in Genesis 2:16-17 that he was free to eat from any tree in the garden EXCEPT the tree of knowledge of good and evil. It struck me upon reading this passage this time how much God had given to Adam. He was allowed to eat almost anything, but there were still limits.
Ironically, it was woman who first committed the sin of eating what she wasn't supposed to. She knew word-for-word what God had told her husband (Genesis 3:2-3) and yet, we see in verse 6 that she ate the fruit anyway and even shared it with her husband. She willingly disobeyed God and had to suffer the consequences. More than that, it grieved me to see that she drug her husband down in the process. How many times do I do the same thing? My overeating and unhealthy lifestyle affects both my husband and children as I cook for them or encourage our family to go out to eat, etc. When pregnant with my first son, both my husband and I gained a tremendous amount of weight as he was gracious to me and my desires during those months.
There are times that I growl in my heart at Eve's sin. Why would she listen to that serpent? Why must I endure pain in childbirth because she was so stupid? Why are there weeds in my flower beds every spring that we spend countless hours trying to keep under control? How could they have been so foolish? All mankind pays consequences because of their actions. They knew better! And then it hits me all over again. I do the same thing. I know in my heart and in my head what is safe to eat. I know when I'm overeating and indulging. I know when I'm committing a sin against God and my family. And yet, I often run back to food for comfort. Just as Eve was deceived, I've let the same sin rule my life over and over again, knowing better, doing wrong.
If I have knowingly sinned, I can't hold any grudges against anyone else who has, too. I can't judge anyone who is overweight, for I've struggled my entire life with this sin of eating what I'm not supposed to. And, it looks to me as if it's been the longest sin known to mankind. We must defeat the enemy in this area! We must say no to the cunning of the serpent when he tempts us with food that is not in God's plan for our lives. It's not like God is trying to deny us good things - for we see how He allowed Adam to eat from every tree but one. He is the giver of all perfect gifts (James 1:17) and I must remind myself that a healthy body is a much better long-term gift than an immediate satisfaction of a craving, which brings momentary pleasure and future remorse. Let's pray!
