You Are What You Eat #1. . .
I'm still praying and working at it, but I seem to be rather stumped on my series of compound names of Jehovah. I thought I would do a little series on the impact and implications of eating in the Bible. Here is my first article in this series:
1. Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit:
Genesis 2:16-17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
First of all we must grant that God is no fool. He created the entire universe in all its somber complexity, the intertwining tapestry of physical relationships and dependencies, beyond any mortal to at this point to even begin to comprehend, let alone to develop and to put into execution. He cannot have been surprised in what shortly followed the creation of man.
He created Adam and Eve fully formed adults, with completely formed hormonal and reproductive systems. Being created in His image they are, presumably well formed at the minimum, but again in being formed by God, let us not be ashamed to say, Adam and Eve were very likely in every respect stunningly beautiful, no wounds, no scars, no malnutrition, no sickness, nothing in their past to leave a mark upon them. In likelihood perfect physical specimens as created by God and physically capable themselves of viewing and appreciating beauty in the opposite gender.
What is this eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge? The fruit of knowledge is action. The fruit of knowledge, is the use of that knowledge. The fruit of this tree that they ate of, spawned within them knowledge and a desire for action. A young man studies for years and gains knowledge of medicine. At that point, on the day of his graduation from medical school, his knowledge has born no fruit. The fruit of his knowledge, is the healing he does in his career as a physician. To have knowledge known, but unused is to be capable, but virginal. That state represents Adam and Eve. To partake of the fruit of knowledge, is to be set out upon the road to act upon knowledge.
Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
After eating of the fruit they then create aprons for themselves in an attempt to take away nakedness, that with knowledge has now become a source of temptation for each other. Before the knowledge they gained from the tree, their nakedness had no significance. Now realizing what those bodies were designed to do, they attempt to re-close eyes that have been opened, by hiding their bodies with clothing. Knowledge once imparted, is impossible to stifle. It lies in wait: growing, maturing into, and then bearing fruit of that knowledge in action.
It has always troubled me as to why did God put the tree right in the midst of the garden? Why did God not put it on some remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? God surely is no fool and what happens with Adam and Eve cannot be seen, or thought of as as surprise to God, but as a necessary and maybe even inevitable consequence of God's creation. It would have been so easy for God to prevent the failure of Eve and then Adam, but God knew what He was doing in His creation and what would happen. Notice this verse:
Genesis 2:5
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
On first reading this makes no sense to me. What are these words trying to tell me? . . .'before it was in the earth'. . . 'before it grew'. . . I can make no sense of those words as they are translated. The Hebrew words used in Genesis are ancient, simple, and primitive, well reflecting the antiquity of the book of Genesis. The root of this Hebrew word 'terem', translated here as before, (from Strong's) is derived from: an unused root apparently meaning to interrupt or suspend. Let's try to make some sense of this verse using this meaning:
Genesis 2:5
And every plant of the field (was interrupted, suspended as) it was in the earth, and every herb of the field (was interrupted, suspended as) it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
God had not made it to rain. He had not watered the plants. The plants were there, but in some kind of hibernation, in some kind of suspended state. . . Why???. . . because there was no man to till the ground, but what further does the Bible say about this?????
After the fall, from his actions, from the opening of his eyes, Adam receives his future, the fruit of his newly gained knowledge:
Genesis 3:17. . .23 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;. . .(23) Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
God sent Adam forth from Eden to till the ground as a result of his eating of the apple. This word till, is the same word used in Genesis 2:5, before man was even created. Before God created man, He did not water the plants of the earth because there was no man to work the ground and yet man was not sent forth from the perfect garden to till the ground until after his fall from grace.
In some way, and I do not fully understand the implications of what I am about to write, but in some way it was necessary for that tree of knowledge of good and evil to be in the midst of the garden of Eden. It was necessary for Adam and Eve to eat of it. Without knowledge, without action based upon knowledge man is nothing. Without knowledge, without action upon knowledge the garden would have become a prison, a zoo exhibit containing a representative example of human members in an artificial environment. A zoo exhibit provides all that is necessary for the survival of the animal, in terms of physical needs, but it does not provide any purpose. There is no reason for existence in a zoo exhibit. . .Without knowledge. . . without action. . . there was no reason for Adam and Eve to exist. . .
I am overcome with this revelation. I weep. . . . .a zoo exhibit is not heaven. . . a zoo exhibit is hell. . .Physical needs provided for, but endless days of no purpose, nothing to do. . .Eden. . .undoubtedly a nice place to visit, but I surely would never want to live there. . .In a very strange moment of clarity of vision. . . I see. . .I thank God for the tests and battles of life. They are what gives my life purpose and meaning. . .I thank God that I do not live in Eden. . .
I love you my God. . .
Again I am shown. . .
Your plan is perfect. . .
I love you. . .
Dave
1. Adam & Eve ate the forbidden fruit:
Genesis 2:16-17
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17) But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
Genesis 3:6
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
First of all we must grant that God is no fool. He created the entire universe in all its somber complexity, the intertwining tapestry of physical relationships and dependencies, beyond any mortal to at this point to even begin to comprehend, let alone to develop and to put into execution. He cannot have been surprised in what shortly followed the creation of man.
He created Adam and Eve fully formed adults, with completely formed hormonal and reproductive systems. Being created in His image they are, presumably well formed at the minimum, but again in being formed by God, let us not be ashamed to say, Adam and Eve were very likely in every respect stunningly beautiful, no wounds, no scars, no malnutrition, no sickness, nothing in their past to leave a mark upon them. In likelihood perfect physical specimens as created by God and physically capable themselves of viewing and appreciating beauty in the opposite gender.
What is this eating of the fruit of the tree of knowledge? The fruit of knowledge is action. The fruit of knowledge, is the use of that knowledge. The fruit of this tree that they ate of, spawned within them knowledge and a desire for action. A young man studies for years and gains knowledge of medicine. At that point, on the day of his graduation from medical school, his knowledge has born no fruit. The fruit of his knowledge, is the healing he does in his career as a physician. To have knowledge known, but unused is to be capable, but virginal. That state represents Adam and Eve. To partake of the fruit of knowledge, is to be set out upon the road to act upon knowledge.
Genesis 3:7
And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
After eating of the fruit they then create aprons for themselves in an attempt to take away nakedness, that with knowledge has now become a source of temptation for each other. Before the knowledge they gained from the tree, their nakedness had no significance. Now realizing what those bodies were designed to do, they attempt to re-close eyes that have been opened, by hiding their bodies with clothing. Knowledge once imparted, is impossible to stifle. It lies in wait: growing, maturing into, and then bearing fruit of that knowledge in action.
It has always troubled me as to why did God put the tree right in the midst of the garden? Why did God not put it on some remote island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? God surely is no fool and what happens with Adam and Eve cannot be seen, or thought of as as surprise to God, but as a necessary and maybe even inevitable consequence of God's creation. It would have been so easy for God to prevent the failure of Eve and then Adam, but God knew what He was doing in His creation and what would happen. Notice this verse:
Genesis 2:5
And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
On first reading this makes no sense to me. What are these words trying to tell me? . . .'before it was in the earth'. . . 'before it grew'. . . I can make no sense of those words as they are translated. The Hebrew words used in Genesis are ancient, simple, and primitive, well reflecting the antiquity of the book of Genesis. The root of this Hebrew word 'terem', translated here as before, (from Strong's) is derived from: an unused root apparently meaning to interrupt or suspend. Let's try to make some sense of this verse using this meaning:
Genesis 2:5
And every plant of the field (was interrupted, suspended as) it was in the earth, and every herb of the field (was interrupted, suspended as) it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
God had not made it to rain. He had not watered the plants. The plants were there, but in some kind of hibernation, in some kind of suspended state. . . Why???. . . because there was no man to till the ground, but what further does the Bible say about this?????
After the fall, from his actions, from the opening of his eyes, Adam receives his future, the fruit of his newly gained knowledge:
Genesis 3:17. . .23 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;. . .(23) Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
God sent Adam forth from Eden to till the ground as a result of his eating of the apple. This word till, is the same word used in Genesis 2:5, before man was even created. Before God created man, He did not water the plants of the earth because there was no man to work the ground and yet man was not sent forth from the perfect garden to till the ground until after his fall from grace.
In some way, and I do not fully understand the implications of what I am about to write, but in some way it was necessary for that tree of knowledge of good and evil to be in the midst of the garden of Eden. It was necessary for Adam and Eve to eat of it. Without knowledge, without action based upon knowledge man is nothing. Without knowledge, without action upon knowledge the garden would have become a prison, a zoo exhibit containing a representative example of human members in an artificial environment. A zoo exhibit provides all that is necessary for the survival of the animal, in terms of physical needs, but it does not provide any purpose. There is no reason for existence in a zoo exhibit. . .Without knowledge. . . without action. . . there was no reason for Adam and Eve to exist. . .
I am overcome with this revelation. I weep. . . . .a zoo exhibit is not heaven. . . a zoo exhibit is hell. . .Physical needs provided for, but endless days of no purpose, nothing to do. . .Eden. . .undoubtedly a nice place to visit, but I surely would never want to live there. . .In a very strange moment of clarity of vision. . . I see. . .I thank God for the tests and battles of life. They are what gives my life purpose and meaning. . .I thank God that I do not live in Eden. . .
I love you my God. . .
Again I am shown. . .
Your plan is perfect. . .
I love you. . .
Dave
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