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.
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
Genesis 3:6
Tuesday: The First Sin; Genesis 3; symbol: forbidden fruit
As a child I would hear this story and think to myself.."I wouldn't have eaten that fruit." It was hard for me to grasp my sinful nature.
It wasn't until I became an adult and a mother that I began to fully grasp my sinful nature and realized that I would have eaten that fruit. The fruit represented willful disobedience to God's commands. I make the same choice Adam and Eve made every time I choose to disobey the Lord because I want do to things my way.
When the devil spoke to Eve, he was trying to get her to doubt God's good intentions towards her: "Did God really say, 'You must not eat from any tree in the garden?'" Gen. 3:1. He wanted her to disbelieve God's wisdom. Do we do that today? Do our children?
Do your children question your rules? Do they sometimes think they could find a better way to do something? Do they trust in your wisdom all the time? Unfortunately, the answer is probably no, especially as they grow older. Yet, God has said: "Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right." Ephesians 6:1 and "Children, obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord." Colossians 3:20 Discussing this with them may help them to see their sinful tendencies and their need for Jesus.
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil...what an interesting name. Adam and Eve already knew Good. God is good, all of the creation was good, the Garden was good, they were good. So what exactly was Eve reaching for when she reached out and took the fruit? She was reaching for the knowledge of evil.
Do we still do that today? Well, have you ever told your children you don't want them to watch a certain television show because it might be scary? Or not say a certain word because it's not a nice word? Or not behave a certain way because it is not kind? The sinful nature chafes at these restrictions and desires the knowledge of evil.
Helping your child realize their sinful inclinations is important. When they realize this, they will see their need for a Savior. They will understand that they can't be good enough to get into Heaven. Only Jesus' death can cover over their sins.
The above commentary on Genesis is part of a 4-week Advent Reflection for the Jesse Tree. The Jesse Tree is similar to an advent calendar. Every day you will read a Bible passage to your child(ren), discuss what it means to them in personal terms and color an ornament to hang on your Jesse Tree. A fuller description of this can be found at The Jesse Tree
When you are finished today, you might want to talk about how Christmas is about giving much more than getting. One way that your family can give is through their daily prayers. This might be a good time to pray for a specific country or for a group of people who do not know about Jesus. Two great websites to help you do this are:
Operation World go to Featured Nation and click on Country Profile
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