by Don Hatfield
steep that the tree sits upon. Then the fruit seemed to glow in different colors as she stared at it. It seemed so inviting at that moment. Then the whisper,” perhaps if you eat first and become wise as a god there will be a shorter route to the tree of life instead of that steep climb up the hill.” She reached out and touched the fruit and it felt warm in her hand. She pulled her hand away and it also glowed but just for a few seconds. She said she did this several times. Then the whisper,” if you just taste it perhaps you will also being glowing when Adam comes to see you.” She plucked the fruit and held it in her hand. She could feel its warmth as it glowed even brighter. Then the whisper, “hurry for Adam is approaching and if you do not eat he will not see how beautiful the fruit has made you.” She said she looked and saw Adam waving at the bottom of the hill. She took a bite. Waiting, expecting but nothing happened. Then the whisper, “You are glowing although you cannot see it. Adam must also take a bite or he will not be able to see it.”
“…. And gave also unto her husband with her and he did eat.”
As I climbed the hill I wondered what Eve was doing at this tree instead of the tree of life. I then noticed that all the animals had gathered around forming a circle and they were looking at her. Standing there with her was the serpent. Her lips were a scarlet red and she was holding something in her hand. When I got up to her she said, “Look I tasted of the fruit and I did not die.” The fruit was glowing in her hand. “Adam, I am glowing like the fruit because I am becoming like a god.” I responded and said, “Eve you are not glowing only the fruit in your hand is glowing. Come with me to the tree of life maybe it is not too late and perhaps you will live.” Eve said, “Adam, I am glowing and the reason you cannot see it is because you have not tasted of the fruit. Taste and your eyes will be opened and you will see my beauty. Then we will partake of the tree of life just as we talked about. I will not leave until you taste of the fruit.” The world became still at the moment. Not a leaf rustled. Not a bird chirped. All became darker as she held out the fruit to me. All except the fruit and it glowed even brighter. Over Eve’s shoulder I could see the tree of life in the purity of its whiteness. The serpent whispered, “Don’t you love her? You will not die for you can have it all. When God told you not to eat of the fruit you must have misunderstood because Eve has tasted and she still lives. Perhaps if you only touch it then Eve will come with you to the tree of life?” I reached out my hand and took the fruit from her. It was warm in my hand and the glowing effect seemed to change colors as I held it. Eve or the serpent gently pushed it up towards my mouth. I am not sure which one did it and Eve could not remember. All the world became a tunnel. A tunnel surrounded by darkness. All I could see was the fruit and beyond it the tree of life in its whiteness. Then I TASTED! And world that I had come to know and love vanished in an instant. It was changed into chaos. The animals which had gathered round took off running as if they had become afraid of us. The wind which had always been a gentle breeze that caress the earth and our skin began to blow hard against our bodies. The warmth that had always been our covering began to grow cold and for the first time in my life I was cold. We like the animals began to run down the hill away from the tree of knowledge of good and evil as if that would set things right again. In our ears we could hear the serpent laughing with a loud terrible howl. We both fell as we ran down the hill tumbling to the bottom and for the first time I felt pain as my ankle began to swell. We headed into the forest and a thorn snagged my leg and I began to bleed. In an instant there were thorns where there were no thorns before. There was pain where there was no pain before. There was shame where there was no shame before. And we hid from our Father from whom we had never hidden before.
“And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they both were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves aprons.”
We had become foolish. We had become as the world was to become. We thought that we could hid our sin from the one who created us. So we looked for something to hide ourselves with. There were no tents or caves to hide in. There were no occupations to immerse ourselves in so that we could try to forget our sin. There were no drinks to drown our shame in. There were no others to compare ourselves to and so we took the only thing we could find. How foolish to think that a leaf that was created by God could hide our disobedience from Him. But after living all of these years I have watched as others have tried the same thing whether it be with lies, comparisons to others or just plain pride in proclaiming that there is no God. They are all just leaves with holes in them. For we all stand naked in front of the one who has made us.
“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day….”
The voice that we had waited for every evening had now become a voice of dread. The voice that had caressed us every day now was searching for us in the shadows of the garden. That which we had loved to hear was no longer music to our sinful ears but a song of inquisition.
“…. And Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
We laid down on the ground behind a large tree. I could feel ants crawling on my skin. Some were biting at me and welts were beginning to appear on both of us. Yet we continue to hide from the one who loved us. We would put up with anything whether it be bites, stings or rashes rather than face the one who created us.
“And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, where art thou?”
It was when He asked that question that I knew that He knew where I was. He had always known. It was now me who did not know not where I was. I then looked around me as I laid in the dirt like an animal. As I hide in the forest with the bugs crawling on me leaving their slime on my skin as my covering. He just waited in the silence and I finally answered. I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid myself. I realize now that when I said I was naked I was really saying I was exposed. My disobedience showed in the leaves I was wearing to try to cover it up. Again, I would say how foolish are the leaves that we wear to cover our sin and disobedience. I have watched now for these 930 years as the voice of God still calls to those who are covered with leaves. Sad to say but so many instead of harking to His voice just keep adding more leaves thinking that they are hiding their exposure.
"And He said, who told thee that thou was naked?
He asked the question for which I had no answer. No one told me I was naked but I knew that I was. There was silence as He waited for my answer. I gave none for to answer was to tell the truth. To answer was to confess my disobedience to the one who had given me everything. To answer was to expose that I was only covered with leaves and so I did the only thing I knew to do. I came out from behind the tree I was hiding behind with Eve by my side. What we must have looked like to our Father. That which had been perfect had now become marred to the extent that we were hardly recognizable as the Adam and Eve that had been created. We were blood stained from thorns and briars. We were covered with bites and rashes. Our skin which had been so pure was covered with dirt, slime and grime. And those green leaves with which we had tried to cover ourselves had turned brown and a gust of wind blew them away leaving us exposed. Exposed as we had always been. Then our Father in a soft voice said to us.
“Has thou eaten of the tree, whereof, I commanded thee that thou should not eat?
He was waiting for my confession but I was still looking for leaves. He was waiting to forgive but I was looking for excuses. And so it has been ever since. He asks for the truth and we look for every reason not to give it. He looks for contriteness and we look for others to blame. As I stood there under His gaze my body was in front of Him but my mind was racing all through the garden looking for something or someone to blame. Then my eyes lit upon Eve. The one that I had loved so much. The one created out of me and for me. The one that I had laid with under the stars. The one that I was going to the tree of life with. I said, the woman whom thou gave to be with me. She
gave me of the tree and I did eat. To this day I still am not sure who I was blaming. Was I blaming Eve for trying to entice me into doing what she had done? Was I blaming God for giving me that which I had wanted so badly? The one thing that I do know is that it does not matter. For the truth is I only wanted someone or something to blame so that I could shift it over unto them. That is what sin does it always shifts the blame to someone or something else. It causes us to admit to anything as long as we do not have to own up to our own sin. God said nothing else to me for what was there to say. He knew I was lying and I knew I was lying. He knew where the blame was to be placed and I knew where the blame was to be placed. My eyes had been opened only to become blind. He then turned Eve and asked.
“What is this that thou has done?”
Again the opportunity to make things right. What a gracious God we have always willing to give us a chance to just own up to what we have done. A chance to be honest and cleanse our soul and conscience. That