Genesis 3:4–7 ‘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.’ (v6)
Having been deceived into thinking that God was withholding something, Eve now saw that the fruit was desirable for gaining wisdom, so she ate and gave some to Adam.
This apparently ‘innocent act’ leads to catastrophe for the first couple. Now we can be sure that God had made Adam and Eve to relate with Him: there was no defect in them that meant they were deficient and so needed an outside agent.
But clearly their innocence at this stage carried with it a responsibility to choose to remain in fellowship with God.
They had enormous freedom to eat all sorts of things. This prohibition should have been easily followed.
It was C.S. Lewis who pointed out that our desires are too weak. We settle for lesser things when infinite joy with God is offered to us.
But desire is a problem for Eve and is typically for people in our world. In many cultures such as the West, we are told, ‘Satisfy your desires, as long as you don’t harm anyone else.’ This is the heart of the issue with the first sin.
Of course, where people don’t know and follow God, we won’t be surprised when they look to make the best of life any way they can, often looking for some pleasure in lives that look pretty grim.
So, we must refrain from the ‘tut tut’ attitude that perceives others as behaving reprehensibly.
But we look to put desire for God front and centre as we sing His praise, are nourished by His Word, live in fellowship with His people, and live lives as image bearers in productive daily activity that blesses others in a job, or charitable pursuit. Desire is a good thing, just make sure it’s correctly directed.
A Prayer To Make:
Thank You, God, for the call to desire You. Give me a vision of Your loveliness and call me into deeper union with You. Amen.
An Action To Take:
Reflect on what you truly want. Be honest. Ask God to give you a hunger for Him.
Scripture To Consider:
Ps. 145:1–21 and 103:1–19; Col. 2:1–3; Heb. 12:18–24
