Over the next few weeks we are looking at the top ten Old Testament stories, here is number 3 – Adam and Eve. These stories you may remember from Sunday School, on closer look they are difficult stories so are often forgotten about in Church.
This story is found in Genesis 2 & 3. Note an apple is not mentioned. Today we use the term “Garden of Eden” to describe a paradise.
God created the first man, Adam, and then Eve, the first woman. God put Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden to care for and nurture the land. They had a close relationship with God and He told Adam and Eve that they could eat any fruit from the trees except for the tree of knowledge. God warned them that they would die if they ate from the tree.
One day, Satan came disguised as a snake and spoke to Eve, convincing her to eat the fruit from the tree of knowledge. Eve told the serpent that God said they should not eat it and they would die if they did, but Satan tempted Eve to eat, saying that she would become like God if she did.
Eve believed the lie and took a bite of the fruit. She then gave some to Adam for him to eat. Adam and Eve, now knowing that they had sinned, immediately felt ashamed and tried to hide from God.
They were banished from the garden, their ideal life was over, they would have to work hard to produce food, they would feel pain, and eventually die.
Adam and Eve are not historical characters. It shows the perfect world that God created, and because they disobeyed God, the world is no longer perfect.
Another thing we can take from it, is that we should be looking after God’s creation.