What to expect on God’s path (3)
2020-10-03Galatians 5:7 NCV
We must take responsibility. In the Garden of Eden, when God asked Adam why he had eaten from the tree, he replied: ‘It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it’ (Genesis 3:12 NLT). Adam tried to shift responsibility for his actions onto Eve, and at the same time to blame God. ‘Then the LORD God asked the woman, “What have you done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied’ (v.13 NLT). Eve blamed the devil. But God didn’t accept their excuses. He said to Eve: ‘I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you’ (v.16 NLT). Then God said to Adam: ‘Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it. It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field’ (Vv.17-18 NLT). Then God banished them from Paradise.
God was angry with Adam and Eve because they wouldn’t take responsibility for their actions. When we sin, God will readily forgive us (take a look at Nehemiah 9:17). He doesn’t stop caring for us – Genesis 3:21 tells us that even after being angry and punishing Adam and Eve, He made clothing for them. But God won’t accept us trying to justify, blame others, or make excuses for our mistakes. ‘Whoever conceals their sins does not prosper, but the one who confesses and renounces them finds mercy’ (Proverbs 28:13 NIV).