The Story of a Tree: The Secrecy of Sin and the Shame of Blame, Part 3

The Garden Story is about a man who failed his test to protect his bride; it's about a tree that should have been left alone at that time.

Part One

Part Two

Oscar Wilde once wrote that “he can resist anything except temptation.” We see this in The Lord of the Rings when Frodo cannot resist the ring. Tolkien describes that scene in this way:

"But his terror was swallowed up in a sudden temptation to put on the Ring. The desire to do this laid hold of him, and he could think of nothing else. He did not forget…the message of Gandalf; but something seemed to be compelling him to disregard all warnings, and he longed to yield. Not with the hope of escape, or of doing anything, either good or bad: he simply felt that he must take the Ring and put it on his finger...(h)e shut his eyes and struggled for a while; but resistance became unbearable, and at last he slowly drew out the chain, and slipped the Ring on the forefinger of his left hand."[1]

Temptation comes rushing with no concern for the damage it leaves behind. At times, you may even justify it as something righteous and good. The Lord’s Prayer exists because of the reality and the power of temptation: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Temptation is the serpent’s way of making sin attractive. Temptation is the way to coronate yourself before time. Temptation is reaching for the gift when the gift is not yet yours.

When we fall into temptation, there are all sorts of consequences; sometimes, the consequences are severe, and other times, they leave a bruise, but always, our humanity is affected.

The Garden Themes

In the Garden, the consequences were severe; the repercussions were cosmic. Before we navigate through the following few verses, it’s essential to be reminded of three main themes in Genesis 3:

First, we must be reminded that if Adam and Eve were faithful in the Garden, God would coronate them as rulers. They would reign from Eden as the headquarters and spread their wisdom and dominion to the ends of the earth.

Second, Yahweh wanted Adam to protect his wife. Adam did not crush the serpent. He allowed evil to enter into the church and the home. He permitted the flow of the serpent's evil rhetoric.

Finally, it’s very clear that the tree was to be given to Adam and Eve, but the serpent wanted Adam and Eve to take it before time. This was a test. One day, we will give the car keys to our children, but we can’t put them on the interstate too soon. Adam took what was not yet his.

The Garden was a place of preparation and maturation. It was a place where they would learn to worship Yahweh Elohim rightly so that they would rule everything according to the Word of the Lord.

These are fundamental themes of Genesis 3.

The Consequences of the Fall

We are dealing now with the consequences of falling into temptation. We can divide it into two parts. First, we see the “secrecy of sin,” and second, the “shifting of blame.”

The Secrecy of Sin

And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

Now, there are critical translational issues to consider here. First, how does a sound/or a voice walk?[2] We begin to see once again the Trinity at work. How is the Son of God referred to in the Bible? He is referred to as the Word of God. This may be what theologians call a “Christophany,” the appearance of Jesus in the Old Testament days. Jesus is the exact voice of Yahweh Elohim. So, it is very likely that God himself is moving in the garden as God the Son.

The other word that deserves attention is the word “walking.” Walking in the Bible is an ethical thing. God walks to do something. When man walks with God, that’s a good thing. In this case, the Lord is walking towards them because when they hear him, they hide. This is not like a peaceful stroll through downtown. The Son of God is coming to Adam and Eve to say something. The Son of God is coming to pronounce judgment. When Jesus comes to his people, he comes to announce judgment or joy. In this case, Adam and Eve are about to be confronted with the consequences of falling into temptation.

The third issue is with the word “cool” in our English translations. Is the idea to communicate that there was a nice breeze in the garden at a particular time of day? The book of Genesis is so fascinating because it possesses all sorts of poetic language. The word “cool” is the Hebrew word “ru’ach,” which means “wind or spirit.” In the Bible, God comes in a cloud of glory (Is. 19; Matt 24). At Pentecost, the Spirit comes like a mighty rushing wind. At other times, the spirit comes surrounded by cherubim. It was a day of judgment. It was a Spirit-day.

Let’s put all this together:

The Word of God walked as the voice of Yahweh Elohim to Adam and Eve in the Spirit. The entire godhead, Father, Son, and Spirit testifies against our first forefathers. When the Trinity appears, it is to be a time of ultimate festivity and worship, but when Adam and Eve fell into temptation, it became a time of judgment.

When the Triune God confronts sinful man, he hides his face. What do we as a people do when our sin confronts us? We feel shame and guilt. When we sin against others, we are not even able to look them in the face. Perhaps you have had this experience with someone where you can tell the individual wants a barrier. He would hide if he could, but he doesn’t have a choice, so he feels shame and tries to erect a barrier.

Hiding Behind the Trees

The more intimate we are with people, the greater the possibility of shame and guilt. Adam and Eve felt this way towards one another and Yahweh. So, they put clothing between themselves and trees between them and God. Adam and Eve are again trying to find refuge and security in the trees. They are hiding behind the trees. If death came by the fruit of the tree, why in the world would they find safety in a tree? The Psalmist says, “If I go to Sheol, you are there.” Did Adam and Eve think a tree would provide the covering, safety, or security they needed from their sins?

And Yahweh Elohim called for them. When Yahweh Elohim asks where you are, he is not playing hide-and-seek; he asks you to repent. Their response is very telling--they hid and were afraid. Sin leads to fear and hiding. Sin alienates you from God. Sin always wishes for secrecy. It is done in the night.

There is the “secrecy of sin,” but then we see the “shame of blame.”

The Shame of Blame

He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

When Yahweh asks, he is probing. He is forcing you to confront why you fell into temptation. He wants it to provoke thought. Again, Adam’s duty was to protect his bride. Here, he shifts the blame to her. “She gave it to me, and I ate.” Further, Adam casts doubt on God’s wisdom in creating Eve as a lover and worshiping partner: “The woman whom you gave…”

Adam’s shifting blame is a way of negating personal responsibility. Adam is playing the victim when it is his role to protect. He failed his task, and he resorts to blame-shifting, which is shameful. Our first father wanted God to turn his attention to his wife's sin rather than assuming the responsibility of protector and leader. The man says, “I will die for you,” but Adam says, “Let her die for me.” The temptation of the Garden was the temptation to let the woman protect Eden. Adam failed in that temptation.

Confession and Repentance in the Christian Life

There are several principles to keep in mind from this text.

First, consider the presence of God in our lives. Our confession of sins states: “But also in secret thoughts and desires that we cannot understand, but which are all known to you.” Every deed is known to God. We need always remember that we are called to practice good theology. Doing and living theology is always in the presence of God. As we seek to live our lives, we strive to live them before the face of God. There is no place you can go to hide from your Creator.

Second, consider the necessity of repentance. All of us bring something destructive into our relationships—our sin. And if we think that by blaming others, or our circumstance is the answer, we have deceived ourselves. Maybe we are the problem. Maybe we don’t see ourselves with clarity. Maybe we love ourselves more than our spouses. Maybe we love our little kingdoms more than God’s kingdom. That’s the level of honesty that God expects from us. The other person may be guilty. He/she may cause you pain, but at some time, you will realize that shifting the blame on others is not the solution to your own problems. Admit. Confess. Renew. Restore. You cannot help others unless your own advice has helped you. Do not allow the pain inflicted upon you by others to keep you from doing and living the way God intends you to live; to know and to love those God calls you to know and love. Do not allow the sin of others to paralyze you from doing deeds of mercy and serving your neighbor.

Third, let me point out that there is an essential order in the questions Yahweh asked Adam. God does not simply come and tell him he disobeyed. Instead he asks questions, which forces Adam to think through his status. Simply put, it forces Adam to see what is at the root of the matter: the heart of the issue.[3]

“Did you do something to undo our relationship? Why are you hiding the juice from the fruits on your lips? Why do you want to hide from your responsibilities? Don’t you know that you are a son of God? God notes that there is estrangement with Adam, and then he reminds Adam who he is. In this context, God asked Adam to confess his sin.”[4]

This is sheer grace. This is God's pattern and our pattern as well. We ought to establish an environment where confession is desired. This needs to be done with our children and brothers and sisters in the body. This is how we draw into people’s minds the reality of their situation. We need to provide an environment of peace and conversation to establish confession and peace.

What kind of questions you may ask—questions that God asked Adam.

"Where are you in your life right now? Is this really where you want to be? Are you lonely?" “Don’t you see the consequences of falling into sin? Don’t you see how far you have strayed from the fruit of the Spirit? It’s not that they will always respond rightly, but it is better to prepare the context for confession than to frighten people away from confession.

Finally, consider that Jesus comes to us repeatedly by his Spirit, the mighty rushing wind that either comforts us or confronts us in our sins. Let us be comforted by the Father, Son, and Spirit; when confronted, let us be quick to confess and show the fruits of our repentance.

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[1] LOTR.

[2] See Thorns and Thistles.

[3] See Thorns and Thistles.

[4] Ibid.

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Nuntium

I look forward to being back with the saints of Providence this Sunday. Still, before that, I will be traveling to Lafayette, Louisiana, to speak at the Tactics Conference with my friends.

Here is the schedule:

Uriesou T. Brito

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