Bible Studies

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We all know that Adam was disobedient to God by eating the forbidden fruit. Often, though, we brush aside the penalty for doing that. Genesis 3:17-19 records, "...Cursed is the ground because of you; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you, and you shall eat the plants of the field; by the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground..." Later in this chapter we see that "...God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. So he drove the man out..." (23-24).

     Wow, tilling the ground by the sweat of one's brow and being ousted from the perfect utopia of Eden, all because of disobedience to God. Is this too harsh of a response by God? Consider this: No place in Genesis does it say that Adam was sorry for his actions. Instead, he blamed his actions on his wife. Never once does it say that Adam had a repentant attitude and asked for forgiveness. 

     After Adam was sentenced to physical labor and evicted from the garden, nothing else is ever said about him except that he and Eve had several children and he lived to be 930 years old (5:5). Imagine that! For 930 years he had to toil the soil. The penalty for Adam's disobedience goes even further, to us today. Genesis 3:17 says, "Cursed is the ground because of you." Does this mean that we have Adam to thank for having to cultivate the ground to obtain our food? After all, in the Garden of Eden, God provided for them because he had already created "vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit" (1:11-12), on the third day.  Now Adam had to cultivate it by the sweat of his brow.

     God takes disobedience very seriously! God punished Adam severely, but many Christians today are so afraid of offending someone or being accused of having an unloving spirit that sin within the body of Christ and local church congregations is often  not confronted. Disobedience takes many forms, and to do it with no repentance, is not to be taken lightly. God is gracious, but he wants obedience and a sincere heart of repentance. To be disobedient and then act like it is no big deal is a very dangerous position to take!

     Judgment by God is also seen in the New Testament. Acts 5:1-11 tells of an incident where Ananias and his wife brought an offering to God with an attitude of deceit. God instantly killed them both in the presence of the congregation. Wow, God doesn't mess around. 

     This has application to America. America has been disobedient to God in many ways: 50 million aborted babies, Islam being taught in classrooms across America, Satanism being alive and well, homosexuality being accepted even by many "Christians," the worshipping of the gods of football, sports figures, movie stars, and Obama thumbing his nose at Israel. With all of this, and more, there is no repentance or asking for forgiveness. 

     Now, on a more personal level. Is there some way that you are disobeying God? Is there something that is happening in your life right now that could be a direct result of God dealing with your disobedience? If so, it is never too late to come to God with a repentant heart and ask for forgiveness. Claim his forgiveness and mercy, so that you don't have to have a good thing removed from your life in exchange for a life of hardship.

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