Have you ever wondered how Adam could have risked all the pleasures of Eden—not to mention his intimacy with God—for just a bite of fruit? He wasn’t lacking in fresh fruit, not by any means. It’s not as if he was even hungry. He and Eve enjoyed all the abundance of the Garden. It was just that one fruit God had forbidden. A simple commandment he heard from Him with his own ears! Yet, losing Eden and all that meant—including that precious presence of God—was the price he was willing to pay for a mere bite. 

I think we have all looked back at Adam and Eve and wondered to ourselves, “How could they? How could they give it all up just like that? For nothing!” Some of us even take it personally. “All the evil in this world is their fault! Boy, do I have a bone to pick with them.” It is so hard to imagine not being able to obey God, when He’s standing right in front of you!

Yet, how much have we been willing to risk? How easily have we turned our eye from the instruction in God’s Word—isn’t it right there in black and white? We make excuses so quickly for our compromises. We may not be sentencing the whole of creation with our choice, but we are definitely impacting someone. Sin is never just about us. 

No matter how compelling a temptation Satan brings our way, the Word of God tells us that God will always provide a way of escape. The question is, will we take it? Adam made the wrong choice. Instead of judging him, let’s learn from his mistake.