By David Ryser
If Adam & Eve had
been Cajuns, they would have eaten the snake instead of the apple and saved us
all a lot of trouble. (Author
Unknown)
When I was a child, back when the dinosaurs roamed the earth, I loved
summer. Summer meant no school, long days of play, and swimming. My mother
bought summer passes at the community pool for me…and my siblings…and after
lunch every day, we would walk the several blocks to the pool and enjoy many
hours in the kid heaven known as the swimming pool. What fun! Yet, this reverie
was not an uninterrupted one because, every hour or two, an announcement would
blare out from the pool’s public address speaker: “Everybody out of the pool!”
Upon hearing this announcement, we all would exit the swimming area and take
our seats on the pool deck and listen to a brief presentation by the pool
director concerning some aspect of water safety while pool staff would perform their
tasks to ensure the water was safe for swimming.
The announcement, “Everybody out of the pool!”, was not given to punish
us. It was given to protect us.
Our original parents, Adam and Eve, were living the high life in the
Garden of Eden. For how long they were living in this paradise, and enjoying
fellowship with God and one another, we do not know. But one day, the serpent
beguiled Eve by calling into question the goodness of God and touting the
wonderful benefits of partaking of the fruit of the forbidden tree. Eve took
some of the fruit, ate it, and gave it to Adam who also consumed it.
And everything pretty much went down the drain after that.
Their eyes being opened to know good and evil; Adam and Eve fled from
the tree, made fig leaf aprons for themselves, and hid from God among some
trees. Being particularly good at the game of hide-and-seek, God quickly
located them in the trees. And He was not pleased. I don’t think He was angry,
either. Hurt. Disappointed. Panicked.
Panicked? Yes. We’ll get to that in just a bit.
What transpired next was a very difficult conversation between God and
our original parents. Difficult for Adam and Eve, certainly; but I imagine it
was a difficult conversation for God as well. He had not intended for this to
happen. His original intent was to enjoy uninterrupted, intimate fellowship
with the man and woman…and their descendants…in a place specially created for
them. In the ensuing conversation, God outlined the consequences of mankind’s
disobedience. Not only would human beings begin to experience death on several
levels, but even creation itself came under a curse because of sin.
God also had a few things to say to the serpent.
And nowhere in this conversation did the word “punishment” appear. I remember being surprised by this when I
first became aware of it. Somehow, I had
confused “consequences of” and “punishment for” sin in this story. I don’t know if I had been taught Adam and
Eve were being punished for their sin, or if I had simply assumed they were
being punished; but the word “punishment” does not appear, in any form, in this
story. In addition, nowhere in this conversation does God say, or even imply,
He is causing the consequences of sin to come upon mankind or the creation.
Punishment is inflicted. Consequences occur. Big difference.
Part of my difficulty was caused by the misuse of the word “punishment”
when a more accurate term might be “consequence” or “discipline” depending upon
the situation. And this misuse/misunderstanding of the word “punishment” was
not confined to our family. It was also misused/misunderstood in the church I
attended.
Punishment. Consequence. Discipline. Let’s sort this all out, shall we?
Consequences are what occur naturally as the result of a chosen action.
For example, if I jump out of the top of a tall tree, I will be injured. My
injury is not a punishment or discipline. No one is inflicting this injury upon
me because of my foolishness. I am injured because I did something that
resulted in an injury.
Discipline, on the other hand, is inflicted upon me by another person
in response to my actions. My actions provide an occasion for discipline, but
do not cause it. The purpose of discipline is redemptive. It is a tool to
correct my behavior and teach me to behave differently. Its purpose is to train
me…the word “disciple” comes from this word…and is intended to produce a
positive outcome in my life. Discipline might be painful for me, but its
purpose is ultimately benevolent.
Punishment, like discipline, is inflicted upon me by another, but its
purpose is not redemptive. Punishment teaches me nothing. Punishment corrects
nothing in my behavior…it is nothing more than retribution. Punishment is not a
means to an end; it is the end.
We can be excused if we are confused when a parent tells us we are
being punished for our bad behavior or our church teaches us we are being
punished by God for our sin. In both cases, we are receiving discipline and not
punishment.
So, God’s conversation with Adam and Eve outlining the consequences of their
sin was finally concluded, and then God clothed them with animal
skins…replacing the works of their own hands (a good example of religion, I
think)…to cover their nakedness.
And then God panicked. God panicked? Well, sort of.
In Genesis 3:22, God speaks these words: “Behold, the man has become
like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and
take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” and He never finishes
the sentence. This is the only
unfinished sentence God ever speaks. In fact, this is the only unfinished
sentence in the entire Bible. Maybe this does not exactly express panic, but it
at the very least conveys extreme urgency. The very thought that man might eat
from the tree of life and live forever in a state separated from an intimate
relationship with God, and outside of His presence, is unthinkable to Him. So,
God throws Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. And prevents them from
returning (Genesis 3:23-24). Is this action a consequence of sin? Is it
disciplinary? Is it punishment?
It is, in fact, none of these things.
This is God’s “Everybody out of the pool!” moment. Just as when we were
summoned out of the community swimming pool when we were kids…and for the same
reason. God is not punishing mankind by throwing them out of the garden, He is
protecting them. He is protecting them from eternal life apart from intimate
fellowship with Himself until such a time as a Redeemer will come to make
things right again. This is not something mankind can do for itself. And, until
then, it is not safe for man to be in the “pool”.
So, a loving God protected mankind…His crowning creation who was created
in His very image…from an eternity trapped by a sinful nature and living in a
cursed world. Jesus is making the “pool” safe again. And one day, when the time
is right, we will hear the words…the words I heard long ago as a child:
“Okay, everybody back in the pool!”
Responses to this article are
welcomed. You may contact the author at drdave1545@yahoo.com
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