FATHERS & KNOWLEDGE (PT. 12)

Gen. 3:1-7 “Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, Did God really say, You must not eat from any tree in the garden? (2) The woman said to the serpent, We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, but God did say, You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die. (4) You will not surely die, the serpent said to the woman. (5) For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. (6) When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. (7) Then the eyes of both were opened, and they realized they were naked, so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.“

Every man must guard his eyes! Then every man must cover the eyes of his wife, and ultimately the eyes of his family. Vision is precious. One must always be discerning about what he sees. The fact is that what you see is not always reality. In other words, we can see something in the moment, but not perceive the consequences that will result in the future. In addition, the man’s responsibility does not end with his own sight. Every man must realize that he is called to provide cover for his family. Simply put, a man is responsible for everything his wife or children see. The man has the unique responsibility for his family’s vision. This does not mean vision in the context of a calling or a plan, but rather the interpretation of the moment.

If this is put in context, the relationship between a man and a woman is unique. This relationship only becomes more complicated in marriage. Take a moment to ponder the impact a mother has on her sons. From a spiritual perspective, daughters inherit the spirit of motherhood. Regardless of the context, women seem to be mothers naturally. Thus, daughters mothering their brothers is a good example of this reality. However, it is not as natural for brothers to father, or provide cover, for their sisters. This is more apparent as brothers grow into men, and ultimately, into fathers.

In our text, Adam was responsible for his wife. He was the one who received instructions from the Lord. It is also clear that the women never received instructions from God. As a result, this responsibility was passed on to the man. According to our text, the woman appears to be alone when she has a conversation with the serpent. This scenario seems to repeat itself in time. The absence of the man in today’s families is a serious problem with enormous consequences. Thus, the woman was left alone. When questioned by the serpent, what was not supposed to be eaten became eligible to be touched. When one is confused about the difference between what is seen and what is touched, there will always be costly consequences. The results of this challenge were threefold: 1) Eve concluded that the tree was good for food, 2) it was pleasing to the eyes, and 3) and desirable for gaining wisdom. In short, she drew all these conclusions from the wrong source.

The serpent was not her covering. It was Adam’s responsibility to provide her with Godly instructions. The Bible concludes that she ate the forbidden fruit and gave it to her husband. The result is clear. He also ate it. It was at this point that the eyes of both were opened. As a result, they realized they were naked and tried to cover their nakedness. This is the challenge of men and women still today. The are trying to cover their nakedness. We must be reminded that as long as we remain in this position, we will also find ourselves out of the will of the Lord!