A story and a place so magical Eden was where it all began. There in the ultra famous Garden of Eden man was first tempted and our first introduction to Satan the deceiver, some say in the form of a snake or perhaps a reptilian quality that resembled one.
I will first tell you a short story of my own that may relate to this ancient beginning. While a young man on a deserted island , once occupied by the Japanese during WW11 came across a diary of a Japanese sailor, one who eventually committed the rite of suicide - hari kari because of starvation. In the annuls of the diary he described abuse by officers and limited rations. It was unbearable and the honorable thing in his culture was to take his life with a small sword.
The amazing thing about this island was that fish were plentiful , they surrounded the tiny island and flourished in the lagoon. The island however was also beautified by coral , in the coral lived tiny bacteria poisonous to man but not to the fish. Therefore the fish could not be eaten less a painful poison enter your body , even though some have tried to their regret. It struck me as somewhat ironic that God would place us there in the midst of this temptation.
Back to the Garden of Eden we have a similar incident involving fruit , but this was no ordinary fruit it made the person aware of the sin of desire. The fruit of the tree of knowledge had been forbidden by God and so the story goes anything else could be eaten, Adam had eaten of this fruit. Now remember this was before books were written , so this story had to be passed on through story tellers , and it was to explain our separation from God and being expelled from this place called Eden.
Was Eden the place God inhabited or was it a testing ground for God's creation. We will never know this place called Eden - was it just a metaphor or actual place. If it were a place it was the most beautiful on earth , without a doubt a place one would want to stay forever. It was not to be though Adam and the generations that followed would experience suffering and at times hunger. One thing that stands out in particular is that Satan actually told the truth. Satan spoke that of the fruit of desire , how wonderful desire felt. God on the other hand warned of the fruit of desire and of its consequences. We are told Adam saw his nakedness and turned to the fig leaf for cover, as so the story goes.
How many of us have tasted forbidden desires and later regretted it, how many have taken a drug and became addicted. The worst suffering is separation from God , be not fooled. This will often be something to ponder on, inner peace is within reach but we must know what fruit to avoid and what fruit is good. - peace to you.
I will first tell you a short story of my own that may relate to this ancient beginning. While a young man on a deserted island , once occupied by the Japanese during WW11 came across a diary of a Japanese sailor, one who eventually committed the rite of suicide - hari kari because of starvation. In the annuls of the diary he described abuse by officers and limited rations. It was unbearable and the honorable thing in his culture was to take his life with a small sword.
The amazing thing about this island was that fish were plentiful , they surrounded the tiny island and flourished in the lagoon. The island however was also beautified by coral , in the coral lived tiny bacteria poisonous to man but not to the fish. Therefore the fish could not be eaten less a painful poison enter your body , even though some have tried to their regret. It struck me as somewhat ironic that God would place us there in the midst of this temptation.
Back to the Garden of Eden we have a similar incident involving fruit , but this was no ordinary fruit it made the person aware of the sin of desire. The fruit of the tree of knowledge had been forbidden by God and so the story goes anything else could be eaten, Adam had eaten of this fruit. Now remember this was before books were written , so this story had to be passed on through story tellers , and it was to explain our separation from God and being expelled from this place called Eden.
Was Eden the place God inhabited or was it a testing ground for God's creation. We will never know this place called Eden - was it just a metaphor or actual place. If it were a place it was the most beautiful on earth , without a doubt a place one would want to stay forever. It was not to be though Adam and the generations that followed would experience suffering and at times hunger. One thing that stands out in particular is that Satan actually told the truth. Satan spoke that of the fruit of desire , how wonderful desire felt. God on the other hand warned of the fruit of desire and of its consequences. We are told Adam saw his nakedness and turned to the fig leaf for cover, as so the story goes.
How many of us have tasted forbidden desires and later regretted it, how many have taken a drug and became addicted. The worst suffering is separation from God , be not fooled. This will often be something to ponder on, inner peace is within reach but we must know what fruit to avoid and what fruit is good. - peace to you.
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