Passage: Genesis 3:1-7
Point
1. The craftiness of the serpent was demonstrated in his distortion of God’s command.
2. The woman saw that the fruit was good for food, a delight to the eyes, and it would make her wise so she ate the fruit.
3. The man stood by in silence while he watched the woman be tempted and eat of the fruit God commanded not to eat.
Personalize
Recently I have been part of our weekly Men’s Fraternity gathering. It has given me new insights into the nature and condition of men. This past week we studied about the fall of man. What is made clear is that the real sin was the passivity of Adam. Adam was given the command by God. “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’”. (Genesis 2:16-17). He was entrusted with the responsibility to obey this command and to instruct Eve as well on what God desired.
Adam had transferred God’s word to Eve and she was well aware of God’s command and the consequences. While being tempted Adam stood by and watched. He watched while the serpent slimed his way in closer to Eve. He listened on while the serpent distorted God’s word and command. Adam spoke no warning and took no action to prevent Eve from disobeying God. The real sin in Genesis was the passivity of Adam. He was given the charge to protect and provide but he stood idly by while the servant persuaded Eve to partake of the forbidden fruit. Some would call this the sin of omission. He knew what he should do but he did nothing.
We are all guilty of the sin of passivity. In scripture we read: “So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin.” (James 4:17). Adam knew Eve was in danger but he did nothing. In the same way we sit idly by in our homes, community and nation and do nothing to sound the warning or to protect those God has given us the responsibility to protect. The image of a father is one who comes home, sits in his easy chair and disengages from others around him. The passivity of man is a common place. The man, the father sits idly by while his wife struggles to keep it together, his children loose their moral footing and his community follows a path of ungodly wisdom. God has called men to protect and to provide. This will only take place when men step up and get involved in the lives of their families,friends, and others.
Prayer
Lord may we not be found sitting by and living a life of passivity. Through Your Holy Spirit, empower us to get involved and to make a difference in our families and in the lives of others.
