The first
dispensation (see volume VI., p.136) ends with the fall of Adam. There seems no reason to doubt but that this
first dispensation was the briefest of all.
A Rabbinical interpretation of
Psa. xlix. 12 refers it to Adam,
who “abode not a night”, but who, on the tenth day from the commencement of the
creation week, fell, thereby necessitating the day of atonement to be observe
on the tenth day of the month. To read Gen. ii. 8-25
one is not impressed with a sense of a long period. The description given of the garden planted
in Eden is limited to the trees, and the river that watered the garden. Of the many trees wherewith that garden was
planted two only are given names. One is
the tree of life, the other is the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, to
eat of which meant death. Much has been
written concerning this tree of knowledge of good and evil, and the penalty
that followed transgression, yet much seems to be but the guesswork and
imaginings of men, who have introduced into the subject themes that belong to
another sphere. Adam was told not to eat
of this tree, for in the day that he ate he should surely die. The words are simple, and were easy of
comprehension. Something connected with
the knowledge of good and evil involved death, just as the eating of some
poisonous berry might have been prohibited for similar reasons. That God should plant a tree bearing such
fruits is only explainable by the fact that He had a great purpose. We may safely assume that up to the time of
eating of this tree neither Adam nor his wife had a knowledge of good and
evil. Spiritual enjoyments and
aspirations are never mentioned in relation to Adam before the fall. Adam, so far, lived in a realm of types and
symbols. The true paradise of God with
its river of life and tree of life was unrevealed, yet how many have spoken of
Adam’s shadow as though it were the true substance!
In
considering the teaching of Scripture as to the purpose that God had in view,
we must remember that there were already, unseen and probably unknown by man,
fallen spirits. Genesis iii. 1 is proof
enough of this. Scripture does not speak
of the purpose of redemption as something which God had to bring in to remedy
the evil introduced by Adam’s disobedience.
Redemption was planned before man was created, for Christ was
foreordained as the Lamb before the foundation of the world. The great outstanding feature of the command
to Adam is its simplicity. All that Adam
has to do is to abstain. He is not under a law of positive precepts,
the keeping of which involved a great care, labour, and watchfulness. He was under the easiest of conditions. Surrounded by everything that was good and
pleasant, he simply had not to take
of the forbidden tree. It was a passive
obedience. Human nature was put upon the
simplest of trials. Another feature of
the trial it is important to remember is that no promise was attached to
obedience. There is no alternative made
to Adam. Some teach that had he
continued obedient to the divine prohibition he would have been transferred to
heaven and have received eternal life, but that is pure speculation. What was this knowledge the attaining of
which was fraught with such consequences?
The references to “good and evil” in this passage are four. Genesis ii. 9 & 17 speak of the tree itself, its position in the
garden, and the prohibition regarding its fruit, Gen. iii. 5 & 22 speak of the consequences of eating of it: “Ye shall be as gods” (or God), and “Behold,
the man is become as one of Us, to know good and evil”. The tempter mingled truth with his lies at
the beginning as he has done ever since.
His lie was, “Ye shall not surely die”.
There was no lie in the words, “Ye shall be as gods (or God), knowing
good and evil”. That which was forbidden
to Adam under pain of death is held out as a mark of spiritual growth in Heb. v. 14. The
full-grown ones, the perfect, have their senses exercised to discriminate
between good and evil. Whatever Adam may
have done had no outside influence been brought to bear upon him is not a
matter for us to speculate upon.
Scripture records the introduction of an item that completely altered
the whole aspect of the trial and its consequences. That item was the temptation by a wise and
superior being, enforced by deception and guile. If we cannot recognize any alteration of the
test by the introduction of this outside temptation we may also refuse to
recognize any modification of the penalty, but we believe a little
consideration will show that the introduction of an outside temptation made a
very great difference. Think for a
moment of the book of Job; Satan is
allowed to test Job to the extreme, yet Job in the end receives double for his
loss, and Satan has the mortification of knowing that by the record of the book
of Job, there is on permanent record a classic example of how he overreached
himself, and that out of intended evil God brought ultimate good. Such we believe is the case in connection
with the fall of Adam. In the case of
Job we are allowed a glimpse of the heavenly and invisible side of the history,
a glimpse denied to Job himself. We are,
however, allowed no such insight in the case of the temptation of Eve. With suddenness the tempter is introduced
into the narrative of Scripture. “Now
the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had
made.” He raises questionings regarding
the will and word of God. He holds out
the bait, “Ye shall be as gods” (or God); he lies by saying, “Ye shall not surely
die”. The woman was deceived, “the
serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty” (II Cor. xi. 3), “Adam was not
deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression”. When Adam was asked by the Lord, “Hast thou
eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”. Adam replied, “The woman whom Thou gavest to
be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat”. We cannot believe that Adam was trifling. He stood in his shame before his God. We believe he truthfully stated his
case. He was not deceived like his wife
was, but went into sin out of attachment to the woman who had been given
him. The Lord apparently accepted his
reply, for He addressed the woman, “What is this that thou hast done?”. The woman’s reply also stated truthfully the
case, “The serpent beguiled me and I did eat”.
No word of censure, no word of judgment is addressed to the guilty pair,
but the curse is pronounced upon the serpent.
Enmity also is pronounced as between the woman and the serpent, between
her seed and his, and in the pronouncing of the serpent’s sentence comes the first
great Messianic promise, “It shall bruise
thy head, and thou shalt bruise His
heel”. Adam and Eve must have wondered
at this first great exhibition of grace.
The evil one had overreached himself.
Intent upon accomplishing the downfall of man, his very temptation
provided an opportunity for the exercise of mercy. To the woman who had sinned under the
influence of deception, and whose action and invitation had involved Adam, the
Lord says:--
“I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow
shalt thou bring forth children; and thy desire shall be unto thy husband, and
he shall rule over thee.”
Sorrow is the
word that is most emphasized. It occurs
again in the words spoken to Adam:--
“Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow
shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life, thorns and thistles shall it
bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat
the herb of the field; in the sweat of
thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou
art, and unto dust thou return.”
Sorrow
enters into creation together with sin and death. Yet the words which tell them of their
sorrow, tell them that where sin abounded grace was to superabound. If Adam was to eat in sorrow, he was nevertheless to be spared to eat “all the days of his life”.
The death sentence is held back.
As an outside spiritual force had entered into the case on the one side,
an outside spiritual force shall enter into the other. If the serpent could not restrain himself,
but must attempt to hasten man’s ruin, the Lamb of God can step in and bring
about His redemption. Already the great
conflict that runs throughout the Scriptures has become apparent. Man, though responsible for his disobedience,
was not entirely alone in the deed. He
must suffer the wages of sin, but he shall learn before he returns to the dust
“good and evil”. As a living soul he had
no exercise of faith, no patience of hope.
As a fallen sinner, seeing on the one hand the “evil” of the serpent’s
motives, and the “good” of the Lord’s provision, he might learn for his eternal
welfare lessons which in his original state he was not capable of
learning. The ways of God are wonderful,
and altogether beyond us. Sin and sorrow
and death are nevertheless beneath His sway.
Adam commences a new experience.
The creation around him becomes no more a delight. A curse rests upon it, never to be lifted
until the last Adam comes as the life-giving spirit to deliver the groaning
creation from its bondage of corruption.
Adam’s experiences become one lesson of good and evil. A spiritual conception is now a
possibility. In a new life beyond the
grave lies all the hope of man. Adam is
prevented from further access to the tree of life. Life unto the ages can only be his now by
virtue of the promised Seed, and the pledge of the redemption of creation and
of man is found in the cherubim tabernacled at the east of the garden. So ends the first dispensation, the first
step so far as the human race is concerned of the purpose of the ages.
It shows
us man standing between the wiles of the serpent and the wisdom of God. The cherubim that are referred to constitute
a great pledge of redemption, and were understood so to mean by those who first
peopled the earth. We must consider
something of their message in our next article before we go on to the section
which covers the period from the fall to the flood.
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