January 16th
CHOOSE GOOD AND REFUSE EVIL
Gen 2:25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
Genesis 3:1-5 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
The words “naked” in Genesis 2:25 and “subtil” in Genesis 3:1 share the same meaning. The man and the woman (one flesh) had good judgment (Godly wisdom) in all matters because it was inherent by virtue of their position as God’s unblemished creation. They were not ashamed meaning they were not confounded or confused about anything. The serpent, on the other hand, was cunning and crafty (perverted wisdom) and deceived the woman who gave of the fruit to the man. It was a move that threw their sound minds into confusion, an arena they had not known and were powerless to deal with alone.
Genesis 3:22 And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
The man knows good and evil. There is a hidden truth for every believer that the prophet Isaiah unveils in Chapter 7 concerning the coming of our Lord. He prophesied that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. Isaiah went on to tell of his spiritual diet of butter and honey which would empower him to know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. Knowing good and evil without the wisdom and power to refuse the evil and choose the good caused a breach that only the Living Christ is able to bridge for mankind. Choose Him today Who has been made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption (1 Corinthians 1:30).