Once again, as I was reading the
Word, I find that my reading of the scripture has been in error. I have
read this passage so many times and only today, my eyes were opened to the
words "she also gave some to her husband WHO WAS WITH HER, and he ate”.
Adam was right there. I, like so many people, would place the blame of
the sin on Eve, who gave to her husband the forbidden fruit....and the blame is
her’s, it is the serpent’s, and it is Adam’s. But as I view this sin,
this direct disobedience of what the Lord commanded them, I see another
sin. I see the sin of silence. Adam was with her.....have you, as
I, always thought that perhaps Adam was off tending the garden somewhere else,
or resting, or doing what sport might have been done in that day...but no, the
Word of God reports that Adam was right there, with Eve, as the serpent talked
to her, he must have heard every word said.
And what did Adam do? It appears
he did nothing. He did not at any time
question what Eve was doing….he did rebuke the serpent and send him away,
telling him to leave them alone….he did not stand with the Lord and uphold what
the Lord had told them as true….he did not one time say, “I respect my Father
and I will not disobey Him”. And then
when the Lord confronted them, he blamed Eve.
And yet, I feel his sin was as great….his sin of silence.
Now I am not trying here to begin
a discussion on who is truly to blame, or what should have happened….we all
know who is to blame and what should have happened. But before we begin to cast judgment, let’s
look at this in the now-time. How many
times have we seen a friend, brother or sister…..begin to do something, say
something….that we knew was wrong, that we knew was not God’s way…..and yet, we
held our voice, we held our voice from telling them, from advising them of God’s
way, of even perhaps, something we had done similar and how we suffered from
the guilt of disobeying the Lord. As
young people, did you stand by and watch a friend cheat on a test…..perhaps
take a pack of gum or candy from the store…..and said nothing. No mention to that friend that it wasn’t
right….that it was against what was true, what was just, what was Godly. So afraid of their disapproval…their opinion….of
losing that friendship…. So we said
nothing. Sin of silence.
So who has the greater sin? In God’s eyes, all sin is the same…sin is
sin, no degree in His eyes, no sin worse than the other, or least than the
other. Sin is sin. Do you think that when we keep silent about
wrong doings, about sin….we are innocent of the sin? When you see someone mistreating another, do
you say something or do you just turn and pretend not to notice. When someone tells an off color joke…..do you
laugh, or even sit silent but say nothing.
When another wants to tell you “juicy” somethings, commonly known as “gossip”,
do you listen or do you tell them that it is not a Christian thing to do? We all know church folks that “in the guise
of wanting to tell you something about another….for prayer sake”. We all know the difference…. and if you think
you don’t, then get in your prayer closet and pray…the Holy Spirit will teach
you.
Silence is golden, it has been
said. But it is golden when it is you….when
it is you that refuses to repeat that “I heard” you were told. Silence is golden when you refuse to take
part in a group telling off color jokes…..silence is golden when instead of
worrying about friends approval, you silently begin to pray….to ask the Holy
Spirit to lead you, to give you the words to say to your friend, in love, about
what they are doing, the wrong of it.
You can see, dear friends, that as
I was reading these words this morning, the Holy Spirit began to speak very
strongly to me. To show me the error of
my ways and how to walk in the truth. In
the truth of the Lord there is no fear…..”what can man do to me”. To stand for the ways of the Lord, to be a
child of the King who loves others enough to be honest with them about what
they are going to do, are wanting to do….or something they have done….when
asked what you think…. Silence is not golden.
Love others enough to speak God’s Word to them….to help them deny the
enemy (the serpent) and obey our God.
Don’t stand by, as Adam did, and let them sin, then help them indulge in
their sin by doing nothing……and when God comes calling…..you will see who has
done the greater sin….If you’ll remember, not only Eve was punished.
Thank You, Lord, for Your words to
me….for Your forgiveness and mercy given me….let me keep Your ways, Lord, and be
an example, a friend to my friends and family.
Pat’s Pennings
05-26-13
