After creating human beings, God looked at all of creation and called it very good. God then placed a limitation on the newly created humans - that they may not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
We human beings, of course, do not like limitations and do not do so well with them. When we recognize our limitations, it strikes fear in our hearts. When we realize that we will one day die and not live forever, we are afraid of that day and fight to delay it as long as we can. When we realize that we are not in control of something (or someone), we are afraid of what it might do to us and struggle to conquer and either subdue or destroy it. When we realize that there is something we cannot have, we desire it more intensely and fear that someone else might have it. Afraid of our limitations, we are tempted to turn away from God and seize the what we desire for ourselves. We seek to be like God, infinite and without limitations. Breaking our relationship with God, we fall into sin. Fear comes before the fall.
So it was that Adam and Eve, out of fear, were tempted to reach out pridefully and take that fruit that had been forbidden to them. Of course, taking the forbidden fruit did not quell their fear; it only increased it. Their eyes were opened to their nakedness and their powerlessness before the God who had set the limitation in the first place. Their fear grew greater, and they hid from God.
When fear creeps into our lives, the temptation is great for us to grasp for control by whatever means necessary, even by sinful means. Fear leads to sin which leads to even greater fear, and a vicious cycle spirals out of control.
Thoughts to ponder: Have you had fears in your life that led you to do destructive things? What are your greatest fears today? How might you get rid of the sources of these fears? Do you think this will make your fears go away? Will your actions cause others to fear you? How can we conquer our fears without falling into sin?
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