Ok Clever Class, let’s deal with the original problem. Despite being told not to, Eve ate the fruit. I have listened to the debates, the arguments and the fall-out for years.
Now, you are a Clever Class so tell me: why is it that no-one thinks to ask ‘why did she eat it?’
“Huh? Oh er, they say she ate it because it looked good.”
Half right. What was the other reason?
“Huh? Oh, er, wasn’t it because of the knowledge it would give her?”
Half true. What knowledge?
“Huh? Oh, er, you mean that knowledge about good and evil stuff?”
And .? And .? Come, come, clever class, what was the other thing?
“Huh?”
So you don’t know what the other thing was? OK Clever Class, back to the drawing board. Now, I have here an electric button on my desk. If I should tell you that if you push this button you will instantly know everything there is to know about astronomy, ecology, oceanography, biology, physics, chemistry, law, philosophy, religion, art, photography, space travel, music . You name it. Would you push the button?
“Don’t even ask! You bet we’d push the button!”
Why?
“It’s obvious. We’d have total power. Yeah, complete, utter, total control, total power.”
To do what?
“Well, we could make the world any shape we wanted. We could go sunbathing and make everyone else do the hard work. We could mix the gene pool and create any sorts of creatures we wanted. We could keep all the fresh water and all the best land and then we could put populations exactly where we wanted them and control what they produced and how they lived. We’d be God!”
Exactly. So why do you think Satan said ‘eat it and you will be like God’?
“Huh?”
OK, Clever Class, for homework you will read what Satan said in Genesis 3:5 ‘God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God .’ And then read Ezekiel 28:11 to 19 with emphasis on these words: ‘you were in Eden … you were blameless … wickedness was found in you . Your heart became proud . You corrupted your wisdom . You have come to a horrible end.’
Class dismissed!
Elizabeth Price
Just a Minute Team Writer