When the temperature dipped to -27 degrees Celsius in my city, newscasters cautioned the public against going outside. An authority in a neighboring state declared, “In 10 minutes you could be dead without the proper clothes.” After hearing warnings such as these, my husband said what I was thinking: “I think I want to go outside . . . just to feel what it’s like.”
The allure of the forbidden mixed with human curiosity can be a dangerous combination. Adam and Eve had everything they needed as they lived in God’s perfect garden. Only one thing was off-limits—the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. God told them, “If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die” (Genesis 2:17).
God’s warning was clear, but the serpent capitalized on the couple’s curiosity (Genesis 3:1). It provoked them to second-guess God’s rule: “You won’t die! . . . God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil” (Genesis 3:4-5). If I had been in Eve’s place, I surely would have wondered what would happen if I sampled the forbidden fruit. Would I really become like God? Would I really die? What would it be like to understand good and evil?
The answers to these questions became clear to Eve—and Adam—when they ate of the fruit (Genesis 3:6). Satisfying their curiosity and willfully disobeying God negatively affected all of humanity (Genesis 3:16-19).
While being curious is no crime, disregarding God’s laws will devastate our relationship with Him. Instead, “Those who love [God’s] instructions have great peace and do not stumble” (Psalm 119:165). Our curiosity should never trump our obedience to God.
NLT 365-day reading plan passage for today: Acts 27:27-44
More:
Read Psalm 51:5 to see how the first couples’ sin ripples down to every generation. Read Acts 13:38 to see how Jesus solved the problem that Adam and Eve created.
Next:
Why do you suppose God created humans with the capacity to be curious? How might curiosity lead a person to consider God and a relationship with Him?
Gary Shultz on November 17, 2014 at 6:41 am
You certainly have this right. When I was a child I had great contempt for Adam and Eve because they messed up everything. They only had one thing to avoid and they couldn’t get that right. As I got older I found I did not chose much better. Day in day out I would cave in to curiosities I knew I had no business looking into. I never stayed there too long, but it seemed I just wanted that taste. It took a while to realize God said these things for our good and found I was quite lacking in faith and dirtied from the world. Thank God for His graciousness and patience until we learn the value of the relationship with Him.
jennifer benson schuldt on November 17, 2014 at 2:03 pm
Thanks for your comment Gary. It’s comforting to think that the God who made us can help us with our thoughts and temptations because He sees what goes on in our hearts (Hebrews 4:13). Nothing is hidden from Him–and yet He is always willing and able to help us because He loves us. I too am so thankful for his graciousness and patience with me! 🙂
Tom Felten on November 17, 2014 at 11:36 am
Jennifer, it’s interesting to note that as God’s image-bearers, we possess creativity and the ability to reason. Sadly, sin can twist our thoughts and cause us to be curious about the wrong things. How much better it is to delight ourselves in God and continue to curious about the mysteries we find in Him!
jennifer benson schuldt on November 17, 2014 at 1:57 pm
Tom, yes–I love that idea that the very reason we can think and create is because we are like God in that respect. Without the stamp of His image, we would be like robots, only following directions, never innovating or making anything new. We have been wonderfully crafted by a master designer! We need His help to keep our thoughts, creations, and ideas in line with His will. Not everything we do has to be overtly “Christian”, but in the end, we want our lives to glorify the One who made us.
alli on November 17, 2014 at 2:51 pm
It’s the denied idea. No one likes to be denied the feeling God is somehow holding out on you.
Learned the hard way what’s on the other side never meets your expectations. Maturity is accepting God’s no’ s with grace