Mensa Otabil - You Shall Not Eat
- Watch
- Donate
We’re still in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 2, and verse 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it, you shall surely die. Yesterday, in verse 16, God says, «You can freely eat of everything,» but then in today’s reading, He is restricting what is available to them. We must know all that God wants us to enjoy, and we must also understand what God does not want us to partake of. Right there in Eden, in that pleasant place, at the center of God’s will, there is something Adam and Eve must not do—something they are forbidden from doing. In the abundance of hundreds of fruit trees, there is one single tree that they are not supposed to touch. God gave man options: the choice to eat freely of all that is available and the option not to partake of one particular tree.
It is that tree that becomes the stumbling block, unfortunately, for Adam and Eve. God left it as a test, and it’s a fair test. It’s a test that is actually weighted in man’s favor. It is not a one-on-one test; it is not a 50-50 test. It is like taking an objective test, and most of you are familiar with it. In the objective test, there are a thousand possible answers, and of those thousand possible answers, 999 of them are correct. So if you choose any one of the 999, you are right. There is only one answer that is wrong, and then you go to choose the one that is wrong. I mean, the exam is weighted for you to pass; it is designed for you to enjoy. Eden had far more to make Adam and Eve happy—only one option of unhappiness. Unfortunately, that’s the option they exercised. Although God wants us to enjoy all that there is in life, there are limitations on what is right for us to enjoy.
There are restrictions in our walk with God; there are boundaries we have to observe. There are places we can go and places we cannot go. There are things we can allow into our lives and things we cannot allow into our lives. In every instance, what God wants us to enjoy is far more than what He says we shouldn’t enjoy. He gives us so much and only tests us with the least. Isn’t it amazing? Whether it’s our financial stewardship, God says, «You can enjoy so much; only this portion is Mine,» and still, we take all the abundance and want to keep everything, unaware that in the midst of abundance, there are restrictions. There are things that are reserved from us that we must not touch or partake of. The fruits of righteousness that we can freely partake of are far more than the fruits of sin that God says we shouldn’t partake of. The things we can enjoy in Christ are so much more.
So, as you think of all the abundance God has for you, also consider the areas He says you should not enter. I hope you will not abandon all the trees and just pursue this one forbidden tree. So take a good look at yourself and determine which tree you are partaking of. Let’s pray. Say with me: «Heavenly Father, open my eyes to what You have not given me and help me to stay away from sin and from all evil. In Jesus' name, Amen.» Stay on the good road, my friend. Pastor Mesa Otable. Shalom, peace, and life to you.