Resumo de Genesis - The Bible

That the story of the first human family started with promise but ended in tears was ironic. This was sunset at dawn. Looking back now, it is easy to say that, may be, Adam and Eve took things for granted too much. However, the fact is that anyone can begin to take things for granted when there seems to be no problem of any kind. For instance, they had never experienced what it could mean to incur God's displeasure just as they had never experienced any form of discomfort or suffering. It is also doubtful if they could even have considered the possibility of falling for one moment. At the same time, nevertheless, they could never have considered the possibility of an enemy lurking in the shadows of the lush trees that beautified their place of abode.

They did fall and so had to face the consequences. One can only imagine the fear coursing through their veins when they were being asked to leave. They must have feared the uncertainty of the future in an unfamiliar environment and this was in addition to the fact that they would now be on their own. One can imagine a trembling Adam pleading forlornly with the Almighty and asking to be allowed to remain in the garden with his wife.

From the account, however, it was not as if God could not have allowed them to stay in Eden, in any case the place had become tainted with their sin. If He had allowed them to stay, the chances were that things could have become worse for mankind. The same faceless enemy who caused their fall would probably have succeeded in deceiving them to eat of the fruit of the tree of life which was also in the garden. This would have meant that fallen man could have lived forever. This could have meant that the most brutal dictators and murderers in history would still have been living. The world would have become an eternal cauldron. Therefore, by expelling the couple from Eden, God was actually doing mankind a favour. In a way then, death is a favour to man as it means that at least at some point he would be put out of his misery.

For Adam and Eve, their first night outside the garden of Eden must have been a spectacle they would not forget in a hurry. One could imagine Eve trying to gather a few sticks and leaves to make their bed. Can anyone imagine how terrified they would be seeing a lion rumbling through the vegetation near where they were standing? The reality was that this was now how they would continue to live. They would have to labour for food and for other comforts of life. The couple must have thought of forcing their way back to the garden even if they knew that they would have been decisively repelled.

When the family eventually started a family, their frustration must have been a bit assuaged by the thrill of having been able to produce tiny images of themselves. Nevertheless, their woes were not to abate as the boys were a handful with the senior one becoming strong-willed. Cain believed things must always go his way. Sadly, he continued this way as Adam, their father, could not tame him. It was hardly surprising that in a fit of jealous rage he eventually murdered his brother. The parents were beside themselves with sorrow. That the first human family was more or less a dysfunctional family was perhaps due to Adam's weakness as a father. One would remember that the same Adam, as an absentee husband in Eden, allowed his wife to be deceived.

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