“So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate…” – Genesis 3.6
Western society is founded on the presupposition that knowledge is power; that those who have acquired the most knowledge are those who wield the most influence. Yet to become an expert rarely if ever results in freedom. Rather the inverse is true. To the degree that I acquire specialized knowledge in a particular field, such as nuclear physics, I will be obligated to contribute my time and energy to that field.
The President of the United States, arguably the most powerful man in the country, must give up many of his basic human ‘rights’ – such as the right to privacy – in order to continue functioning in his position.
Often the individual finds himself most obligated to the field in which he has acquired the most knowledge. This, in part, is why we refer to certain people as slaves to their occupations. Novelists are slaves to their latest literary creations. Lawyers to the latest big case. Doctors of rare diseases to the never-ending cycle of patients waiting to receive specialized diagnoses and treatment. The more time and energy invested, the greater the pull one feels to contribute more time and energy, on and on ad infinitum.
The fact of the matter is that no one is truly ‘free;’ the only question is: to whom will you surrender your freedom? Eve surrendered her freedom to her own appetite for knowledge. In so doing, she rebelled against God and forfeited His promise of protection and care. For Eve, having access to all knowledge changed the fundamental nature of her existence: she and Adam were not only expelled from the Garden, but she would look forward to perpetual struggle as she sought to subsist in a world at odds with these desires.
Ultimately, God knows what is best for each of us. To have all knowledge may, as the serpent rightly identified, make us like God; but it will never enable us to take His place. He is in control; He is good. Surrender your freedom to Him and He will transform the desert of your inner and outer life into a garden.
1 comment:
"Eve surrendered her freedom to her own appetite for knowledge. In so doing, she rebelled against God and forfeited His promise of protection and care."
I have been thinking a lot on this lately and how this affects all of us women today...why we have such a hard time viewing the authority of God and our husbands as protective. We are so adverse to the idea of head covering and staying home to truly care for our family, but why? I think you hit the nail on the head...we care more about knowing everything than we do about trusting God to take care of it for us!
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