THE STORY OF THE GARDEN OF EDEN
Obviously, the Garden of Eden story (Genesis 1-3) is the most interesting of all the Old Testament stories, mainly because it is the most mysterious. Unfortunately, it is also the hardest for us modern readers to interpret. I won’t pretend to do it full justice, but I’ll give it my best shot. The main challenge is that it’s clearly a myth rather than a historical account. Still, I’ll do my best to interpret it with the help of the commentary that accompanies my New English Bible version.
The location is believed to be in the Fertile Crescent between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers. God created and placed Adam and Eve, the first humans, in a symbolic “Garden of Eden” and tested their faithfulness to His commands. They are told they can use the garden freely but must not eat from “the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, lest they die.” In reality, Adam is created before Eve and hears God’s command against eating the fruit alone, but Eve also seems to be aware of the situation from the start.
Chapter Three begins with the serpent, the “craftiest” of all creatures, challenging Eve by asking if God has forbidden them to eat from the fruit of the garden, which serves as a “set up” question. Eve explains that it is only the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil that they are not supposed to eat, “lest they die.” The serpent replies that this is not true. Instead, it explains that eating the fruit will make them “like gods, knowing both good and evil.” The serpent implies that God himself would be threatened by their knowledge. With this encouragement, the fruit seemed even more appealing to Eve, and both she and Adam ate it. Then they saw that they were “naked,” and they “dressed” themselves.
Now I must say that this story is very much like those told about most children at some point when they weigh the warnings of their folks against doing anything disobedient. Adam and Eve are naive but also eager to examine what seems good. Children generally want to be like adults, so things like sex and cigarettes seem desirable. Moreover, the snake suggests that Adam and Eve will “be like gods, or adults, knowing the difference between good and evil.” This sounds reasonable and positive, so the couple partakes of the forbidden fruit.
The serpent seems to resemble “Sportin’ Life” in the story of Porgy and Bess, denying that there’s anything wrong with becoming an adult. “It ain’t necessarily so.” He, too, is described as “crafty.” The main point of the story is, of course, that humans should follow God’s instructions, just as they should follow those of their parents or elders. When God confronts the couple about their situation, Adam, perhaps initially, blames Eve. She, in turn, blames the serpent. Yet both, along with the serpent, are banished from the garden and sent out into the world to struggle and eventually die, with the woman always being subservient to the man. And so human life begins.
What has always comforted and challenged me is that as the couple’s story unfolds, God continues to interact with and even care for them. He was and is not threatened by their newfound freedom. The Book of Genesis is simply that—the “beginning” of the story. It seems to me that the main point of the story is about choosing good over evil and being cautious of those who would try to lead you astray by lying. Remember: God is with you every step of the way.