Open Door Policy
and when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. Genesis 3:6
To Be Desired – What is happening to Eve? Surely she knew about this Tree. She points it out to the snake. She is aware of the prohibition concerning its fruit. But after her conversation with the serpent, the Tree has changed. It is no longer just a tree. Now Eve attaches something to the Tree that was not growing there. She notices that the Tree beckons her. Now the Tree is to be desired.
This is a difficult word, nechmad. From the verb, chamad, it means “delight, desire, craving.” This verb means “to covet, to lust after.” Not surprisingly, the tenth commandment deals directly with the mental sin of lustful desire. This is not about the action of picking and eating. This is about the inner wish to consume, even when I have not yet acted upon that wish. If the power to act is not harnessed at this point, the rest is inevitable.
Once again, the pictograph boils it down to an image. CH-M-D is the door in the fence around chaos. If I open the door, disorder pours into my life. No wonder Paul suggested that Adam opened the door that let Sin into the world (Romans 5). You might think that as long as the door stays shut, you are safe. But this door has no handle. All that is required to open it is the desire to open it. Before Eve’s desire was kindled by the serpent, the Tree slept blissfully in the Garden. Now it is awake with anticipation. Now it is the object of coveting. And who made it so? Certainly not God. He made the Tree and planted it there, but the Tree He planted was just one among many; one whose purpose was to be a reminder. A casual glance in the direction of the Tree would have been sufficient to remember who God is. A mezuzah on the doorpost – that’s all the Tree was intended to be. A reminder that God determines what is good and what is evil. But no longer. Before she picked the fruit, before she felt its cool skin and smelled its aroma, before she took the first crisp bite, Eve had already thrown away its godly purpose. Now the Tree belonged to her.
In Twelve Step circles, this is called technical recovery. It means that I don’t act out my addiction, but my mind is still absorbed with addictive behavior. I am clean on the outside, but rotting on the inside. Eve hadn’t eaten anything yet, but she was already far from God. This aspect of the core of sin is the most difficult to confront because it has a hidden face. Only you and God know.
Sin is not really about grasping selfishness. It only deteriorates into that much later. It begins with discontent and the desire to be better than the way I was created.
Topical Index: chamad, crave, covet, sin, door, Genesis 3:6
You seem to be saying that there is no difference between love and lust on the one hand, as long as the desire is for a person rather than God.
And that the thought is as bad as the deed on the other.
As I recall, Jesus said as much, something about Adultery in the eye being as bad as the act.
You may be right from a moral point of view, but I tend to think there is some value in drawing a distinction in everyday life.
As an example, I like to drink wine because of the taste and because it can relieve emotional pain.
But for me it will always eventually lead to bad results.
So at dinner parties I drink O’Douls and, at times, desire the fine wine.
I tend to find Freud’s argument regarding desire a compelling one; all desire is sexual at it’s core.
But we need to “sublimate” it to civilize ourselves.
From a psychological perspective, don’t we have to accept our desire (good or bad) and then act properly?
Love and lust are not the same. If I left that impression, I was wrong. Love is generally defined as benevolence toward others at cost to myself. Lust is, on the other hand, motivated primarily by “what’s in it for me.” We have a lot more to learn about this – coming soon to a theater near you. 🙂
Hi Skip:
I am currently doing a study on shame/fear/control and I found your comment really interesting
………….
it is not really about grasping selfishness. It only deteriorates into that much later. It begins with discontent and the desire to be better than the way I was created.
From the study we are doing, it declares that shame means I am not good enough and God is not big enough to make me good enough so I need to control the situation so that I can make myself good enough.
To me this all seems to be the root of so many issues in our lives. This seems to be the biggest battle in people’s lives, overcoming shame!!! which leads to addictions, etc. etc. Thanks Skip, appreciate so much the time you put into this.
Blessings
Brenda
Prof. Dr. Moen,
This is a great comments. I also experienced the desire that prohibited by the Scripture. I am sure everyone does. I knew it was wrong but I did it any way. And I do know that my repentance will restore my relationship with Him. I wonder at that moment whether Eve and Adam repent. I know they are and feel guilty.
Respectful,
Pracha Paramadilok