Do-over

Note: Read previous post “The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fall” before this one if you haven’t already.

Ok, so it could be argued that Adam and Eve did not know what they were doing and could not have guessed what effect their actions would have on their family, let alone the rest of the world. In their perfect environment they were likely not acquainted with anything even closely resembling deceit. How could they have been expected to recognize it and see it for what it was?

So what if we take another man, made in the image of God, well aware of what can happen if he rebels, and let him try again? Even better, let’s pick someone who lived in the awful conditions that came after the Fall (“every inclination of the thoughts of [man’s] heart was only evil all the time”) but still managed to be righteous in the eyes of God. Someone like this would be aware of the evils of the world and would also be experienced in avoiding them. Sounds like a plan. God thought so, too.

“When Lamech had lived 182 years he had a son. He named him Noah and said, ‘He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.’”

This, like all do-overs, could not exactly duplicate all the conditions before the Fall, but it was best shot we had. We could remember what was at stake, right? Having experienced firsthand and perhaps participated in deceit we would be able to identify and avoid it. After seeing the disastrous results of the previous mistake, we would know what we were in for if we didn’t maintain relationship with God. Fool me once, shame on the snake. Fool me twice…doh!

The slate is wiped clean in Genesis chapter 7, waters recede in chapter 8, covenant is established between God and man in chapter 9, and we are good to go all the way through chapter 11. At this time men were apparently united with one another. We might think of that as peace. But apparently after the Fall, peace among men was not the Utopia we picture when we talk of world peace, but rather all men agreeing to rebel against God. Not such a great plan. Back to the drawing board.