“You will surely die.” Genesis 2:17

The writer in Genesis 2: 15-17 writes; 15 “The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die." When we read this passage as I have several times, you may have wondered as did I about the statement “….you will surely die.” What did God mean with that command? Obviously Adam and Eve did not physically die, they were cast out of the garden to live in much harsher conditions – but they did not die. So what does God mean here? What was he trying to tell Adam and Eve?

Reading “Our Daily Bread” devotional this morning it hit me right between the eyes – my “AH-HA” or GE light bulb moment. The author of the devotional, Dennis Fisher, talks about Albert Einstein’s view of the universe and Einstein’s take on God. He relates that when Einstein was asked if he believed in God, Einstein replied, “We are in the position of a little child entering a huge library filled with books in many languages. The child knows someone must have written those books. It does not know how. . . . That, it seems to me, is the attitude of even the most intelligent human beings toward God. We see the universe marvelously arranged and obeying certain laws but only dimly understand these laws.” Mr. Fisher continues to write that “Although Einstein marveled at the design he saw in nature, he did not believe in a personal Creator.”

As I read this lesson, it struck me that in the time between Genesis and Psalm 19: 1 where the writer of the Psalm declares, “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork” the nature of intellectual study was more of man and his place in God’s creation. But, as we moved forward from the Psalmist’s time to Einstein, intellectual study had turned more to how things work and why they work rather than their purpose in the divine design.

And now, just 54 years after the death of Albert Einstein it seems the Internet and television has pushed this intellectual knowledge further and faster than many of us can grasp. We not only have determined how most things work, we have also discovered the intimate workings of humans and why we think what we think. We know that all matter is created by joining together infinitesimal molecules and we know how each works with the other to create a human, beast or plant (and believe we humans can make a human being, animal or plant by simply cloning a cell). With our human intellect, we have sent rockets and satellite telescopes into space and we are sure we know the nature and origin of the universe. The human condition has turned from the awe of God’s “handiwork” to the desire to know and understand all the knowledge that God has. And the more knowledge we gain it seems that we move further and further away from the love and support of God and believe we can to do it all ourselves! What foolish beings God has created who would reject Him for knowledge – and spiritually die.

If we listen to the intellects of the day (and I use the term intellects very loosely here), they declare there is no God only human knowledge. We see it in our television programs, programs like HOUSE where a super “intelligent” doctor rejects God for the pragmatic intellect of humankind. Or in our education systems where the mere mention of God scares the wits out of “educators” and legislators to the point that saying God, Holy Father or praying in school, on the school’s grounds or as a “school official or teacher” when students are present, no matter where you are, is a crime in some states. In general then, is it that we have gained so much knowledge that we don’t need God and are, by definition, spiritually dead? In general it seems so. The devil causes us to believe that we are as smart as God. The evil one knows the human condition so well that he knows the more we learn the more likely we are to not believe in God, but to believe only in mankind’s abilities. After all, aren’t we getting just as intelligent as God? What has God done that we humans have not figured out and can do as well?

Thus the rise of the humanism movement and false religions such as Scientology that teaches reliance only on your ability to think, learn and perform. However, the rise in the divorce rate, the rise in the suicide rates, the rise in the number of people surveyed who admitted to cheating on spouses, taxes and in business call attention to the fact the we humans cannot go it alone. We seek direction and leadership in our daily lives, a moral compass and a failsafe support system. We feel like something is missing in our lives and we search desperately for it. We turn to alcohol abuse, drug abuse, sex abuse, money, fame, political and social power abuse to soothe that emptiness we feel. It never works and leads to divorce, homicide and suicide increases as well as bizarre behavior including insanity. For example, look at Howard Hughes. He was an extremely intelligent man who had a real talent for business and creating wealth. But who in the end turned into an insane old recluse because he was not anchored in Christ’s love. So many are lost when the storms of life rage because they rely on mankind’s abilities and are not firmly rooted in the love of God. Only a real foundation in God’s love through His Son Jesus Christ our Lord will always hold firm and secure us through any storm life can bring on.

We have, as a nation and world, moved so far from God’s love by relying and glorifying our “intelligence” that we “will surely die.” Perhaps not physically today, but spiritually today and forever to the glory of heaven that awaits those who still worship the true God. Revel as did the Psalmist in the awe and glory of God’s creations. Marvel at His works and miracles. Most of all – give God all the glory and live!