God's Laissez-faire Policy Toward the Fact-Finding Mission of Adam and Eve

Was God Offended?

How did God view Adam and Eve's attempt to resolve the conflict in the testimony - (Genesis 3:5) vs (Genesis 3:3)?  Did Adam and Eve's methodology -  their investigation - their fact finding mission - offend God?

The Liberating Power of the Truth

Supremely confident in the liberating power of the truth, God let them conduct their fact-finding mission. He did not stand in the way. He did not stop them from entering the valley of tears to conduct their own investigation. God knew that in the course of their investigation they would learn the truth and the truth would make them free (John 8:32). They would learn the truth the hard way. Instead of accepting God's word (Genesis 3:3), they would figure out the truth for themselves.

The Valley of Tears

The valley of tears is hostile territory. In the valley of tears our predicament is dire. Many and merciless are the crosses that nail themselves to us as we pass through the valley of tears including the worst of crosses, death.  The valley of tears is a mill through which the grist is ground up - through which the meat goes through the grinder - through which we go through the ringer.

The Best Persuasion

Personal experience with the truth is always more persuasive than a plethora of words about it - even when the source of the words is God.

Letting Us Stick our Fingers in the Flame

There is no better way to persuade us that the fire is hot than by letting us stick our fingers in the flames.

Like pickles, We Marinate in the Valley of Tears

So God marinates us in the truth like pickles in a barrel of brine. God lets us stew in the valley of tears.

The Rod is not Spared in the Valley of Tears

God's pedagogy is severe. Spare the rod and the child is spoiled (Proverbs 13:24). In the valley of tears, little is the chance that we will be spoiled.

The Delay between the Gift of Life and the Gift of Paradise

God delivered the gift of life and the gift of paradise simultaneously to Lucifer, to the gaggle of angels who followed Lucifer, to Eve, to Adam and to the prodigal son. Simultaneous delivery was the policy of God. The policy of simultaneous delivery, however, did not work. They all let the gift of paradise slip through their fingers.  They got the gift of paradise but did not keep it. They all fumbled the ball. So God tweaked the timetable for the delivery of his gifts for the children of Adam and Eve. He did not just want them to get the gift of paradise. He wanted them to keep it. Instead of simultaneous delivery, God implemented a policy of sequential delivery. God inserted a delay between the gift of life and the gift of paradise.  The space between the gift of life and the gift of paradise is not nameless. It is called the valley of tears (Hail Holy Queen). During the delay, the children of Adam and Eve pass through the valley of tears. The valley of tears is the vessel that God created to hold the inconivent truth. The truth that the valley of tears holds is the sourness of godlessness.

Harsh but Effective Medicine

The delay God prescribes is harsh medicine. He prescribes the medicine because the medicine is effective.  In the judgement of God, the effectiveness of the medicine outweighs its harshness. The harsh medicine produces salutary effects that benefit us.

First Salutary Effect: The Shattering of the Illusion and defanging of the serpent

As we stew in the valley of tears, the illusion that the serpent conjured up to sugarcoat the sourness of godlessness is shattered.  The serpent is defanged. His balls are cut off. Letting us stew in the valley of tears drains the serpent's lie of its power to deceive. We do not become gods without God in the valley of tears (Genesis 3:5). The serpent bullshitted us. By stewing, we learn that we were fooled.

Second Salutary Effect: the increase in God's credibility

Surprise! God told us the truth (Genesis 3:3).  Without God in the valley of tears, we perish. The credibility of God increases as the serpent's decreases. We gain confidence in the word of God. We learn that we can rely on it. Moreover, we learn that it is easier to get our truth from the word of God than by figuring out the truth for ourselves the hard way. 

Third Salutary Effect: the creation of an engine that generates the current of salvation

God made us rational creatures. When he gave us the gift of life, he also gave us the gift of rationality. The fuel of our rationality is the truth. When fueled by the truth, our rationality steers us in the right direction. When the fuel of truth is fouled by illusion, our rationality leads us astray.  "And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free"   (John 8:32). Furthermore, rational creatures behave in a predictable manner. They follow a pattern. Rational creatures flee the sourness of godlessness. It is contrary to their self-interest to do otherwise. It is crazy to do otherness. The sourness of godlessness is an engine of truth that pushes us to its exits. It generates the current of salvation. The current of salvation carries us back to our home with God and his holy family in paradise. Note: There is a second engine of truth that also generates the current of salvation. It is the sweetness of paradise. It pulls us to the entrance of paradise.

Fourth Salutary Effect: forced to learn the technology that enables us to pick up and carry our crosses

We want God to eliminate our crosses. God wants us to pick them up and carry them. There is a difference of opinion. God's prevails. The Son of God transported from heaven to earth the technology that enables us to pick up and carry our crosses. Furthermore, the Son of God demonstrated for us that the technology works by using it himself. He donned the jet pack and flew to show us that we, too, can fly. What a crazy daredevil this Jesus was. To survive in the valley of tears, we learn that the secret to picking up and carrying our crosses is to cling to love, to hold tight and to refuse to let go. We learn to deny ourselves and to not let our crosses transmogrify us into the most miserable and hideous of loveless beasts. We learn to maintain our resemblance to God. The more we love, the greater our resemblance to God. Love deifies us. The sourness of godlessness forces us to learn the best way to cope with it.

Fifth Salutary Effect: we will not opt out of paradise when the gift of paradise is delivered to us

God plans to deliver the gift of paradise to us just as God delivered the gift of paradise to Adam and Eve. God will not be less generous with us than God was with them. Adam and Eve were the first beneficiaries of God’s love for us. They were not the last. God’s philanthropy did not end with Adam and Eve; God’s philanthropy began with them. This is good news of great joy - very good news for us indeed.  

A problem, however, sabotaged the gift-giving process. The problem limited its success. The problem was not in the giving of the gift. The problem was in the keeping of the gift. We suffer from a condition colloquially known as butterfingers. In religious jargon, the problem is called original sin. We let the gift of paradise slip through our fingers. God gave Lucifer the gift of paradise but he fumbled the ball. So did the gaggle of angels that followed Lucifer (Revelation 12:4). So did Eve. So did Adam. When God delivers the gift of paradise to the children of Adam and Eve, God wants us to keep it. God does not want us to repeat the debacle of our predecessors. 

By stewing in the valley of tears like pickles in a barrel of brine we decrease to near zero the likelihood that we will opt out of paradise after the gift of paradise is delivered to us.  When the gift of paradise is delivered to us, we will keep it. We will not fumble the ball as Lucifer did, as the gaggle of angels who follow Lucifer did, as Eve did, as Adam did and as the prodigal son did. The prodigal son will never go back to the pig sty. And neither will we. Learning the truth by stewing in it like pickles in a barrel of brine makes us know better. It smartens us up. It educates us. It strengthens our grip on the gift of paradise. It stops us from fumbling the ball.