Page:A Jewish Interpretation of the Book of Genesis (Morgenstern, 1919, jewishinterpreta00morg).pdf/73

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Car den of Bdcn

55

God's ways, nor read aright all the mysteries of His wisdom, Neither can the little child always comlove.

goodness and

prehend the wise and loving motives which prompt a parent's command. But even as the little child obeys its parents'

commands

unquestioningly, because of

its

implicit

faith

in

wisdom and love, which it has experienced in so many ways, so must we obey God's commands unquestioningly, with perfect faith in them and in His wisdom, goodness and love, which we, too, know so well from boundthem and

in their

had told the truth, and God's word had Yet the truth of the serpent's word was not been fulfilled. only literal and superficial, and it brought only misfortune and sorrow. And although on the surface God's word had seemed false, at the bottom there lay the great, eternal, unquestionable truth, that God's commands, however strange and unreasonable they may seem to shortsighted man, are And he alone, always meant for good and not for evil. who walks in God's ways and keeps His commandments at all times, is assured of perfect happiness and blessing. The consequence of disobedience and sin is expulsion from the garden of God into the bleak and cheerless world without, where life loses all beauty and joy, and becomes burdensome and ugly. To us God's commands come constantly, though At times ofttimes wc can not understand the reason why. it may even seem that God's bidding is wrong, or unjust, or cruel. But always there is that deep, eternal foundation of truth and justice beneath, and we must obey promptly and unquestioningly and with complete trust, knowing full well that God's purpose is sure, and that His goodness and love fill all the universe, knowing also that only thereby can we continue to live and walk with God in the beauty of purity and innocence. And the story tells even more. So long as the man and the woman obeyed God's command, even though the}' did less

experience.

when

it

said,

"Ye

Actually the serpent

shall not surely die",