DAY 2 Genesis 3: 5-6
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes [ayin] shall be opened [paqach], and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 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 the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
H5869 ayin (eyes) – mental and spiritual faculties
H6491 paqach (shall be opened) – to enable to see things which otherwise are hidden from the eyes of mortals.
The woman’s eyes were opened to see things which God wanted to remain hidden from her. Her mental faculties were being stimulated and so she became open to
1. The lust of the flesh (saw that the tree was good for food),
2. The lust of the eyes (it was pleasant to the eyes) and;
3. The pride of life (a tree to be desired to make one wise).
1 John 2: 15-16 “ Love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If any man loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
1.Lust of the Flesh = Desires that are internal (body and soul: mind, emotions, will, imagination, intellect)
2.Lust of the Eyes = Desires that originate from the external (things we see that stimulate cravings or desires).
3.Pride of Life = Desires that are a combination of the internal and external. Desires or cravings that has to do with one’s position or character in life, measured by achievements.
James 1:14-15 But every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed. Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death.
The Woman’s sight was re-directed from that for which she was built to something for which she was not built. She opened herself to the lust of the flesh (saw that the tree was good for food), the lust of the eyes (it was pleasant to the eyes)and the pride of life (a tree to be desired to make one wise). She gave up her true position and authority as WOMAN for what Satan tricked her into thinking she would receive, the position and authority of gods. In that moment, she was no longer `ezer, but she became skandalon, a stumbling block or occasion to fall.
– Through the use of words, the serpent causes the Woman to change her focus, her center of attention, her interest and the point of her concentration.
– Once her focus changed, then her perspective changed. Her point of view or attitude towards her role and purpose on Earth changed.
– Once her perspective changed, then her behavior changed. Her response to the tree in the midst of the garden changes.
How then can I maintain focus?
WATCH & BE AWARE
(1) What has my attention? Who has my attention?
(2) What are my interests or activities centered around?
(3) What have I been concentrating my time, effort, thoughts on?
(4) What is the state or condition of my emotions, will, imagination as it relates to that relationship, that sphere of influence (home, church, job, community etc.) or that circumstance?
DIG DEEPER:
1. The Blog Post – It Might Just Be an Illusion!
2. Prayer Room – Lord, Please Guard My Focus! (2)