"The woman said to the serpent, ‘From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ The serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not die!’" Genesis 3:2-4

 This is the great lie of old - that you can disobey God and live.

 Eve had the truth of the Word of God but exchanged the truth for the lie. She chose to believe the serpent rather than to stand in the veracity of God’s Word. The serpent not only told her that she could disobey God and live, but also assured her that receiving the forbidden fruit would make her like God, in that she would come to know both good and evil.

This represented independence with an attitude of deciding for herself rather than relying and trusting in her Creator. The first humans forsook the sure Word of God which brings life everywhere it abides for the lie which brought forth death and the curse into the world.

 When Eve examined the fruit she saw that it looked good and found it desirable. Sin is often desirable to the eye, yet it is the transgression of God’s Law, and the Law is simply the instruction of God. Eve sinned because she did not follow the instructions of God. When she ate the forbidden fruit she immediately felt compelled to share it with her husband assuring him that it was good.

The forbidden fruit is anything which stands in opposition to the instruction, or Word of God. As soon as a person leaves the truth for the lie they feel compelled to share it with others which brings the danger of death. As Adam and Eve began to populate the earth the lie spread to every man.

 Each did whatever was right in his own eyes and trusted themselves rather than their God. By the time of Noah the whole world was filled with all manner of wickedness and violence, -"Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart." (Gen.6)

 Most people have always believed the lie but a true believer in Christ believes the truth of God’s Word. A believer understands that God will always lead him but will never follow him.

David was a man after God’s own heart, yet when he tried to transport the Ark on a new cart God did not accept it because it was not the way He had instructed for it to be carried. David loved God and was trying to honor the Lord - he was dancing and praising God in front of the cart, but God was angry rather than pleased.

As a result God struck down Uzzah, one of David’s men. Without realizing it, David had taken the forbidden fruit and was doing what was right in his own eyes. At first he was terrified and then later angry at God, but when he checked the Word of God to see what he might have done wrong, he found, -"No one is to carry the Ark of God but the Levites." Then he called the priests and said, -"Because you did not carry it. . .the Lord our God made an outburst against us, for we did not seek Him according to the ordinance." (1 Chron.15)

 Whether written, prophesied or directly spoken, the Word of God is truth. There are many empty talkers out there that will tell you that you can disobey God and live - don’t be deceived, -"Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of god comes upon the sons of disobedience. Therefore, do not be partakers with them." (Ephesians 5:6-7)