Help !

[Door]

Why did God place the tree of good and evil in the garden if he knew Adam and Eve would sin? It seems the punishment does not fit the crime,especially when Adam and Eve sinned and then we are horribly punished for it. Why did God create the tree of life? Was the Garden of Eden a metaphor ? Was the serpent a snake or the devil or both ? Where did Cain get a wife? If God knew we would be evil and would have to flood the world to destroy us, why would he do that? Why was God displeased with humans for building the tower of Babel? Why would God ask Abraham do such a horrible thing as killing his son as a sacrifice and then tell him not to do it. If God asked me to sacrifice my son I would never do it. Why if Job was so devoted to God, would he let Satan harm him ? God is all powerful he should not have to prove anything to Satan. That scares me, because if I am completely devoted to God, i would be really hurt if he let Satan attack me. Please help , as this is seriously bothering me. :sigh:

[twistedsketch]

The trees in the Garden and what happened to Job were both tests. Job passed his, Adam and Eve did not. The stuff that went wrong was the work of the devil. And even though Job's test was painful, God was a perfect gentleman about it and paid Job twice as much money as he lost and replaced child for child.

Abraham was also tested. You see, God had earlier promised him that through Issac, his offspring would be reckoned (Genesis 21:12). He believed God would keep His promise. He knew that God would either provide an animal (Genesis 22:8) or that He would raise Issac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).

As humans, we have problems understanding God's holiness, since we have never seen Him. Those that have seen Him (like Isaiah) know just how holy He is - He is so holy, that if a sinful man looks Him in the face, the man will die. This is why Adam and Eve were banished, this is why punishment for sin is so harsh. God is the ultimate in holiness, and sin is holiness's polar opposite.

As for the Tower of Babel, those who built it were essentially saying "We don't need God." This was bad enough, but God foresaw what would happen if this were allowed to continue. When nothing is impossible for sinful man, then that potential will go straight into sin. We've got nuclear weapons today, but that's nothing compared to what might have happened. Maybe we would have gotten nukes sooner. Maybe something worse. Whatever the case, God averted a disaster on the scale of all humanity.

And Cain would have gotten his wife from among his sisters, just as Seth did.

[Door]

The trees in the Garden and what happened to Job were both tests. Job passed his, Adam and Eve did not. The stuff that went wrong was the work of the devil. And even though Job's test was painful, God was a perfect gentleman about it and paid Job twice as much money as he lost and replaced child for child.

Abraham was also tested. You see, God had earlier promised him that through Issac, his offspring would be reckoned (Genesis 21:12). He believed God would keep His promise. He knew that God would either provide an animal (Genesis 22:8) or that He would raise Issac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).

As humans, we have problems understanding God's holiness, since we have never seen Him. Those that have seen Him (like Isaiah) know just how holy He is - He is so holy, that if a sinful man looks Him in the face, the man will die. This is why Adam and Eve were banished, this is why punishment for sin is so harsh. God is the ultimate in holiness, and sin is holiness's polar opposite.

As for the Tower of Babel, those who built it were essentially saying "We don't need God." This was bad enough, but God foresaw what would happen if this were allowed to continue. When nothing is impossible for sinful man, then that potential will go straight into sin. We've got nuclear weapons today, but that's nothing compared to what might have happened. Maybe we would have gotten nukes sooner. Maybe something worse. Whatever the case, God averted a disaster on the scale of all humanity.

And Cain would have gotten his wife from among his sisters, just as Seth did.
Thank you !

[TeAroha]

The trees in the Garden and what happened to Job were both tests. Job passed his, Adam and Eve did not. The stuff that went wrong was the work of the devil. And even though Job's test was painful, God was a perfect gentleman about it and paid Job twice as much money as he lost and replaced child for child.

Abraham was also tested. You see, God had earlier promised him that through Issac, his offspring would be reckoned (Genesis 21:12). He believed God would keep His promise. He knew that God would either provide an animal (Genesis 22:8) or that He would raise Issac from the dead (Hebrews 11:19).

As humans, we have problems understanding God's holiness, since we have never seen Him. Those that have seen Him (like Isaiah) know just how holy He is - He is so holy, that if a sinful man looks Him in the face, the man will die. This is why Adam and Eve were banished, this is why punishment for sin is so harsh. God is the ultimate in holiness, and sin is holiness's polar opposite.

As for the Tower of Babel, those who built it were essentially saying "We don't need God." This was bad enough, but God foresaw what would happen if this were allowed to continue. When nothing is impossible for sinful man, then that potential will go straight into sin. We've got nuclear weapons today, but that's nothing compared to what might have happened. Maybe we would have gotten nukes sooner. Maybe something worse. Whatever the case, God averted a disaster on the scale of all humanity.

And Cain would have gotten his wife from among his sisters, just as Seth did.
Well said :)

[dimwhitt]

Why did God place the tree of good and evil in the garden if he knew Adam and Eve would sin? It seems the punishment does not fit the crime,especially when Adam and Eve sinned and then we are horribly punished for it. Why did God create the tree of life? Was the Garden of Eden a metaphor ? Was the serpent a snake or the devil or both ? Where did Cain get a wife? If God knew we would be evil and would have to flood the world to destroy us, why would he do that? Why was God displeased with humans for building the tower of Babel? Why would God ask Abraham do such a horrible thing as killing his son as a sacrifice and then tell him not to do it. If God asked me to sacrifice my son I would never do it. Why if Job was so devoted to God, would he let Satan harm him ? God is all powerful he should not have to prove anything to Satan. That scares me, because if I am completely devoted to God, i would be really hurt if he let Satan attack me. Please help , as this is seriously bothering me. :sigh:
does the punishment fit the crime when the innocent Jesus took upon Himself the sins committed by the world???

just remember, God made the boundries which we crossed and then made the provision by which we might find our way home