Birth of Fear

Birth of Fear

Genesis 3

“Fear is not part of Gods’ plan for your life.”

-E. Roop

^“And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.  And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?  And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.  And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?” (Genesis 3:8-11)

Until that moment, fear was not a part of human vocabulary. Adam and Eve lived a life resting in their Creators presence and provision. In the Garden of Eden, the animals were all friends that Adam had named individually.  The food in the garden grew in abundance, where Adam and Eve tasted the deliciousness of food not cursed by sin.  Each evening God would come and walk with Adam and Eve and talk to his Creation. Sin changed it all, as fear was born in the heart of humankind.

The same things that produced fear in Adam and Eve, still today births fear in our hearts.  When Adam and Eve chose to disobey God, they experienced the spirit-crushing feeling of failure. It is that fear of failure that often keeps Christians from answering God’s call on their lives, or reaching out to the lost. It is a fear that the serpent, Satan, uses to paralyze a Christian from taking steps of faith.

“Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.”  Since Eve didn’t run away screaming when a snake walked up to her and talked, we can conclude that Adam and Eve had no need to fear the animals, and probably considered them friends.  For God to make coats of skins to clothe Adam and Eve, they possibly first experienced death in the making of those clothes. Many believe since a lamb would be sacrificed to point to God’s redemptive plan, that it was lambskin that clothed them. When Adam and Eve left the garden, they went into a world where death would be a reality as they saw their son murder his brother. Death and separation from those you love would become a fear that would plague humanity.

Can you imagine Adam and Eve standing outside of Eden with “Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way” blocking the entrance? Ahead of them was the unknown future. The animals were no longer harmless, food no longer grew without sweat, and childbirth would bring pain. How could they survive?  Too many times, Christians become wracked with fear when facing the unknown future. How can I afford college?   What do I do without a job?  Why did Daddy leave us?  Why do we have to move?  Why did they die? On that day outside the Garden of Eden, weeping, and wrapped in animal skins, the fear of the future was born.

Adam and Eve lost everything the day they chose to disobey God, but their most significant loss was the presence of God in their lives.  Sin built a wall that would stop those cool of the evening walks with their Creator.  He could no longer look upon them without seeing their sin. Humans would listen to the “serpents” voice and seek everything and everyone to fill the void in their lives.  Their greatest fear would become being alone and not being accepted by others when the real answer is in the Lamb of God.

God knew the day fear was born that it would plague the human heart. In the Bible, there are 365 “fear not,” one for each day of the year. “Fear is not part of God’s plan for your life.” II Timothy 1:7 says, “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

We cannot return to the beautiful Garden of Eden, but the blood-bought children of God can have their fear dissipate when they rest in their Father’s presence and provision for their lives.