Six Sentence Story: After Eden

Somewhat less than eight thousand years ago in Eden, before the flood plowed, sifted and buried the place below a mile or so of sediment, Eve, and then Adam, found out the difference between good and evil. Henceforward, the only Creator-creature distinction that would be worth remembering was that God was good and they weren’t.

Before the incident with the forbidden fruit they didn’t need to know that. After it, creation itself shook, because they had been given dominion over the Earth and their style of dominion messed things up.

Today the Jacks and Jills, fighting all the way, are still climbing hills which rose above the retreating flood waters searching for the Living Water that would give them the power to stop falling down again and again. Should they ever find that Water, creation itself would rejoice.

______

Denise offers the prompt word “style” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Story.

Rom 8:19 KJV – 19 For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God.

Jack and Jill
went up the hill
to fetch a pale of water.
Jack fell down
and broke his crown
and Jill came tumbling after.

Mother Goose (from memory)

Where the Flood Waters Went as the Mountains Rose
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Author: Frank Hubeny

I enjoy walking, poetry and short prose as well as taking pictures with my phone.

21 thoughts on “Six Sentence Story: After Eden”

  3. Up until the encounter with the snake, Eve had never seen or experienced evil. The snake introduced it as a new dimension: Known and unknown. Wanting to be like God, she would make the unknown known by just eating a fruit? What a bargain! The catch was how the snake introduced it: good AND evil. Not understanding the difference, she couldn’t tell good FROM evil. The line was erased or blurred. Adam and Eve had not encountered death…no need to kill animals, no one getting old or falling into a pit and dying. As I understand it, even the animals weren’t killing each other. They had no concept of death. God made the 1st blood sacrifice to put animal skins on them for coverings. He showed them what death was and how they had now introduced this aspect into their perfect world. To ensure life, an animal had to die. The price of life was blood.

    When Abel offered the fat portions of a lamb, it involved blood. Cain didn’t offer something that had the same significance, it was just a token…something that had to be done as a duty, not something offered to acknowledge God’s power and grace. It was more rent money than an offering. It wasn’t the best or the first 10%, it appeared to be something he grabbed on the way. Cain’s offering seemed disrepspectful.

    You can see this dichotomy now.

    1. Worshipping some other god is always wrong, unless it’s a god that is equivalent and it fits your beliefs better.
    2. You should not worship something other than God, unless it’s football on TV, money, cars, science…
    3. Cursing and swearing or using God’s name in vain is always wrong, unless you work in fast food, retail, or stand-up comedy.
    4. Keeping the Sabbath is always required, unless it’s the month before Christmas, or you need the upper hand with your competitors that close on the weekend.
    5. Honoring your parents is always required, unless they’re evil and mean, or you’re in a sit-com on TV.
    6. Killing someone is always wrong, unless you’re protecting your family, protecting your home/village/beliefs/country…
    7. Adultery is always wrong, unless you’re a spy.
    8. Stealing is always wrong, unless you’re starving, your family is starving, you need secret information to protect your country…
    9. Coveting is always wrong, unless you’re in marketing.
    10. Framing someone for a crime they did not commit is always wrong, unless it improves the optics on your presidential campaign, it makes you look good in the sight of the community, or they still have the shovel you loaned them 3 years ago.

    There are no sins in this imperfect world that are always wrong. There are always exceptions. And therein lies the problem–no demarkation line. We do know both good and evil; we just can’t tell the difference.

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    1. Many good points in your comment, Rebecca! Here are some that stood out for me:

      1. The snake offered good AND evil, but Eve didn’t know the difference yet.
      2. God made the first blood sacrifice when he made skins for Adam and Eve to wear.
      3. Cain’s sacrifice was “more rent money than an offering”.

      I enjoyed the sarcasm in this: Worshipping some other god is always wrong, unless it’s a god that is equivalent and it fits your beliefs better.

      Blessings to you and thank you for all of these insights!

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  7. fun conversation you’ve gone and inspired here this week

    the Garden and it’s first tenants are, like almost irresistible when my words take me towards the folly of Man

    good Six yo

    Liked by 1 person

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