God spoke to Adam and Eve in Swedish, Adam replied in Dutch, and the Serpent tempted Eve in French.
I read recently that a Middle Eastern legend thought differently. According to the legend, Adam and Eve spoke in Persian, the Serpent seduced Eve in Arabic, and Gabriel kicked them out of the Garden of Eden in Turkish.
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In the same century, an orientalist presented a paper with his calculations of how tall some of the famous Old Testament men were. According to him, Adam was 140 feet tall, Noah was 50 feet tall, Abraham was 40 feet tall, and Moses was 25 feet tall (comparatively a runt!).
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These two may not have considered themselves liars; after all, if they said it, it must be true! (Sound like someone we know?) Of course, "alternative facts" have been around since the beginning! The Serpent introduced the practice (if not the euphemism)...and mankind has never been able to disentangle himself from it. Again and again the Word of God speaks to us about making the effort to overcome it. For example: "Therefore each of you must put off falsehood and speak truthfully to your neighbor, for we are all members of one body." (Ephesians 4:25)
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But let's cheer up! There are fabulous promises for the future. As believers, we can look forward to a time when we won't have to worry about falsehood and deception being such an almost-inextricable part of life. Imagine, once Jesus returns and once we begin the rest of Eternity in Heaven...
"They will never tell lies or deceive one another. They will eat and sleep in safety, and no one will make them afraid," (Zephaniah 3:13)
And... "Nevertheless we, according to His promise,
look for new heavens
and a new earth in which righteousness dwells." (II Peter 3:13)
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Father, help us keep on a straight course, living honestly, as You want, and persevering in the hope You give us through your amazing promises. YOU ARE AWESOME!
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