We can suppose Adam and Eve may have met their temptation with thinking along these lines—we’re the only ones here, nobody else will ever be affected if we taste of this fruit or if we don’t. Surely it would take more than one little thing between God and us to ruin such a perfect relationship. God’s kindness and understanding would never allow us to be separated; He is very indebted to us, He created us! If only they had known the condition of the world and the effects shown in everyone’s personal life, 6,000 years later. How can that one moment in the Garden be so enormous? Was it that much more significant than the decisions we face today?
I have observed that it seems the smallest and most insignificant events, produce the greatest life-altering circumstances. The fruit of the tree of knowledge was not to be tasted or touched. How small is that? A fruit! How can a small fruit change the entire future of billions of souls, plunging them into corrupt adulteration? How powerful and vast are the small things! How can touch and taste be so powerful? How can that one moment of suggestive logic be so devastating? Was it the serpent or was it disobedience?
Israel was in the midst of a huge spiritual defeat, defined by a final threat from a Philistine giant. There was no one powerful enough to take down this adversary of God’s people. A young, inexperienced shepherd boy from the hills of Hebron, near Bethlehem, was delivering cheese, corn, and bread to his brothers at the warfront on the ridge of Elah, when he heard about Goliath. He was scorned by his brothers because of his inexperience and stature. David should have never approached this confrontation; it was not in his category of duty. The moment seemed all wrong.
Lodged deep in the experience of time there was a moment when a prophet poured oil upon the life of a young lad in the hills of Judea. His life was never same from there forward. 1 Samuel 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. Then he became an armor-bearer for the king. Among his grand duties, he still fed the sheep of his father, and amongst the carrying out of tasks insignificant, here was this moment when he saw the giant man with a 5-gallon-sized head, being almost ten feet tall.
I’ve stood on this hill in the valley of Elah several times to envision the conflict. There was a moment when David remembered the oil of anointing upon him—it was in the valley of Elah, when things came alive by the mighty hand of God upon a lad of no recognizable significance. There was oil upon him from the hand of God; It was the equipment he needed in that moment to trust the Lord with power and faith in His purpose. He was transitioning from shepherd to heavenly warrior. A lad transitioning to a king of highest cause, directed by Almighty God himself! It was the earliest preforming of a rising emperor. It was a moment of importance and purpose, much deeper than the grasps of highest human wisdom could comprehend. David’s mighty work started with a stone. It was a defining moment in world history and still is to this day. God’s moment with you and a stone could break the tallest and strongest of human strength.
Jesus was led into the wilderness by the Holy Spirit to be tested. Forty days later, He came out of the wilderness, empowered by the Holy Spirit. We read that Jesus had four specific encounters with Satan. Three times in the desert while being Spirit-led; once while walking with His most useful disciple, Peter. It was after Peter suggested to Jesus that He would not have to die on the cross that Jesus said to Peter, “Satan, get thou behind me”. Satan always tries to get in front of us and influence us wrongly. The place for Satan is never in front of us, he must be ordered to get behind us, in the name of Jesus. If Jesus would have yielded to any one of these suggestions, it would have obliterated the plan of salvation for humanity.
Moments of great importance nearly always appear as instances of no great significance. We tend to allow our minds to deviate from the consequential reality of our decision-making moments. All moments are assigned to accomplish the will of God, and all opportunity is a gift released alone by His grace! Hallelujah!
