One day the tempter said to the woman, “Is it possible that God has said that you must not eat of the fruit of all the trees of the garden?” Eve answered (Genesis 3:2, 3). The serpent said: “That is not true. You will not die. The real reason why God does not wish you to eat of the fruit of that tree is that when you do so you will become as a god yourself, for you will know good and evil.” It seems strange that Eve would listen to anyone who said that what God had told her was not true, but she did. She even began to look at the tree and its fruit and to long to have it, until, finally, she took it and ate, and gave some to Adam, and he ate. Then they did know good and evil, for they could remember the days when they were obedient and the happiness that they had, and now through shame and fear and the wretchedness of a guilty conscience they saw what evil is, and that with their own hands they had opened the door to let it into their lives. There was no longer any joy in the thought of the heavenly Father’s coming to the garden, and they tried to hide themselves from him. “Can any hide himself in secret places so that I shall not see him? saith Jehovah.” How would you answer that question? Of course they could not hide from God, and it would be the worst possible thing to do if they could. God knew of the wrong they had done and the punishment that the sin must bring to them, but his only wish was to help his sinful children, for he loved them then as always. (Have the children read verses 9 and 10 to themselves and then answer this question:) What reason did Adam give for hiding himself? Was that the true reason why he was afraid? No, for he had been naked before and had never been afraid. It was his sin that made him afraid. (Read verses 11, 23, 24.) You have guessed that the boy I told you about in the beginning of the lesson had disobeyed his father, and that that was the reason why he wished to hide. You knew because you have sometimes felt like hiding yourself for the same reason. So you can see how this old, old story tells what we know is true when it shows us that wrong doing separates us from the one whom we have disobeyed and makes us miserable. What was it that spoiled the happy home that Adam and Eve had in the Garden? What was it that spoiled Walter’s good times? Yes, disobedience; and it is always so. Those who break God’s law have to suffer for it in some way. But how glad we are to know that God loves us so much that when we are sorry and tell him so, he will forgive us and give us a chance to try again. Listen while I read you something that the Bible says about this. (Psalm 86:5; 1 John 1:9.) THE PUPIL’S BOOK FOR WORK AND STUDY