Now for the consequences. Picking up where we left off yesterday.

Genesis 3:17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

The lesson has to be there are always consequences for sin. No offense can go without some consequence no matter how small. Key in this is the need for the consequence to be appropriate in size to the offence. While some might argue that God’s punishment for the offence was not appropriate allow me to remind them that Adam just caused all creation to be cast out of paradise. God warned Adam when He gave the command.

Genesis 2:17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

It is not like Adam had the excuse of not being warned. Likewise parents need to set boundaries, limits and warnings of consequences for violation. While babies need liberty, we cannot entreat them like babies their whole lives. Lessons of acceptable behavior are taught, they are no instinctual.

Proverbs 22:6 Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.

There is much wisdom in the proverbs and it should be taught in the home. The standard for right behavior has to be right relationship.

Proverbs 16:17 The highway of the upright is to depart from evil: he that keepeth his way preserveth his soul.

Psalm 18:21 For I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God.

The psalms are good relationship teachings.