East of Eden

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:8-24 (day one)

“So He drove the man out. . .east of the garden of Eden.–v 24

East of Eden is the title of a John’s Steinbeck novel written in 1952.  It tells the stories of two families in Salinas Valley, California in the years after WWI.  It is a tale of depravity, love, courage and self-destruction.  The title (and story) are references to Genesis 3 and 4.

In Scripture, east of Eden is God’s poetic (literal and symbolic) description of life after the Fall.  As Adam and Eve leave the garden they travel East (the direction of the rising sun) into a new day dawning with difficulty and danger.  (The world we now live in).

It is NO part of God’s mercy to guarantee a consequence-free existence. ” Even though he sought the blessing with tears, he could not change what he had done.”–Hebrews 12:17. Lord help us obey before consequences come. Help us trust your mercy when they do.

 

No temptation

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:1-7  (day seven)

“No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it.”–1 Corinthians 10:13.

Eve didn’t know.  We do.
1)Temptation is common.  (Everyone experiences some version of the same attack).
2)God is faithful.  (Carefully monitors temptation so that it does not overwhelm us).
3)Provides a way of escape.  (in His time, provides a “door out”–even though it is not always obvious or immediate)
4) Calls us to endure.  (Assures us that we can).

“And though the world,with devils filled, should threaten to undo us, we will not fear for God hath willed His truth to triumph through us.”–Martin Luther, “Ein feste Burg–A Mighty Fortress is our God”

Be brave, dear friends!  No temptation is stronger than God.

The Goodness Charade

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:1-7  (day six)

Becoming like God was not what they expected. Yes, their eyes were opened, but it did not have the desired affect. From the very first bite, it was not goodness they would enjoy, but despair, shame, and separation; they had never known such things. It was a bitter concoction.

C.S. Lewis wrote, “There is but one good; that is God. Everything else is good when it looks to him, and bad when it turns from him.” (The Great Divorce) When we aim for good apart from God, we aim for nothing. It’s a ruse, a goodness charade. We convince ourselves that surely what we want is good until the game is up and discover it isn’t good at all. Adam and Eve discovered that turning from God to find their own good resulted in them being alone, from God and one another. The charade was up.

Good News

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:1-7  (day five) 

This section of scripture we read and study this week is one of the most important in the whole Bible. These six verses are chocked full of truths and insights to many of the foundational doctrines of our faith. Arthur Pink describes Genesis 3 as the “seed-plot of the Bible”

What can we learn? What is to be discovered about God, mankind, the enemy, sin?

Sin: The effect of sin in Genesis is still seen today- man seeking to run away from God. The divine account is given for the ruined condition and current state of the human race.

The Enemy: The devil is subtle yet strategic in his schemes.

Mankind: Humans are powerless to walk in righteousness without God’s grace and presence. The natural tendency is for man to cover his moral shame by his own handiwork.

God: His attitude towards the guilty sinner is grace and love. He provides a solution to restore the broken relationship between God and man.

Looks like there’s good news in the midst of all the sin, shame, and uncertainty!

 

Who Do You Trust?

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:1-7  (day four)

It was God…the Creator of the world…the Creator of life.  God had given the instructions to Adam and Eve concerning the fruit of the garden.  Not only was God the creator of all, but He also had a relationship with the garden couple.  He would walk with them in the cool of the day.  Why would they question what He had told them?

Don’t we do the very same?  God speaks to us through His Word.  He is our Creator and we have a relationship with Him…but we question whether what He said is really true.  We choose to forget who to trust.  In our pride and sin, we are deceived by the ‘serpents’ around us.  Who are we going to believe?  …the serpents of deceit or our Creator God who loves us beyond measure?  Satan will couch our temptations so we will begin to question if maybe there is more that God is not telling us.  God’s Word is Truth…who are you going to believe?

Desire

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:1-7  (day three)

“The woman saw that the fruit of the tree was… desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it.”  Within God’s life, desire occupies its rightful place of service to the other aspects of his character.  In our sin-corrupted lives, by contrast, we have elevated desire to a position of authority.  This is a position it is incapable of occupying well.  It was never meant to serve in place of reason.  It is a poor substitute for thinking.  It is a disaster when confused with love.  Here’s the history of sin in two words: I want.  Here’s the path back to purity in eight words: Not what I want, but what you want.  Which of these do you find yourself expressing?

Worth It?

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:1-7  (day two)

‘For what I am doing, I do not understand; for I am not practicing what I would like to do, but I am doing the very thing I hate.” Romans 7:15

It doesn’t take much, does it? We know what we should do, but we begin to wonder if it could really be all that bad to make the other choice. Would anyone notice? The answer, of course, is: yes it is really that bad, and God always notices. Surely it can’t be worth it based on those facts alone. Yet, the slippery slope of sin works in our hearts and minds, and before long we are knee deep in a pit of regret that we should have never experienced in the first place. Discover your pitfalls. Protect yourself with prayer and consider if Adam and Eve ever thought their decision was worth it…it wasn’t.

Deceived into doubt

Re:Verse reading–Genesis 3:1-7  (day one)

“But each one is tempted when he is carried away by his own lust.  Then when lust is conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it bring forth death.  DO NOT BE DECEIVED, my beloved brethren.”–James 1:14-16.

It is an old story.  Ever new, sadly.  The enemy questions God’s word.  Harmless question (or so it seems).  “Did God really say?”  Moves quickly to a statement.  “You will not die!  God knows you will become like Him.  He doesn’t care for you.  He is looking out for Himself!” (free translation/interpretation)

And, like all of her sons and daughters since, Eve falls for it.  Without any evidence or experience to support such a claim, she abandons her innocent confidence that God is good, and dies as she steps over the line of His commandment.

Why did she doubt God’s goodness?  Why did she second-guess His commands?  An enemy has done this!

 

 

Imago dei

Re: Verse reading–Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25 (day seven) 

We are made in God’s image. The Genesis story (God-given. Moses-recorded) makes it clear.  What does it mean?

Some say it is rationality.  We can think, reason, decide on a level that is much higher than animals.  In this, on a small scale, we are like God.

Some say it is spirituality.  Sharing the “breath of God” gives men a facility to hear God, connect with Him.  God is Spirit.  In Genesis, and when we are “born of the Spirit”, we share this identity with Him.

Some say it is responsibility.  V. 28 commands us to increase, fill, subdue and rule the world.  The Sabbath story (last week) underscores this idea.  Completing our task we rest with satisfied hearts.  Like God, we are responsible and creative.

What do you believe?  Whatever you decide, one thing is certain.  Our true identity is godly.  We are like Him.  Until we find Him we cannot know ourselves.

Thou

Re: Verse reading–Genesis 1:26-28; 2:18-25 (day six)

Then God said, “I now give you…” Genesis 1:29

It is no small thing, but it can be easily overlooked. God only addresses humankind with the second person pronoun, “you.” Not with any other creature, but Adam and then Eve, does God speak directly; later He will even issue His first command. This is so profound. We are distinct from all creation because we were made for the divine relationship; we were made to know and be known.

Consider this for a moment, there is no other created thing that hears God’s voice but humankind. When God said, “you” for the first time, Adam and Eve perceived it and understood it. They related to God; they knew Him. We were created to listen to God’s voice, to walk with Him in the garden, to truly know Him. Jesus declared to us that knowing God is the essence of eternal life. (John 17:3)

Are YOU listening?