Crime and Punishment II

As we left Cain and Abel last time, they had just offered a tribute of their respective goods to God. god respected and favored Abel's offering over Cain's because it was of the first fruits of his flock. Abel had set aside God's tribute first before his own whereas Cain just offered when the time came. Cain, seeing God's favor of Abel, became jealous and angry. God warned Cain where his thoughts would lead if he opened the door for them. Now we See Cain talking with Abel ...

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. Cain talked with Abel. The word for talk here carries the idea of a challenge or argument. And when they were in the field, Cain allowed his feelings to overcome and he killed Abel.

And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper? Here again, the Lord is judge. He asks Cain what happened to Abel which gave Cain the opportunity to confess and repent. God knew where Abel was. Instead, Cain lies to God (Remind you of someone else?). He thinks he has gotten away with his evil and shrugs off his responsibility saying "Am I my brother's keeper?" In other words, "It wasn't my turn to watch him."

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. God challenges Cain with a question that lets him know God knows. God also here shows his relationship with the entire creation (Matthew 6:24-34). He says "the call of your brothers blood shrieks unto me from the ground." It was not just a simple "Yooo Hooo!! I was murdered. Hey! Over here!!" It was a shriek! GOD!!! I WAS MURDERED!!!!

And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; It is important to note that God's curses are effective as we shall discuss in later books. God here provides punishment and the reason for that punishment. Cain would be cursed, blocked from the very earth that had received his brother.

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth. Cain was a tiller of the ground. It was his livelihood and it had received his brother as he had not. God removes that blessing of bounty from Cain because of his being unrepentant and unreceptive. Also, because of his denying Abel life, Cain was to forfeit his life of a tiller of the ground with the company and life it afforded. He was to become an outcast from not just the earth, but society as well wandering from place to place being scorned and shunned.

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Cain realizes the full implications of his punishment. He realizes it is more than he bargained for and that he has not escaped the responsibility for his crime.

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me. God has punished Cain with a life of perpetual wandering and death. Cain realizes that he would no longer be in the presence of God which he numbers as primary and that his livelihood was gone, and that people would try to kill him for what he had done therefore causing him to continually be fleeing for the rest of his life. What a wasteland of a life to suddenly stretch out before the mind's eye.

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. The Lord replies to Cain's fears "Not so!" and lays a punishment upon any who would slay Cain 7 times heavier than Cain's punishment. Then, that Cain might be protected, God places a mark on him. We will never know what this mark was, for it is not important that man should know. Suffice it to say that it was distinctive to where all would leave Cain alive.

Some have wondered why God did not perform capital punishment upon Cain. My thoughts on this are as follows:
Cain committed his crime against Abel, unlike Nadab and Abihu who committed theirs directly against God.

God's justice is always just. He set such a high price upon the blood of another human that no one would be willing to pay.

God had not set life for life until man left the ark.
There is no evidence of a government body to whom God had delegated the sword of justice to carry out such a punishment.

Lessons From This Text:

1. If we do not control our emotions, they will control us.
Cain allowed his jealousy and anger control his thoughts and eventually his actions. As a result of this lack of control, Abel died.

2. God gives us an opportunity to repent of our wrong. God asked a question so that Cain could repent just like He offered the opportunity to Adam and Eve. The difference? Adam and Eve owned up to their sin, Cain did not.

3. God knows what has been done, so lying to God will not work. Cain tried to lie his way out of the situation, but God knew the truth.

4. We are responsible for how we treat others. Cain thought he was not his brother's keeper but that was not the case. Just like Cain, we are to watch out for our brothers and sister's not bring them to harm.

5. Lack of responsibility and lying to God brings harsh consequences. As a result of Cain's lies and his lack of responsibility and caring, God pronounced a curse upon Cain that was equal to his crime. As Abel lost his life, Cain lost the one that he knew. As Abel lost his place in society, Cain lost his. As Cain suffered social death along with the spiritual death and the physical death brought on by sin, so we too will be cast from the face or presence of God and die should we physically die without repenting of our sins and contacting the blood of Christ.

6. Even in the midst of punishment, God cares for the punished. Because Cain was cursed and therefore required to be shunned and wander, he was afraid of the cost of that curse. Because of that fear, God afforded him an amount of protection. Even so, we are afforded an opportunity at salvation in the midst of our sins.

Christian

YOU RULE!!

Well, after a long period to adjust to the curve ball life just threw at me, I have returned.
We ended our discussion last time with Adam and Eve being driven from the garden that lay in Eden and a cherubim and a flaming sword keeping the way to the Tree of Life.

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. Here we have the first recorded live birth. Adam and Eve were parents and it is of note that Eve knew who had blessed her with a son. Having sinned, she still knew God and His bounty.

And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. I find it also interesting that Cain was a man from the Lord and here Abel is a breath (definition of Abel). Does this mean, as many commentators suggest, that she believed him to be the fulfillment of the promise in chapter 3 verse 15? I can only read that she attributed him to have been given by the Lord. Another special note to make here is that from the beginning we have farmers and shepherds.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. Cain knew to whom he owed his livelihood and he brought a tribute.

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: Abel also knew to whom he owed his livelihood and also brought a tribute to the Lord. There was a significant difference between Cain's tribute and Abel's tribute. It was significant to the point that one God accepted or respected and the other He did not. Can you see the difference?

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. Cain knew also that God did not accept his tribute which made him very angry and it showed.

And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? God knew the heart of Cain.

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. God explains to Cain that if Cain makes God happy (yatab translated 'doest well') he would be accepted. Universal truth being stated here. God accepts those who make Him happy or does that which is right. Second truth: If you don't do right, offence only waits to enter and desires you, but you rule over sin.

Lessons From This Text

1.) Our children come from the Lord. We must always remember who is the beginning of life and the bestower of our blessings.

2.) Our tribute or offering to God should aways be our finest and our first. Abel brought the firstfruits of his flock. Cain simply brought of his field. The difference? Abel's firstfruits were accepted because He gave to God the first of his herd who gave it to him. Abel recognized this truth, Cain did not, thinking that any old fruit would do.

3.) If we do that which pleases God, we shall be accepted by God. If we do not, God will not accept us or respect our offering.

4.) If we do not that which pleases God, sin waits at the entrance. when we open the door, it will enter and consume us. Yet we have the dominion over sin. We can keep the door shut or indeed throw sin out.

Christian

Reflections of Fall

Reflections of Fall

The seasons come and seasons go.
Now fall is here but almost done,
The leaves to rake, the grass to mow,
Apples to pick, errands to run.

Time never stands still, its always going.
Like leaves from the trees flutter to fade and rot,
So too our lives drift on breezes blowing,
To fall to the ground only to fade and be forgot.

But Oh! to those leaves that time has let rotten.
This is not the end, for some leaves so splendid
Are plucked from the ground, they are not forgotten.
Their beauty so precious, Oh no! its not ended.

Their color so beautiful, it must be preserved,
And thus between pages the leaf it is pressed.
While others so drab are given a fate full deserved,
Being raked and burned, their dullness addressed.

So our lives often so pretty in the spring as they bud,
Some so green in the summer; some fast faded,
In the fall of our years, some brilliant others dulled
Fall to the ground, some preserved others burned.

We all have been given the same time to be radiant;
The opportunity to be pressed in the pages of His Book of Life.
The question comes forth "What will your color be?"
Time draws to the end; "Will it be burned or will it be brilliant?"
Christian - 2008

Dear readers, as I reflected upon fall and all its beauty, I thought I would share with you a poem . Look for more in depth discussion later this week. As for me, I've got to hit the books. School has begun!!
Our God is an awesome God!!!
Christian

But I Don't Want To Go!!!!

God has just handed out His divine judgement upon the disobedient creation. As we watched, He passed judgement upon the serpent, the devil, the Woman, the ground, and Adam. Now let us turn our attention to the crowd's reaction. . . .


And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Here Adam finally give his wife an identity - He names her Eve. Prior to this she was known as Woman which was the equal of Man. Adam, by the way, means "ruddy", Eve means "lifegiver". In so naming Eve, he designated her primary task: "the mother of all living." God set Adam's primary task in chapter 1:26-28, in chapter 2:15, and again reiterated it in His sentence upon man here in chapter 3:17-19. It is to have mastery over the earth and to provide the necessities for him and his family.

Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. Interesting point from the Scriptures here. God's standard of decency is NOT the same as man's. As we discussed briefly in reading verse 7, man sewed together fig leaves (remember fig leaves are approximately 5-7 inches in length) into an apron (word means a belt or girdle) which would then cover from the waist down and thought that was decent. God's standard of decency was that of a complete covering. Coat then meant the same thing essentially as it means today - a covering, a coat or robe. (all definitions of Hebrew words taken from Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Greek and Hebrew Lexicons). God covered from the neck down.

And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Satan was right. The truth was that man would become as his Father: he would know the difference between good and evil. Man now has that aspect of God and because of God's sentence of physical death and spiritual redemption, man would not be allowed to access the tree of life and eternal life. Can you imagine one man (or many) living for all time committing sin and wickedness? We are not talking about a man who lives a span of 60-100 years in his sin and wickedness but one that has been living since the creation of the world. As we know the reveled plan of redemption, eternal life is offered only through obedience to one Man (John 10:25-30; I john 2:23-25); the Man that Adam foreshadowed - Jesus (Romans 5).

Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. To prohibit man from gaining a eternal life physically, God sent him from the garden. Not only did this accomplish the purpose of prevention, it also signified the end of God providing their sustenance. This literally meant that man would have to toil to cause the ground to produce his food.

So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life. Man did not want to leave. God sent, and then drove (no not in a Beamer) man out of the garden. The word drove here means "A primitive root; to drive out from a possession; especially to expatriate or divorce: - cast up (out), divorced (woman), drive away (forth, out), expel, X surely put away, trouble, thrust out." Then to prevent man from returning, God put a guard. Did you ever notice how much East figures prominently in the Bible? Just a thought question. The entrance to the garden was on the east side and the guard was placed there. The guards were of the heavenly beings and were known as cherubims (see Ezekiel 10 for a description of cherubims), and they had a flaming sword that turned about every which way. This means that it watched all sides, no one could enter to gain access to the tree of life.

Readers, I am adding a new subsection to each post entitled "Lessons from this text." I hope you will help me develop this section in the comments with your own lessons.
Lessons from this text:
1.) Names have meanings: They can be used for identity, for position, and for description. Example: Eve means "lifegiver" and was given because she was the mother of all living (Genesis 3:20). Esau means "hairy" and was so named because he was a hairy child from birth (Genesis 25:25). Jesus means "Jehovah is salvation" and He was named so because "for he shall save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:21).
2.) God's ways and standards are not the same as man's ways and standards. Man thought he was decent with just a simple apron. God's standard of decency was more covering in the form of a robe. Sure shows how far man has fallen when one looks at the "fashions" of today.
3.) God means what He says.
A.) When God has a plan, no one interferes with the carrying out of that plan including a tree of life.
B.) When God passes judgement, it is carried out completely. There is no compromise. His court is fair, and just the first time with no need for a retrial. Our judgement has yet to happen. We need to make sure that the evidence for our salvation is clear and present or we will not be judged favorably.
C.) When God sends, you go. Jonah found this out the hard way as well (read the book of Jonah). God sent and man went though not very willingly.

Christian

Crime and Punishment or THAT'S NOT FAIR!!!

My, My how time doth fly. I suddenly realized that it has been a couple of weeks since I posted here. My sincerest regrets to you dear readers.

Last post, the buck was passed and it stopped at the serpent. God asked why they hid, how they knew they were naked, and who told them. Adam blamed Woman for giving him the fruit and God for giving him the woman. Woman blamed the serpent for deceiving her into eating. And now, God turns His attention to the subtil serpent as we pick up where we left off.

And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: The serpent, because he decieved Woman and brought about the entrance of sin, death, and seperation from God into this world, receives his punishment. This curse has not ended, serpents everywhere still crawl upon their bellies in the dust.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. This part of the punishment was a prophecy intended to bring hope to mankind and was addressed to THAT serpent we know as the Devil a murderer and the father of lies (Revelation 20:2; John 8:44). Some have suggested that the enmity was only between Woman and the serpent, yet I would to ask them, "Are not men a part of that seed?" Regardless, we know that the seed referred to here is Jesus as is referenced by the third person singular pronoun in the latter part of the last phrase, and He had no earthly father to sire Him (Matthew 1:18-25; Galatians 4:4; I John 3:8).

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
Now He turns to the second part of the equation that brought sin, death, and seperation from God into this once pleasing earth - Woman. The curse of Woman is in three parts. 1.) greater sorrow and children; 2.) greater sorrow in children; and 3.) desire towards and subjection to her husband. Notice in our discussion of Genesis 2:20-24 that Woman was created from man for the purpose of being a suitible helper. As such she was equal in standing with man (bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh). Because she listened to and followed her desire instead of ruling it, God put that desire under the rule of man. Because she tempted man to sin by offering the fruit, she was and is subjected to man. Paul reiterates this point in I Timothy 2:11-15, I Corinthians 11:7-12 and Ephesians 5. Notice too, that it is God, not man, that places Woman in that position.

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; God now turns to the third party in this deed - Adam. Adam stands accused of two sins: 1.) Obeying his wife instead of God, and 2.) Breaking the commandment of God. Because of man's sin, man must face the consequences. One consequence is that of death (Romans 5:12) which is a direct result of disobedience to God's commands. As for the other, God pronounces a curse upon the ground. Man would not be allowed to enjoy the fruits of God's labour (the garden) but must earn them through labor/worry/toil/sorrow (itstsabone - translated here as sorrow) throughout the whole of his life.

Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; The ground would yield thorns and thistles as Adam toiled and instead of the garden with its fruits, Adam would have to eat of the fruit of the field.

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return. God wanted Adam to realize the extent of the damage that his sin caused and therefore explained it to him. Adam now would be required to work and not just any work - TOIL (i.e. work hard). "Adam, you will eat the product of your sweat (meaning hard work) until the day you die and return to dust for you were made from dust. Because you are from dust, you will return to dust."

God, it seems, always starts at the begining. :) He began the Bible at the begining of this universe to answer where we came from. He began at the begining of sin with the one that instigated it. Satan had begun the incident with a lie, Woman had perpetuated it with desire, Adam had finalized it with disobedience. Satan's tool was cursed, Satan was punished, Woman was punished, Adam's livelihood was cursed, Adam was punished. Woman-kind suffers sorrow and subjection as a result of Woman's sin. Man-kind suffers death and toil as a result of Adam's sin. And the earth was forever marred.

Christian

"The Devil Made Me Do It

Mankind has just eaten of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and, in so doing, become aware of the difference between what is good and what is evil. Upon hearing the Voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the evening, they felt new emotions: shame and fear. We ended the last post with God asking them if they had eaten of the tree that He had commanded them not to eat. And so we continue.




And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? As we pointed out last time, God gives them an opportunity to realize they had disobeyed His commandment and to repent of that wrong. Being God, He knew they had eaten of the tree, and He let them know he knew by equating their knowledge of their nakedness with the eating from the tree.
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Here Adam makes his second blunder by introducing world to the "passing the buck" attitude (also known as playing the blame game), trying to pin the blame on God. He says "God, its your fault because YOU gave me this woman as a companion and she brought me this fruit from the tree for me to eat. Since you gave her too me as a helper, how was I to know this was wrong?" Obviously I am paraphrasing, giving voice to the attitude that Adam exemplifies here.
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. God turns to the woman and asks her what her part was in the matter. She also has the opportunity to repent of the wrong but chooses instead to follow her husband's lead (reminds me of another couple in the book of Acts wherein the wife followed the husband's lead and it also led to severe consequences, but I digress). Woman responds to God by also passing the blame. She says, "The serpent made me do it!"



Readers, an important fact that one must learn from this account is this: the blame resides with the one committing the action/wrongdoing/sin and not with any one or thing else.



Adam said it was God's fault for giving him a defective companion who would give him (Adam) the fruit that God commanded them not to eat. And he said it was Woman's fault for giving him the fruit. But Adam missed the fact that he ate! He did not have to eat of that fruit. Woman did not have him tied up and force him to eat. She simply gave the fruit to him. He chose to obey Woman who said "Here, eat this."



Woman also missed that same fact. She ate! It simply was not the serpent forcing Woman to eat fruit by stuffing it down her throat. The serpent was guilty only of deceiving Woman. Woman was guilty of believing the serpent and eating the fruit and giving it to her husband. She could have turned a deaf ear to the serpent. She could have chosen to obey God and not eat the fruit. Having eaten the fruit, she could have chosen not to give it to her husband. But instead, she chose to obey the desire of her heart rather than God, she chose to cause another to stumble.



Christian

The Shock of Sin

So there stood Adam and woman, realizing that they had done evil and that they were in opposition to God. In that realization came the understanding that they were naked and they were ashamed of being naked. So they made clothing out of their surroundings.

And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
As we just saw, they were standing there when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden. How can you hear a voice walking? You and I have a voice, have you ever heard it walking? No. Our voices are a part of us. they are contained and produced by our body. This fact means that the voice of Lord God would be a part of the Lord God. Why then would it be treated in Scripture as a seperate entity than the Lord God? The fact that it was walking and could be heard walking means that this voice had a body. So I ask, who was the voice of the Lord God?

So this voice was walking in the garden and it was the cool of the evening and when they heard the sound of the voice walking, they hid themeselves. This means they were familiar enough with the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden that they knew the sound of his tread. Hearing this familiar step, they hid themselves. It is important to note that they hid themselves "from the presence of the Lord God." The voice here becomes the presence of the Lord God. I have a presence. My spouse has a presence. My friends have presences. Yet when we are together, our presences are not interchangeable. Therefore, only God has the presence of God. If the voice has the presence of God, that makes him God. Who then is the Voice of God?

They hid themselves from the presence of God among the trees. Our children, when they have done something they shouldn't have done and think they might get into trouble for it, will also hide though they realize that we shall find out.

And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? Well, the Lord God called out to Adam saying "Where are you, Adam?"

And he (Adam) said, I heard thy voice in the garden (again showing that Adam was familiar with the Voice of God enough to know the sound of Him walking in the garden), and I was afraid (Adam was scared because he knew he had been disobedient), because I was naked (herein was his shame: he was naked and because of his new-found understanding of good and evil, he knew it was wrong); and I hid myself (because of his shame at being disobedient and being naked).

And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
God goes right to the heart of the issue. In asking who it was that told Adam that he was naked, God directs Adam's understanding to the fact that no one could have told Adam that he was naked. This knowledge had to have come as a result of eating the fruit. Had the serpent, for example, simply told woman she was naked, Woman would have no understanding of the concept of nakedness. It had to come as a result of the understanding.

In asking if Adam had eaten of the tree that he was commanded not to eat, God allows man the opportunity to confess and be repentant. More to come next time.

Dear readers, I asked you who was the voice of the Lord God. We see from the text, that this voice was a part of God (voice of the Lord God), it had a body (heard the voice of the Lord God walking), it was a being (presence of the Lord God), and it was God (presence of the Lord God). Therefore, it could only be the second entity of the Godhead. We are told in John 1 verses 1-3, that "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. The Greek word used here is logos. It means "something said (including the thought); by implication a topic (subject of discourse). . ." So we gather that the Word (who was in the begining with God and was in fact God, is the same as the Voice of the Lord God. As we read further in John 1 specifically in verse 14, we see that the Word/Voice became flesh and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.

Christian

This Looks G-O-O-O-D!!!

Boy! That serpent sure is devious. He started out by asking woman to verify a lie, which drew her into conversation. Then he insinuated that God lied to her. ending by promising her the desire of her innocent heart to wit: being like God, the one she looked up to and wanted to be like. Lets continue.

And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
Notice here that the woman looked at the tree. Was this the first time? Well we notice that she looked upon it in a unique way, realizing that it had fruit and fruit was food. She saw it was a pretty. And that it served the purpose of making the eater like God. Suddenly, to her lusting mind, the pros of the tree outweighed the one con - disobeying God. So she had to have one and indeed found it good enough that she passed it on to her husband to eat. It was her being a dutiful wife. He ate.

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
After they ate, they understood that what they had done was evil. They understood that they were naked and that being naked was not a good thing anymore. The first thing they did upon realizing this sin, was to sew fig leaves together into aprons. The word for apron here literally means belt or girdle. It means that they covered the waist down. So the very first fashion design was a simple yet functional article that wrapped at the waist and extended the length of a fig leaf (roughly 5-10") downwards.

Well, the serpent sure played woman like a fiddle as the saying goes. He used her emotions to his advantage. Which just goes to show, that one should always watch the desires of one's heart.

Christian

God Lied!?!

We saw the account of creation in fact form in the first chapter of Genesis. Then got "the rest of the story", as a popular radio personality would say, in the second chapter. Now we turn our attention to another account of equal and sobering importance - the fall of man.

Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? God created the serpant. This serpant was more subtle or cunning than any other beast of the field (as we know he still wasn't a suitable help for the man). This particular serpant can reason and talk. He says to the woman, which by the way still hasn't been named, "Has God truely said 'Don't eat of every tree of the garden'? What an opening for a conversation! He begins with a lie to draw her into talking with him. Some wonder why she didn't wonder or run from a talking serpant. Thoughts or comments?

And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: The woman is indeed engaged in chat. "We can eat of the fruit of the garden's trees." I can see her standing there shaking her head "No! Thats not right! God said we can eat the fruit of these trees."

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. "All except of the tree in the middle of this garden. God said we can't eat nor even touch it or else we shall die."

And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: The serpant responds to the woman reassuringly: "You won't die at all."

For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. "Even God knows that when you eat of it, your eyes will open and you will exist like God knowing good and evil." How much do we as children desire to be like our parents? How many times have we heard the refrain "I want to be just like daddy (or mommy) when I grow up!"? The serpant used the right argument upon an innocent woman. Even deeper is the fact that the serpant villifies God by saying He lied to Adam and woman. There is no turning back for the serpant.

Christian

WHERE did SHE come from!?!

As we left off last post, God had brought all living things namely of the field and the birds of the sky, all of which He had formed from the soil, to Adam to name (which Adam did) but there wasn't a helpmeet found for him. Thought question for you, dear readers, "Is there a difference between helper and helpmeet? If so, what is it?" Also, did you notice that neither the reptiles nor the fish were brought for naming? Hmmmmm.


And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; Again, an implied emphasis is placed upon the "Self-Existent" nature of God. Here we have the very first anesthesia administered for the very first surgery. I remember, as I was growing up, there was a childish rumor that men in general had one less rib than women. I have since found out that this is incorrect and that they each have the same number of ribs.

And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. Why do you suppose that God made woman from man? Why didn't He just mould her from the ground the same way He had done man? One word that comes to mind is helpmeet.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Notice here that Adam again uses that authority as given by God back in verse 19. The right of naming. I would also like to point out that Adam displays another attribute that God gave him . . . reasoning (sometimes known as logic). Adam knew instantly where this creature had come from. She was flesh and bone from Adam's flesh and bone which (to me) signifies that she was the same as him like those animals were not. He reasons here that she was a suitable helpmeet. He called her woman because she came from out of man. Whew! That's a lot to get from those few words.

Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. Why shall a man leave his father and mother and cleave to his wife? Because woman was taken from out of man. I will also point out here that man shall cleave or adhere or be joined together with, his wife not with another man.
Also notice via the terminology used here, that the same action is required of the woman. She also is to relinquish her father and mother in the same manner as man and cleave, or adhere, or be joined together with man and not another woman.
The idea portrayed by the use of cleave, is that of holding on with the entirety of one's strength. Just like you depended upon your parents for ; so now you are to relinquish those parents for your spouse; depending on him or her for support, encouragement, love, solace, guidance, sustenance, your needs and your wants.

And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed. Here is another fact presented, although a second can be also gleaned. First, there is no shame in innocence. Neither Adam nor Woman (she hadn't been named Eve yet) knew right from wrong and in that state of innocence (or absence of the knowledge of good and evil) there were no sinful desires with nakedness. Second, there is no shame associated with nakedness when it is in the confines of the marriage.

Here ends chapter two of Genesis. We have been taken from God ceasing creating, through the formation of the garden in Eden, through the formation of man, followed his search for a suitable helpmeet, listened briefly as he named the beasts of the field and the birds of the air. We viewed the first surgery, saw the joy of finding the perfect helpmeet, discovered the meaning of marriage and ending with realizing that in innocence there is no sin.

Now, dear reader, do not forget that I asked if there were a difference between helper and helpmeet. See you in the comments with answers.

I'm Sooo Lonely!!!

"Lord, I need help to carry out your will. It is too big a task."

And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. God, again shows His providential nature for His creation and gives us some more information about ourselves. Man was not meant to be alone nor was He meant to shoulder the workload of the tasks God had given him all by himself. So God decides to provide a helper for man.

And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. God brought all living things namely of the field and the birds of the sky which He formed out of the ground to Adam to see what he would name them and what he called out became its name.

And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
"Son, that is a cat."
"Why daddy?"
"Because that is what Adam named it, son."
Notice here that even though there were dogs and parrots, cats and canaries, and horses etc. not one was a suitable companion for Adam nor indeed a suitable helper.

I Can't Do What!?!

God caused a garden to grow in the land of Eden and in that garden, he placed man and set him a simple task. That being to dress (otherwise known as tilling and weeding etc.) and keep (meaning to protect and tend) the garden. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

In order for man to accomplish the task that God set for him, God provided sustenance for man.
And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: You are to eat of the fruit of the garden wherein you labor. God has provided living space, a job, and a payment for man's work. Hmm, maybe the saying "Nothing in life is free" comes from here. What do you think? Man was not made to laze around but to be busy tending God's creation.

But that food came with a price, for God commanded man: 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. You can not eat of this one tree or else you will die. Another point that is shown here, is that God gave (and gives) enough information for His will to be clearly known and carried out, yet does not clutter the command with useless explanations. How often will you hear a parent tell their child to do a task and then go off into a lengthy dissertation of why it should be done, every detail of how it should be done and finally 10 minutes later conclude with what would happen if they did not finish the task? God put it simply. He said, "This is My will. Do it or die." Or, to quote Him specifically, "Do not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil or you will die." "Son, go clean your room or you will be punished."

God, the powerful God, the Self-existent God, the bountiful God the Demanding God. How Mighty and Awesome is OUR God!?!

Christian

Paradise? I have to WORK in Paradise!?!

Many throughout history have wondered where the garden of Eden was. Today, we shall see . . .

8. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. The self-existent God planted, notice it does not say created, a garden in Eden and placed the man whom He had moulded. Where was the garden? In the land of Eden. Now where was the land of Eden, hmm?

10. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The self-existent God sprouted from the soil every tree pleasing to view and to eat; the tree of life centered the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Note that by using the Jehovah God (KJV - Lord God), Moses (the penman) shows that all owes its existence to the One that exists because He exists.

10. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. Now we get further details. The garden had an irrigating stream that split into four rivers after it left the garden. I've always wanted to have a garden with fruit trees and a slow stream meandering through it.

11. The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; The first river was Pison or Pishon meaning dispersive and encompassed Havilah (meaning circular) famous for its gold.
12. And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And not just good gold, but precious stones of bdellium and onyx.
13. And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. Gihon means stream and it encompasses Ethiopia. (I know where that is :D).
14. And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. Hiddekel is not a Hebrew word but Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible puts forth the notion that this river is the Tigris. Notice that it flows East towards Assyria. Euphrates means to break forth, rushing. Also notice that Moses did not include a reference to where Euphrates lies. Another point to notice in reference to the location of the garden is that landmarks familiar to those reading the book of Genesis were used. These countries were not listed as being in existence prior to the flood.

15. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. God assigned man a task: care for his home.

In the last post, we looked at how the writer of Genesis changes focus from God creating, to that of the beginning of man. We embarked upon his recounting of creation for man and now continue.

And the LORD (Jehovah) God (Elohim) formed (moulded/fashioned) man of the dust (clay) of the ground (soil), and breathed (blew) into his nostrils the breath (spirit) of life; and man became (existed) a living (alive) soul (breathing creature, will).

We are now introduced to another aspect of Him who created us. In Genesis 1, we saw God existing before time, heavens or earth. Here, the writer tells us that the same God, Elohim, is Self existent and eternal. The One who exists in and of Himself (has no creator or beginning nor end) created man by moulding as a potter moulds a lump of clay into a pot or a cup or vase, etc, man from the clay of the soil.

Once fashioned into a shape pleasing to the moulder (God), God then breathed or blew or instilled in the nostrils of man the spirit of life. Once that spirit existed in man we are told that man became or existed an alive and breathing creature. The word for breathing creature can also be translated as soul or will. It is translated as soul 419 times in the OT and as will only 4 times. Other translations are life, person, heart, and mind all denoting the intelligent part of man. This verse also shows how that we are made with a spirit, in other words; in the image of God.

This one verse explains how it is that man is different from any other creature in creation. It tells us: 1.) God moulded man. 2.) God instilled the spirit of life in man. 3.) Man became a living will or soul. No where else is this terminology applied to anything else in the creation. We are different yet we share something in common with the animals: God created us. How magnificent is our God!!

Christian

The Story of Creation

Well, folks. I have just finished resting a bit, myself. Time to get back into the Scriptures.

As we begin to read, once again in Genesis 2, I notice that the tone of the penman or rather his focus changes. In the first chapter and up to this point in chapter 2, the writer has dealt very concisely with the chronological order focusing upon God creating. From now on, he deals with the story of the creation with the focal point being man.

This is the history of the creation of the creation of the heavens and the earth. In the day that Jehovah God made the earth and the heavens, Here we have the transition from the chronological account to the detail account as I call it. As I read the term history, a picture comes into focus of facts being given detail. Like a lawyer before judge and jury presents the facts of the case and then paints for the courtroom a story of what transpired. We notice that day is again used here and have to again ask, is it literal 24 hours or figurative with a definitive phrase? This time, it is figurative with the definitive phrase "that Jehovah God made the earth and the heavens,". This is not, therefore, a separate creation rather it is details of the creation.

the earth had no grass, and no vegetation had yet sprouted, for Jehovah God had not sent rain upon the earth and there was no man to cultivate the soil. The author of Genesis records that in the time of creation, the earth had neither grass nor vegetation for there was neither rain nor a man to till the soil. The fact that man was not around to tend the earth is an interesting reason for there being no grass or vegetation. We know that grass will grow with or without man today. But without man or rain, grass will not grow. The same holds true if we take rain out of the equation. Grass will grow without rain so long as man tends and waters it himself, but take away man while there is no rain . . . and it dies. So there wasn't any rain and there wasn't any man and there wasn't any vegetation.

A vapor arose from the earth and watered the ground.
Now we have water which means that the grass and vegetation will grow. God provides, how bountiful is our God!?!

Christian

Resting

We have just went through the first chapter of Genesis, and were introduced to God who existed before He created time and place (In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. Genesis 1:1). We watched as He built a foundation (heavens and earth, v.1) and then began adding to that foundation the building blocks of this habitation. He created light so that all could function and as a marker of time (God called the light day and the darkness He called night and evening and morning were the first day, v.5). On top of that, He created atmosphere so that the proceeding creation might thrive (expanse or firmament v.6) on the second day. Then He provided a place to stand and to live (Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so. v.9). The next block that was laid was herbs and trees and grass (grass , the herb bearing fruit, the fruit trees v. 11) so that now there was food for the following blocks on the third day. Time now for, hmm how to tell time again? Oh thats right. He created the sun, moon and stars not simply to shed light (although that is a function the perform) for light was already here, but to be for tracking time (let them be for signs and for seasons, for days and for years. v. 14). Who is it that is to use them for such purposes?

Now He needed to create something that would use what He had built to the present so He began on the fifth day to fill creation with moving life. the water was filled with fish and whales; the air with birds according to their species(v. 21) and told them to multiply. Then dawned the sixth day and He continued to create mobile life, this time to fill the dry land. He created living creatures, beasts, and reptiles according to their species.

Finally, He created His final block of this creation, the crown of the roof one might say. He created man. What was so special about man? Well, God created man in His own image, He created a male and a female, and then God gave man dominion over all creation!! Man is the steward of all that God created. This means then that the entire creation was made to support man!

While man was the last on the list of the creation, creating Him was not the last thing God did, for Genesis 1:31 says that God surveyed creation and saw that it was good or pleasing. And to whom was it pleasing? God of course. Thus, as verse 1 of Genesis chapter 2 says, the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.

After such a climactic ending to the sixth day of creating, The Creator begins the seventh day a whole new way. He rested. Does that mean that He took a day off? No, it says that ended His work that He was making and rested from that job. In other words, He stopped creating. But still He careth for the creation (Psalm 104). And as Jesus pointed out in Matthew 6:24-34 God careth for all.

Christian

Top This!!

We had not finished the sixth day of creation when we left off in the last post. It was for this reason: since the Bible deals specifically with the next creation as a separate event even though it is a part of the sixth day. Why is this important? Let me point out that if we were descended from animals as many out there insult us with, there would be any need to mention man in creation. But praise God that we are not descended from animals but are as you read about.

And God (the creator) said (commanded), Let us make (make or accomplish) man (adam = mankind/human being) in our image (resemblance), after our likeness (similitude): and let them have dominion (subjugate) over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle (dumb beasts), and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
I love going back to the Hebrew language to read verses. It makes some verses come more clearly into focus. For instance, this verse literally translated reads: said/commanded God "Make mankind resemblance similitude subjugating fish sea, birds heaven, dumb beasts every/whole earth, reptile creeping upon earth. I can then see that this is an explanation of man's creation. God commanded, "Make mankind resemble My likeness subjugating (bringing under rule) fish in the sea, heavenly birds (birds in the heavens), every dumb beast of the earth, and reptile (creeping thing) creeping upon the earth. As you read this, what strikes you about how we are in the likeness of God? My answer at the end.

So God created man in his own (self/entity/even) image, in the image of God created he him (self/entity/even); male and female created he them (entity/self/even).
God created man resembling himself, resembling God created male entity and created female entity.

And God blessed them (entity/self/even), and God said unto them, Be fruitful (bear fruit), and multiply (increase), and replenish (fill) the earth, and subdue (conquer) it: and have dominion (rule/reign) over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
God blessed the entity He created. God commanded them, "Bear fruit, increase, and fill the earth, conquer and reign over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, and every alive thing crawling upon the earth. Therefore, we as humans are to control all of the world around us which includes what? Ourselves.

And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
God commands, Give to them even all grass sowing seed upon the face of whole earth even every tree, trees sowing seed whose fruit in himself, exists to them food. This again shows the providence of God for His creation (Psalms 145:15). He gives them sustenance so that they might be able to carry out His commands. This also shows that He does not give commands without providing the means to fulfill those commands.

And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
All alive thing on earth, all birds of heaven, all creeping thing upon earth, breathing and alive creatures even all green grass food exists likewise.

And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
God saw all which He made. Behold it existed wholly good. Evening and morning existed the sixth day.


What a climatic ending to the sixth day!! God created mankind in His image, commanded mankind to produce offspring, increase, and fill the earth and to conquer and reign over all the earth (including man himself). then God gave man sustenance to be able to carry out those commands. Having finished that, God looked upon His creation and saw that it was very good, literally vehemently good/perfect.

Now, dear readers, I asked a question of you earlier and said I would answer it. Since the Bible claims we are made in the image of God, how are we the image of God? All can see that we each have physical differences, so that would rule out the physical resemblance. Having ruled that out, that leaves the spiritual. Verse twenty six actually explains how we are made in God's likeness. Just as God has dominion over all, man has been given dominion over all that God created. Other points to ponder, how can mankind rule over creation without the ability to think, make choices, and adapt to the situations that come his way? Is that also not inherent in God? The book of Hebrews in the New Testament declares that the Old Law (Mosaical Law) was a shadow of the New Law. The word resemblance also can be translated "shade" and so I submit to you that we are indeed but a shadow. Some might then say, "Well then, doesn't that mean we are mini-gods?" I ask them and you, dear readers, "Are our shadows human? Do they have the same abilities that we do?" The obvious answer is "No".

So now we set forth having brought the Creation to its climactic ending.

Christian

The Suspense Builds

As we saw last time, the fifth day built upon the fourth day which built upon the third day's creation that in turn built upon the second day's work and that one built upon the first day's foundation. Now as our suspense builds to the ultimate creation, we again take up our reading.

And God (THE Creator) said (commanded), Let the earth (the firm land) bring forth (produce) the living (alive) creature (breathing creature) after his kind (species), cattle (literal translation: dumb beast), and creeping thing (literal translation: reptiles), and beast (alive/living thing) of the earth (firm land) after his kind (species): and it was so (it happened).
Here God commanded the earth: "Firm land, produce alive, breathing creatures sorted by species, dumb animals, reptiles and living things of the firm land sorted by species." And it did so. Something for your pondering: " There is no being verb in the Hebrew language therefore was in this verse as in the previous ones means 'exist'" Now put that thought with the fact that the Hebrew Scriptures record two words after the word 'species', those being 'exist' and 'uprightly/so'. 'It' is implied in this sentence making this sentence translated: "It existed uprightly" or "It existed so". How magnificent is our Creator who commands and it exists.

And God (God's self) made (made) the beast (alive things) of the earth (firm land) after his kind (species), and cattle (dumb beast) after their kind (species), and every thing (wholly) that creepeth (crawling) upon the earth (soil) after his kind (species): and God (the Creator) saw (perceived) that it was good (pleasing).
God, Himself, made alive things on the firm land according/sorted by species, dumb beasts sorted by species, and all (wholly) the soil's crawling things according to species, God joyfully perceived it pleasing.

Readers, notice that to date in the creation record, everything created so far was found pleasing to God. This is an important point to note for it tells us that, at this point, sin was not a part of the creation. Makes one think doesn't it? God, the perfect Creator, created a world perfectly. How wise is our God!?!

Christian

Time, Tide & SEA MONSTER!?!

And so the Fourth day ended and the fifth day begins:

And (in addition to) God said (commanded), Let the waters (remember that God bound them into seas yesterday) bring forth abundantly (this phrase means to swarm) the moving creature (the swarm or an active mass of minute animals) that hath life (live or breathe), and fowl (birds!) that may fly above the earth in the open (unused plural noun always used in singular form meaning face or the part which turns) firmament (expanse) of heaven (the sky). Something that has always struck me as interesting about this verse is that the birds came not from the land but from the sea. Another side curiosity that I have is: "Is this where evolution got its theory that all life came from a primordial sludge?" But then I return to the reading. So God commands and lets see what happens.

And God created (brought from nothing) great whales (a land or sea monster), and every living (alive) creature (breathing creature) that moveth (to glide or crawl), which the waters brought forth abundantly (the swarm), after their kind (species), and every winged fowl (birds) after his kind (species): and God saw (beheld) that it was good (pure/perfect/pleasing). Notice that God commanded in the previous verse and it was created. God commanded the waters to produce swarms of animals and fowls. The waters produced great monsters, and creatures that were alive and breathing and gliding, as well as birds. Notice here that these were fully functioning entities and that they had offspring that were just like themselves. the whales did not have bird offspring neither did the birds produce fish. Finally, notice that what God created was pure and pleasing.


And God (the creator) blessed them, saying (appointing or charging), Be fruitful (bear fruit/grow/increase), and multiply (increase), and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth. An interesting word study of the word "blessed" shows that the same word is used for blessing and cursing (Job 1:5), one descriptive of benefit, the other of cursing authority (whether God or a king) in other words treason. So God blessed them by charging them to bear fruit and increase to the point of filling the seas and He laid a charge on the birds to increase in the firm land.

And the evening and the morning were the fifth day. Another day ends with the created pleasing God and following His directives. Not only that, they received a blessing and a charge from God. Each of the days of creation have, to this point, built upon one another. First there was the planet, next came light, followed by atmosphere. Then came dry land in the midst of the sea, next was grass, herb, and trees (which birds delight in inhabiting). Finally today was the inhabitants of the seas and the air. God really plans on a grand scale!!!

A dear Christian sister of mine whom my family fondly referred to as our "little mother" had an exercise that she preformed every day. Every morning she would list the days of creation and then detail an example of each that she saw that morning. For example, for the fifth day of creation, she would detail that she saw a robin and if she went to visit the ocean she would list that as what she saw for the third day. That exercise has stayed with me ever since and I believe it is a good tool for showing us the glory and power of God and bringing home the personal nature of the creation. How many days can you see?

Christian

Which Came First??

Imagine, if you will, the blackest night wherein you can not see your hand in front of your nose. The next thing you know, its bright day. How do you tell time? As each night suddenly gives way to bright day without any real distinction, soon you would loose track in the monotony of the cycle. God had a plan for that.


And God said (God commanded), Let there be lights (luminous bodies) in the firmament (expanse) of the heaven (sky) to divide (to distinguish between) the day from the night; and let them be (exist) for signs (signals), and for seasons (spring, summer, fall winter), and for days, and years: We see here the answer to an age old question, though in different terms: "Which came first, the light or the stars?" This is also describing space (the firmament of the heaven) which is the place that God placed the lights.
And let them be for lights (luminous bodies) in the firmament (expanse) of the heaven (sky) to give light (lumination) upon the earth: and it was so. Notice, here in these last couple of verses, that God has explained the purpose of His work. He has been doing this since day two. Thought question for you, dear readers. Who would need the luminous bodies, signs, seasons, days, and years? The answer is yet to come.
And God made (meaning Himself made) two great lights (luminous bodies); the greater (great or mightier) light to rule (have dominion over) the day, and the lesser (diminutive) light to rule the night: he made the stars also. For our benefit, God describes His actions. God, Himself, made two great luminous bodies: the mightier to oversee the day, and the smaller to oversee the night and along with them He made stars. This shows what an awesome and powerful architect our God is.
And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good. God commanded, God created, God accomplished His will, and God was pleased with the perfect/pure/complete results.
And the evening and the morning were the fourth day. Now Day and Night were more than just a Darkness, pitch black and cool, that gives way to a Brightness, brilliant and warm. It was beautiful. It was pure. It was the end of the fourth day. Light came before the luminous bodies in space. How Awsome and Powerful is OUR God!!

Christian

The Bricklayer Builds

As we witness the beginning of this earth, we have seen a being existing before time willing into existence time and the heavens and the earth from nothing. For the finale to the first day, He commands that there be light. The next day continues with His grand creation of an expanse running horizontally between two bodies of water and He names the expanse 'heaven'. Now we rise to a new day, the third day of creation.

God continues to lay the foundation of the habitation He planned the greatest of His creations which He planned - man. We pick up in verse 9 of Genesis chapter 1.

And God said (commanded), "Let the waters (remember from v. 2 that the waters covered the entire earth) under (not above) the heaven (the expanse) be gathered together (bound or collected) unto one place, and let the dry land (dry earth not mud) appear (be seen): and it was so (it happened). Notice here that when God tells something to happen, it does. Not only does it happen, it does it instantly with no arguing. Example for us, do you suppose?

The third day of creation is not over yet. Observe. And God called (named) the dry land Earth (firm land); and the gathering together(collection) of the waters called (named) he Seas (seas): and God saw that it was good (it pleased God in its completeness or perfectness). When God makes something, it is perfect or complete and pleasing. All I ever make are complete messes.
And God said (commanded), Let the earth (firm land) bring forth (produce) grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind (species), whose seed (offspring) is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so (it happened). Which came first, the seed or the grass?
And the earth (firm land) brought (did as it was told) forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind (species), and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind (species): and God saw that it was good (it pleased God in its completeness or perfectness).
And the evening and the morning were the third day (The end of the third day).

Another busy day as our God builds the habitation for man, adding two more blocks to the foundation. We see firm land and grass, herbs that produce its own seed, and fruit trees that produce their own seed. A very important fact that we should not over look is that these all produced seed or offspring according to itself. The offspring looked like its parent (for lack of a
better word). In other words, grass did not produce fruit trees, neither did fruit trees produce herbs. We also witness the instantaneous obedience of the creation to the will of the Creator as we read the phrase "it was so". God, being our Creator, has the right of our, the created, immediate obedience. More on that topic later, I promise. Final thought on this passage: Not only does God command and it happens but it is perfect/complete and pleasing. Watch the sun rise some morning and say that it is not beautiful. How magnificent is our God!?!

Christian

Every Artiste Needs Atmosphere!

We left off with our Creator bringing forth light for this world that He was creating. And we noted that all that dwell here on earth from the tiniest plant to the mightiest animal need light to function an grow. Let us continue our journey through the event that began all events.

Now, when God beheld the light that He had created, He saw that it was good, beautiful, sweet, best, bountiful, or perfect. So it pleased God and He set it apart from the darkness by calling the light day and the darkness night. Then it says: "And evening and morning were the first day." God here does two very important things for us. First, he defines His terms. Light equals Day and Darkness equals Night; and that one full day requires an evening and a morning. Why evening first? Let me suggest to you that it is because the darkness was here first (see verse two). Second, God establishes the first boundaries of time. He sets forth that evening and morning were the first day. I refer to this because there are those who disagree as to the definition day in this verse claiming it is possible that the days could have lasted several thousand years so that man and all life could all evolve (this is the theory of theistic evolution). You and I know that a day is 24 hours. Since God recorded His word in terms that man could comprehend: day is a literal 24 hours and therefore not an abstract 24 eon period of time. Back on topic: God records that evening and morning was a day and the first one ended with the heavens and the earth being formed and light being created and separated from the darkness. What an eventful first day!!

Notice that it does not say that God stopped creating and took a nap. No, He continued His work. For now it was time for another aspect of this wonderful creation, Atmosphere!! And no, we are not talking about mood. God kept to His plan for a habitable place for man. Another block of the foundation that is required for all things on this earth to function and grow is atmosphere. Without atmosphere the earth would simply be a ball devoid of life floating through space. So God said "Let there be a firmament (expanse) in the midst (middle) of the waters and let it divide the waters form the waters." Imagine a dam which separates the water of the lake from the water of the river. This expanse was not a vertical one but a horizontal one, for the next verse shows the location of the expanse. "God made the firmament and divided the waters which were under (location) the firmament (expanse) from the waters which were above (location) the firmament: and it was so." Now we have atmosphere. Some believe that the waters above the expanse created a tropical rainforest effect. But I digress.

Remember that we talked in the last paragraph about how God defined His terms? Well the next verse does exactly that again. "And God (creator) called (named) the firmament (expanse) Heaven (sky). And the evening and the morning were the second day." There is that time line again. I want you to also notice that it was God, not man, that named these items: Light, Darkness, Day, Night, Heaven, and more to come.

So at this time we have three parts of the foundation required for man to live. They are: 1.) a place to live, 2.) Light for functioning and growing, and 3.) atmosphere also for living, functioning and growing. How awesome is our Creator who by His power causes things to appear from nothing, by His thought worlds are formed in their smallest detail, and by His presence things are provided for man.

Christian

The Saga continues

We have inventors, we have artists, we even have smart people. But nothing in this world can hold a candle to the one that made us all. As we continue our journey through the first chapter of Genesis, we can see these aspects of people displayed in spectacular relief by our Creator.

Notice that in the first verse as we discussed the other day, that God existed before time and before the physical. For it says, "In the beginning (when time began) God (already there) created (means "1. To bring into being; to form out of nothing; to cause to exist. Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.) the heavens (the universe) and the earth (locally, the planet we live on). We already, in the introduction, discussed how this verse introduced us to God in His power, eternality, and His wisdom. Yet lets take a closer look. Even our most renowned of inventors can not say that they created their contribution to our society. They had to take materials that were already present in this world and turn them into a different form. Yet here we have God bringing into existence this world by His will. How awesome is our God!?!

But the drama that is creation continues to unfold. Watch it with me. The second verse of Genesis one says that, though the earth and heavens were formed, the earth had no form (was desolate and worthless) and was dark. It also says that there was a Spirit of God. Strong's exhaustive Concordance of the Bible with Hebrew and Greek, defines Spirit here as "
by resemblance, spirit, but only of a rational being (including its expression and functions)" So now we have God, and the Spirit of God. It is interesting to note that in the Hebrew the word which we translate God in Genesis 1 is Elohim and is a plural word used in the singular sense. But I digress. So the earth was desolate, or worthless and it was dark. It also had water, deep water.

So God, as He planned for man an habitation, had some work to do. All things that on this earth dwell require something to function and to grow. Even man (in the broadest sense of the word and not regarding gender) needs vitamin D to function efficiently. So God, in the third verse, says "Let there be light." Then something happens that again demonstrates God's power. It says, "and there was light". There have been many times I have said "Let there be light." but nothing ever happened until I or someone else flipped the switch. And this was done for the purpose of a functioning and habitable place for man to live. What an awesome God!

Christian

Introductions

I would like to begin by stating I am young and know a little. God has blessed me in many ways and I strive to be a good steward of those blessings. But let God be the judge of my efforts. Not much of an introduction I'll grant you.

Introductions are a fundamental part of life. We are introduced to our parents at birth; introduced to books good and bad; introduced to people, to seminars, to sermons, etc. So why would it surprise one to know that the greatest book on this earth introduces us to the greatest being in the whole of creation: our Creator?

As we open the Bible and begin to read the first verse of Genesis, we find that we are introduced to God. As we continue through that first chapter, God is spectacularly introduced to us. Read with me if you will:

Gen 1:1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. If we were to apply our grammar skills to this sentence we see that "In the beginning" is a prepositional phrase denoting time; "God" is the noun (Person, place, thing, or idea) or object of the sentence; "created" is the action or verb; "the heaven and the earth" are the direct objects of the action. What does all this mean to us and what does it have to do with the topic of introductions? In this verse we are introduced to the eternal nature of God ("In the beginning God"); His omnipotence or power ("created the heaven and the earth"); and to His omniscience or knowledge of how to create things that work.

As we continue to read down through this chapter in Genesis, we are impressed with the thought, planning and purpose displayed by our Creator. Here we have God creating light and darkness, day and night, atmosphere, land, water, plants, birds, fish, animals all for His final and most glorious creation: Man. God, the most awesome, the most powerful, the most supreme being planned this world for man and planned man for something even greater. What an introduction!!!

Christian