Genesis 3
Satan tempts Eveverses 1-5
Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field
which the LORD God had made
AND he said to the woman – Yea has God said
You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
AND the woman said to the serpent
We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden
but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden
God has said – You shall not eat of it
neither shall you touch it – lest you die
AND the serpent said unto the woman
You shall not surely die – FOR God does know that in the day
you eat thereof – then your eyes shall be opened
and you shall be as gods
KNOWING good and evil
Adam and Eve yield to temptationverses 6-7
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 to her HUSBAND
with her – and he did eat
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
God the Son walking in the Garden of Edenverse 8
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 among the
trees of the garden
God confronts Adam and Eveverses 9-11
AND the LORD God CALLED to Adam – and said to him
WHERE ARE YOU?
AND he said – I heard YOUR voice in the garden – and I was afraid
BECAUSE I was naked – and I HID myself
AND HE said – WHO TOLD YOU THAT YOU WERE NAKED?
HAVE YOU EATEN OF THE TREE
WHEREOF I COMMANDED YOU THAT
YOU SHOULD NOT EAT?
Blame game played by Adam and Eveverses 12-13
And the man said – The woman whom YOU gave to be with me
SHE gave me of the tree – and I did eat
And the LORD God said to the woman
WHAT IS THIS THAT YOU HAVE DONE?
And the woman said – The serpent BEGUILED me and I did eat
Judgment of serpentverses 14-15
AND the LORD God said to the serpent
Because you have done this – you are cursed above all cattle
and above every beast of the field
upon your belly shalt you go
and dust shall you eat
all the days of your life
AND I will put ENMITY between you and the woman
and between your seed and HER SEED
HE shall bruise your head
and you shalt bruise HIS heel
Judgment of Eveverse 16
To the woman HE said
I will greatly multiply your SORROW and your CONCEPTION
in SORROW you shall bring forth children
and your DESIRE shall be to your HUSBAND
and he shall RULE over you
Judgment of Adamverses 17-19
And to Adam HE said – BECAUSE you have hearkened unto
the VOICE of your WIFE – and have eaten of the tree of
which I commanded you – saying
You shall not eat of it cursed is the GROUND for your sake
in SORROW shalt you eat of it all the days of your life
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to you
and you shall eat the herb of the field
in the sweat of thy face shall you
eat bread – till you return
to the ground
FOR out of it were you taken – FOR dust you are
and to dust shall you return
First animal sacrificeverses 20-21
And Adam called his wife’s name Eve
BECAUSE she was the MOTHER of ALL LIVING
To Adam also and for his wife did the LORD God make
COATS OF SKINS and clothed them
Adam and Eve exit the Garden of Edenverses 22-24
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 forever
THEREFORE the LORD God sent him forth from the
garden of Eden to till the ground from where
he was taken
SO HE drove out the man
and HE placed at the east of the garden of Eden CHERUBIM
and a flaming sword which turned every way
to guard the way of the tree of LIFE
COMMENTARY:
DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers
: 1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Yea, has God said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (6175 “subtil” [aruwm] means crafty, shrewd, sly, sensible, clever, discerning, cunning, or pertaining to being tricky and cunning, with a focus on evil treachery. Job 5:12; 15:5.)
DEVOTION: We have to understand that a angel was using this serpent. The angel was a cherub before he fell from heaven because of rebellion against God. Angels seem to have an intellect because they want to look into what is happening on earth. Each of the angels that were messengers of God to humans carried on good conversations with the prophets. They brought knowledge from God to HIS servants.
So we have an angel who because of his fallen state was tricky instead of honest. He was shrewd in his conversation with Eve. He caused her to doubt what she heard from the LORD. She was led astray by his cunning.
Satan is using the same tactics on us today. He is always asking us the same questions to try to trick us into disobeying the LORD. We have to ask ourselves the questions that will help us overcome his deception. One of the questions we have to ask is “What does the Bible say?” Always go back to the Word of God to find the answers to the questions Satan will ask us.
One word can make a difference in our understanding of our responsibility. Eve was deceived but Adam knew what was going on and still sinned. God held all three responsible for their actions. Each one received a judgment. Each one had to live with their decision.
Too often we want to blame others for what is going on in our life that is not pleasing to the LORD. There was an actor who would always say “The devil made me do it!” This is not an answer to sin in our life. He might tempt us to do something wrong but we don’t have to listen to him. We have to study and meditate on the Word of God to understand what to do in a given situation. If we make a wrong choice we have to confess it to the LORD and HE will forgive those who are HIS children. If we don’t admit our wrong HE will have to correct us as HE did Adam and Eve.
CHALLENGE: We are commanded to flee from the devil. We need to obey that command.
DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers
: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. (5060 “touch” [naga] means to reach, draw near, strike, to afflict, to do harm, or lay hand upon)
DEVOTION: Those who have traveled with us through the Word of God have just finished the book of Revelation with us. It takes three and a half years to cover the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. We are going through it for the third time with many changes and many prayer requests throughout our time.
In the book of Revelation we are told not to add to or take away from the Word of God. This has always been a rule for those who are followers of Jesus Christ. Here we find that Eve added to the command of God.
She added “or even touch it” that is not found anywhere else in the command God gave them. They were commanded not to eat of it. She wasn’t listening close to what God had said.
We need to listen close to what the Word of God teaches and obey it. We are not to add to or take away from the Word of God. There are churches who like to add more regulations to the Christian life than are included in the Word of God. This causes problems for those who want to become believers and those who are believers. We need to make sure that we are obedient to what God has commanded.
Too often someone hears a preacher or a teacher teach something and they never check out what they are saying with the Word of God and we think this is what the Bible teaches. A good pastor will tell you to go home and check out what he has said before we accept it from his mouth.
CHALLENGE: Not checking out the commanded given by the church with the Word of God can cause error in our lives. Check out what you are being taught!!!
: 8 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 among the trees of the garden. (1980 “walking” [halak] means to go, to behave, come, to go through, travel, go about, walk without particular goal, or flash back and forth)
DEVOTION: Each time I read this verse I laugh. The thought that Adam and Eve had just seems so ridiculous. They were trying to hide from God. HE was the Creator of the Universe. HE is omniscient. HE is omnipresent. HE is sovereign over our world.
Yet, Adam and Eve had fellowship for a time period before their fall. They walked in the Garden with Jesus Christ. Remember that God the Father has never appeared in a physical form. God the Holy Spirit took on the form of a dove at the baptism of Jesus but usually didn’t take on any form. Jesus Christ came as a baby and grew to be a man when HE came to die on the cross for our sins.
In theology we call the physical appearing of deity a “theophany.” This is Jesus Christ in a pre-incarnate form meeting with people throughout the Old Testament. HE met with Abraham. HE wrestled with Jacob. HE appeared to Joshua before the battle of Jericho. God wants us to walk with HIM throughout our life. HE has given us the Holy Spirit to strengthen our walk with HIM.
We have all read the poem “Footprints” where Jesus Christ has carried us through our hard times. HE is omnipresent, so HE can be with each of us throughout our life’s hard times.
CHALLENGE: Trust HIM. HE is by your side right now!!
DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers
: 16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; in sorrow you shall bring forth children; and your desire shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you. (2530 “desire” [chamad] means to delight in, beauty, greatly beloved, covet, delectable thing, or precious thing)
DEVOTION: God judged the woman for her part in the fall. She was beguiled. She was tricked by Satan. She handed the fruit to Adam and he knew what he was doing. The New Testament states that the woman was the “weaker vessel.” Satan knew who to deceive.
She was judged by the LORD for her part in the fall. Part of her judgment was that she was to covet or treat her husband as a precious thing. She was to delight in her husband. This has had two meaning given to it in commentaries.
The first is that this delight was going to be an attraction to him physically. The same word is used in the book of Song of Solomon. In chapter 7 verse 10 we find that the bride is talking about her husband. His “delight” is in her. There is an attraction toward her that he finds.
The other time it is used is in Genesis 4: 7, here we find God talking to Cain after he offered the wrong sacrifice. HE told him that if he did well then he and his sacrifice would be accepted. IF however, he was not doing well, then sin was at his door. He would have a choice if sin was at the door, it could control him or he could control it. If he didn’t control it, it would rule over him. Sin would have dominion over Cain. We realize that it did have dominion over him and he killed his brother, Abel.
So we have this Hebrew world used three times only in the Old Testament. It seems to have dominion or control in its use. Eve was to not have control over Adam but was to be submissive to him. Cain was to have control over sin or it would control him. Solomon talks of a man and a wife having issues of delight that could cause one to lose control.
If our delight is in our wife to the point that we lose control of ourselves, then it is sin. God wants us to always be in control of our lives, so that, we are yielded to HIM first.
Sorrow is mentioned in this judgment on the woman. This mention dealt with childbirth. Today they try to make childbirth pain free. Any woman who has had a child knows that it is not pain free. The shots help but they still don’t take away all the pain. Some time ago there was a procedure that they tried to teach women to breath better in childbirth that would take away the pain. It helped but it didn’t take it away.
The LORD has spoken and the world wants to change what HE has said. There is still pain in childbirth and women are still supposed to be delighted with their husbands. The world wants a wife to lose their delight in husband and change it to delighting in work or other women.
Satan has entered into many marriages to offset the judgment of God. Many women think that they don’t need a man or a husband. Many don’t treat their husbands as precious things. What is the Christian’s responsibility to her husband today? God has commands regarding the relationship between a man and a woman. God has commands regarding the relationship between a husband and a wife. We need to honor God’s commands over what society is trying to teach us. Our society is not God honoring.
CHALLENGE: Husbands are to love their wives, just like Christ loved the church. We need to show our wives love. Wives need to allow the husband to lead in the home. The Bible seems to teach that the man will answer on judgment day regarding how he led his home.
: 21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (3801 “coats” [kâthoneth] means 1 tunic, under-garment. 1a a long shirt-like garment usually of linen. [Strong, J. (1995). Enhanced Strong’s Lexicon. Woodside Bible Fellowship])
DEVOTION: Have you ever been caught off-guard doing something? Often when that happens, what occurs next is commonly called a “cover-up.” We seek to hide what we have done for fear that others will realize how we have sinned.
When this happened with Adam and Eve, they immediately went into “cover up” mode with God. Each made their own excuses about why they had sinned without accepting any responsibility for what they had done (in spite of the fact that they knew that God knew what had happened!). As a result of their sin, they realized for the first time that they were physically naked, and felt ashamed. They tried to cover themselves with fig leaves, but God had already decided that this would not suffice.
God’s solution was to kill animals so that they could be clothed with the animal skins. Not only did He realize that this was necessary for their physical protection, but spiritually they would need the covering of the blood from the animal to atone for their sins. So here we have mentioned the first death in the Bible, that of animals for sake of mankind. This was to remind them of the day when the Lamb of God would shed His blood on their behalf.
CHALLENGE: Realize that the only sacrifice which would be acceptable in God’s eyes would be the blood of His Son. His death made it possible for all of our sins to be covered up in the eyes of God. (MW)
DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:
BODY
Chastity (Purity in living)
Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)
Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)
Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)
Obedience necessaryverse 3
Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)
SOUL
Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)
Jesus Christ walking in Gardenverse 8
Frugality (wise use of resources)
Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)
Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)
Quote only what God saysverse 3
Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)
SPIRIT
Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)
Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)
Adam and Eve confessed their actionverses 12-13
Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)
Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)
Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)
DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:
Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)
God the Father (First person of the Godhead)
LORD – Jehovahverses 1, 8, 9, 13, 14, 21-23
God – Elohimverses 1, 3, 5, 8, 9, 13, 14, 21-23
LORD Godverses 1, 8, 9, 13, 14, 21-23
Creatorverse 1
LORD God called Adamverses 9, 11
Where are you?
Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten of the tree …?
God curses serpentverses 14, 15
God judges womanverse 16
God judges Adamverses 17-19
God makes coats of skins for Adam and Eveverse 21
Man one of us: knowing good and evilverse 22
Send man from the gardenverse 23
God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)
Voice of the LORDverses 8, 10
Walking in the Garden verse 8
Presence of the LORDverse 8
Her SEEDverse 15
HIS heelverse 15
God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)
Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)
USverse 22
Angels(Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)
Fallen angel – Satan – uses serpentverses 1, 2, 4, 5, 13-15
God judges serpent
Cursed
Enmity
his seed and woman’s seed
bruise HIS heel (Christ)
Satan lies to womanverses 4, 5
You shall not surely die
Your eyes will be opened
You shall be a gods
Knowing good and evil
Cherubims – keep the way to the tree of lifeverse 24
flaming sword
Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)
Womanverses 1, 2, 4, 6, 13, 16, 20
Woman believes serpent
Saw tree was good for food
Pleasant to the eyes
Desired to make one wise
Took fruit and ate it
Gave to her husband
Blames serpent:
The serpent beguiled me
I did eat
God’s judgment:
Greatly multiply sorrow
Sorrow in conception
Desire to husband
Husband shall rule over
Eve = mother of all living
Adamverses 6, 12, 17-20, 23, 24
Ate of fruit
Blames woman
Heard voice of wife
Eaten of the tree
Cursed is the ground
Sorrow (hard work) to bring food
Thorns and thistles
Eat herb of the field
Sweat of face
Return to the ground when dead
Adam names wife: Eve
Till the ground
Out of garden
Tree of Knowledge of good and evilverses 3, 5, 6, 11, 12
Adam and wife’s eyes openedverses 7, 8, 10, 22
Naked
Sewed fig leaves together
Heard voice of LORD God
Hid from presence of LORD God
Heard God’s voice but was afraid
Naked
Knows good and evil
Tree of Life = live foreververse 24
Eve = mother of all livingverse 20
Coats of skins for clothesverse 21
Till the groundverse 23
Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)
Subtleverse 1
Adding to God’s statementverse 3
godsverse 5
Evilverses 5, 22
Eating forbidden fruitverses 6, 11
Nakedverses 7, 10, 11
Hiding from Godverses 8, 10
Afraid of Godverse 10
Blame others for your sinverses 12, 13
Beguiledverse 13
Enmityverse 15
Salvation(Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)
Goodverses 5, 22
Israel (Old Testament people of God)
Church (New Testament people of God)
Last Things (Future Events)
Deathverses 3, 4, 19
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24 In his depiction of the garden and the tree of life after the Fall, the author has again anticipated God’s plan to restore man’s blessing and life in the covenant at Sinai and the Torah. The tree of life stands guarded by the “cherubim” just as in the Sinai covenant the Torah lies in the ark of the covenant guarded by the “cherubim” (Exod 25:10–22; cf. Deut 31:24–26). Only through the covenant can man’s fellowship with God be restored: “There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the Testimony, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites” (Exod 25:22). In the covenant man was returned to the state he enjoyed in Genesis 2:15—one who serves God, obeys his will, and enjoys his blessing.
The author’s mention of the direction “east” is not a mere geographical detail. Throughout the Book of Genesis, the author carefully apprises the reader of the direction of man’s movement. In doing so he drops a narrative clue to the meaning of the events he is recounting. At this point in the narrative, “east” has only the significance of “outside the garden.” Later in the book the author will carry this significance further by showing “east” to be the direction of the “city of Babylon” (11:2) and the “cities of Sodom and Gomorrah” (13:11). At the same time he will show that to return from the east is to return to the Promised Land and to return to the city of “Salem” (14:17–20). (Sailhamer, J. H. (1990). Genesis. In F. E. Gaebelein (Ed.), The Expositor’s Bible Commentary: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers (Vol. 2, p. 59). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House.)
All God’s dealings with people as sinners can be traced back to this act of disobedience by Adam and Eve. God is a saving God, however, and the fact that He clothed … Adam and Eve testifies to that. An animal was sacrificed to provide garments of skin, and later all Israel’s animal sacrifices would be part of God’s provision to remedy the curse—a life for a life. The sinner shall die! (Ezek. 18:20; Rom. 6:23) Yet he will live if he places his faith in the Lord, who has provided a Substitute. The skin with which God clothed Adam and Eve perpetually reminded them of God’s provision. Similarly in the fullness of time God accepted the sacrifice of Christ, and on the basis of that atonement He clothes believers in righteousness (Rom. 3:21–26). (Ross, A. P. (1985). Genesis. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 1, p. 33). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books).
A new home (vv. 22–24). If Adam and Eve ate of the Tree of Life, they would live forever on earth as sinners, and their future would be bleak. They must one day die because “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). Therefore, the Lord banished the couple from the Garden; in fact, Genesis 3:24 says that He “drove” them out. (See 4:14 and 21:10.) God put angelic guards at the entrance of the Garden to make sure Adam and Eve didn’t try to reenter. The way to “the Tree of Life” would one day be opened by Jesus Christ through His death on the cross (John 14:6; Heb. 10:1–25; Rev. 2:7; 22:1–2, 14, 19).
Daily life would now become a struggle for the man and woman outside the garden as they toiled for their bread and raised their family. They could still have fellowship with God, but they would daily suffer the consequences of their sin, and so would their descendants after them. The law of sin and death would now operate in the human family until the end of time, but the death and resurrection of the Savior would introduce a new law: “For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death” (Rom. 8:2, nkjv). (Wiersbe, W. W. (1998). Be basic (pp. 70–71). Colorado Springs, CO: Chariot Victor Pub)
3:24 cherubim. Later in Israel’s history, two cherubim or angelic figures guarded the ark of the covenant and the Holy of Holies in the tabernacle (Ex 25:18–22), where God communed with His people. flaming sword. An unexplainable phenomenon, perhaps associated directly with the cherubim or the flaming, fiery Shekinah presence of God Himself. (MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2006). The MacArthur study Bible: New American Standard Bible. (Ge 3:24). Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers.)
Care was taken, not only to put out Adam, but to keep him out, by placing a Cherubim with a flaming sword in his hand, to keep the tree of life. Here we see one sad effect of sin; that by it the holy angels became enemies to man, who before were ministering spirits sent abroad for his good. The angels are enemies to those to whom God is an enemy. When man fell out with God, he fell out with the angels too.
The flaming sword in the angels’ hand was to be a standing evidence to Adam that God was angry with him; and that, though he did not for the present inflict the threatened death upon him, yet there were no hopes to attain the forfeited life in the former way.
By these cherubims and this flaming sword, it is intimated to us, that the way of spotless innocency was now no longer the way to acceptance with God, either for Adam or any of his children. So that those that hope to be saved by their own perfect, personal, and perpetual obedience, will prove mistaken; for though that was the way once, yet now it is so no more. There are no hopes of getting to heaven without a mediator; and if a mediator had not been appointed, we must certainly have fallen short of that happiness. But the Lord Jesus hath been pleased to lay open for us, a new and living way unto the Father; (Heb. 10:20;) nay, to show us the way to the tree of life which is in the midst of the paradise of God. Rev. 2:7. 22:14. Indeed he himself is the true and living way; and no man comes to the Father,—to the love and favour, to the kingdom and glory, of the Father,—but by him. John 14:6. (Henry, P. (1839). Exposition of the First Eleven Chapters of Genesis (pp. 94–95). London: J. Nisbet and Co.)
Ver. 24. So he drove out the man, &c.] Being unwilling to go out upon the orders given, some degree of force was used, or power exerted, in some way or other, to oblige him to depart; the word it is expressed by is used of divorces: there was a conjugal relation between God and man, the covenant between them had the nature of a matrimonial contract; which covenant man broke, though he was an husband to him, by committing idolatry, that is, spiritual adultery, not giving credit to him, but believing the devil before him; wherefore he wrote him a bill of divorce, and sent him away; drove him from his presence and communion with him, from his house and habitation, from his seat of pleasure, and garden of delight, and from all the comfortable enjoyments of life; an emblem of that separation and distance which sin makes between God and his creature, and of that loss which is sustained thereby: and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden, cherubims; the Septuagint version is, “and he placed him, or caused him (Adam) to dwell over-against the paradise of pleasure, and he ordered the cherubim.” But the words are not to be understood either of placing man, or placing the cherubim, but of Jehovah’s placing himself, or taking up his habitation and residence before the garden of Eden, or at the east of it: whilst man abode in a state of innocence, the place of the divine Presence, or where God more gloriously manifested himself to him, was in the garden; but now he having sinned, and being driven out of it, he fixes his abode in a very awful manner at the entrance of the garden, to keep man out of it; for so the words may be rendered, and he inhabited the cherubim, or dwelt over, or between the cherubim, before or at the east of the garden of Eden; so the Jerusalem Targum, “and he made the glory of his Shechinah, or glorious Majesty, to dwell of old at the east of the garden of Eden, over or above the two cherubim;” or between them, as the Targum of Jonathan; and very frequently is Jehovah described as sitting and dwelling between the cherubim, 1 Sam. 4:4; 2 Sam. 6:2; 1 Kings 19:15; Psal. 80:1 and 99:1; Isa. 37:16 by which are meant not flying animals or fowls, whose form no man ever saw, as Josephus; nor angels, which is the more generally received opinion; for these were not real living creatures of any sort, but forms and representations, such as were made afterwards in the tabernacle of Moses, and temple of Solomon; and which Ezekiel and John saw in a visionary way, and from whom we learn what figures they were: and these were hieroglyphics, not of a trinity of persons, as some of late have stupidly imagined; for these were the seat of the divine Majesty, and between which he dwelt: and besides, as these had four faces, they would rather represent a quaternity than a trinity, and would give a similitude of the divine Being, which cannot be done, and be contrary to the second command; to which may be added, that the word is sometimes singular as well as plural: but these were hieroglyphics of the ministers of the word, whose understanding, humility, and tenderness, are signified by the face of a man; their strength, courage, and boldness, by that of a lion; their labour and diligence by that of an ox; and their quick sight and penetration into divine things by that of an eagle, which are the forms and figures of the cherubim; see Ezek. 1:10 and the note there. Among these Jehovah is; with these he grants his presence, and by them signifies his mind and will to men; and these he makes use of to shew them the vanity of all self-confidence, and to beat them off of seeking for life and righteousness by their own works, and to direct them alone to Christ, and point him out as the alone way of salvation; and of this use the hieroglyphic might be to fallen Adam, now driven out of Eden: and a flaming sword, which turned every way: a drawn sword, brandished, and which being very quick in its motion, as it was turned to and fro, glittered and looked like a flame of fire: this is not to be understood as by itself, and as of itself, turning about every way without a hand to move it, nor as with the cherubim, or as in the hands of angels, as in 1 Chron. 21:16 or as being they themselves, which are made as flames of fire; but as in the hand of the Lord God, that dwelt between the cherubim; for so it may be rendered, he inhabited the cherubim—and that with a flaming sword; that is, with one in his hand, an emblem of the fiery law of God now broken, and of the fire of divine wrath on the account of that, and of the flaming justice of God, which required satisfaction; and this turning on all sides, to keep the way of the tree of life; shewing, that life and salvation were not to be had, unless the law and justice of God were satisfied; and that they were not to be expected on the foot of men’s works, but only through Christ, the way, the truth, and the life; that no happiness was to be looked for from the covenant of works, now broke, nothing but wrath and vengeance; and that there must be another way opened, or there could be no enjoyment of the heavenly paradise. (Gill, J. (1810). An Exposition of the Old Testament (Vol. 1, p. 31). London: Mathews and Leigh.)
Note also Adam’s covering. “Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins and clothed them.” There, in Eden, in paradise itself, blood was shed for the very first time. Adam and Eve must have stood there aghast as they saw the creature taken in their stead and slaughtered before their eyes—its blood shed, its covering made theirs. It was the first dramatic illustration of the ultimate cost of Calvary, of the horror and dreadfulness of sin. Sin is a radical disease, and it calls for a radical cure.
To rescue the fallen pair God acted not only in grace, but He acted also in government (3:22–24). He drove Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden. In that garden there still stood the tree of life. If Adam and Eve, in their fallen condition, had eaten of that tree, they would have lived forever in their sins. They would have become like the fallen angels, incapable of death and forever locked into the guilt and penalty of their sin. It would have been impossible to renew them to repentance. God in His government did not allow that to happen. He turned the guilty pair out of Eden and put them beyond the possibility of tampering with the tree of life. To make sure they were kept away, an armed guard was mounted at the gate of the garden. Henceforth, no doubt until the Flood came and altered the face of the earth, a cherub with a flaming sword stood at the gate of Eden to guard the way to the tree of life. A flaming sword—fitting symbol of God’s wrath against sin! A flaming sword to be sheathed and slaked at last in the heart of the woman’s seed. (Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring Genesis: An Expository Commentary (Ge 3:20–24). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.)
FROM MY READING:
(Remember the only author that I totally agree with is the HOLY SPIRIT in the inerrant WORD OF GOD called THE BIBLE! All other I try to gleam what I can to help me grow in the LORD!!)
IMPOSSIBLE PEOPLE by Os Guinness, IVP Press.
Evangelicals are a choosing people, and their faith is often merely their decision. The step of faith is of course a choice, the most important and fully responsible choice a person ever makes. But when the overwhelming emphasis is put on choice as an act of decision, choosing becomes everything, but it can then suffer the fat of many modern choices and shrink to being lightweight, changeable and non-binding. Choice and change are close companions, and those who decide for a faith because they choose to believe it can as easily defect form the faith when they choose not to. (p. 70)
Choice today can always be casual, whereas the covenantal vow of faith is costly because we commit ourselves to Jesus and mortgage our very selves as we do so. (p.71)
They therefore twist the Scriptures to make reality fit their desires rather than making their desires fit the truths of the Scriptures. In Soren Kierkegaard’s stinging term, they are “kissing Judases” who betray Jesus with an interpretation. (p. 72)
For were we not solemnly sold a barrel of nonsense in the form of maxims that all good seeker-sensitive and audience-driven churches were to pursue? Here is one example from a well-known Christian marketing consultant: “It is also critical that we keep in mind a fundamental principle of Christian communication: the audience, not the message, is sovereign.”(p.72-3)
Unquestionably the world would like to change the church, but does the church still want to change the world, or is its only concern to change the church in the light of the world? Something is rotten in the state of Evangelicalism, and all too often it is impossible to tell who is changing whom. (p.73)
No Other Image
“Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of anything.” (Exodus 20:4)
There are several reasons why idolatry is forbidden. The most obvious is that the triune Creator is too great to attempt to visualize (Exodus 34:5-7). There is no thing or experience in human existence that can represent the immortal and invisible Creator (1 Timothy 6:16).
Thus, God sees any effort to “picture” Him (idolatry) as rebellion (Jeremiah 5:19-25). It does not matter how we may attempt to “see” God. “Any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth” (Exodus 20:4) are all totally incapable of expressing God’s person.
Romans 1:18-32 reveals the heart of an idolater. Those who hold the truth in unrighteousness (v. 18) will not glorify God as God (v. 21), even though they know Him by the creation itself (v. 20). Instead, they change God’s inestimable glory into an earthly creature (v. 23) and consciously change God’s truth into a lie (v. 25).
Thus, by open choice and willing rebellion, idolators worship and serve the creature rather than the Creator (v. 25), thereby abandoning God for a despicable and unnatural lust, for an ungodliness that, in turn, causes them to despise the very thought of God in their knowledge (v. 28). Ultimately, the only pleasure they can find is among other idolaters (v. 32)
Paul taught the “philosophers” in Acts 17:22-29 that the heart of idolatry is rejection of God as Creator. Idolatry, in any form or practice, strikes at the heart of salvation, because “he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him” (Hebrews 11:6).
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
Franklin Graham writes: George Floyd’s death, which was tragic and should have never happened, has sparked a new pandemic of fear. Many Democrats are saying the solution to the situation is to defund or dismantle the police departments. This has to be one of the most irresponsible ideas I have ever heard. This would lead to more anarchy and destruction. We are a nation of laws, and laws need to be enforced. There is never a time or a place for police brutality or discrimination—that has to be stopped. But now many good police officers are considering resigning or taking early retirement because of the treatment they are receiving. Many are asking themselves—Why am I risking my life and having people hate me for it? We need to pray for them, and we need to encourage them. When you see a police officer, make sure to smile, wave, give them the thumbs up, or even say “God bless you” as you go by. Let them know they are appreciated and you are praying for them. The Bible says, “Blessed are the peacemakers…” This is the calling many of them have answered with their lives. The police are what stand between us and total anarchy. Defund them—or thank them? What do you think?
God’s Precious Name
“Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain.” (Exodus 20:7)
As always, the word choices of the Holy Spirit are very important. The Hebrew word nasa, translated “take,” is widely used to describe willful misuse or manipulation of an item or idea. The Hebrew word for “name,” shem, literally means “a position” and carries the idea of a mark or memorial, implying a description of character.
God proclaimed His name: “The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering, and abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty” (Exodus 34:6-7). Moses described God as “He is the Rock, his work is perfect: for all his ways are judgment: a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deuteronomy 32:4).
Misusing the name of God is clarified by the final phrase “in vain,” translated from the Hebrew shav, which describes “a desolation, an evil, a useless or worthless thing.” “And ye shall not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt thou profane the name of thy God: I am the LORD” (Leviticus 19:12).
Thus, making a false (untrue, unrealistic, unmeant) statement using God’s name is wrong (Jeremiah 5:1-3; Matthew 5:33-37). Also, wounding the name of God through words or actions is equally wrong (Leviticus 20:1-5). A bad testimony (Ezekiel 36:20-23), improper service (Ezekiel 20:39-40), or giving the second-best to God (Malachi 1:10-14) disobeys this commandment.
Clearly, this is no mere restraint against “cussing.” It demands open worship of the nature and attributes of the Creator through our words and our lifestyle.
(HMM III, The Institute for Creation Research)
1 Kings 9
The Lord reiterates His promise to bless Israel for faithfulness and to judge her for sin.
INSIGHT
Three things happen when Israel lives in a righteous relationship with the Lord. First, God is glorified. Second, Israel is blessed, receiving the fullness of life for which she longs. Third, the unsaved world is drawn to want to know God because of the magnificent picture they see of Him.
Because so much hinges on Israel’s standing before God, the Lord makes it clear to her how serious her position is. If she will trust and obey Him, He will bless Israel forever. However, if she lives in sin, He will utterly destroy her. (Quiet Walk)
Mark shares (NY): Finally, a Judge with common sense…Judge Michael McHaney of Clay County Illinois ruled against Governor Pritzker’s executive order. Below are his words:
“Before I rule, I’m advising everybody in this room, no public outbursts or displays. The court is still in session until you are told otherwise.
Since the inception of this insanity, the following regulations, rules or consequences have occurred: I won’t get COVID if I get an abortion but I will get COVID if I get a colonoscopy. Selling pot is essential but selling goods and services at a family- owned business is not. Pot wasn’t even legal and pot dispensaries didn’t even exist in this state until five months ago and, in that five months, they have become essential but a family-owned business in existence for five generations is not.
A family of six can pile in their car and drive to Carlyle Lake without contracting COVID but, if they all get in the same boat, they will. We are told that kids rarely contract the virus and sunlight kills it, but summer youth programs, sports programs are cancelled. Four people can drive to the golf course and not get COVID but, if they play in a foursome, they will. If I go to Walmart, I won’t get COVID but, if I go to church, I will. Murderers are released from custody while small business owners are threatened with arrest if they have the audacity to attempt to feed their families.
These are just a few of examples of rules, regulations and consequences that are arbitrary, capricious, and completely devoid of anything even remotely approaching common sense.
State’s attorneys in this state, county sheriffs, mayors, city councils and county boards have openly and publicly defied these orders followed by threats to withhold funding and revocation of necessary licenses and certifications unless you obey.
Our economy is shut down because of a flu virus with a 98% plus survival rate. Doctors and experts say different things weekly. The defendant cites models in his opposition. The only thing experts will agree on is that all models are wrong and some are useful. The Centers for Disease Control now says the virus is not easily spread on surfaces.
The defendant in this case orders you to stay home and pronounces that, if you leave the state, you are putting people in danger, but his family members traveled to Florida and Wisconsin because he deems such travel essential. One initial rationale why the rules don’t apply to him is that his family farm had animals that needed fed. Try selling that argument to farmers who have had to slaughter their herds because of disruption in the supply chain.
When laws do not apply to those who make them, people are not being governed, they are being ruled. Make no mistake, these executive orders are not laws. They are royal decrees. Illinois citizens are not being governed, they are being ruled. The last time I checked Illinois citizens are also Americans and Americans don’t get ruled. The last time a monarch tried to rule Americans, a shot was fired that was heard around the world. That day led to the birth of a nation consensually governed based upon a document which ensures that on this day in this, any American courtroom tyrannical despotism will always lose and liberty, freedom and the constitution will always win.”
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