Talk of JESUS .com

Tag: paradise

  • Disaster From Disobedience, A Savior From Before Eden – 4

    He was in the world,
    and the world was created through Him,
    yet the world did not recognize Him.

    John 1:10

    What did God intend for man in paradise (Eden) in the beginning?

    Creation of Adam

    Genesis 2:

    7 Then the Lord God formed the man out of the dust from the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.

    This then, is really the beginning as far as man is concerned; but we must ask more. Man, we ask: what did Moses mean to say about the first man of flesh created by God?

    Genesis 1:26-27 KJV excerpt

    And God said,

    Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

    1:27 וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הָֽאָדָם בְּצַלְמֹו בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹהִים בָּרָא אֹתֹו זָכָר וּנְקֵבָה בָּרָא אֹתָֽם׃

    So God [‘elohiym] created man [adam] in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

    • References to God are plural, not singular. Yet the One God is not consulting with other gods (a concept we shall not explore here).
    • We are like God, not like the animals of God’s creation.
    • Creation references to man, translated from ‘adam’ include male and female.

    God creates a perfect world, giving men and angels the freedom to obey and serve. But we don’t obey and therefore no longer live in a perfect paradise.

    What is paradise?

    Paradise would be a place where all men and women, all creatures of earth and all angelic beings live together in harmony with God. We take our cultural meaning of paradise from the Greek word παράδεισος, but in the definition of Eden differs. 

    Adam in Eden

    Continuing in Genesis 2:8

    The Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there He placed the man He had formed. 9 The Lord God caused to grow out of the ground every tree pleasing in appearance and good for food…

    Do you know what it means, ‘Eden,’ that is?

    Pleasure. And man’s role was to care for the garden of our pleasure.

    Garden of Eden Jacopo Bassano, 1570-73 Oil on canvas; Galleria Doria-Pamphili, Rome

    15 The Lord God took the man and placed him in the garden of Eden to work it and watch over it.

    Yes such a pleasurable work, tending the perfect place where the Lord walked with man. Follow the Lord’s command and have eternal life (although in Adam’s bliss he knew of no alternative.)

    16 And the Lord God commanded the man,

    “You are free to eat from any tree of the garden, 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for on the day you eat from it, you will certainly die.”

    A Helper

    Moses then continues with the separate account of the creation of woman from man; that is, Eve. Much is made of her, ‘the female of the species made in God’s image.’ For as Moses testifies:

    18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper as his complement.”

    v.22 KJV And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.

    Think of it dear brother, the Lord filled our emptiness of existence without a ‘helper’ at our side with one like us and for us. Therefore she is created as our ‘better half,’ as we become one.

    23 And the man said:

    This one, at last, is bone of my bone
    and flesh of my flesh;
    this one will be called “woman,”
    for she was taken from man.

    24 This is why a man leaves his father and mother and bonds with his wife, and they become one flesh. 25 Both the man and his wife were naked, yet felt no shame.

    The Knowledge of Good and Evil

    Paradise, an illustration of Eden: man, woman, plants and animals, food and meaningful work. The created heavens above and bountiful beautiful earth in every direction. The Lord walked and talked with them! 

    Genesis 1:28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it.

    Paradise but for one generation due to just one bad decision.

    One command from God to man and everything else filled with the freedom of eternal joy in Eden on earth. Paradise.

    Again, recalling from Genesis 2:17 “..but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil…”

    Why not, you ask? Ah, but we are already sinners questioning God every day.

    For Adam did not have to ask what to do, just obey the Lord’s one command. Think about it, the definition that he did not need was that of good and evil.

    God’s simple command to Adam could easily be defined:

    “Good is to obey God, evil is to disobey God.”

    Why would anyone disobey the all-powerful, all-knowing, compassionate and gracious Lord, who created us to be a human image of Him?

    But of course, we all do… and it is sin, by definition, evil.

    The moment Adam and Eve made their decision to disobey God, the moment Adam and Eve knew that that had chosen evil over obedience; our lives and existence began to overflow with needless questions and numerous wrong answers. 

    Do not blame the serpent or others, demons or even your parents and our first parents, Adam and Eve.

    We were created for obedience to God who defines good. Yet we all choose to go against God of our own free will, just as Satan and various angels had disobeyed.

    God IS God! And we are not.

    Original and Continuing Sin

    In Disaster From Disobedience – 3 we examined the fall of the Tempter and will not dwell on his role in Eden. We now carry the burden of the knowledge of good and evil, we carry the burden of our own sin.

    Next we will examine the progression from Adam’s one command from God to the man’s disobedience through the generations. Evil and sin will lead us to the requirements of the Law and convictions of our disobedience.

    To be continued…

     

     

     

  • Reflections: Knowledge vs. Life

    Reflections: Knowledge vs. Life

    Man – adam, and woman made from man to be one with man and with God – Eve: now have knowledge of good and evil.

    NO more Paradise on earth – NO more Eden; no more garden of pleasure hedged in by the boundaries of righteousness. We must judge good and evil for ourselves (rather than simply obey God’s command).

    James 1:23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror.  24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like.

    Man is no longer the perfect, sinless mirror image of the Living God. Sin has clouded our vision and our judgement.

    Yet the Lord is still near to those who will seek Him. Remember, the Lord God is a loving Father of all mankind; Creator of all that is good, corrector of all that is evil in the rebellious child.

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    Genesis 4: 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

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    The relationship has changed because of evil. Man is no longer naked in paradise, but revealed in our sinfulness to our Father of righteousness. And the loving Father advises those who would hear. Yes, obedience to God remains our option of doing what is good in the eyes of the Lord.

    Yet we fail. As in Adam, so also in Cain and in the deceitful hearts, sinful flesh and rebellious spirit of every Adam… the misled heart of every Eve.

    Our willingly broken relationship with God leads us further and further from Eden.

    Genesis 6: 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” …

    5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. …

    Do your intentions and choices of your heart ever grieve the heart of your heavenly Father?

    Genesis 6: 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

    What is God’s judgement of the wickedness of these last days?

    Will God much longer endure sinful men without love and sinful women with callous hearts toward the love and righteousness of Christ Jesus?

    God continued in faithfulness to those faithful in love and worship of the Father of all that is good. The LORD gave man a new hedge of protection in the Law – the Law of Moses, as it is called – The Ten Commandments.

    Deuteronomy 4:  “And now, O Israel, listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching you, and do them, that you may live…”

    6 Keep them and do them, for that will be your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the peoples, who, when they hear all these statutes, will say, ‘Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.’ …

    11 And you came near and stood at the foot of the mountain, while the mountain burned with fire to the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom. 12 Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but saw no form; there was only a voice. 13 And he declared to you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, that is, the Ten Commandments, and he wrote them on two tablets of stone…

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    The LORD no longer walks beside Moses or the leaders of God’s people. The LORD appears to the Hebrew people as an awesome and fearful sight! The LORD speaks from the darkness of what they cannot see and commands obedience.

    The people confirm their faith; they make their solemn promise – a covenant not unlike the covenant of marriage – with the Lord their God.

    Yet do they obey?

    Is it so hard for us to NOT commit adultery?

    Is it so difficult for us to follow even TEN clear Commandments of the LORD God?

    To be continued…

  • Reflections: man vs. GOD

    Reflections: man vs. GOD

    Eden, as we read previously, was a place – a walled garden – created by God for His pleasure and the pleasure of Adam and Eve: a man, and a woman made for man, joined as one; even as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One.

    God walked with man in the garden of pleasure.

    And it was good.

    When man is in relationship to God, in conversation with God, in prayer with God – when we are one with the Father, we mirror his holiness.

    When man (woman) misses the mark of perfection, the ideal of holiness – when we do not mirror the essence of the Father’s goodness, it is sin.

    Trespass, crossing the forbidden line, climbing over the hedge of protection – when a man or woman turns from the direction of perfection, it is sin.

    So what was so wrong with Eve and Adam wanting to sample from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil?

    Should we not recognize evil, that we might follow good?

    Should we not attain knowledge, that in ignorance we might fall from the will of God?

     Genesis 3 English Standard Version (ESV)

    He [the serpent] said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?”

    2 And the woman said…

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    Wait! Let’s pause here a moment and ask, What’s wrong with this image [picture]?

    First: Satan lies. The enemy of good is subtle in his lie.

    Second: The woman is receiving knowledge [information] from the devil! Can that possibly be good?

    Third: The woman is not seeking the answer of her husband, from whom she was made and for whom she was made. So how can her response be as a women one with the spirit and flesh of her husband? (I know this is touchy, controversial topic in a church where the wife is not expected to honor her husband as her personal lord only after the worship of the Lord they worship as one.)

    Fourth, yet not least of importance: Eve, and for that matter, Adam, does not take the issue and application to God before they sin – before they act – before they exercise their Self-will over the will of God.

    It is disobedience!

    They have used their freedom to choose, within the hedges of the garden of good, to do what is evil in the eyes of the LORD.

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    4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

    6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.

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    Michelangelo-Forbidden_frui

    NO, Adam didn’t consult with God either. He listened to his wife, who had listened to Satan.

    But was it really such a bad sin?

    Allow me to play devil’s advocate for a moment. After all, don’t we hold our universities and learning in high esteem? Isn’t knowledge a good thing for us? Have we not made life on earth so much better by the great learning of man from generation to generation?

    Now from the other side of the bar I ask you to judge: how good is mankind now that we have all this knowledge? How good is man?

    Have you ever played the telephone game?

    Suppose God tells Adam… then Adam tells Eve… Eve and the serpent whisper something back and forth… then Eve entices Adam with what the serpent has said… yet eventually, the conversation gets back to the LORD.

    What has happened to truth?

    It is like the telephone game, when we have listened to Satan and not God?

    Eventually, news of our sin will prompt the question of conviction from the Father of righteousness. Eventually, man, made in the image of God, is accountable to the Creator who does judge that which the Lord created, even in His Image.

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      9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”

    10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”

    11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

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    After the LORD hears Adam confess his fear, the LORD asks the obvious question:

    MAN, who have you been listening to that is NOT the LORD!?

    Is the evidence of the sin of the telephone game not convicting?

    ‘Did GOD really say?’ Was this not the first deception of Satan?

    So in the beginning, the good and the innocence of holiness and sinlessness is broken by one simple disobedient ‘choice’ by man (and woman) free to choose good or evil, yet destined to also receive the judgment of consequence.

    And the Lord saw it was good… or must the Lord see the nakedness of your sin?

    Adam rightfully fears punishment of a Holy and loving Father God, our All-Powerful Creator. FEAR now enters into the relationship of man to God – fear because of the just judgement of sin.

    To be continued.