Good morning, gang!
Today we finish up chapter 2. This is sounds like one of those, "And they lived happily ever after" endings, but we find out quickly in chapter 3 how things go very wrong! When Adam saw Eve, he knew right away, "This is it! She's the one I've been waiting for!" He had seen and named the parade of creatures in verses 19 & 20, and knew that they were not suitable. But this woman! WOW! She was the true answer to his prayers! He gave her the name "Isha," which is the Hebrew word for "woman." "Ish" is the Hebrew word for "man," so she was truly, as Adam declares, "...bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh..."
The attraction was immediate! For some of us, that's how it was with our mates. We had a visceral reaction: "He's the one!" And we experienced that wonderful time of courtship, falling in love, planning the wedding, and enjoying that magical day of our weddings. And we truly thought that was just the beginning of an amazing fairy tale adventure! The sweetness of verse 25 even hints at that sublime honeymoon period: The man and his wife were both naked, and they were unashamed. Unfortunately, reality sets in too quickly, and soon we realize, "He never picks up his clothes!" or "She always finishes my sentences!" [that would be me!!!]
What is the main reason this happens??? We forget about verse 24: For this reason, a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh. I had to look back to see what "For this reason" refers to - and it looks to me like it's the fact that they were designed to be together, since Eve was "bone of my bones" to Adam. So, in other words, it is part of God's great design that a man and woman "leave and cleave." And having a problem in either one of these areas can spell disaster for a marriage.
Most of us had no problem leaving mom and dad, but if you have dragged your parents into your marriage, or they are in any way intrusive in your relationship, this is completely out of order with God's intention for you. For some of us, it isn't necessarily leaving the parental relationship behind, but we are holding onto some other relationship - a dream of a former boyfriend or girlfriend, or an inappropriate friendship with a co-worker (and this does not have to involve sexual intimacy). For some it is the children who get in the way. God spoke to me early on in my marriage that I could not let my darling daughters (whom I have always loved intensely, and who USED TO love me unconditionally - at least until they were teens!) come between Don and me. It is sooooo easy to allow the needs and activities of our children become all-consuming, especially in their school years. It is a true pitfall for moms! We become involved in PTA, volunteer in their classrooms, lead their scout troops, teach their Sunday School classes, chauffeur them all over town. And we mostly love it! And it's usually a wonderful thing to do. But I've seen so many young moms completely neglect their husbands because of the kids. And I've seen couples totally focused on their children's social/athletic lives to the exclusion of their own relationship. It can be a real danger! Because the kids will leave you all too soon - and you do not want to be strangers then! For us older, working moms and dads, the problem can be that we give everything at work, then have nothing left to give each other at home.
The "cleaving" or being "united" is the other part needed to nourish a marriage. Because we are so perfectly suited by God's design, we indeed become "one flesh" in marriage. We need to cling to and rely on each other for the daily encouragement and support that are so vital in life. When we leave for work each day, we face a battle - hours of the world trying to undo us. We come home battle-weary, and we need the encouragement and love of our mates to lift us back up to face the next day. Moms of small children have been fighting the battle of runny noses, potty training , and power struggles with strong-willed children. They need a break along with affirmation from Dad that they are doing a great job! Now, God is truly the only One who can meet all of these needs perfectly, but He has given us our spouses to be "Christ in the flesh" to us here on earth. He has given YOU to your mate for that very purpose! Thank you, God, for the one who is "bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh!"
Have a great day! No time to edit this morning, so forgive the mistakes!!!
Showing posts with label Genesis 2. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Genesis 2. Show all posts
Friday, January 14, 2011
Thursday, January 13, 2011
Genesis 2:18-23
Hello, all!
This morning we come to the first time when God said of His Creation, "It is not good..." The LORD God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." God saw the need Adam had for a companion, and God filled that need. First, He showed Adam that the other creatures created by God were NOT suitable! Then God performed surgery on Adam, and we know how he took the rib from Adam's side and created Eve (although she is not given her name until the end of chapter 3). Now, Jon Courson points out that Adam did not take things into his own hands, desperately searching for his helpmate - he let God provide her. He makes the point that many of us would have gone out and settled for anyone just so we would not be alone. For Adam the closest thing to "suitable" would have been an ape - which is what many, tired of being single, will settle for! :) Adam waited on God.
Courson also points out that as the first bride was made from the first Adam's side, even so the Church, Jesus' Bride, was made from the last Adam's side, when he hung on the cross and was pierced in the side for our sin. Our position as wives is to be at our husband's side - not leading nor walking ten paces behind, but standing with him. Even so, the man is to protect us with his arm around us - and he is told to love us as Christ loved the church, keeping us pure and being able to present us holy to God. (Eph. 5:25)
One of the best pieces of advise I received from a wonderful Christian mentor when I was a young bride (and which Courson also repeats in his commentary here), is that my husband was not supposed to fill all of my needs, especially emotionally, and never will. If he did, I would not feel the need to seek the LORD - or girlfriends!! When we expect our husbands to be everything we need, we put an unbearable burden on them. The reality is, for me anyway, and I would guess for most of you, our mate is often very different from us in many ways. One speaker we heard at a family camp years ago put it this way: "Opposites attract before marriage, but afterward they repel! The very thing that attracted to you to that person will drive you crazy in the marriage!" So true! We lament that our spouses often just don't "get" us - but they cannot possibly understand everything we feel. Get over it!! Enjoy and praise God for the differences, because God uses them to rub off the rough edges WE have! Courson attributes this to the fact that God removed the rib, and "men have been missing something ever since." :) And God, who created us, knows us so intimately, He DOES get us. I love that He is the only one who truly knows EVERYTHING about me - even those things buried deep within my heart that I don't even know - and He loves me anyway!! Amazing!
We finish up this chapter tomorrow with Adam's reaction to his new spouse and God's plan for the two of them! Have a great Thursday!
This morning we come to the first time when God said of His Creation, "It is not good..." The LORD God said, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him." God saw the need Adam had for a companion, and God filled that need. First, He showed Adam that the other creatures created by God were NOT suitable! Then God performed surgery on Adam, and we know how he took the rib from Adam's side and created Eve (although she is not given her name until the end of chapter 3). Now, Jon Courson points out that Adam did not take things into his own hands, desperately searching for his helpmate - he let God provide her. He makes the point that many of us would have gone out and settled for anyone just so we would not be alone. For Adam the closest thing to "suitable" would have been an ape - which is what many, tired of being single, will settle for! :) Adam waited on God.
Courson also points out that as the first bride was made from the first Adam's side, even so the Church, Jesus' Bride, was made from the last Adam's side, when he hung on the cross and was pierced in the side for our sin. Our position as wives is to be at our husband's side - not leading nor walking ten paces behind, but standing with him. Even so, the man is to protect us with his arm around us - and he is told to love us as Christ loved the church, keeping us pure and being able to present us holy to God. (Eph. 5:25)
One of the best pieces of advise I received from a wonderful Christian mentor when I was a young bride (and which Courson also repeats in his commentary here), is that my husband was not supposed to fill all of my needs, especially emotionally, and never will. If he did, I would not feel the need to seek the LORD - or girlfriends!! When we expect our husbands to be everything we need, we put an unbearable burden on them. The reality is, for me anyway, and I would guess for most of you, our mate is often very different from us in many ways. One speaker we heard at a family camp years ago put it this way: "Opposites attract before marriage, but afterward they repel! The very thing that attracted to you to that person will drive you crazy in the marriage!" So true! We lament that our spouses often just don't "get" us - but they cannot possibly understand everything we feel. Get over it!! Enjoy and praise God for the differences, because God uses them to rub off the rough edges WE have! Courson attributes this to the fact that God removed the rib, and "men have been missing something ever since." :) And God, who created us, knows us so intimately, He DOES get us. I love that He is the only one who truly knows EVERYTHING about me - even those things buried deep within my heart that I don't even know - and He loves me anyway!! Amazing!
We finish up this chapter tomorrow with Adam's reaction to his new spouse and God's plan for the two of them! Have a great Thursday!
Wednesday, January 12, 2011
Genesis 2:8-17
Good morning, gang!
Today’s verses describe the Garden of Eden, the environment in which man was placed, and the charge and the commandment that God gave to Adam in regards to this place.
As to the location and environment, we don’t know the location of the Pishon and Haviah Rivers mentioned here, but we do know where the Tigris and Euphrates are: they meet and flow through Iraq. We know that the original environment had all the best possible food that man could eat and direct fellowship with God.
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (verses 8-9,15-17))
So God gave Adam a charge to care for this garden. It was a pleasurable job, because prior to the fall there would have been no thorns and thistles, so no weeding to do. We’ve already noted that it was self-watering! Jon Courson says that Adam would have gardened not just as a vocation, but for recreation. However, we see that God also gave him a specific command regarding the trees in the garden: he could eat from ANY of them, EXCEPT the one tree - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was right next to the tree of life. And don’t we all know that the minute you tell someone they can’t do something, it’s the first thing they want to do [“Wet Paint - Do Not Touch”]? You might be asking, “Why did God set them up for failure, by putting these two trees, including the forbidden tree, smack dab in the middle of the garden?”
Well, God did not want a meaningless relationship with robots. He wanted man to CHOOSE to have a relationship with Him. This required that man would have free choice - and choice means that there actually has to be something from which to choose! He did not trick or tempt Adam - He was very specific in the warning about what the choice to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil would mean in consequences: he would DIE! It would result in immediate separation from God, spiritual death as well as eventual physical death.
Some wonder why it’s so bad to know good and evil. It wasn’t knowing right from wrong. Surely God wants us to know the difference, and has given us His Word to make these things clear to us. Instead, it was wanting a knowledge equal to God’s (we’ll see this next week in chapter 3), and it represented a defiance of God.
When God sets up such a command - “Do NOT...” it is NOT because He’s the God of no fun! He isn’t trying to DENY us anything - He is trying to protect us, because He loves us so. What kind of parent sets no parameters for his children? A rotten parent! As a teacher, I see daily the ramifications of allowing children to do whatever they want to do.
Where in your life are you resenting God’s commands for you? What has He explicitly commanded you NOT to do (or DO) that you are resisting? It’s not that we don’t know what He expects of us. His Word is very clear on most issues we are facing. It’s that we don’t want anyone, including God, interfering with our own plans and pleasures! But God is asking us to get serious with Him. Choose to obey! The other choice leads to death - death of your marriage, death of your relationships with others, death of your relationship with God.
Choose life! Have a great morning!
Today’s verses describe the Garden of Eden, the environment in which man was placed, and the charge and the commandment that God gave to Adam in regards to this place.
As to the location and environment, we don’t know the location of the Pishon and Haviah Rivers mentioned here, but we do know where the Tigris and Euphrates are: they meet and flow through Iraq. We know that the original environment had all the best possible food that man could eat and direct fellowship with God.
Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil... The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. And the LORD God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.” (verses 8-9,15-17))
So God gave Adam a charge to care for this garden. It was a pleasurable job, because prior to the fall there would have been no thorns and thistles, so no weeding to do. We’ve already noted that it was self-watering! Jon Courson says that Adam would have gardened not just as a vocation, but for recreation. However, we see that God also gave him a specific command regarding the trees in the garden: he could eat from ANY of them, EXCEPT the one tree - the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, which was right next to the tree of life. And don’t we all know that the minute you tell someone they can’t do something, it’s the first thing they want to do [“Wet Paint - Do Not Touch”]? You might be asking, “Why did God set them up for failure, by putting these two trees, including the forbidden tree, smack dab in the middle of the garden?”
Well, God did not want a meaningless relationship with robots. He wanted man to CHOOSE to have a relationship with Him. This required that man would have free choice - and choice means that there actually has to be something from which to choose! He did not trick or tempt Adam - He was very specific in the warning about what the choice to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil would mean in consequences: he would DIE! It would result in immediate separation from God, spiritual death as well as eventual physical death.
Some wonder why it’s so bad to know good and evil. It wasn’t knowing right from wrong. Surely God wants us to know the difference, and has given us His Word to make these things clear to us. Instead, it was wanting a knowledge equal to God’s (we’ll see this next week in chapter 3), and it represented a defiance of God.
When God sets up such a command - “Do NOT...” it is NOT because He’s the God of no fun! He isn’t trying to DENY us anything - He is trying to protect us, because He loves us so. What kind of parent sets no parameters for his children? A rotten parent! As a teacher, I see daily the ramifications of allowing children to do whatever they want to do.
Where in your life are you resenting God’s commands for you? What has He explicitly commanded you NOT to do (or DO) that you are resisting? It’s not that we don’t know what He expects of us. His Word is very clear on most issues we are facing. It’s that we don’t want anyone, including God, interfering with our own plans and pleasures! But God is asking us to get serious with Him. Choose to obey! The other choice leads to death - death of your marriage, death of your relationships with others, death of your relationship with God.
Choose life! Have a great morning!
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Genesis 2:4-7
Good morning, everyone!
I have heard this before, and Jon Courson says it also about chapter two: while chapter one is the wide-angle view story of Creation - the story told to give the big picture - in chapter 2 the zoom lens gets down to specifically deal with the creation of man. In verses 5 and 6 we get a description of the "greenhouse" atmosphere of the earth before rain: "...for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to till the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground... " Courson says, "The LORD evidently had a built-in sprinkler system on automatic timer which kept everything watered."
Verse 7 says, "... the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." As one who teaches the fifth grade science unit on matter, I'm always amazed that EVERYTHING in the universe comes from about 100 natural elements. We are all made up of the same stuff basically. What accounts for the differences? The way the "stuff" is put together. I looked up the facts online, and man is made up of 60 chemical elements. We are about 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 10% hydrogen, 3% nitrogen, 1.5% calcium, 1% phosphorus, then just tiny traces of the others. Further, the average adult contains 6.7 x 10 to the 27th power atoms! Now, man was fashioned out of ordinary "stuff," but the LORD breathed spirit into man and brought him to life as a triune being of body, soul, and spirit. Science can attempt to form a man with this stuff, but only God can breathe life into us, because our spiritual being is straight from the breath of God. It cannot be broken down into elements!
Why does the creation of man matter? If we are all just accidental mixtures of the random collision of atoms, if we truly are just glorified apes, then we have no special place on earth or with God. But the Bible is very clear that our great Designer, our Creator God, our Father had a plan! He knew exactly what He wanted and He built it "from the ground up" to have a special place on earth and a special relationship with Him. This Bible we study is the story of His dealings with us from the beginning of time to the very end. It is the TRUTH about God and the TRUTH about us. It is worthy of our time in study!
Thanks for doing this with me!
I have heard this before, and Jon Courson says it also about chapter two: while chapter one is the wide-angle view story of Creation - the story told to give the big picture - in chapter 2 the zoom lens gets down to specifically deal with the creation of man. In verses 5 and 6 we get a description of the "greenhouse" atmosphere of the earth before rain: "...for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no man to till the ground, but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground... " Courson says, "The LORD evidently had a built-in sprinkler system on automatic timer which kept everything watered."
Verse 7 says, "... the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." As one who teaches the fifth grade science unit on matter, I'm always amazed that EVERYTHING in the universe comes from about 100 natural elements. We are all made up of the same stuff basically. What accounts for the differences? The way the "stuff" is put together. I looked up the facts online, and man is made up of 60 chemical elements. We are about 65% oxygen, 18% carbon, 10% hydrogen, 3% nitrogen, 1.5% calcium, 1% phosphorus, then just tiny traces of the others. Further, the average adult contains 6.7 x 10 to the 27th power atoms! Now, man was fashioned out of ordinary "stuff," but the LORD breathed spirit into man and brought him to life as a triune being of body, soul, and spirit. Science can attempt to form a man with this stuff, but only God can breathe life into us, because our spiritual being is straight from the breath of God. It cannot be broken down into elements!
Why does the creation of man matter? If we are all just accidental mixtures of the random collision of atoms, if we truly are just glorified apes, then we have no special place on earth or with God. But the Bible is very clear that our great Designer, our Creator God, our Father had a plan! He knew exactly what He wanted and He built it "from the ground up" to have a special place on earth and a special relationship with Him. This Bible we study is the story of His dealings with us from the beginning of time to the very end. It is the TRUTH about God and the TRUTH about us. It is worthy of our time in study!
Thanks for doing this with me!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Genesis 2:1-3
Good morning, all!
This week we'll be looking at the creation of Adam and Eve, but the first two verses of chapter 2 actually refer back to chapter 1. After "the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array," God took the seventh day off! He "rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."
Why did God rest? Was He exhausted? Our Bible tells us that He does not grow weary, nor does He sleep. He did not NEED a day off. So what was His purpose here? I think God was doing two things: I think He was just enjoying the beauty of what He had made, and I think He was purposefully setting an example for us. God knew we would need to take a day off from our labor and just rest. Most of us are old enough to remember a time when stores were not open on Sundays and most everyone in town went to church. There were no youth sports leagues competing on Sunday. Sunday was a day with the family. It was a time to be still and know that God is God. Unfortunately, all of that has changed!
Rest from labor is vital to our spiritual life. If we don't take time away from the daily grind to be still and just enjoy our relationships with others and with God, we burn out. We become resentful, not only of the job itself, but sometimes of those for whom we work - our families. We will never catch up at work, we will never run out of things to do (either at work or at home), so we just have to consciously set aside (make holy) one out of seven days to restore and recharge. In particular, we need time set aside for enjoying all that God has made and for nurturing our relationship with Him.
The problem comes when we get legalistic about how to do this. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27) Don't make going to church a ritual. Don't prescribe rules for yourself or others about how it MUST be observed in order to be holy. Don't judge others in their method or particular day of "keeping" the Sabbath. Just remember to take that day of rest yourself. God modeled it for us, because He knew we would work ourselves to death, or at least out of fellowship, if we didn't set it aside.
Enjoy the Sabbath as one of God's first gifts to us!
This week we'll be looking at the creation of Adam and Eve, but the first two verses of chapter 2 actually refer back to chapter 1. After "the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array," God took the seventh day off! He "rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done."
Why did God rest? Was He exhausted? Our Bible tells us that He does not grow weary, nor does He sleep. He did not NEED a day off. So what was His purpose here? I think God was doing two things: I think He was just enjoying the beauty of what He had made, and I think He was purposefully setting an example for us. God knew we would need to take a day off from our labor and just rest. Most of us are old enough to remember a time when stores were not open on Sundays and most everyone in town went to church. There were no youth sports leagues competing on Sunday. Sunday was a day with the family. It was a time to be still and know that God is God. Unfortunately, all of that has changed!
Rest from labor is vital to our spiritual life. If we don't take time away from the daily grind to be still and just enjoy our relationships with others and with God, we burn out. We become resentful, not only of the job itself, but sometimes of those for whom we work - our families. We will never catch up at work, we will never run out of things to do (either at work or at home), so we just have to consciously set aside (make holy) one out of seven days to restore and recharge. In particular, we need time set aside for enjoying all that God has made and for nurturing our relationship with Him.
The problem comes when we get legalistic about how to do this. Jesus reminded the Pharisees that "The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath." (Mark 2:27) Don't make going to church a ritual. Don't prescribe rules for yourself or others about how it MUST be observed in order to be holy. Don't judge others in their method or particular day of "keeping" the Sabbath. Just remember to take that day of rest yourself. God modeled it for us, because He knew we would work ourselves to death, or at least out of fellowship, if we didn't set it aside.
Enjoy the Sabbath as one of God's first gifts to us!
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