I Know You Will

Read Genesis 18:9-18
9 And they said unto him, Where is Sarah thy wife? And he said, Behold, in the tent.
10 And he said, I will certainly return unto thee according to the time of life; and, lo, Sarah thy wife shall have a son. And Sarah heard it in the tent door, which was behind him.
11 Now Abraham and Sarah were old and well stricken in age; and it ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women.
12 Therefore Sarah laughed within herself, saying, After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure, my lord being old also?
13 And the LORD said unto Abraham, Wherefore did Sarah laugh, saying, Shall I of a surety bear a child, which am old?
14 Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son.
15 Then Sarah denied, saying, I laughed not; for she was afraid. And he said, Nay; but thou didst laugh.
16 And the men rose up from thence, and looked toward Sodom: and Abraham went with them to bring them on the way.

They confirmed with Abraham that Sarah was going to have a son, and Sarah heard it. She thought it was funny, because it was preposterous to think that someone as old as herself and Abraham could have a child together.

When they confronted her about her laughing, she thought she may have offended them, so she denied it. It was not good to offend the strangers, because it would have been inhospitable. You don't bring people into your home to ridicule them. That would be rude!

But, that is not what they were concerned about. They were concerned that she doubted their words. A woman who follows God should believe and know that nothing is impossible with God!

Sarah was going to have a son with-in the next year, and it was hard to believe. Anyone would have had trouble believing such a statement!

So, when God tells you that you are not a failure, even though you are 62-years-old and have been a failure all of your life, and that you will succeed, then you should be like Colonel Sanders, who was 62-years-old when he established Kentucky Fried Chicken for the first time. He was broke and in debt when he did that.

Colonel Sanders died at the age of 90 with a net worth of $3.5 Million. His establishment is still making money for his family today, among millions of other people that it supports around the world.

That is faith in action!

It's not about failure. It's about moving forward, in spite of it. If you keep moving forward with the faith and fortitude to do good with even what little bit God gives you, grasping any opportunity that is consistent with God's will along your way, you will be successful!

Abraham and Sarah may not have believed, but they still did the thing that was necessary to have the child. Maybe it was in pleasure, not intent, but it did the job, none-the-less.

Angels Among Us

Read Genesis 18:1-8

1 And the LORD appeared unto him in the plains of Mamre: and he sat in the tent door in the heat of the day;
2 And he lift up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men stood by him: and when he saw them, he ran to meet them from the tent door, and bowed himself toward the ground,
3 And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:
4 Let a little water, I pray you, be fetched, and wash your feet, and rest yourselves under the tree:
5 And I will fetch a morsel of bread, and comfort ye your hearts; after that ye shall pass on: for therefore are ye come to your servant. And they said, So do, as thou hast said.
6 And Abraham hastened into the tent unto Sarah, and said, Make ready quickly three measures of fine meal, knead it, and make cakes upon the hearth.
7 And Abraham ran unto the herd, and fetcht a calf tender and good, and gave it unto a young man; and he hasted to dress it.
8 And he took butter, and milk, and the calf which he had dressed, and set it before them; and he stood by them under the tree, and they did eat.

Three strangers appeared out of nowhere at the door of the tent that Abraham was resting in from the heat. Abraham prostrated himself before them and begged them to stay for supper.

They agreed. So, Abraham ran to delegate tasks to his household, including Sarah, to make the strangers welcome.

It was custom, in those days, to treat all strangers with the utmost hospitality and celebration, because one never knew if they might be angels.

Hebrews 13:2

“Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.”

Today, people don't treat strangers the way they used to treat them. They are ruled by their fear, even though the Word of God says "Do not fear" 365 times in the Bible.

What would happen if we did not have that fear when we met strangers today? The world would be a much more welcome and joyous place!

How many times have we met strangers that have become like family as the years progressed.

We must remember to let go of our fear when we meet strangers on our journey through our day. By doing so, we are more blessed often-times than if we do not. Nothing happens on God's green earth without a reason. That stranger came to meet you because God sent them, angel or not. Treat them with respect and love, as Jesus did, even in the face of adversity!

Because you never know, they may be the answer to your prayers!

God of the Impossible

Read Genesis 17

God changed Abram's name to Abraham, meaning "Father of many nations", promising him that he would be.

He told Abraham that kings and nations would come out of him.

God said He would God to all of his seed after him.

God told Abraham that He did HIS part of the covenant, and now it was time for Abraham to do his part. He commanded that all male children in his house be circumcised as a token of the covenant.

By "in his house", he meant EVERYONE, including servants and slaves bought with his money to be a part of the family.

God changed Sarai's name to Sarah and promised the same of her.

Abraham laughed at this. It was preposterous to think that someone so old could bear a child at their age! He prayed that Ishmael might be God's blessing.

God told Abraham that, indeed, Ishmael would also be blessed. He would father twelve princes, but that he was NOT part of the covenant. Isaac, who would be born of Sarah, was the bearer of the covenant. It would be out of Isaac that all the promises be fulfilled.

Abraham was 99 years old when he took 13-year-old Ishmael and all of his house to circumcise them, as God had commanded.

When God makes a promise, it may seem too preposterous to believe Him. But, nothing is impossible for God, and what God says will always come to pass. We must have faith and believe, in spite of however impossible it may seem to us or others. Our faith is counted for righteousness, just as was Abram's in Genesis 15:6:

“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.”

For the Good

Read Genesis 16

It was the custom, in those days, that if the wife could not bear children, she would give her handmaiden to her husband to bear the child she wanted for her.

Abram was a just and fair man, and he had a lot of heart. He wanted to please his wife. So, he did what his wife asked him to do.

Hagar conceived and was pregnant. When she got pregnant, she taunted Sarai with the fact that it was SHE who was pregnant, and not Sarai. Sarai was not fit to give Abram the heir he wanted.

This hurt and angered Sarai. So she went to Abram and told him.

Abram told Sarai that it was her decision to give him Hagar to conceive. Hagar belonged to her. If she was not acting right, it was up to her to straighten the matter out. Sarai was his true love. He would stand by her decision.

Sarai lashed back at Hagar. She was firm and very harsh, until, finally, Hagar ran away.

But, she didn't get far. An Angel stopped her and told her to go back and be submissive to Sarai. He promised that her child would father many people. He would be a fighter, like his mother, in the face of all his brethren.

Abram was 86 years old when his oldest son, Ishmael, was born.

Sometimes our decisions have consequences that we find hard to live with. We must take responsibility for those type of decisions, grab the bull by the horns, so to speak, and move forward.

Our boundaries that we create because of them may cause friction in our relationships with others, but - in the end - we are better off if we accept the consequences and let God work out the details.

We must remember that our main responsibility is to trust God, to wait on Him to keep His promises, and to try to not make decisions that only belong to Him.

If we do, we must realize also that God already knows the future. He knew what we would do, and He has already made a plan for that as well.

Romans 8:28

“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”

God's Got a Plan

Read Genesis 15

God told Abram that he had no need of anything. That he should not fear anything. That He, God, would take care of him and give him all he needed.

Abram did not doubt, but he did wonder, "What's the point? After I am gone, I have no one to leave it to. My heir is Eliezer of Damascus, the steward of my house."

The custom in those days was that the person in charge of the estate before the death of a man was the one who inherited all the man had, if there were no blood heir to leave it to. Today, we call it our "executor", and we have "wills" to tell those who are in charge how to execute the property after the death of the owner.

God promised Abram that he would have an heir of his own seed, or blood-line.

Abram asked for a contract. God gave it to him.

To learn more about this "contract", read these links:

Cutting Animals in Half & Walking Between Them
and Genesis 15:10-12 meaning

With this promise comes God's warning of the future. He told Abram what would happen to his descendents. The information seems forboding, but the end of the journey that God foretells has so much promise!

We must remember that our own lives are a journey with God. Not every day is going to be peaches and cream, but if we stay on the path and keep Jesus in the forefront of our visions and thoughts, we will be joyous and grateful in the end!

Street Preaching

Recently, while scrolling through Facebook, I came across a post from someone who was angry about the preachers who were at the fair inviting people to come to know Jesus, and telling them that as long as they continue not focus on God, they will always focus on men. While I understand the revulsion some feel to preachers who touch a sore spot in people's emotions and convictions, preaching out in the streets and in public places, I have to say this:

If a preacher just preached to the choir, he'd never be heard by those who need to hear him.

Expecting preachers to just keep their preaching at church is like telling someone who is giving you a warning about an impending disaster to go into their basement and say it, and hope someone comes in to hear it. That's not how it works.

God told preachers to go out into the world.

I'm sorry if it hurts your feelings or makes you angry to hear the truth, but if the preacher doesn't preach it out loud where people who need to hear it can hear it, on the streets, or in any other public place, where the needy are, then they are not doing what God told them to do. They are hiding their light under a bushel.

And, by "needy" I am referring to anyone who needs to hear the truth!

Granted, I do believe that some preachers take it too far, or do it in such a way that it repels those who are needing what he is preaching about, and that is something they need to work on. Love is the answer. You can catch more flies with honey.

But, to tell him to go sit down and shut up and stay inside the church building ain't going to happen if he is a preacher of God.

Originally, I posted this on MY timeline, not as a comment on the post I was inspired to write this about, because it is something I personally believe to be true, and I don't wish to start an argument or offend the person by diluting their own timeline or Facebook page with my own thoughts on the matter; but, I figured I should share this here at God Inspires as well.

If someone doesn't like this, scroll on. It's the truth, according to the Word of God.

Romans Chapter 10

14 How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?

But, at the same time, we also need to remember the next verse, so as not to take it out of context:

15 And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

World War

Read Genesis 14

Four different city kingdoms decided to ally themselves together to go to war against five other kingdom cities that had allied themselves together.

The story goes that all of these kingdoms were united under Chedorlaomer and paid tribute to him for about twelve years. In the thirteenth year, some of them rebelled, and they fought.

The biggest battle took place in the Vale of Siddim, which had a lot of slime pits. Sodom and Gomorrah fell there and the survivors fled into the mountains.

The victors of Chedorlaomer took everything and everyone in the cities, including Lot and his family.

One of the men got away and ran and told Abram what had happened.

Well, Abram was not in the war. He stayed out of it, until he got the news that his nephew was held captive.

That couldn't stand.

So he organized all of his trained servants and they went to rescue Lot.

He was victorious, and brought all of the people back, including his nephew and all of the city's belongings.

The kings met Abram on the way back and blessed him.

Melchizedech was a king that served God. He was a high priest. He took tithes from everyone and tried to give it to Abram for payment.

All the king of Sodom asked was that Abram give him back his people. He didn't care about the goods. He gave Abram all the goods that he had brought back.

Abram refused the goods, even. He said, "I don't want it to be said that YOU made me rich. I won't even take a shoe lace from you. All I ask for is that the young men who served with me in this war not be owing you for the food they ate, and that they can keep their portion of the pay."

Abram did not do what he did to be paid. He did it because Lot was family.

You shouldn't serve your country, or the Lord for that matter, because the pay is good. (Most of the time it is not). You should do it because it is the right thing to do. The Lord will bless you accordingly.

The Promises of God

Read Genesis 13

Abram and Lot and all of their substance (cattle, servants, and riches and belongings) went back to Bethel, where the altar was built after God showed Abram the Promised Land.

Because Abram had lots of cattle, and so did Lot, their herdsmen were arguing over which cattle would eat and drink where. Abram and Lot grew tired of their skirmishes.

Finally, they met together alone to discuss the problem and come to a solution.

"We are family! Our families should not be arguing this way!" they said. Abram decided to be the bigger person. He told Lot, "You choose, and whatever you choose, I will go the other way. I think it is time we split up for the good of our relationship and that of our family's." Lot looked and saw that Jordan was well watered. And there were cities on the Jordan for him to dwell in. So, Lot chose Jordan, where Sodom and Gomorrah resided.

Abram went to the Promised land and dwelled in the Land of Canaan.

When he got there, God told him to walk the length and breadth of the Promised Land, and again, that He would give it to his descendants, and that his descendants would be many. In fact, his descendants would be so many that it would be impossible to number them all.

Abram went to the Hebron, in the plain of Mamre, in the Land of Canaan. There, he lived and built an altar to the Lord.

Abram worshipped God and gave thanks - for something He had not yet received.

If only we could have the faith of Abram and believe that one day, we too, would receive the promises of God!

God's Protection

Read Genesis 12:10-20

10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
11 And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
12 Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
13 Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
14 And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
15 The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house.
16 And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
17 And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram's wife.
18 And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
19 Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

There was famine. No water for miles around, and what little they found was scarce. So, Abram decided to journey on toward Egypt.

Abram's wife was very beautiful. Because of this, Abram was concerned for their safety. He was afraid the men of Egypt would take her from him, and kill them all to have her. So, he told Sarai to tell everyone they meet that he was her brother, not her husband. At least, if he was her brother (which was half true), the men would try to buy her from him, or win his favor, rather than take her forcibly, as was the custom.

The Pharoah and all the princes of Egypt lusted after her. He gave Abram cattle and jewels and servants and they wanted for nothing. And, he took Sarai into his house.

God caused great plagues to come over their house until they figured out that it was because of Sarai that all the bad things were happening. They found out that she was, indeed, Abram's wife and the Pharoah confronted Abram.

The Pharoah had not yet taken Sarai into his bed as his wife.

He asked Abram, "Why did you lie to me? I might have taken her to wife!" It would have been taboo for him to take another man's wife into his bed.

He sent Abram away from him, and told his soldiers not to harm him him, and told him to leave the country. He didn't even want his gifts back.

So, Abram left that place richer than he had entered it.

Beulah Land

Read Genesis 12:5-9

5 And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
6 And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
7 And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
8 And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
9 And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.

Abram had spent some time in Haran before he journeyed on. During that time, his family had acquired much material wealth, and many servants. Abram gathered them all up to begin the journey with him.

They travelled. And, when they got to the land of Canaan, God told Abram that his descendants would one day own all that land.

Again, God did not tell Abram that he would possess it, or own it. Instead, God told him that his descendants would. The land was "promised". That is how it became known as "The Promised Land".

Abram went East, to a mountain on the East of Bethel, and he built an altar to worship the Lord.

Back in those days, there were strict guidelines as to how to build altars, or even temples. Anything that was dedicated to the Lord had to be built with certain specifications. One, being, it could not be built using man made tools or material. Altars were built using stone and clay. No nails (nails were man-made).

After worshipping the Lord there, They travelled onward to the south of the "promised" land.

The Promise of Obedience

Read Genesis 12:1-4

1 Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father's house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
2 And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
3 And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
4 So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.

God told Abram it was time to leave Haran and go to the place He will show him.

God did NOT tell Abram that it was going to be his home.

God told Abram that if he obeyed Him, He would make Abram a great nation. He promised to make Abram's name great, and that through his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed.

God also said that anyone who blessed Abram and his seed would be blessed. Anyone who cursed him would be cursed.

Abram took his brother's son, Lot, his nephew. (Yesterday I said Lot was Terah's nephew, and I was mistaken. I have corrected that on the blog). Abram took his wife, Sarai and all of his servants and Lot's family and servants.

He was 75 years old when he left Haran. If you notice in the geneology of chapter 11, their lives were half as long as they were before the flood, and life expectancy had started to wane.

Just like Noah did, Abram obeyed without question. So, when God tells you something is going to happen and He wants you to do something, you should obey without question and trust Him.

One of the hardest lessons I have ever learned is that God doesn't wait until you are ready. He asks of you when it is in HIS time, not yours. Remember, it is not our job to reap the harvest of the seeds that God is asking you to plant. That job belongs to God.

Abram

Read Genesis 11:9-32

About 1,603 years after the creation of the world, (approximately 392 years after the flood), Abram was born.

Abram grew up and married Sarai, his half-sister.

Terah's vision was to go to the land of Canaan, which was "The promised land" that God promised Abram. He left the Ur of the Chaldees and travelled with his son, and his son's sons, but he only got as far as Haran, where he died.

So Abram and Lot and their families lived in Haran, but when people asked, they said they were from Ur of the Chaldees, the place of their birth.

Abram and his family worshipped God.

Babel

Read Genesis 11:1-9

Before the earth split apart, everyone spoke one language.

They figured out how to make brick and mortar, and decided to build a city with a tower that reached the heavens. Today, we call them "sky-scrapers".

God looked down and saw that, and He was afraid that if they remained together as one, their knowledge would run rampant. He still wanted men to remain in their "innocent" stages. He wanted to do something to slow their progress.

Looking at the previous books of Genesis, it is easy to conclude that this was when God decided to divide the earth. He probably sent a great earthquake that destroyed the tower. He "confounded their languages" so they couldn't communicate with each other. They scattered all over the earth.

That city and tower became known as "Babel"; because everyone was "babbling", I'm sure.

We really don't know how the tower was destroyed, but there are many accounts that lead to the same conclusions, or similiar.

It is thought that the tower was build in the ancient land of Mesopatamia, somewhere in Iraq.

If you are interested in reading some of it, I would suggest you read about it in the New World Encyclopedia online by clicking HERE. It is an interesting read!

Every Tribe and Nation

Read Genesis Chapter 10

Of Japheth, the Gentiles descended.

Ham's descendent, Nimrod, founded Babel, among other cities. He was a mighty hunter. Ninevah grew out of those cities that were originally founded by Nimrod, also. And, Philistim, of whom the Philistines were descended.

During the third generation of Shem, the continents on the earth split apart and the earth was divided. And all of the sons, grandsons, great grandsons and great great grandsons of Noah spread upon the face of the earth to claim all the lands.

Today, scientists call it the "continental divide". If you take each piece of land on a map and cut them out, you can pretty much piece them together all in one great landmass. But, now they are the continents and the islands of the earth.

They formed their own languages, which is inevitable when people are split apart for long periods of time. Especially when the world was new and new things are being discovered every day and there is lack of communication among the tribes.

After all, when two different people, who don't know each other, discover the same kind of tree, they are likely to call it two different things.

This is how the different languages on earth started.

So, no matter what language someone speaks, or where they come from on earth, we must remember that we are all descended from Noah and Adam.

See no Evil; Speak No Evil

Genesis 9:18-29

18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.
24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
26 And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

We are all descended from Shem, Ham, or Japheth. Noah is our greatest grandfather after Adam.

Noah's occupation was making wine; but, it didn't come without it's downsides.

One day, Noah got drunk and passed out in his tent. Ham went into the tent, then he went out to talk about it to his brothers.

Shem and Japheth decided to do something about it, so they went in with a blanket and covered Noah up.

Back in those days, it was shame to see another man's nakedness. But, that wasn't the worse part. The worse part is having someone go out and talk about it behind your back.

When Noah woke up and found out what his son had done, since it was obvious he had been found out, as evidenced by the blanket over him, Noah was so angry that he cursed Ham's children!

Seeing evil is not going to get you in trouble near as bad as talking about it. When you talk about evil that you see, you are spreading it's effects abroad. If Ham had kept his mouth shut and stayed away, none of that anger would have had to have been dealt with.

How many times have you had to deal with people who talk about you behind your back? A lot of times, what they have to say is blown way out of proportion and can cause people to lose respect for you faster than if someone had seen something and kept their mouth shut and let you work it out for yourself.

The shame of sinning is bad enough without having to deal with people laughing behind your back and pointing fingers.

The respectful thing to do is to go and talk to the person who committed the sin in private and settled the matter without fanfare, if it is possible, first. If the matter is not taken care of, THEN it becomes okay to talk to someone else, in private and take them with you to help intercede. But, it must be made obvious that you are not intending to shame someone in public.

Rainbow Covenant

Genesis 9:1-7

8 And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
9 And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
11 And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

A covenant is like a treaty and a promise all rolled up in one. It is more binding and contractual. That means that it is written in a contract and signed either by one or both parties, and the conditions are non-negotiable. In this case, God was the One making the covenant, asking nothing of Noah in return.

God promised that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood. That was the last great flood that will ever cover the whole earth to destroy it.

This did not mean that the earth would be here forever and for eternity. God did not promise that. He only promised that the destruction would not be by flood.

This also means that we do not have to worry about the polar ice caps thawing out and flooding the whole earth again. The earth will not be here that long. And, scientists can do nothing to stop it.

Our focus should then be on being better human beings, not preventing the earth's demise. By doing so, we will help to prevent it.

God signed the covenant with a rainbow. It was a token of His promise. To this day, we are reminded of that promise every time it rains!

A New Life

Genesis 9:1-7

1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
4 But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
5 And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.
6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
7 And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

God told man to procreate.

Then He told man that all the animals would fear man and run away from man, but man has dominion over them. And, man can eat them and get his nourishment from them, just as he had the fruits and vegetables up until now.

God told man that he was allowed to kill and eat all the animals, but that he was NOT allowed to kill another human being. If man did so, the punishment would be sure and severe. God said that if a man kills another man, he would die either at the hand of another man or animal.

God said man was made in His image to live; therefore, he was to go and procreate.

God gives us all life and creativity. We are to create as long as we are on this earth. Anything that interferes with our creativity is to be shunned.

God gave us all the earth as a gift. We must obey and give thanks for all we have to be creative with!

Continuance

Read Genesis Chapter 8

After about five months, Noah's ark rested on Mount Ararat.

In all the movies about Noah's Ark, we see Noah sending out a bird 40 days after he entered the ark. That is inaccurate. It was 40 days after his ark came to rest on the mountain that he sent the bird out.

It took a whole eleven months for the whole earth to be dried from all the waters that covered it. It took five months for the waters to abate enough for the ark to rest on the mountain.

One whole year after the flood, Noah and the animals finally came out of the ark.

A whole year!

And, the first thing Noah did was to build an altar and worship the Lord!

God promised that He would never curse the ground again because of the wickedness of man. It is in man's nature to be wicked. God knew that, and He chose to love man anyway. He also promised He would never destroy all living things as He had done this time.

For as long as the earth stayed in existence, the days, the seasons, and the years would continue.

When God rescues us from sure calamities in our lives, we must always remember Him and thank Him before anything else, as Noah and his family did. God must always come first.

And, we must know and remember that God does not seek to destroy us, no matter what problems we may face.

Storms and Flood

Read Genesis Chapter 7

It took Noah 100 years to build the ark. Once the ark was finished, God told Noah to take every clean beast in by sevens and every unclean in by the pair. (We'll go into what is considered "clean" and "unclean" later). There is a reason for this:

God did not accept offerings of unclean animals. Moreover, there had to be enough food for Noah and his family when he got off the ark. This would ensure that both could happen.

There used to be the argument that the Great Flood never happened because there were no "fountains of the deep". This theory got blown out of the water (pardon the pun) when an article appeared in "Unilad", entitled "Scientists discover massive 'ocean' beneath Earth's surface bigger than all the seas above land"

In it, the article stated:

Did you know that 71 percent of the Earth's surface is covered in water? Okay, maybe that one was too easy. But try this one on for size: Did you know that there's an absolutely massive supply of water hidden underneath the Earth's crust that's three times bigger than the oceans that sit on the surface? Back in 2014 scientists discovered that we essentially have a reservoir of water hidden beneath our feet - though it might not look that way at first.

If an earthquake were to break the mantle, the pressure underneath would spew the water out. So, yes, the water came from below as well as above.

According to Chapter 7 of Genesis, the waters rose about 15 cubits, which equals to about 22 feet high. That's a lot of water!

But, 22 feet high is not enough to cover the highest mountains (Mount Ararat is over 16,854 feet high, so how did all the fossils from the ocean get on top of the mountains?

The best explanation is that when the watered spewed upward, some of the ocean's life was thrown onto the mountains in the storms.

A few years ago, in Texarkana,Texas people went outside after a recent storm to find fish all over the ground. We were miles from the nearest lake, and it had not flooded, so how did those fish get there?

It could have been from a water spout over the waters of a nearby lake that sucked the fish up into the storm.

Either way, the storm was so bad, raining for 40 days and 40 nights, that it is doubtful anything could have survived it. The flash floods alone could have washed all life away as it left the mountains. Twenty-two feet of rain is a lot of water coming off the mountains.

Which begs the question: How far up on the mountain did the ark actually land when it finally did? It wasn't at the top of the mountain. And, it took a lot of time for the waters to go back down once the rains stopped. The Bible says "And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days." That's about 5 months.

Noah and his family survived because they didn't question God, and were obedient.

Destruction

Read Genesis: Chapter 6

Fallen angels came down and started mixing their genes into God's perfect gene pool, and corrupting the vision that God had for man.

They created a race of giants, the nephilem, and taught mankind all kinds of ways that were contrary to God's ways.

God was not pleased with this at all. He contemplated destroying the whole human "experiment".

But, there was one man, Noah, who was "perfect in his generations". This meant that his blood line had stayed completely human physically. And, spiritually, he worshipped God.

Because of this, God told Noah what he was going to do, and why.

God had decided to destroy all of the earth in a great flood. The only survivors were going to be Noah and his family, and pairs of all the animals. He told Noah to build a big boat.

Noah did not question what God told him to do. He just did it.

There is a reason for everything God does in our lives. He is destroying the old, and making the new. So, when God tells us that He wants us to do something, we should not question it, or listen to what others say about it. If God tells us to do something, we should do it without question. Adam and Eve learned that lesson the hard way.

He has already told us the "why". God wants perfection and goodness for us. He wants us to be fit for eternity. God cannot abide with evil and corruption. Where there is evil and corruption, it separates us from God. Therefore, all we are to do is to glorify HIM! If it doesn't glorify God, it will be cast out and destroyed!

Generations

Read Genesis Chapter 5

There were exactly 1,211 years from the creation of Adam until the flood.

Ten generations had passed.

And, Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. He lived longer than any human being ever had or ever will. After all, "one day is as a thousand years to the Lord our God".

And, "in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."

During this time, however, there lived a man called Enoch, in the seventh generation. He walked with God. He was so good, that God didn't let him die. God took him up, and he just disappeared from the face of the earth in the 887th year - just 324 years before the flood.

King James gathered religious scholars from all over the world to create the Bible as we know it today. Some of the books of scrolls that were left out of the Bible were considered "scripture" at that time. These books became known as "The Apocrypha". They are included in the Roman Catholic Bible today, and they are called "Deuterocanonical" books.

In this section is a book called "The Book of Enoch" that is worth reading, to get a picture of what went on during that time that led to the flood.

Inventions and Worship

Genesis 4:16-26

16 And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

I researched where the land of Nod was located physically, and was not able to find it. The best article I could find on the subject is this one: The Land Of Nod: Physical Location And Symbolic Significance.

We must remember that separation from God can be a form of "Living in Nod". It is sometimes referred to as "being asleep", although Cain was not asleep. In this reference, "being asleep" means to shut your mind off from all knowledge of God and His goodness.

Many people have asked where Cain's wife came from. We must remember that Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, and after 100 years, they had to have a wife for Cain. The Bible does not say that Cain found a wife in the land of Nod. We can assume he took his wife with him, since they were "one flesh".

They had a son named Enoch, for whom Cain built a city and named it after him. This was not the same Enoch that was a descendent of Seth, the one that "Walked with God, and was not, for God took him." Not much is known about the City of Enoch that Cain built, either. I did find this article that was of interest: Enoch founds a city in Mesopotamia

Enoch was the grandfather of Jabal. Jabal invented tents.

Here, we must remember that just because the ungodly invent new things, it does not make the invention evil. Paul, after all, was a tent maker by occupation, in the New Testament.

His brother, Jubal, invented the organ and the harp. Inventions can be used for good or for evil. Today, we have music that soothes the soul, and we have music that focuses on sin and lust. It is up to us to decide which music is healthiest for our spiritual well-being.

Tubalcain was Jabal and Jubal's half-brother. He learned and taught the art of the use of brass and iron. It is probably from him that we were introduced to the first weapons of hunting and war.

Lamech, their father, killed a man and assumed that since Cain was protected, he should be protected even more! I am not sure where he got that logic, but apparently it worked for him. We can assume he was versed and skilled in the use of psychology and manipulation because of it.

Meanwhile, over to the west of Cain's wanderings, Adam and Eve had another son, who they named "Seth". "Seth" means "in place of". (I gave my second son the middle name of "Seth" because I felt God was giving me a second chance at motherhood).

Seth had a son and named him Enos. It was during this time that worship and prayer became commonplace among God's people.

Brother's Keeper

Genesis 4:8-15

8 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.
9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 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.
13 And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 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.
15 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.

Cain was jealous, as we have already discussed in our study of Genesis 4:1-7.

He went into a rage and killed Abel. The Bible doesn't say HOW he killed Abel. It doesn't matter, there were no guns involved.

But, then, God couldn't find Abel, so He came to Cain and asked Cain where he was. God already knew, judging from his next words. He was giving Cain an opportunity to repent, to take responsibility.

Are you getting the picture that taking responsibility is important?

Instead, Cain was apathetic in his response, saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?"

Are we our brother's keeper? Jesus says to "Love thy neighbor as thyself"(Mark 12:31). Jesus didn't just make up that command. It was first given in Leviticus 19:18. So, I guess we are!

God was angry at Cain, so He sent Cain away from his home, and took away his "green thumb".

When we sin, we are separated. That is our punishment. When we sin against family or friends, it is inevitable that we are separated from them, until we repent and turn from our sin. Our creativity is affected.

Cain was worried that others might kill him, knowing what he did. So, God, in His mercy, gave Cain a mark that would let others know that if they kill Cain, they would suffer seven times the punishment Cain was suffering.

God is merciful, even when we are in the midst of our sin. Always. And, that is something we need to remember.

Jealousy

Genesis 4:1-7

1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

4 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:

5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 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.

Adam knew Eve. That means, he had sex with Eve. We don't use that word today. We know a lot of people today, but that doesn't mean we have sex with them. LOL

But, it also has a deeper meaning: to know someone on an intimate level. When you marry, you get to know someone on a very intimate level. You know everything about them, from the top to the bottom, inside and out. That is the way it should be.

So many people marry today and find that they did not know the person at all, and the marriage doesn't work out. To know someone completely and still love them is an intimacy that binds marriage together.

Cain and Abel were both over 100 years old in the process of time. Adam and Eve had been conceiving children all this time. But, Cain was the oldest son and first child, and Abel was his younger brother.

As the story goes, Abel brought the first of his flock. He loved the Lord, and he always picked the best. He tried to walk in obedience and love.

Cain brought pieces of his harvest, because he was a tiller of the ground. Abel was a shepherd.

When we sacrifice, we sacrifice of our lives. It is a way to tell God "Thank You" for the blessings in our lives. He doesn't care what occupation you have. He cares that you honor HIM in it!

But, when God accepted Abel's sacrifice and did not accept Cain's, it made Cain angry! And, God's reaction to his anger made him even angrier.

God simply asked him why he was angry? After all, a gift should be given in love, not just obedience. And, in love, the best of what you have is given, not the leftovers. So, doing well mean showing love and respect as well as obedience. If all of that were done right, it leaves no room for sin; but if it were not done right, it opens the door for sin to take over your life.

How many times do we go to church just because we see it as our "duty" to go to church, or we wish to socialize and hear the latest gossip, or listen to the band, and not for the purpose of actually worshipping and serving God? How well do we sacrifice our time on Sundays and Wednesdays? How often do we give the beggar a dollar bill, when we have $20 in our billfold? How often do we only stay five minutes visiting someone in need when we have the whole day to spare?

This was the message God was giving to Cain. As we will soon see, however, Cain was having none of it!

In Cain's mind, God should have just accepted what He was given, so he could still feel like a great guy. But, now he didn't. And, it wasn't his fault. It was Abel's because Abel was pleasing the Lord.

Once again, Adam's sin had come into play. Rather than take responsibility for the sin, it is so much easier to blame someone else, and rationalize righteousness!

Banned

Genesis 3:20-24

20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22 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:
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 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.

When God put Adam and Eve in the Garden, He told them not to eat of the Fruit of Knowledge of Good and Evil. But, there was another tree in there that they had not eaten of, yet. It was the Tree of Life. If they ate from it, they would still live forever. So, God had Adam and Eve banned from the Garden to prevent this from happening.

God said that man had become "AS" one of them, to be intelligence creatures - to know good from evil. Meaning, man could no longer be called "innocent beings". God is still supreme. But, with that kind of intelligence, and an eternal life, man could wreak havoc in the world. God did not want that.

God gave us the Garden to tend and to keep it. Then, He put us back where he made us from - the earth, from whence we came - to till it and make provision for our needs until the day that we ultimately die and return to the same earth.

God is merciful. He wanted us to live with Him forever, to have nothing but good in our lives, but man failed to honor His command. Being the merciful God He is though, God made a way for us to do just that! He sent Jesus.

Jesus said:

John 14:6

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.”

He referred to Himself as "the vine", and us as "the branches", (John 15:5) and "the bread of life" (John 6:35)

With Jesus, we have the opportunity to one day eat of the Tree; but, first, we must accept the consequences of our disobedience.

Punishment

Genesis 3:14-19

14 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:
15 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.
16 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.
17 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;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 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.

The first, and most severe punishment went to the Serpent. After all, it was the serpent who had set all of this in motion.

God took away it's wings and legs. He made the serpent into a snake.

Today, most human beings shiver at the thought of coming across a snake. And, when they do, the first place they aim for to kill it is the head.

And, the serpent always tries to strike the nearest heat spot of the enemy. In the human being, it is the nearest point of their body to the snake: the heel.

Then, to punish Eve, God made her have to procreate in pain. He gave all of her descendents the same punishment. He also set her DNA and brain chemicals so that her natural instinct would be to find a husband she could give to and sacrifice for. He created a hierarchy by which He expected all mankind to follow: a child looks to his mother for provision, a mother looks to her husband for provision, a husband looks to God for his provision.

And, finally, to Adam, he gave the final punishment for all mankind:

Now they had to work for their food. It was something they had to earn. And, when his days on earth were finished, his body would decay and return to the ground from whence it was created, that had fed him for so long.

What could they do? Nothing. They all had no choice but to accept their punishment, as hard as it may seem.

The other option was instant death for all eternity.

God was merciful and just. He told Adam not to eat of the tree of knowledge. Adam did it, anyway. Adam deserved to die, because God told Adam that that would be his punishment.

Adam did not take full responsibility for his actions. God wanted to give him the opportunity for eventual redemption, so rather than kill him instantly, He gave mankind time.

God loves His creation, no matter what! But, He will not continue to tolerate disobedience forever!

The Crime

Genesis 3:10-13

10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 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?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 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.

Adam had hid himself from God, which was unlike him. When God asked him how was it that he suddenly knew shame, Adam, like a 3 year old child, still reeling from innocense, blamed Eve.

This was his second mistake.

When King David sinned against God, he repented of his sin by taking responsibility for it and accepting the punishment like a man. This is why God said he was "a man after my heart". But, Adam was not such a man at this point.

And, neither was Eve. She blamed the serpent.

Did you notice that God did not ask the serpent about any of this? He knew that it was in the serpent's nature to do this. It did not prevent Him from being angry with the serpent for his role in all this, however. When we sin, God will settle for nothing less than repentence.

If Adam had said, "I ate the apple, please forgive me!", instead of, "It was all her fault!", he may have had a less severe punishment. It is the same with Eve. But, we will never know, because that is not the road that Adam took. We know this because when King David repented, God lessened his punishment, but he still had to also accept the consequences like a man, which he did.

Shame

Genesis 3:6-9

6 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.
7 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.
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 amongst the trees of the garden.

9 And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

All the things that the serpent said were good things, Eve rationalized.

Rationalized.

There's that word again. Do you begin to get the picture that when something requires "rationalization" it is NOT good?

So, Eve rationalized. Then she ate the fruit. It was soooo good! Her senses were enhanced. And, best of all, she wasn't dead, yet!

How many drug addicts start their addictions the exact same way?

Whats worse is, since it was so good, she wanted to share it with her husband!

When he saw that she didn't die and when he heard what she was saying and could see how happy she was, he wanted it for himself. So, he took took the fruit and ate it.

Evil is contagious. That is why we struggle today. We have the virus that has been handed down to us for generations. The only treatment for it is the Blood of Jesus!

The fruit had a side effect. Now they knew they were naked and were ashamed. They knew God would know what they did and they tried to cover it up.

When God came looking for them, they hid, because they were ashamed.

How many times do you do bad things and then seclude yourself because you don't want to let anyone know? When you feel that God is far away from you, is it because God has removed Himself, or rather, is it because YOU have removed yourself from His presence because you know you are wrong?

The Enemy

Genesis 3:1-5

1 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?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 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.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 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.

Okay, let's go backwards a little bit:

Genesis 2:16-17

16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 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.

The Serpent was obviously possessed by Satan.

And, back then, the serpent was of the most beautiful beasts of the field. He had legs, and wings, and his colors were glorious!

So, when the serpent spoke to Eve, she listened to him, even though what he was saying was contrary to what her God had told her.

Satan is the evil tempter. Satan likes to twist the truth by mixing a lie with the truth in such a way it makes you rationalize toward the lie and tricks you into believing you are right, when you are dead wrong.

Satan chose that tree as a point of temptation, because he knew God told them they would die "in the day" they ate it, if they ate of it. Jesus said:

John 10:10

“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”

Back in those days, man was made to live eternally in the presence of God. If he were to eat of the tree, he would die "in the day" in which he ate it.

Our day is one rotation around the sun.

2 Peter 3:8

“But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.”

God is eternal. One day, for him, is as a thousand years.

So, when you look at history, you will see that men sometimes lived for hundreds of years after the fall; but, eventually, they died. Methuselah lived to be 999 years old. NO MAN has ever lived more than one thousand years, bringing God's promise of death "on the day that thou eatest thereof".

But, Eve didn't know that. And, even today, a lot of men question this, seeing as we have not been destroyed yet. So, Satan used this knowledge (or lack thereof, or both), to tempt Eve.

Loneliness

Genesis 2:18-25

18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
19 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.
20 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.
21 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;
22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
23 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.
24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

God never intended for man to be alone. He made us to constantly need other people.

Animals are good companions, but man need MORE than just a dog or a cat in order to mentally and physically sustain himself (or herself).

God created woman out of Adam's rib in order to represent that woman should stand beside a man, not above him or below him.

Also, God created woman from Adam, and not another man, because only with a woman can man procreate.

The things that a woman has, mentally, physically, etc., man does not possess. This does not make one better or worse than the other. It makes them able to compliment each other, and is the reason they need each other.

This does not mean that a woman cannot accomplish what a man can accomplish, or vice versa, on his or her own - except for procreation. (And scientists, God forbid, are working on that!)

It simply means that man's quality of life is enhanced with the help of a good woman.

Innocence

Genesis 2:15-17

15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17 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.

God never changes. What He has willed for our lives is the same today as it was 6,000 years ago. His first command was that we tend to the Garden.

The Garden is still here. It has been over-run with thorns and thistles, and has turned to rocky mountain paths and dry deserts, and sometimes flooded valleys; but the command is the same today as it was on that day.

God also gave us a warning to remain innocent. As long as we followed His command not to know, ignorance is bliss and faith abounds.

I know people who don't want to know if something bad has happened. It's like the old figurines of the three monkeys: "See no evil", "Hear no evil", "Speak no evil". They believe that if you don't see it, hear it or speak it, it isn't there.

We know that is not true; but, knowing that makes us less than innocent bystanders.

As children, we are considered innocent until we know the difference between right and wrong. As long as we don't know the difference, our actions and reactions can be easily excused and forgiven. However, once we KNOW the difference, sin become willful and dangerous.

This is what God did not want for us. He wanted us to remain innocent. Innocence brings joy to everyone -- except Satan. For some reason, Satan is jealous of the innocent. I assume is it because the joy they bring to the table of God, Satan cannot do.

Today, we know the difference. We are no longer "innocent". Only the blood of Jesus can redeem us, and we must acknowledge and accept that sacrifice every moment of our lives in order to be called by His Name.

The Original Promised Land

Genesis 2:10-14

And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
11The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
12And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
13And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

No one knows exactly where the Garden of Eden was located. But, we can assume is was somewhere near Israel.

I doubt God would call it "the promised land" if that is not where the Garden was originally intended to be.

We can also assume that the Garden was a whole lot bigger than Israel itself, covering Turkey and Saudi Arabia.

Today, much of that land is desert. It was not always so. One day, it will bloom again. It has already started in Israel.

God will make the desert bloom in our own lives, leading us to the promised land of abundance and hope, if we only follow His laws and be obedient.

The Garden

Genesis 2:8-9

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
9 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.

God gave us the world in which we live.

He put us here, where there is every kind of sustenance. And, He put us near the tree of life, where we have access to a life of abundance and joy, if we choose to take it.

He also provided the tree of knowledge of good and evil. (We will get into that later).

God wants us to have everything that we need to survive and thrive. It is up to us to use what God has given us wisely.

The garden of life, today, is filled with thorns and thistles, but all of the good things that God placed in it are still there, if we only look for them and cherish them.

Breath of Life

Genesis 2:7

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.”

God formed us from the dust of the ground.

When we were kids, we played in the mud; but, no matter what we did, we were never able to make those clay figurines come to life. Only God can do that.

We breathe oxygen. Without it, we will die.

But, oxygen is not "the breath of life" from God. It is not what brought us to life, initially.

There was oxygen in the air before we were "alive". There was oxygen in the air when we created those clay figurines as kids.

Something else had to happen to get us here.

Much like oxygen, without God, we will all eventually die.

God wills us to live. He urges us to follow His laws, in order to prevent eternal separation from Him. To be separated from God is death. Sin separates us from God.

God sent Jesus that we might have life.

Consider the Lilies

Genesis 2:4-6

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

God created the earth, and all that is on the earth.

Before God created man, He provided for the creation that He created. God does not need man to care for His creation.

God does not need us. He CHOSE us. That should make us feel special and wanted.

And, as Jesus said,

Matthew 6:25-36

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?
26 Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?
28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:
29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.
30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?
31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.
33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

God took care of His creation then, and He will take care of it now.

God never changes.

So, if you are feeling anxious today, God is with you. There is nothing to be anxious about. God will provide. Trust Him. Let God be God in your life.

A Day of Rest

Genesis 2:1-3

1 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. 2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

On the seventh day, God rested. He blessed the seventh day. He set it aside, sanctified it.

God made the seventh day special, because it signified a day that He could step back and enjoy all that He had created.

The seventh day represents finality. He was finished. All the work that He had done during the first six days was done. There was no more to do.

God made the seventh day Holy.

He commanded that we observe the seventh day as He had.

We are to set aside all of our work during the week before and stop and smell the roses. We are to enjoy all He has given us.

One day, all of our work will be done here on earth, and we will enter into His eternal rest, where our praises and our joy will be eternal.

It is that Sabbath that we are working toward.

In the meantime, let us enjoy each Sabbath as a remembrance and day of thanksgiving and reflection; and, a hope for the future.

Heaven on Earth

Genesis 1:24-31

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
29 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.
30 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.
31 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.

On the sixth day, God was especially busy, setting the example that we should always be prepared for a day of rest, when no work can be done.

He gave mankind, us, the power to subdue and rule over every creature on the face of the earth.

The animals and the trees are ours to tame and to use to our advantage and for our food and our comfort.

There is nothing that God left out to satisfy and interest the heart of man.

He gave us the command to be fruitful, to multiply and to take over the earth that He created.

It was to be our home for eternity. There was no death or sickness, as long as we lived in the Will of the Father.

Today, we struggle to stay with-in the perimeters of our God; but, it is a fight worth having.

Where, before it was easy, now our sin nature gets in the way and sometimes we fail to enjoy all God has offered us.

Discontent with what we have is our greatest sin.

Paul said, in the New Testament,

Philippians 4:11-13

11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

We must look toward Jesus for our strength and contentment, that we may enjoy God's Creation and realize that we have heaven here on earth if we want it!