Genesis 4

Posted on June 18, 2010 by tracijoy

 

Genesis 4… Cain and Abel… I need to study opinions on WHY God had no regard for Cain’s offering. I have been told that it had to do with Cain’s offering being a blood offering… a foreshadowing of Christ. But is it fair to Cain? More than likely it had to do with the intent of the heart… which God could see but we can’t. 

But I do love verses 6 & 7.
“Then the Lord said to Cain, why has your countenance fallen? If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do NOT do well, sin is crouching at the door, and its desire is for you, but you must master it.”  Talk about a direct warning. God is saying “Watch out… hang in there… hold on tight… do what’s right… sin is crouching at your door.” We need to look at our lives in the same manner. Sin is always waiting… lurking in the shadows… and its DESIRE is for us. Sin is a consuming fire… it just wants more and more destruction… it wants us to feed it and then it wants to destroy us. “But you must MASTER it.” Proof that we can… the “devil” doesn’t make us do something. We choose to sin… all he has to do is suggest it. But the fact that God tells us we must MASTER it… is proof that we can. We do not have to be in bondage to sin… whether it is lust or the desire for too many donuts. When we act in righteousness–do the right thing–we always walk away happier.
 
v.8: “And Cain told Abel…” Some versions of the Bible follow this with “Let’s go out into the field.”… But this line was not in the original Hebrew text. It simply says “And Cain told Abel.” I wonder exactly what he told him? Did he tell him what God said? Did he confess the feelings he’d been having? Did he share a god-loving testimony, and really feel strong for a moment… only to relapse into his negative emotions… at which time he gave in to the sin that was crouching?

v.11: Cain was cursed forever from performing the work he loved and was good at… because he disobeyed God? because he tried to hide the truth from God? May I NEVER do that! It makes me wonder… if I am disobedient in what God has commissioned me to do.. with my talent and with my work… will it be taken from me?

Genesis 3

Posted on June 17, 2010 by tracijoy

Genesis 3:7-8…. God walked through the garden in the cool of the day. How blessed I’ve always felt Adam and Eve were to have God walk through the garden with them. Yet, because of Jesus, God walks with me ALL THE TIME. They were limited to His physical presence… but I have His continual presence with His Spirit. I am much better off!

When they heard God coming they hid from Him. YIKES!!  Do I ever do that?  When God is really close do I hide? My shame would hide me. My guilt would make me want to hide. But OH… to dwell with Him. To be so upright before Him that when I hear Him walking through the garden of my life I could jump out and grab Him and with a great big smile say “Here I am… Abba… Father.” May I never hide myself “from the presence of the Lord God.”

v. 9… God calls out to Adam and asks where he is. That is very amusing to me… because God knew exactly where Adam was. Just like god knows exactly where I am… yet… I think He asks the question of Adam just so Adam can look and evaluate what has happened… and where he’s at.  Does God ask “Traci… where are you?”  Of course He does… and it can be a wonderful experience or a very painful question.  Stop… and hear God asking you “_______, where are you?”  Now stop again.. and look around and see if your shame has you hiding behind a tree from the presence of the Lord God… or if you can boldly stand up and smile and say “Here I am, Daddy.”

v. 9-13… When God asked them what happened, they all blamed someone else. Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the serpent. Each pointed a finger at the other… but none were let off the hook. We all stand alone before God.

v. 17… Adam’s mistake was listening to the voice of his wife. Not because she was a woman… but because he chose to listen to her over the instructions from the Lord. He was forced to toil and labor from that day on. How many times do I add labor and struggle to my life because I didn’t listen to God??

v.21… God shows His side of love and mercy.. as He “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.” God covered their nakedness and shame by spilling blood… just as He covered my shame with the spilled blood of Jesus. He still covers me… and He weaves a beautiful tapestry of grace to cover my failure.

Genesis 1

Genesis 1 & 2

Posted on June 17, 2010 by tracijoy

 

Genesis 1:2… “And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep. and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.”

Does God look at me sometimes and see that? When I’m down or away from the Lord, my life feels formless… and void… and darkness surrounds me. Yet I know He is still there..  or I REALIZE He is still there. His Spirit hovers over me! Praise God! May His Spirit always hover over me. Another word for hovering in this text is “moving.” Even in what looks like the darkest calmest night, His Spirit… God… is moving in my life. I may not see it. I may not feel it. But when I think He is a million miles away He is there… hovering over me… singing over me while I sleep.

Genesis 1:3….. “And then God said, Let there be light.” Hallelujah!  all it takes is one Word from God–whether it is from those written pages of His word or something He speaks to my Spirit. One Word from Him changes the darkness into night!
You know, I wasn’t sure where to start when I decided to dive back into the Word, so I picked Genesis. But I somehow thought… “well, I’ll dig my way through the Old Testament and we’ll see.” I erroneously thought I’d be bored… and look!! I’ve been enormously blessed and I’m only on verse 3.

v.4… “And there was evening, and there was morning… one day.” A day in my life… or a season if you will… requires darkness. And the darkness, or my trial time, comes right before my daybreak. There’s also a saying that says “It’s always darkest right before the dawn.”.. and I guess that’s also a way of saying “Don’t give up on the brink of a miracle.” Daylight will come… it always does. God has ordained it that way.

v. 6 – 10… God is a God of ORDER… with everything in its place. I so need to imitate that character of God.

Genesis 2… Adam was alone when God gave the order about the tree in the midst of the garden… which means Adam had to pass the info on to Eve. Did Adam add words? Is that why Eve added words? Satan told Eve that she would be like God, knowing good and evil. But what she knew after she ate was “shame” and guilt”… because her eyes were truly opened?? NO… because satan is a liar. Her own disobedience brought the shame and guilt upon herself.  I am familiar with those consequences in my own disobedience. So often I look back and think “Why did I not obey when I first heard from God?” .. then there I am… miles further down the road… twisted in vines and deep grasses because I ventured off the path.