and if it was a flying one, bright and shining in the air, now it should lose all its glory, and grovel in the dust, and with pain, or at least with difficulty, creep along on its breast and belly; and this, as it respects the punishment of the devil, may signify, that he being cast down from the realms of bliss and glory, shall never be able to rise more, and regain his former place and dignity:
from John Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
Gen 3:14
Is this when Satan was cast down from heaven, too?
Gill: And dust shall thou eat all the days of thy life; meaning not that particular serpent, and as long as that should live, but all of the same kind, as long as there were any in the world, even to the end of it: it is probable, that when the serpent moved in a more erect posture, it lived on herbs and plants as other creatures; but when it was obliged to go upon its belly or breast, it licked up the dust of the earth, and which it could not well avoid in eating whatsoever food it did; and some serpents are said to live upon it. This is applicable to Satan, designs the mean and abject condition in which he is, and the sordid food he lives upon; no more on angels' food and joys of heaven, but on the base, mean, earthly, and impure lusts of men; and this will be his case, condition, and circumstances, for ever.
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman,....
and is also true of Satan and the church of God in all ages, between whom there is an implacable and an irreconcilable hatred, and a perpetual war:
and a generation of vipers on the one hand, and the people of God on the other, the seed of the church; the latter of which are hated and persecuted by the former, and so it has been ever since this affair happened:
and thy desire [shall be] to thy husband, ... of her being solely at the will and pleasure of her husband; that whatever she desired should be referred to him, whether she should have her desire or not, or the thing she desired; it should be liable to be controlled by his will, which must determine it, and to which she must be subject, as follows;
and he shall rule over thee, with less kindness and gentleness, with more rigour and strictness: it looks as if before the transgression there was a greater equality between the man and the woman, or man did not exercise the authority over the woman he afterwards did, or the subjection of her to him was more pleasant and agreeable than now it would be; and this was her chastisement, because she did not ask advice of her husband about eating the fruit, but did it of herself, without his will and consent, and tempted him to do the same.
Rom 8:22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.
We, as women, also wait for the deliverance from the bondage:
Rom 8:18-23 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.
but in the end, after all the curses, Adam calls her name Eve -- mother of all living -- which means even then they knew God's mercy: they would not die right away, but live to populate the earth still -- maybe a blessing, maybe a curse... why not destroy it all and start over???? hmmm.... more to think upon.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Have you ever wondered what it meant to "seek the face" of God? Especially II Chr 7:14: if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
What does that mean? To "seek His face"? The kings of old were human, just like the rest of us, and they were afraid of competition, just like the rest of us. If you wanted an audience with him, you had to be accepted, liked, wanted -- you didn't just knock on the door and get let in, you had to "seek his favour". Now, THIS -- favour -- I can understand. So, to seek God's face is to do things to get on His good side so you can have an audience with Him.
Now the NT tells me that I am to come boldly before His throne:
Heb 5:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We are not to be afraid that we will not find His favour, because we have the blood of Jesus covering us and therefore we are completely forgiven and completely loved and to be granted an audience is part of the inheritance we have received by being "in the beloved".
Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
So, we can come boldly, we don't have to "seek" His face/favour.... does that mean we can just do whatever and be whatever and God will still listen to us. Well, yes, and no. There are many conditions to His hearing our prayers:
I Pet 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
I John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
I Pet 3:8-10 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For
“ He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” (Ps 34:12-16)
But, really only one thing that matters is:
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Because that sums it all up:
honour your wife
ask in faith with no doubting
believe that you receive
abide in Him and be sure His words abide in you
keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight
faith
righteousness
His commandments? --
Matt 22:35-40 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Mark 12:28-34 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.
So simple, no? BUT:
"the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" so I must "die to self". How? "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me."
which brings us back to believing, trusting, just knowing the work has been done and He is doing what needs to be done and we are doing what He wants us to do. As long as we are spending time in His prescense (reading His word -- "the washing of the water of the word" -- praying -- because how else can you get to know someone except by spending time with Him), He will do it, and that is all there is to it!
What does that mean? To "seek His face"? The kings of old were human, just like the rest of us, and they were afraid of competition, just like the rest of us. If you wanted an audience with him, you had to be accepted, liked, wanted -- you didn't just knock on the door and get let in, you had to "seek his favour". Now, THIS -- favour -- I can understand. So, to seek God's face is to do things to get on His good side so you can have an audience with Him.
Now the NT tells me that I am to come boldly before His throne:
Heb 5:14-16 Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
We are not to be afraid that we will not find His favour, because we have the blood of Jesus covering us and therefore we are completely forgiven and completely loved and to be granted an audience is part of the inheritance we have received by being "in the beloved".
Eph 1:3-6 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He made us accepted in the Beloved.
So, we can come boldly, we don't have to "seek" His face/favour.... does that mean we can just do whatever and be whatever and God will still listen to us. Well, yes, and no. There are many conditions to His hearing our prayers:
I Pet 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
James 1:5-8 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
Mark 11:24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
John 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
I John 3:22 And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.
James 5:15 And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.
I Pet 3:8-10 Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing. For
“ He who would love life
And see good days,
Let him refrain his tongue from evil,
And his lips from speaking deceit.
Let him turn away from evil and do good;
Let him seek peace and pursue it.
For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous,
And His ears are open to their prayers;
But the face of the LORD is against those who do evil.” (Ps 34:12-16)
But, really only one thing that matters is:
Heb 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.
Because that sums it all up:
honour your wife
ask in faith with no doubting
believe that you receive
abide in Him and be sure His words abide in you
keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight
faith
righteousness
His commandments? --
Matt 22:35-40 Then one of them, a lawyer, asked Him a question, testing Him, and saying, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Mark 12:28-34 Then one of the scribes came, and having heard them reasoning together, perceiving that He had answered them well, asked Him, “Which is the first commandment of all?”
Jesus answered him, “The first of all the commandments is: ‘Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one. And you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.”
So the scribe said to Him, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth, for there is one God, and there is no other but He. And to love Him with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love one’s neighbor as oneself, is more than all the whole burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
Now when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.”
But after that no one dared question Him.
So simple, no? BUT:
"the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak" so I must "die to self". How? "It is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me, and the life I now live I live by faith in the Son of God who loves me and gave Himself for me."
which brings us back to believing, trusting, just knowing the work has been done and He is doing what needs to be done and we are doing what He wants us to do. As long as we are spending time in His prescense (reading His word -- "the washing of the water of the word" -- praying -- because how else can you get to know someone except by spending time with Him), He will do it, and that is all there is to it!
Friday, February 27, 2009
And so we begin
I have so much on my heart to share, and it's getting forgotten before I have a chance. So, this is for myself and my family, so that when I try to remember I have a place to go and say, "this is what God has been showing me."
I have been reading Genesis. And I read a commentary that suggested the Tree of Life is Jesus. I often think myself (I know being totally in error) and have heard others say (who shall remain unnamed.... you know who you are... :D :D) that they would have not fallen into the same temptation as Adam and Eve if they had been there. But in thinking about Jesus as being the Tree of Life, do we not choose the knowledge of good and evil over Him many times in a day? Many times in our lives? Do we not choose to learn about good and evil through man's "wisdom" instead of God's Word? Do we not go to man for understanding instead of God many times?
This morning I am reminded again that Eve was deceived, but Adam made a choice to stick with Eve instead of God -- Adam is the one who disobeyed, who willfully rebelled. But I am also struck with the idea that if Adam had chosen God, He would have provided another -- like Abraham.... Abraham was given the same choice: sacrafice your son, your only son... I see a similarity there; only this time Abraham made the right choice and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Even as Isaac wasn't killed once Abraham made the right choice, maybe Eve would have been forgiven, somehow, redeemed.... ??? not that it matters to my salvation, but it is another reminder of how we are to always put God first, no matter what. That is the ultimate test of faith in Him, that we will obey even if we have to do it alone. Even if it means we will lose what we love most. Even if it means we will lose what God Himself has given to us for our benefit (it is not good that man should be alone -- HE made the woman for Adam's benefit) -- we are to always choose God -- even if He asks us to do what seems against HIS character (the sacrafice of Isaac) We need to trust that He has given us the wisdom we have asked for. We need to know His word so well that we don't have to wonder if it's His will, we will know His will because we know His Word. We need to spend the kind of time with Him that we do with those we love, so we know Him as well as, no, even better than, those we love. And, we need to allow those who love us, to love God more than they love us.... to encourage them in their walk with Jesus, to encourage them to give more time to Jesus than they do to us....
The other thing I read is that the tree was only the first in a set of tests that were designed to bring them to maturity. And it is our first test in being born again: choosing God's Word over man's, choosing to believe God when He says there is only one way to heaven -- choosing to obey, in other words. An interesting idea that deserves more thought.
"...and more than this he tacitly reflects upon God, that he had given him a woman, who, instead of being an help meet to him, had helped to ruin him; and that if he had not given him this woman, he had never done what he had: but at this rate a man may find fault with God for the greatest blessings and mercies of life bestowed on him, which are abused by him, and so aggravate his condemnation." John Gill commentary on Genesis
How often do we do that? Put the blame on something that was given us for benefit? Even now, I wonder if Adam had immediately gone to his knees and begged God for forgiveness instead of waiting until he was asked to explain himself, instead of passing the blame along, would there have been an easier redemption? oh, how we have fallen, how we have grieved our Creator.... how it must have broken His heart, as our own children often break our hearts and as we have broken the hearts of our earthly parents many times over....
My time is up...
I have been reading Genesis. And I read a commentary that suggested the Tree of Life is Jesus. I often think myself (I know being totally in error) and have heard others say (who shall remain unnamed.... you know who you are... :D :D) that they would have not fallen into the same temptation as Adam and Eve if they had been there. But in thinking about Jesus as being the Tree of Life, do we not choose the knowledge of good and evil over Him many times in a day? Many times in our lives? Do we not choose to learn about good and evil through man's "wisdom" instead of God's Word? Do we not go to man for understanding instead of God many times?
This morning I am reminded again that Eve was deceived, but Adam made a choice to stick with Eve instead of God -- Adam is the one who disobeyed, who willfully rebelled. But I am also struck with the idea that if Adam had chosen God, He would have provided another -- like Abraham.... Abraham was given the same choice: sacrafice your son, your only son... I see a similarity there; only this time Abraham made the right choice and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Even as Isaac wasn't killed once Abraham made the right choice, maybe Eve would have been forgiven, somehow, redeemed.... ??? not that it matters to my salvation, but it is another reminder of how we are to always put God first, no matter what. That is the ultimate test of faith in Him, that we will obey even if we have to do it alone. Even if it means we will lose what we love most. Even if it means we will lose what God Himself has given to us for our benefit (it is not good that man should be alone -- HE made the woman for Adam's benefit) -- we are to always choose God -- even if He asks us to do what seems against HIS character (the sacrafice of Isaac) We need to trust that He has given us the wisdom we have asked for. We need to know His word so well that we don't have to wonder if it's His will, we will know His will because we know His Word. We need to spend the kind of time with Him that we do with those we love, so we know Him as well as, no, even better than, those we love. And, we need to allow those who love us, to love God more than they love us.... to encourage them in their walk with Jesus, to encourage them to give more time to Jesus than they do to us....
The other thing I read is that the tree was only the first in a set of tests that were designed to bring them to maturity. And it is our first test in being born again: choosing God's Word over man's, choosing to believe God when He says there is only one way to heaven -- choosing to obey, in other words. An interesting idea that deserves more thought.
"...and more than this he tacitly reflects upon God, that he had given him a woman, who, instead of being an help meet to him, had helped to ruin him; and that if he had not given him this woman, he had never done what he had: but at this rate a man may find fault with God for the greatest blessings and mercies of life bestowed on him, which are abused by him, and so aggravate his condemnation." John Gill commentary on Genesis
How often do we do that? Put the blame on something that was given us for benefit? Even now, I wonder if Adam had immediately gone to his knees and begged God for forgiveness instead of waiting until he was asked to explain himself, instead of passing the blame along, would there have been an easier redemption? oh, how we have fallen, how we have grieved our Creator.... how it must have broken His heart, as our own children often break our hearts and as we have broken the hearts of our earthly parents many times over....
My time is up...
