GENESIS 6, PART 1

 "And God saw . . ."

• THE SONS OF GOD

6:1-2 Verse one informs us that men and women began to have children; but only their daughters are mentioned. Verse two informs us that the sons of God noticed the daughters, and their beauty, then married them.

It would be easy to read over these two verses; the second verse even seems redundant. However it is not redundant; notice that in the first verse, men and women are having children. In the second verse, instead of the word men, the term 'sons of God' is used. To understand the remaining chapter(s) and the upcoming, famous flood, we have to understand what the term 'sons of God' means. To do that, we temporarily diverge from Genesis, but first:

Remember discussing 'the serpent' in Genesis 3? Though he is given many names which might suggest otherwise, he is a person. Through scripture, we will learn how he began as a trusted child of God but devolved into 'the serpent'. 'The serpent' is a term more descriptive of his character than his actual, physical characteristics. 'The serpent' has always tried to subvert God's plan... with Eve in the garden and even before that. 

                        __ The Book of Ezekiel 28:13-19 

The serpent has many names; in the Bible, he is referred to as Satan, serpent, dragon, king of Tyrus, Apollyon, Ababdon and more. The world depicts him as a monster, as having the terrifying characteristics of such names but he's just a person. And actually, an outwardly beautiful one (Ezekiel 28:17).

But in Ezekiel 28:14, we learn who he was first: an anointed cherub, trusting with the protection of the kingdom. But the glory of his position made him prideful, arrogant and greedy for power. Satan wanted to be god: "Because thine heart is lifted up, and thou hast said, I am a God, I sit in the seat of God, in the midst of the seas; ... (Ezekiel 28:2)

But his doctrine is different, opposite of the God. Therefore God reprimanded and reminded him: "yet thou art a man, and not God, though thou set thine heart as the heart of God..." (Ezekiel 28:2). But in his arrogance, Satan refused to listen. He continued, and continues today, to try to tempt and covert people to his side. His first initiates were, mentioned in Genesis, the sons of God. They chose Satan's side long ago, before earth and humanity.

                        __ The Book of Revelation 12:7-8

Chapter twelve of Revelation describes, through metaphor, Satan's rebellion in Heaven. It describes the period of time in which the aforementioned anointed cherub, turned into an adversary against God. 

And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.

Revelation 12:7-8

Michael and other angels remained loyal to God and prevailed against Satan. Satan lost and was sentenced to death. But other angels, sons of God, were thrown out of heaven. These were fallen angels because they fell from grace. They are referred to as sons of God not because they are loyal to God, they are not, but because they were still created by God. And they came to earth not a babies born through women, but as adults. Though they physically resembled humanity, they were superior in design than regular humans because they lacked the limitations of the earthly body. They are therefore not referred to as sons of men (people from earth), but of God (people from heaven).

Therefore, when verse two of Genesis speaks of sons of God marrying and having children, it means that these fallen angels procreated with regular women. This was problematic to God for two main reasons: the fallen angels were corrupt; they had showed their true nature to be evil by rejecting God and choosing Satan. And also, their children with regular women would be a hybrid-superhuman kind on earth, more capable than regular humanity and therefore upsetting the balance God created. He had created humanity to have dominion on the earth (Genesis 1:26-28), but these mightier children could easily subdue them.

 

                        __ The Book of Jude 1:6

In Jude, we learn that the fallen angels have already been identified, retained and sentenced: "And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day."

Remember the mention of Enoch in Genesis 5? Enoch was written to have walked with God. In Jude 1:14, we learn that Enoch actually prophesied of the arrival of the fallen angels. It was important work and God recognized him for that faith and work.

The angels which kept not their first estate were the angels which chose Satan in the rebellion, 1/3 of the angels in heaven, that Satan gathered with his "tail" and cast to the earth (Revelation 12:4). They were kicked out of heaven; Satan brought them to earth. He planned/plans for earth to be the place of his second rebellion; he wishes to gain followers here as well. He wishes to subvert God's plan as much as he can, though even he knows that he will ultimately fail. God has already prophesied that Satan does fail.

Satan started with Eve and continues today; he even tried to tempt Jesus away from God (Matthew 4:1-11). Therefore it would wise, and important, for you to be vigilant, aware, present. So that you will recognize when you are being lured into prideful, selfish, greedy, corrupt behavior by others or by your own shortcomings.

Finally we are able to return to the sixth chapter of Genesis with full understanding of what scripture meant by "Sons of God." We are also now more able to understand why the flood was necessary.

• DAYS SHALL BE AN HUNDRED AND TWENTY YEARS

6:3 God decreased the lifespan of humanity. People had been living hundreds of years, but here was is decreased to an average  120 years. The average human lifespan is somewhat less than that now, either due to environmental factors or to another, but undocumented change by God. 

• THE WICKEDNESS OF MAN WAS GREAT

6:4-7 Indeed God looked into the earth and made several changes. Upon noticing the havoc the fallen angels were creating on the earth, the rapid increase of corrupt behavior and evil-hardheartedness, God regretted the creation of life on earth. The fallen angels had caused severe damage (the children born to earthly-women were like giants, and were, apparently, influenced by the corruption of their fathers). Humanity, having previously left the Garden of Eden, regressed into bad behavior instead of good... especially because they were surrounded by negative influences.

God decided that desperate times called for desperate measures: a massive flood. A way to remove the corrupt humans, hybrids and fallen angels. A way to remove everyone (likely in a region rather than the whole world) that had mixed with or procreated with the fallen angels. A way to ensure that the lineage through which Jesus would come remained... as the arrival of Jesus was (and is) the only final solution. Jesus, the One who saves humanity (Luke 2:11). Jesus, the One who destroys Satan (Hebrews 2:14).

As both a conclusion to this study and a prelude to the next, this is an excerpt from "The Companion Bible", a 1910 study Bible made with notes based on the languages of the original manuscript.

"Their [The Fallen Angels/ Sons of God] progeny, called Nephilim, (translated "giants"), were monsters of iniquity; and, being superhuman in size and character, had to be destroyed. This was the one and only [purpose] of the flood. Only Noah and his family had preserved their pedigree pure from Adam. All the rest had become "corrupt". This irruption of fallen angels was Satan's first attempt to prevent the coming of the Seed of the woman foretold in Gen 3:15. If this could be accomplished, God's Word would have failed, and [Satan's] own doom would be averted... This great conflict may be seen throughout the Bible." 

Strong's Condorance, Appendix 23: "The Sons of God"

GENESIS 5

 "In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;..."

• IN THE LIKENESS OF GOD

5:1-2 

By the grace and design of God, Adam began to proliferate. When we consider that humanity was made in the likeness of God, many of us focus on our physical aspects... and perhaps that's not incorrect. But our most prominent similarities to God are 1: our ability to create/proliferate as He does. The great Creator has made us creators. Not only are we able to procreate, but we also create with our minds, hands and interactions with others. We are able to create light and hope in others through friendships and relationships, familial, platonic and romantic. We are able to create opportunity and justice in places where there is none. We may operate on a smaller scale than God does, but our ability to create here is complex and impactful. 

And 2: our spirit. Our conscious thought and visceral emotions. God is as present and tangible, and as unseen, as the soul within us. God is as impossible to deny as the being within us that maneuvers our physical body and interprets our physical world. We are most able to relate to Him when we read about His emotions throughout scripture. Our connection to Him is not necessarily in the length of our limbs or bipedalism or other physical characteristic. Our main connection to Him is the way and depth of how we feel. Such feelings as hope and despair, joy and sadness, long-suffering and mercy, and most importantly love, are our likeness with God.

Indeed God made us with characteristics that each represent a part of Him as a whole. God is our creator, our parent: a provider and a support. He created this family. The story of the family, of Jesus' family, begins here with this genealogy.

It began with Adam and his descendants. The efforts of a small family committed to the Lord resulted in Romans 10:13 "For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." The whole earth invited to the kingdom, family of God.

• ADAM'S DESCENDANTS

5:3-18 

After Abel was killed and Cain was banished, Adam and Eve had a son named Seth. The rest of the chapter is a list of names as several generations pass before the next person the Bible will focus on: Noah. Faith in God was still in it's infancy; in fact, many did not actually believe nor had they, as far as we know, received detailed instruction from God. That will come as the chapter continues, and the instruction will evolve as generations pass, becoming more modern as the cultural context progressed through time.

ADAM'S DESCENDANTS CONTINUED: NOTABLE MENTIONS

5:19-32

More members of Adam's descendants are listed. The first notable mention is Enoch. Enoch is a notable mentioned because of everyone listed, he is the one described as having walked with God. Therefore we know that he was an exceptionally faithful man. It is also briefly suggested (in verse 5:24) that Enoch did not die but was called up to Heaven by God before death on earth. This rarely happens to people in the Bible so it is worth mentioning. 

The next notable mention is Methuselah, simply because he is the oldest person mentioned in the Bible: 969 years. It is thought that the lifespan of humans was much longer than it is now. It is understandable if that is a difficult concept to accept; what is important is what these people did and can teach us about the word of God, not how long they lived.

The final notable mention is Noah, another descendant of Adam and Even, who will take center-stage in Genesis in the next several chapters. 

GENESIS 4

 "If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted?"

• CAIN AND ABEL

4:1 Eve is about to give birth to two sons. One son will represent the product of eating from the tree of knowledge of good and evil (that is: relying on one's own will and succumbing to one's one desire) and the other will represent the product of eating from the tree of life (that is: relying on God's will and submitting to His plan).

• AN OFFERING UNTO THE LORD

4:2-7 Genesis describes Abel as a keeper of sheep; it is notable that that is the sole characteristic chosen to identify him. It is important that Abel was a shepherd because it is what God loved most about him. A shepherd embodies all of the qualities God finds most valuable. Shepherds gather, they foster, they nurture and lead. Shepherd's offer protection to the gentle and direction to the lost.

Abel was not simply a shepherd in life, he was a shepherd in heart; and because of that, his presentation to God was spiritually valuable and selflessly produced. Abel's life's work as a shepherd represented his dedication to the way of the Spirit. Abel dedicated to God the best of what his life had produced and thus God respected Abel.

Jesus is described as a shepherd too, one who knows His sheep intimately and they Him (John 10:27). Before He ascended, Jesus pressed Peter to feed His sheep, to lead and nurture His flock. Abel's description as a shepherd in the opening chapters of the Bible is an early declaration of the manner God wants us to live. Conversely, Cain's description as a tiller of the ground is a declaration of how God does not want us to live.

Genesis describes Cain as a tiller of the ground; that is the most important characteristic chosen to identify him. Abel was of the Spirit but Cain was of the world. Abel presented what his life's work had produced; Cain presented what his life's desire had procured. Cain's values represented his behavior. He lived for himself, he culled and acquired from the world things that were irrelevant to God. Abel dedicated the best of what his life had produced, Cain dedicated an insignificant portion. It was not Cain's life's motivation to produce well for God; Cain's sole motivation was to procure well for himself.

God rejected Cain's offering and it angered Cain not to receive respect from God. But we cannot live contrary to God and expect to receive his respect. God explained that Cain needed only to do well to receive His respect. Cain did not need to do better than Abel or different from Abel, he just needed to do well. To be good. And the way to do well is to produce not procure.

Cain's offering was not respected because God does not value things of the ground, worldly possessions. Wealth and fame, property and possession are meaningless to God. Therefore if that is all that one's life's work is able to present to God, it is a meaningless offer. God will not respect it. God's rejection of such things is not based on principle alone; God explained to Cain that within desire is sin. To dedicate oneself to worldly possessions is to yield to sin. God will never respect a child's submission to something that will harm them.

• THE VOICE OF THY BROTHER'S BLOOD

4:8-10 Cain murdered Abel. Yet in killing Abel, Cain displayed more than just one sin. He displayed the myriad of sins that crop up in a life dedicated solely to the world instead of Spirit. Cain's worldly lifestyle resulted not just in murder but in lies, jealousy, anger, injustice, and mercilessness. If he had had any compassion, any empathy, his lifestyle muted it, expelled it from him. 

God gave Cain the opportunity to be accountable for his actions but instead he lied, he disassociated himself from his own brother: Am I my brother's keeper? Yes, in fact. We are our brother's keeper. We are our sister's keeper, our mother's keeper, our father's keeper, our friend's keeper, and our neighbor's keeper. Like Abel, we should be keepers of God's sheep, shepherd's to His people. 

If you live for the world, you live for the self. And if you live for the self, you neglect your purpose for being here. You take and do not give. You receive and do not share. You disrespect the people your life could have nurtured. God will not respect anyone who struts instead of leads. He will not respect anyone who uses their power to control rather than protect, the position to procure instead of produce.

• CURSED FROM THE EARTH

4:11-15 For the act of killing his brother, Cain placed himself in opposition with God. And to live in opposition with God is to go against the very nature of life. For all life was created by a righteous hand; life's own character and process is styled after its maker. Cain's act caused him to become a vagabond; the earth would no longer willingly sustain him. He would have to wander to support himself, he no longer had a home within the presence of God.

Even Cain was afraid of the prospect of being hid from the face of God. That punishment was too much for him to bear. And yet God was lenient with Cain, protected him enough that he would not be killed for his action, perhaps because He had not yet specifically prohibited murder, or given the instruction to humanity was was to come (that is to come in later chapters and books of the Bible).

• IN THE LAND OF NOD

4:16-24 "And Cain went out from the presence of God..." Cain pioneered the lifestyle that is lived absent from God. He went to Nod, east of Eden, (more evidence that the world was populated beyond Adam and Eve's family).

Cain married, had a son, built a city: Enoch, named after his son. He had many descendants but they were like him, murderous, even to the point of pride, as his descendant Lamech exemplified.

• THE THIRD SON

4:25-26 Meanwhile, Adam and Eve were blessed with a third son: Seth, meaning compensation. Therefore the lineage of Jesus continued, though Abel was killed and Cain was lost to the cause.

GENESIS 3

The will and kingdom of God is transparent, peaceful and protective.

• PRELIMINARY INFORMATION

An infamous figure appears in this third chapter: the subtle serpent. How each individual perceives this evil entity differs widely. For some, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, also known as Satan, is an actual-being. For others, the serpent, represented in several forms throughout the Bible, is a negative force or ideology. For some, Satan is representation of the forms of evil and its influence on each individual. It is not essential to decide which form of Satan you believe, (it is a personal decision to interpret which aspects of the Bible are metaphorical or literal) but it is essential to understand a few things concerning Satan:

Number one: In whatever form he/it is in, Satan's influence, the force of evil, does exist. (Moving forward, for ease and in accordance with scripture, Satan will be referred to as "he.")

And the Lord said unto Satan, From whence comest thou? And Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. Job 2:2

He exists and is indeed subtle. Ezekiel 28 and Matthew 4 most prominently demonstrate Satan's cleverness. From Ezekiel 28, we learn that Satan's initial crime was an abuse of power, which he accomplished through use of his talents and influence. From Matthew 4 we learn that Satan knows scripture. And he knows it well enough to tweak it, making changes that he hopes people will not notice and subsequently align themselves with his doctrine rather than God's. 

Number two: Indeed, he exists and is in open rebellion with God's kingdom of righteousness. 

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Ephesians 6:12

Number three (and most important): Members of God's kingdom of righteous have power over Satan, and most especially when they learn from God, through scripture, about his characteristics and tactics. He is subtle and wise, therefore we must be (Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. Matthew 10:16)

And He said to them, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” Luke 10:18-19

With that introduction to the serpent, we now know precisely who Eve is about to meet in the Garden of Eden.

• THE SUBTLE SERPENT

3:1-5 Indeed the first thing Satan does is tweak scripture. Satan reminds Eve of Genesis 2:16 in which God gave Adam and Eve permission to eat of every tree in the garden. However, Satan has changed scripture in that he excluded Genesis 2:17, which immediately followed. In Genesis 2:17, God specified that He meant every tree except one. Eve was wise enough to notice the subtle change, and informed the serpent that she was not permitted to eat of, or even touch, the tree of good and evil.

Satan tried to trick Eve with scripture but failed, so he tried his next tactic on her: outright-deception. Satan contradicted God's word, effectively and incorrectly calling God a liar; he told her that she would not die if she ate from, or touched the tree. Satan is satisfied even to cause doubt in a once-faithful child of God. 

Once Satan successfully caused Eve to doubt, he struck while she was weak. He used his final tactic: temptation. In an effort to further damage her relationship with God, Satan told Eve that God was, rather than protecting her, limiting her with His rules. He inspired her to partake of the tree by tantalizing her with the prospect of power and wisdom. This tactic is unsurprising. Satan's own excessive pride caused his own downfall. So, he targets in others a weakness he has in himself. It is his area of expertise, after all. 

Satan's influence is the same today as it was then. It is our doubt of God's word that leads to our susceptibility to temptation. When we disengage from our relationship with God, we either spiral downward into anxiety and depression or inward into arrogance and ignorance. Either way, we ruin the quality of our relationship with God and others, our lives and our character.

There's no devil on our shoulder, no literal serpent coaxing us from a tree, but he exists in the cropping-up of doubt and pride, spite and lust, impatience and anger that occasionally exists in everyone's mind. We suppress his influence, and the power of those things over us, when we are steadfast in faith and communication with God.

• THEY DID EAT

3:6-7 Eve did not consult God and was therefore beguiled by Satan, and tempted by the prospect of power and wisdom (Satan had told her that she would be like a god). Satan convinced Eve and then Eve convinced Adam, for he also ate of the forbidden tree. And then, everything changed.

Suddenly, Adam and Eve were conscious of uncomfortable circumstances God had been protecting them from. There were "like gods" not in power or prominence but in consciousness. They became aware of nakedness, vulnerability, and shame. No longer was everything provided for them, they had to provide for themselves. They sewed fig leaves into aprons to cover themselves; they had never before had a lack or a problem but suddenly they found themselves needing to solve one.

Satan wanted Eve to reject God's will and exchange it for her own autonomy. He wants humanity to rebel against God's authority, as he did. Satan wants us to feel restricted by God's authority rather than protected by it. He wants us to fall victim to every weakness he fell victim to. Whenever Satan interacts with someone, his main mission is to stop them, their heart and spirit, from trusting God and to instead start trusting in the desires of their bodies and minds. But it is not a fulfilling lifestyle.

• WHERE ARE YOU?

3:8-13 Adam and Eve heard the voice of God as He walked in the garden. They hid. They hid from the One who loved them because they had trusted in one who did not. God called Adam: where are you? And Adam explained that he was hiding because he was afraid and naked. Interestingly, in that one sentence Adam explained the whole change: The will and kingdom of God is transparent, peaceful and protective. Conversely, separation from God's will and kingdom causes obscurity, fear and vulnerability.

Rather than accuse, God provided Adam and Eve a chance to explain how he came to know about their nakedness. He gave them each the opportunity to admit what they had done, because God values truth and communication. They admitted their mistake.

It is crucial that we communicate, and communicate truthfully, with God. It is a respect He deserves and we benefit from. Our problems, self-inflicted or not, become workable when we work with God. That progress however begins with discipline, as it must if change is to be accomplished.

• DUST, ALL THE DAYS OF THY LIFE

3:14-19 God then began to distribute due discipline. First to the serpent. God cursed him and subjected him to the dust. God ensured that Satan would never achieve the prominence he desperately desired. God continued: good and evil would constantly oppose and battle each other here on earth, (as they do); and finally: the bruise on the head and the heel.

The bruise on the head represents Jesus, who would come to crush Satan's rebellion. The bruise on the heel represents Jesus, hands and feet, nailed to the cross while doing so. Even then, God had the solution planned to the finest detail. He would retrieve humanity from Satan's grip... and here we are in the midst of that plan. 

Eve received her discipline as well: tumultuous labor would serve as a reminder, from generation to generation, of the value of life. God had given life to humanity and the tremendous pain that subsequently followed would be represented at each individual's birth. Moreover, Eve's discipline became what we know of today as the patriarchal society. God's plan was not to make Eve, or women, less important or undervalued, but to create the conditions within which she/they would strive to be their best. Superficially, discipline is harsh. But discipline is actually a gift and God knew that womankind would ultimately benefit from their new position.

Adam's punishment was labor also, in a sense. Life would no longer be a garden which yielded provision. He would have to work it, and often unsuccessfully, in order to provide for himself and his family.

And finally: death. Eternal life was no longer a gift guaranteed by God. Humanity would have to live and die here in order to determine whether we would live or die there, in God's kingdom.

• SENT FORTH FROM THE GARDEN

3:20-24 Adam and Eve, humanity, were no longer permitted to remain inside the garden until they accomplished a righteous life outside of it. Note that their lives did not end after the catastrophe of distrust and disobedience of God. God sent them forth from the garden but continued to love and provide for them. He clothed them, prepared them for the outside world. He continued to guide them toward the tree of life. And He continues to do all of that for us. 

We are not presently within the protective, peaceful, transparent sphere of the kingdom of God... but when we walk with God here on earth, we walk back toward it. Eve was still named the woman of all living, because through her would come the savior: Jesus. Jesus the One who revives and restores whoever is willing to life and to the kingdom of God, Romans 10:13.

And the kingdom of God is guarded and protected more than ever before; now, there is no possibility for the serpent to enter. There is no longer a possibility for anyone who does not adhere to righteousness to enter. God has created a system of life which offers redemption and prevents repetition of the same mistake.

Like Adam and Eve, we each need to be conscious of and intentional about what we sustain ourselves with. Do we submit to the word of God or to the lust of our body? Do we express the patience and compassion of God or do we express the anger and greed of our body?

In Revelation 20, we learn that Satan has already been sentenced to death. Satan has already been declared defeated... but he will go down swinging and grabbing. Therefore we must consciously resist him and everything he represents.

GENESIS 2

God is a haven for His children

• THE SEVENTH "DAY"

2:1-4 The creation of the earth was completed; the earth was inhabited, so God rested from all His work. He had created a system in which humanity subsisted on what the earth's plants naturally yielded.

• THE LINEAGE OF CHRIST: ‘ETH-’HA ADHAM

2:5-7 God then began the next phase of His plan: to create a human who would be more involved, a human who would farm the land. From the dust of the ground God formed 'eth-ha adham. Not only would this human farm the land and interact with the earth with more complexity than ever before, he would also begin the lineage through which Jesus would be born. This man, Adam, called "the man" in the original Hebrew text, would be a human who was not only more invested in the earth... but in spirit as well. This man's family would interact with God, and steadily introduce God's presence, authority and kingdom to the earth and humankind.

The Gospel of Luke contains the scripture that links Jesus, through Mary, all the way back to this man (Luke 3:23-38). The chapter lists the family history of Mary's husband Joseph's in-laws (Mary's family), as Joseph was not the father of Jesus.

• THE GARDEN OF EDEN

2:8-14 God planted a garden with fruit-bearing trees, every tree that was pleasant to the sight, and a river flowing through it that parted into four heads (Pison, Gishon, Hiddekel, and Euphrates).  It was a resplendent reflection of God's kingdom and He placed Adam in it.

In the Garden of Eden were also two significant trees: the Tree of Life and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. 

2:15-17 God placed Adam in the garden to dress it and to keep it. God gave Adam free-rein in the Garden, to eat of every tree, except the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. As long as Adam subsisted on the fruit-trees and the Tree of Life, he would remain within the protection and provision of God. The Tree of Life connected Adam to the eternal-life source: God.

But if Adam ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, God assured Adam that he would die. For to disengage from the Tree of Life, that is: God's eternal-life source, is to disengage from God's eternal plan. 

Adam did not need to eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil because God's knowledge already provided for him. God provided everything for Adam in the garden, but did not force Adam to remain there, or even to follow His rule. Though under God's authority in the garden, Adam was given enough free-will to choose to be there...or to choose not to be there. The presence of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil represented his option to leave... to leave the garden, and to leave off subjection to God's will. But if Adam left God's will, he would have to rely on his own, and life would no longer be the resplendent garden that it was for him. 

• A HELP MATE

2:18-20 Adam remained in the garden and God had an idea to give Adam companions: livestock. God formed the animals and brought them to Adam to name. These animals would help Adam to become the tiller of the ground, the farmer, God had in mind. But although the animals provided companionship for Adam, it was not profound enough. 

• WOMAN

2:21-24 And so God put Adam in a deep sleep. While Adam slept, God created a human companion for him, a female. From Adam's rib, probably representative of Adam's DNA, God made a woman. God brought the woman to Adam and Adam said: this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh...". He recognized her as a true companion, his family.

By creating the woman for Adam, God established the family system: in which two marry and become one-flesh in the procreation of children.

2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed. They had no reason to be ashamed because they lived in a haven created by God. There was no embarrassment or disrespect, because those things are not the types of fruit the Tree of Life produces.

GENESIS 1

Nothing which yields itself to His hands will ever be formless

• CHAOS TO ORDER; DARKNESS TO LIGHT 

1:1 "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth" is a simple, introductory statement that is almost impossible to comprehend. The truth is that the concept of God must, for each individual, be reconciled within the bounds of the tangible laws of nature as we understand them. Scripture subtly asks, yet does not initially require, us to accept that there is an entity that exceeds the limitations of our senses and the earth around us. Scripture can be read as a history, indeed, and/or as a collection of stories packed with themes and metaphors which eventuate in the complete blueprint of a fulfilling life. Either way, it has so much to offer the individual reader, whether that individual perceives the earth as evidence of a higher power or not.

1:2 However, we will proceed as the former: believers as unable to deny the existence of God as we are to explain it. The proof that is proof aplenty in our heart is the Earth itself, which is introduced to us in this first chapter...as void. The earth has now been formed, and with too much attention to detail as to give credit to mere happenstance.

If we contrast the earth now with the earth as it was without form, we learn a lot about God. For the earth to be as it is now, its creator must be purposeful, powerful, skilled and compassionate. For a once-formless mass to become the biosphere that it is today, its creator must be not just intelligent but wise, patient, disciplined and principled. To undertake the project of life, and the protection and proliferation of life, our creator must have a well of love for His created.

1:3-5 A lot of intricate detail has been put into place to sustain us, but it all starts, and started with light. This is the first instance of the division between light and darkness. Light versus darkness is a continuous metaphor in scripture, a symbol of righteousness versus unrighteousness. It is in the light that truth is seen, and in darkness that deception is done. It is in the light that paths are found, and in the darkness that paths are lost. And just as the formless world had no light, so dark is the life which has not yielded itself to the authority of God.

Nothing which yields itself to His hands will ever be formless; the presence and power of God establishes order in you and your life just as thoroughly, as intricately, as He has done with the earth. God brings chaos into order, formlessness into functioning-form. God let there be light in the earth as the preliminary step to become the light in your life (1 John 1:5) and thus establish order in even the very minute spaces of creation.

1:6-10 The creation story is told as a seven-day event, but one day with God is as a thousand years... and a thousand years as one day (2 Peter 3:8). And even that statement is less a precise measurement than it is a way for us to understand that God's concept of time is infinitely longer than our own. Seven major events in the process of creation, represented by seven days, is representative of billions of years of creation. The discipline of Science does not contradict God, it endeavors to understand Him. The book of Genesis generously shortens the length of time and detail it took to create the earth, it is not an account of a literal seven days.

That said, after a long process of time, the earth developed not just light but water, but atmosphere, and land masses below it. It's possible that we are reading about a very-condensed "Pangaea," that one super-continent land mass that separated into the seven continents we have today (Africa, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, Europe, North America and South America) as well as established our major oceans.

• FLORA

1:11-13 The earth formed as it was by the Hand of God, became a viable host for life: vegetation, grasses and plants. He created herbs that yielded seeds, and trees that yielded fruit. The third "day" creation, flora, should not be overlooked or undervalued. How significant that God created something, many things, that could proliferate life! He did not just create things, He created things that could continuously create. Tiny seeds, packed with God's wisdom became meadows and groves across the earth.

• TWO GREAT LIGHTS

1:14-19 The sun, moon, and stars were created to help humanity discern between days and seasons and directions. Until the creation of the greater light and the lesser light, sun and moon, and stars, God was the light. We think of the earth as dependent on the sun, the moon and even the stars. And it is... now. For multitudes of reasons including temperature, gravity, and raw material, we are dependent on the sun, moon and stars, respectively. God has made it so. But we, our earth, and all light can also be harnessed to Him as the source of all that we need to be. 

In fact, that harnessing is what the Bible is about and eventuates toward. The Bible leads us, step by step, to the ultimate "day" when we become, once again, harnessed to God. It explains why this process is necessary, and why we and the world exist as we do today, equal parts flesh and spirit, dependent on the sun and on God.

• (WATER) FAUNA

1:20-23 And then God created an even more complex form of life: fauna. They too could proliferate, multiply. The earth's oceans and bodies of water became full of sea-creatures. The skies became populated by birds. He saw that it was good, and God blessed them; He blesses the souls He creates because He loves the souls He creates, whether they have fins, wings, fur, limbs or anything else.

• (LAND) FAUNA

1:24-25 God then filled the land with the beasts of the earth, the "creeping" things. The earth became a dynamic host of a variety of life, beautiful in itself and in function as a biosphere for increasingly-complex organisms. 

• HUMANKIND IN GOD'S IMAGE

1:26-27 The earth was deemed fit by God to host the ultimate organism: the human. He decided to make the human in the image of Himself... but that does not necessarily mean that our outward appearance is emulation of God. It could solely mean that our spirit, our soul, was made in His image. It could mean that the inward consciousness within us that we cannot see or explain or describe or deny is the part of us that is like God.

For Exodus 33:20 explains that humans cannot comprehend (and concurrently retain their life) the appearance of God. In our form now, souls pinned to bodies of the earth, we have to perceive Him in a less-direct way. If He looks exactly like us, we would certainly be able to look at him.

Note that God added, "let us make man in our image, in our likeness...". Both "the word of God" and "wisdom" are proclaimed in scripture to have been with God in the beginning, (Proverbs 8, 22:30; John 1:1). They may have been the companions to which He alluded. Or He may have been referring to what we often think of as angels. Perhaps our image reflects beings that exist in a wider realm of His creation. 

Either way, what is important to glean from this text is that we are, in nature, like God: We have a seemingly-endless steam of life and thought and emotion. We are thus able to connect with Him, and He with us more intricately than the creatures created before us.

1:28-30 For that reason, God granted us dominion over the other creatures. As male and female to proliferate like them, but more complex forms of life. As a choice, and more merely an innate inclination. And humankind was given the same command: to be fruitful and multiply, but with intention and dominion. And we have, we do, not always wisely or righteously, but the proliferation God set in the motion in the beginning is thriving even now, eons after He set it all into motion.

Another almost-slight, but actually-massive difference, is that God directed humanity to "replenish" the earth. The use of the word replenish suggests that the earth had been filled before. If the earth had been filled before, it had been inhabited before. There is actually more evidence of that, in this chapter and throughout scripture.

In the second verse of this chapter, the word "was" in its original text is actually the word: "became." We know that God creates things with form not without, so it makes further sense that the earth became void rather than started that way. Explaining why the earth became void and needed to be replenished is another purpose of the Bible. Although God is the ultimate force in the universe (and beyond) there is another force that opposes Him, weaker and declared failed already but it does exist. It is the continuation of the theme mentioned earlier: light versus darkness. Darkness gathered in the first earth-age to cause mutiny (Revelation 12, Ezekiel 28); God subdued it and its leader. 

God then cleverly re-formed, and re-purposed the earth to serve as a base on which all souls would somewhat unwittingly-decide, through their lifelong behavior, whether they were members of the army of God or participants of the rebellion led by the serpent we will meet in the third chapter of Genesis. 

Genesis presents the major arc of the Bible: the history and future of 'light' versus 'darkness' but within this chapter and the rest of the chapters of the Bible there is even much more to glean.

1:31 God created humankind and declared that it was very good. That means that despite the chaos that took place before and caused there to be a need to reform the earth, God still valued the souls He created enough to create an opportunity for each one to find its way back to Him.

MATTHEW 1

The birth of Jesus is evidence of God's steadfast faithfulness . . .

• JOSEPH'S GENEALOGY 

1:1-17 The New Testament, and the Book of Matthew, opens with Joseph's genealogy. As the adoptive-father of Jesus, and husband of Mary, Joseph is significant. In verses 1-16, Joseph's ancestors are traced back to Abraham and Sarah.

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. Matthew 1:17

Abraham and David are specifically mentioned because each of their lives represent significant moments in the history of the family through which Jesus would be born. Abraham is specifically mentioned because it was with Abraham that God first established His covenant. 

... the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. Genesis 17:1-8

In Genesis through II Samuel, we see this portion of the everlasting covenant fulfilled: In the Old Testament, God's people were initially named the tribes of Israel. They were a large group of tribes born from the twelve sons of Jacob, Abraham's grandson, (who was renamed Israel by God). Jacob's sons, turned into generations and tribes of people, were counted as God's people because they descended from Abraham and were thus included in the covenant. 

David is specifically mentioned because he was the first rightful king, one appointed by God because of his tremendous love for God. Through David, God transformed the tribes of Israel into a kingdom. 

The "carrying away" mentioned in Matthew 1:17 refers to Israel and Judah (the twelve tribes split into two kingdoms) when they were taken into captivity by Assyria and Babylon, respectively as a result of their unfaithfulness to the covenant. 

The tribes may not have been faithful to God but God remained faithful to them. He remains faithful to us. Evidence of both statements is the birth of Jesus and the redemption we receive through Him. Indeed David was the first king appointed by God but Jesus is the ultimate King. The King of kings, Revelation 19:16.

• CHILD OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 

1:18 God informed Mary of His plan to have her conceive a child of His Holy Spirit before she conceived. 

... the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” 

But when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” 

Then Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I  do not know a man?” And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.  For with God nothing will be impossible.” 

Then Mary said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her. Luke 1:26-35; 37-38

• THAT IT MIGHT BE FULFILLED  

1:19-23 Joseph, however, was informed after it already occurred. Therefore, Joseph initially interpreted Mary's pregnancy as evidence of betrayal. He responded accordingly, but not ungraciously. Joseph mulled over the situation, and planned to quietly end their engagement. But he chose not to publicly accuse or shun Mary. And it was perhaps this solemn and compassionate behavior that convinced the Lord to visit Joseph and inform him of what was actually happening. 

The Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and informed him that through Mary, He was fulfilling prophesy. 

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel. Isaiah 7:14

With the God-given knowledge that Mary was a vessel for the purposes of the Holy Spirit, he was able to reconcile his heart with Mary.

• AS THE LORD HAD BIDDEN HIM 

1:22-25 Joseph married Mary; but she remained a virgin until the birth. Following the Lord's instruction, they named the baby Jesus ("yeshua: savior), Immanuel, God with us.

THE BROTHERS' RUSE

In Genesis 32, Jacob was in the process of following God into permanent residence for his family. Among his children was a daughter named Dinah. Dinah had eleven brothers (and counting) so it is perhaps understandable that she would explore the new city to meet girls her own age. The problem was that Dinah's family was supposed to live separately from the people of the city because of their corruption. 

Dinah was from a special family in that, as a great-granddaughter Abraham, she was included in a covenant with God. And that covenant restricted Dinah from intermixing with the secular world. God was in the process of amassing a group of people who would become a city, a region, a kingdom, a nation of righteousness. To do that, He needed its members to be exclusively devoted to His covenant and its principles. Dinah would have been fully informed, but whether or not she fully ascribed to is debatable. For Dinah did mix with the members of the corrupt city and subsequently, perhaps accidentally, garnered the attention of one of its men.

• HE SAW HER, HE TOOK HER

The prince of the country noticed Dinah and he either fell in love with her, or lusted for her to the point of obsession. It is somewhat unclear as to whether Dinah elected to be with this man or was raped by him. For it is written that Dinah went to meet the daughters of the city, not the men. And if Shechem had truly fallen in love with Dinah, why does the original language of the verse suggest force? Furthermore, Shechem "took" Dinah before consulting her family, in a time and context when that was simply not done. 

Either way, Dinah's story serves as an analogy. It was not only Shechem that lusted-to-the-point-of-obsession after Jacob's family. The entire city was envious of their substantial substance. Like Shechem, they saw and wanted to take, possess, what had been gained by Jacob through faith. The incident between Shechem and Dinah provided their chance to do so. 

• THE PROPOSAL

Shechem demanded that his father, Hamor, arrange a marriage. Hamor was more than willing to do it, because he wanted access to Jacob's family too. So Hamor approached Jacob, with Dinah's brothers Simeon and Levi present, and began negotiations. With substantial quantities of both anger and grief, Jacob his sons listened to Hamor's proposal: 

“The soul of my son Shechem longs for your daughter. Please give her to him as a wife. And make marriages with us; give your daughters to us, and take our daughters to yourselves. So you shall dwell with us, and the land shall be before you. Dwell and trade in it, and acquire possessions for yourselves in it.”

Hamor did not only ask for Jacob to allow Dinah to marry Shechem. He asked for Jacob's entire family to intermarry with his people. He wanted a business arrangement... from which only he would profit. Quite unrelated to the subject at hand, the marriage of their two children, Hamor suggested that Jacob (&co) begun to trade with his city as well. He wanted access to Jacob's blessings. Perhaps realizing the wayward direction of his father's proposal, Shechem spoke:

Then Shechem said to her father and her brothers, “Let me find favor in your eyes, and whatever you say to me I will give. Ask me ever so much dowry and gift, and I will give according to what you say to me; but give me the young woman as a wife.”

He wanted her, by any means necessary. There are things in life, people, possessions and opportunities that we will want desperately. And therefore if Shechem truly was in love and gentle with Dinah, it would be easy to have sympathy for his position. But either way, he and Hamor represent that desperation we can perhaps all relate to. The state of mind wherein we want something by any means necessary, even if it means compromising our values, or disregarding God's timeline and voice. But once we diminish  our faith in those ways, we will inevitable come to realize that it did not work. And if it seemed to, it definitely did not achieve the satisfaction we thought it would. 

Blessing is a process. And throughout that process, God prepares us for the reception of the particular blessing we had been praying for, and working hard in faith toward. Therefore, we cannot skip ahead, or barter or scheme or do anything premature or off to the side and expect it to work or fulfill or remain.

Shechem and Hamor missed that point, but we must not. If they wanted access to God's blessings, they would have to commit, submit to God as Jacob had. Jacob, his father and grandfather had persisted in dogged, steadfast faith and that was the reality behind all of the things they had that Hamor envied. 

• CIRCUMCISION OF THE FLESH

Jacob's sons ironic response to Hamor is indicative of the fact that they recognized how fully Hamor missed the point.

But the sons of Jacob answered Shechem and Hamor his father, and spoke deceitfully, because he had defiled Dinah their sister. And they said to them, “We cannot do this thing, to give our sister to one who is uncircumcised, for that would be a reproach to us. But on this condition we will consent to you: If you will become as we are, if every male of you is circumcised, then we will give our daughters to you, and we will take your daughters to us; and we will dwell with you, and we will become one people. But if you will not heed us and be circumcised, then we will take our daughter and be gone.”

Circumcision served as a symbol of commitment to the faith. It was not commitment itself. Jacob's sons (Dinah's brothers), Simeon and Levi, seemed to really highlight Shechem and Hamor's ignorance. For if they were to truly become as Jacob's family was, they needed to commit in mind and behavior to God.

Not realizing that, they agreed to the circumcision. Immediately Hamor professed glee at the prospect of obtaining Jacob's possessions for himself. He convinced the other men to join him in the circumcision, they saw it as a means to a very prosperous end. Simeon and Levi, in presenting this ruse to the city of, essentially welcomed these men to try and buy faith as they exactly thought they could. Their inevitable failure would be Simeon and Levi's satisfaction.

• CIRCUMCISION OF HEART 

For circumcision is indeed profitable if you keep the law; but if you are a breaker of the law, your circumcision has become uncircumcision. Therefore, if an uncircumcised man keeps the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be counted as circumcision? And will not the physically uncircumcised, if he fulfills the law, judge you who, even with your written code and circumcision, are a transgressor of the law? For he is not [a Christian] who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision that which is outward in the flesh; but he is a [Christian] who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the Spirit, not in the letter; whose praise is not from men but from God.

Romans 2:5-6 serves as further evidence that Shechem was an ineligible candidate for Dinah not because he was uncircumcised in flesh, but because he was uncircumcised in heart. Circumcision was an outward symbol of an inward commitment. He did not acknowledge God; he had no relationship with him. He had made no commitments to God's covenant. 

This pertains to us, today, because it reminds us that we cannot be subscribers to this faith only outwardly. We cannot go through the motions or traditions of religion and expect blessing. Neither can we neglect our faith, and the values it instills in us, to satisfy the desire for things existing outside of our grasp. Hamor and Shechem first tried to scheme their way in, then tried to in-authentically join. Neither means will work. 

Solid blessing, abundant provision, and fulfilling prosperity are acquired through wholehearted, steadfast active-commitment and obedient faith in a relationship with God. Such devotion to God is the circumcision of the heart:

Therefore circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be stiff-necked no longer. For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great God, mighty and awesome, who shows no partiality nor takes a bribe.
Deuteronomy 10:16-17

• UPON THE CITY BOLDLY

After the citywide circumcision (of their bodies), Simeon and Levi killed all of the males of the city (or perhaps all of the males of Hamor's family) while they were weak and in recovery. It was not Jacob's decision for them to do so, they acted on their own volition unless they were divinely commanded off-page, so to speak.

As with the beginning of the story, there is some room for debate here at the end. Did the brothers act with impulsive aggression? Or was their response so emphatic as to make the point that this corrupt city planned to take and use and defile all of Jacob's possessions. Perhaps they preemptively did to the city what the city planned to do to them. Does Dinah's story serve as a metaphor for the lust and destruction the city had planned against Jacob and his possessions? 

Even if their intentions were not quite so directly malicious, it is what would have happened. The whole world was corrupt; God and Abraham's covenant was a response and solution to that fact. God led, blessed and protected Jacob's family so that righteousness would remain in the earth long enough for it to matter. The steadfast faith of this family through generations would change the projection of humanity from desolation to salvation. Through Abraham's genes would come Jesus, our teacher and savior and therefore if that lineage had been corrupted, the opportunity for Jesus' conception would have been thwarted. 

Indeed Shechem was, and our own desperation at times seems willing to obtain the object of desire by any means necessary... if that is true, we must remind ourselves to abandon all but the "means" of genuine faith.

PERADVENTURE TEN

So [Abraham] said to Lot, “Please let there be no strife between you and me, and between my herdsmen and your herdsmen; for we are brethren. Is not the whole land before you? Please separate from me. If you take the left, then I will go to the right; or, if you go to the right, then I will go to the left.” 

And Lot lifted his eyes and saw all the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere (before the Lord destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah) like the garden of the Lord... Then Lot chose for himself all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. And they separated from each other. [Abraham] dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom. 

But the men of Sodom were exceedingly wicked and sinful against the Lord."

Genesis 13:8-13

In Genesis 18, the angel of the Lord and two additional angels met Abraham to deliver the news of great blessing. But there were two matters on their agenda. The second item on their itinerary concerned Abraham's nephew Lot, and more specifically: the city he had chosen to dwell in. While the angel of the Lord remained with Abraham to inform him of the impending destruction, the two angels went into Sodom. 

• Genesis 18:20-22 PERADVENTURE TEN

The cry of the city was great, and the sin very grievous. Therefore, the angel of the Lord told Abraham that the city would be destroyed. Abraham nearly panicked, he had family there! But because he had such great faith in God, he ventured to understand the necessity of such widespread destruction. Abraham wanted to be sure, as he suspected, that God would not destroy a city full of righteous people. When God assured Abraham that he would not destroy a city that housed even "just" ten righteous people, Abraham returned to his home and God to his plans for Sodom.

The fact learned from God and Abraham's conversation was that there were fewer than ten righteous souls living in the city. God had no plan to destroy them, but to move them out, prior to the destruction. Those few belonged to Lot's family, and the two angels who were with God, were sent to not only to destroy Sodom, but to get them out. 

This is a dark and somewhat complex chapter in scripture if not viewed from the right perch. Understand that we have a powerful God who does choose and enact destruction when He deems fit. But the order of destruction comes from God's heart, not His fist. When God chooses destruction, it is actually the preservation of righteousness that He is chooses. God is able to discern the truth within each individual; no innocent will ever be caught in the crossfire of God's wrath for the guilty. Our God is equal parts power and compassion; He planned and delivered the destruction of Sodom with as much attention to detail as He planned and delivered the innocents within it. Therefore do not cower away from "Old Testament" God as many do; for even here in the dark, He is working to preserve the light He has planned for you.

• Genesis 19:1-11 INTO YOUR SERVANT'S HOUSE

As Lot sat near the entrance-gate of Sodom, the two angels walked in. Lot bowed himself to the ground in reverent greeting and invited them to his home. The angels declined, likely a test for Lot, and opted to remain in the street overnight. Lot pressed them to reconsider, he knew that it was a sinful city and they would not be safe. And though Lot was deeply flawed, he did have reverence for God and respect for his messengers. He evidenced that by his insistence on offering protection for them, even though it would make his home a target in the corrupt city.

And a target indeed his home became. A mass of sinful people from all over the city crowded around Lot's home. They knew that Lot housed two guests. By the size and fervor of the crowd, they knew these were not ordinary guests but angels. They demanded that Lot release the angels to them. Lot refused; in effort to protect the angels, he even offered to give the crowd his two daughters instead. This proved that while Lot had not yet reached the level of depravity that would harm angels of God, he had been severely influenced enough by the corruption of his neighbors as to be not far from it.

Nevertheless, the angels intervened: they pulled Lot into the house and blinded the crowd of aggressors, preventing their ability to find and compromise the shelter of Lot's house. Matthew 8:28-34 and Mark 1:24-28 help us to understand why this evil crowd so desperately wanted to have the angels in their possession.

Although the righteous often neglect to recognize the power of God, the truly evil do not: for to their deep annoyance and distress, they cannot forget how mightily they suppressed by it.

When He [Jesus] had come to the other side, to the country of the Gergesenes, there met Him two demon-possessed men, coming out of the tombs, exceedingly fierce, so that no one could pass that way. And suddenly they cried out, saying, “What have we to do with You, Jesus, You Son of God? Have You come here to torment us before the time?”

Matthew 8:28-29

Like the two demon-possessed men above, the evil people of Sodom recognized entities of God. They too knew that the time of their destruction had come. 

Now there was a man in their synagogue with an unclean spirit. And he cried out,  saying, "Let us alone! What have we to do with You, Jesus of Nazareth? Did You come to destroy us? I know who You are--the Holy One of God!" But Jesus rebuked him, saying, "Be quiet, and come out of him!" And when the unclean spirit had convulsed him and cried out with a loud voice, he came out of him.
Mark 1:23-26

Once again, the first thing evil does upon seeing a man of God is recognize its impending destruction. The city of Sodom knew that the arrival of the angels was the arrival of their end. In desperation, they attempted to resist it. But they could not. Like the men from the verses above, they wanted more time to languish in sin. They would not receive it.

• Genesis 19:12-26 OUT OF THIS PLACE 

With haste, the angels began to prepare Lot and family for departure, but Lot's family would not go. They were content citizens of the sinful city, as God knew. He had numbered the righteous in the city below ten. But Lot was distressed; his family did not believe his warning, and more importantly: did not want to leave. Lot lingered so long, trying to convince them, that if not for God's mercy, Lot would have been detained by their refusal and stuck in the destruction of the city.

The angels were able to remove Lot, his wife and two daughters from the city. Once again Lot had the chance to choose: follow God's orders, or choose his own way based on what his own eyes could see. Lot chose wrongly again; he asked if he could escape to another city, rather than the mountainous haven God had planned, and his request was granted. God does not suppress our free will! But life is so much better if we suppress our own will in favor of His.

Lot was not the only one to make a mistake. As the city crumbled, Lot and family were told not to turn back, not to look back, but to continue along God's route. But Lot's wife did look back... and died because of it; turned into a pillar of salt. Lot's wife "looking back" was a metaphor for the choice in her heart. She wanted to return to that lifestyle. She lamented the destruction of her life there. God had committed to comprehensively destroy Sodom and all corrupt members and she, in her heart, had declared to be one. Though she had physically left the city, she was stunned and reduced to particles of nothing along with it. 

• Genesis 19:27:-29 THE SMOKE OF THE LAND

And Abraham went early in the morning to the place where he had stood before the Lord. Then he looked toward Sodom and Gomorrah, and toward all the land of the plain; and he saw, and behold, the smoke of the land which went up like the smoke of a furnace. And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when He overthrew the cities in which Lot had dwelt.

Genesis 19:28-29

It might not be outrageous for one to wonder whether Lot himself was innocent enough to deserve escape from Sodom. Ultimately, only God knows the answer to that. What is obvious, because scripture has told us so, is that Abraham prayed for his nephew and God answered affirmatively. Therefore, we also know that our powerful God puts power in our prayer. We do not waste our time when we intercede in prayer for others.

And therefore though we may witness darkness in life and scripture, like Abraham observing from the hill, we can have peace knowing that there is hope and purpose even in the smoke of the land. 

YEHOVAH YIREH III

And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did for Sarah as He had spoken. For Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him.
Genesis 21:1-2

•  PROMISE KEEPER

Twenty five years after He made His initial promise, God enabled Sarah to conceive. She gave birth to a son and they named their baby Isaac, just as God had spoken. Sarah was still half in wonder, she could not believe that finally and at her age she was holding her own son. Isaac grew and was weaned and Abraham celebrated that same day with a great feast. Isaac was long-prayed for and his parents did not take his life for granted. He both loved him and continued to celebrate his life. 

Gratitude is a necessary element of faith. Upon the birth of Isaac, Abraham followed all of God's commandments. He continued to live a righteous lifestyle, following instruction from God. When you receive a blessing, and you will, receive it with gratitude...retain it with faith and continued commitment to God. Celebrate it with love. 

Our God is a promise keeper. The Bible is stuffed and loaded with all of the promises He has made and you can count on each one of them. You can count on Him.

Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Rejoice because of God, communicate with Him, express gratitude toward Him. Such is the proper care and handling of blessing.

•  NOW I KNOW 

At this point, we are aware of how much of a blessing Isaac's life was to Abraham and Sarah. They prayed hard, waited long, and persisted in faith. That is only part of the reason so many people are shocked and even disturbed by what happened to Abraham one night: God instructed him to offer young Isaac up as a sacrifice. Abraham rose up early in the morning to do it.

Don't panic: Abraham knew that God would not actually require him to sacrifice Isaac.

Isaac was the promise fulfilled. The conduit through which the ultimate, initial blessing would come. God told Abraham so: "...but my covenant I will establish with Isaac (Genesis 17:21 But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah shall bear to you at this set time next year.)." And what was the covenant?

And God said to Abraham: “As for you, you shall keep My covenant, you and your descendants after you throughout their generations. This is My covenant which you shall keep, between Me and you and your descendants after you...

Genesis 17:9-10

Abraham rose up early in the morning to follow God's command because He knew that God had made a promise to him, had established a covenant with him, and both relied upon Isaac. After they climbed the the mountain together and prepared the altar for a sacrifice, Isaac asked Abraham: "Where is the lamb for a burnt offering?"

But this question is not ironic or awkward or pitiable! Abraham confidently, faithful answered Isaac: "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." Indeed Abraham trusted God so much that he was able to place Isaac on the alter and even lift his knife...

He was halted by God: “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” And then God provided an animal.

Abraham knew that God would not allow harm to be done to Isaac... and God then knew that Abraham would not falter in faith in God. Abraham would never withhold anything from God; He understood that everything he had was from God. He believed that God was a promise keeper and therefore he never believed that Isaac was at risk. He was willing to submit everything, His whole life and every element of it, to God's will because He trusted God with it. All of it.

•  YEHOVEH YIREH

Abraham named that place Yehoveh Yireh: God will provide. God had provided all his life. He will provide for yours. The story of Abraham and Isaac, a father, sacrificing his son should sound familiar. Indeed Genesis 22 foreshadows Jesus' resurrection. The son of God sacrificed for humanity. God provided the Lamb: Jesus, who would volunteer Himself to serve as proof of God's word and eternal kingdom.

This this expedition with Abraham and Issac, forces us to realize that God will always provide more than He expects us to give... even though it is we  who owe Him everything.

Abraham is a prominent figure in the Bible when faith is discussed:  

By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Hebrews 11:8-10 

... because  faith makes the difference between dwelling in the House of God or the Heap of Ruin. Give God full authority in your life, be grateful He takes it. Let His will override your desire. Trust His timing; submit to the wait. It's not easy but it's wise. It's not always fun but it's always good. When God decides what comes in, what goes out and when we will see that we are well and truly provided for.

YEHOVEH YIREH II

God made a promise to Abraham: descendants as plenteous as the stars; fulfillment of the hope in the hearts of Abraham and Sarah. But that had not happened yet, and circumstances seemed bleak. Abraham and Sarah were advanced in age. Sarah suffered the stigma of the time as an infertile woman. Abraham and Sarah were likely the topic of much gossip: their prosperous marriage but lack of an heir. 

Desperation caused them to act, to disengage a little in their submission to God's will and arrange their own outcome. And who among us hasn't once (read: many times) done that? We have faith in God's will, so did Abraham, but we seem sometimes unable to resist... jump-starting it. It is a triumph of faith when we are able to submit completely to God's will (as completely as we humanly can), but it can be difficult to live so seemingly... passively. Certainly on the contrary, submission to God's will requires  fierce loyalty, extreme patience, deep discernment and wholehearted effort. It requires a lot, which is why we sometimes... falter.  

• (Genesis 17:1-9): THAT I MAY OBTAIN

Sarah was prepared to arrange her own outcome. It was acceptable in her time that a maidservant could bear a child of her master's husband and be claimed legitimately. Sarah thought that if she at least arranged for Abraham to have an heir, she would lessen the pressure of the stigma. She thought that it was her only way to have a family. So Sarah instructed her maidservant, Hagar, and Abraham to marry and conceive a child.

Hagar conceived and suddenly her status changed. She was more than a servant and she knew it; as Hagar realized her new prominence, she was less deferential to Sarah. And Sarah was deeply bothered. She regretted her interference and was no longer gracious to Hagar. Sarah's unfriendly behavior even caused Hagar to flee with her baby (a sermon for another day). 

Ultimately, Sarah muddied the waters; acting on desperation always does. She added complication to her life and further heaviness to her heart. She involved others in that complication and heaviness. But Sarah also taught a great lesson: we must not attempt obtain by any means necessary, simply because we are impatient for, or in disagreement with, God's timing.

• (Genesis 17:15-27; Genesis 18:1-22) : INCREDIBLE PATIENCE, INCREDULOUS JOY

God continued to encourage Abraham to live a righteous lifestyle; He promised that if Abraham did so God would establish a covenant between them. The same spiritual contract is extended toward us. When we commit to following God, He commits to leading us into blessing. 

It had been many years since God initially made a promise to Abraham, but there was still no baby; but the promise never went away or changed or delayed. God was preparing to bring it into fruition, the baby into Sarah's womb. God met Abraham once again, this time to explain the details of the birth. 

At this point God changed their names from Abram to Abraham, Sarai to Sarah... father and mother of nations. They were about to be parents together. And though God blessed Abraham's child with Hagar (Ishmael), His promise would be fulfilled through Abraham's child with Sarah. Upon hearing this, Abraham laughed. He was incredulous... joy and disbelief mingled within him. Before departing, God informed Abraham that his son with Sarah would be named Isaac, and would be born in the coming year.

Sarah laughed too, though perhaps with more disbelief than Abraham. To which God responded: Is anything too hard for the Lord? We overthink and overwork ourselves with worry because we forget that in fact nothing is too hard for our God.

Understand that God is in the details and His timing is intentional and perfect. He knows the names of the people and things that are yet to come into our lives. Though we stare into the future and sometimes see only impossibility, God stares into our future and sees the details of the hopes and prayers realized in our lives. If He has promised it, He has initiated its creation and established the time of its delivery. "It" is different for all of us, though often we share hopes and dreams and prayers; but in Romans 8:28 God promised that all things would work together for good to those who love the Lord. So no matter what is coming, it will be a good thing, even if it is an answer to a prayer we didn't think to make.

• (Genesis 20): CAUSED TO WANDER

Realize that Abraham and Sarah were consistently caused to wander by God. God's plan, purpose and blessing unfolded throughout the journey. It is important for us to take note of that because we often expect to arrive at a blessing. Instead, God delivers them to us as we move along His path for us. Our God multitasks. He is accomplishing multiple things for, around and within us at all times. It was His opinion that Abraham and Sarah were not ready to be parents twenty-five years prior to when they actually became them.

We are not always going to agree with God's timing. In fact, while we are in the process of waiting for a blessing, we will probably think His timing entirely inconvenient. It is helpful if we consciously prevent ourselves from fixating on only one specific thing and instead open our awareness.  A broader view of God's plan for our lives will enable us to learn and grow, receive and appreciate other blessings while still holding hope for that special one in the distance.

Because Abraham and Sarah were vastly blessed. Their story fixates on their specific prayer, and their other blessings fall by the wayside. Abraham and Sarah were healthy. Their marriage was secure and happy. Their blessings and their relationship with God allowed them to rescue and assist their family members in times of trouble. They were prosperous. God directed them away from desolate places and dishonest people. Abraham prayed to become a father but might have overlooked that God made him a leader and prophet, and blessed him with all of the skills to do both properly.

Desperation must not caused us to discard our truest blessing, the one we never have to wait for: God. Because even if waiting is a battle in our lives, it is one we cannot win without Him.