When Satan Comes, Sowing Seeds Of Doubt ...

“Behold, this alone I found, that God made man upright, but they have sought many devices” (Ecclesiastes 7:29).
* Following the glory and majesty of the Creator and His creation in Genesis 1 & 2, the third chapter of Genesis begins with the enemy of God, the enemy of our souls, the devil, Satan (Revelation 12:9; Revelation 20:2). He is “subtle” – sly, cunning, crafty. He is evil.He sows seeds of doubt: “Did God say?” (Genesis 3:1). From his very first words, it is clear that he is the enemy of God. “Did God say? Did God really say?” One can almost hear the wicked, unbelieving tone of voice with which Satan spoke.
* When the woman heard the voice of Satan, she ought to have turned away from him. She ought to have said, “Get behind me, Satan. I don’t want to have anything to do with you.” She ought to have said this, but she didn’t. She discussed the matter with the enemy. She had no right to do this. There was one answer she ought to have given to the devil: God has spoken, God has stated His will, God has given His Word.  This is what she ought to have said to Satan, but she didn’t.
* As Satan spoke to Eve and she listened to him, he made her doubt God’s Word and question His command. Eve started to talk things over with Satan. This is where she made her big mistake. She should have told Satan that God’s command is for our good. She should have told him that God’s law is good and pure and holy. She should have said this to the devil, but she didn’t. The more Eve spoke with Satan and listened to him, the less she delighted in God’s holy Word; She was seduced by the devil’s subtlety. She was led astray by the deceiver. By this time, Satan had moved beyond questioning God’s Word. He was contradicting it. He was saying the exact opposite of what God had said. He was saying “You will not die” (Genesis 3:4). By this time, Eve was taken in by the tempter. When she looked at the tree, she saw only what Satan wanted her to see (Genesis 3:6). She had cast aside the Word of God and listened, instead, to the voice of the devil. She no longer allowed God’s Word to be the last word on the matter. Now, she thought that she had the right to decide whether or not God’s way was the best way. She made herself the judge of what was good and evil, right and wrong. She had stopped listening to the Word of God. She was no longer committed to obeying the Word of God. The story of Genesis 3:6  continues down to the present day – Adam’s sons are still “rushing helter skelter to destruction with their fingers in their ears” (Don Francisco).
* The immediate effect of sin was shame. Note the contrast between Genesis 2:25 and Genesis 3:7. Sin and shame go together. Sin is not something of which should be proud. Sin is something of which we should be ashamed. Refusing to listen to god’s word is a matter of great shame. Refusing to do god’s will is a shameful thing. The shamefulness of sin is bound up with the undeniable fact that sin makes us guilty – utterly and completely guilty before God. The innocence of Genesis 1 & 2 was lost. Like, Adam and Eve, we are guilty – unquestionably guilty before the God of perfect holiness. The judgment of God is upon us. Like Adam and Eve, we may resort to finger-pointing. Adam blamed the woman (Genesis 3:12). Eve blamed the serpent (Genesis 3:13). There can be no passing the buck. We must acknowledge our sin before God. We must confess our sin to Him. as we come to God, seeking His forgiveness, we will discover the wonder of His love for us.
When we come, acknowledging the holiness of God and our own sin and guilt – “God made man upright, but they have sought many devices”, we discover that the God of great holiness is also the God of great love. The God, who pronounces His judgment upon sin, is also the God who demonstrates His love for sinners.
When God says, “What is this that you have done?” (Genesis 3:13), this is not only a Word of judgment on sin. It’s also the Word that speaks of God’s love for sinners. God is declaring His love for sinners. He is saying, ‘I have loved you so much. There is absolutely no reason why you should have done this.’ God is declaring His love for us. In love, He’s appealing to us not to turn our backs on Him and lose out on the blessing that He wants so much to give to us. He’s saying to us, ‘I love you. Why are you turning away from Me? Will you not return to Me, and discover how much I love you?’
When God says, “Where are you?” (Genesis 3:9), this is not only a Word of God’s holiness, from which we have been separated by our sin. It’s also a Word of His love, This is God’s seeking love. This is the God of love, seeking the lost sinner. He is saying, ‘I love you, and I am seeking to save you.’

The God of love, the God who seeks to save sinners, gives the first promise of a Saviour, as early as Genesis 3:15. These words, spoken to the enemy. promise that there will be One who will triumph over the enemy: “I will put enmity between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Jesus, our Saviour, fulfils this promise of love. He was “bruised” for our sins, and, through His death, He has triumphed over Satan for us. So, even here in Genesis 3, with its message of sin and guilt, there is, for us, a message of hope – triumphant hope, glorious hope, eternal hope.

Guide us, Lord, by Your light and Your truth.

Genesis 30:25-31:21
Guide us, Lord, by Your light and Your truth (Psalm 48:14; Psalm 43:3). Let Your light shine into our darkness. Let Your truth lift us out of the way that leads away from You and into the way that leads to You. Lead us to Jesus - He is "the Way, the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6).

Lord, so often we forget the things that matter most.

Genesis 31:22-42
Lord, so often we forget the things that matter most. So often, we forget You. The more we forget You, the more we miss out on the blessing which comes from knowing that You are the Lord our God. You are the God who is with us - even when we feel that You are far away.

Lord, we can, so often, get preoccupied with the things that matter most to us ...

Genesis 29:31-30:24
Lord, we can, so often, get preoccupied with the things that matter most to us - and we forget about the things that matter most to You. We start to get comfortable, sorting things out to suit ourselves - and then You come to us with a very challenging question, "What matters most to you?" Help us, Lord, to see that pleasing You is more important than pleasing ourselves.

Lord, we thank You that You have a place in Your heart for us.

Genesis 2:18-25

Lord, we thank You that You have a place in Your heart for us. Why? What have we done that You should keep on loving us? Is there something good about us - something that makes us worthy of Your love? Whatever way we look at it - the answer’s always “No.” No! No! No!
There’s no way back to You, Lord, that begins with ourselves. We cannot begin with ourselves - but “Is there another starting-point?”
Lord, there is only one place. We begin with Your love - “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son ... “ (John 3:16). We hear these words, and we ask, “Why, Lord, have You loved us like this?”
From our side, there’s no answer to this question. We can only say, “We’re sinners.” There’s nothing else we can say about ourselves.
What do You, Lord, say to sinners? “God shows His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8).

Look at the rainbow. Look beyond the rainbow.

Genesis 9:8-17

We look at the rainbow. We see the love of God. We look beyond the rainbow. We look to the Cross. There, we see the supreme demonstration of the love of God. There, we see Jesus, suffering for us. His suffering is the suffering of love. It wasn't the nails that held Him to the Cross. It was His love for us that sent Him to the Cross. It was His love for us that kept Him on the Cross.

Lord, where have all the years gone?

Genesis 5:1-17

Lord, where have all the years gone? Five years becomes ten years. Ten years becomes twenty years. Twenty years becomes forty years …. Is there something more than this? - We thank You that You are the eternal God. In all the changing circumstances of our life, help us to remember this: “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms” (Deuteronomy 33:27). You are the eternal God. Your love is unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable. This is our encouragement – when everything around us is changing. We are encouraged. Lord, may we also be challenged: How much of our life is bringing glory to You?

Cain, Abel - And Christ

Genesis 4:1-16

We read about Cain and Abel. We look beyond them to Christ. He offered himself as the perfect sacrifice for sin. He is "the Passover Lamb." He "has been sacrificed for us" (1 Corinthians 5:7). Jesus is "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).

We read here about the parting of the ways. Cain went one way - away from God. Abel went the other way - towards God. When we come to the Cross of Jesus Christ, we must make our choice. Our  life can never be the same again.

Will we be like Cain? - "He went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of wandering" (Genesis 4:16). What does God say to those who are wandering away from Him? He says, "Awake, sleeper, and rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Ephesians 5:14).

We read about Abel, and we look beyond him to Christ. Let us walk with Christ on the way of faith and obedience, the way of His salvation, the way of holiness. When we read about Abel's offering being accepted by God, we must remember this - It's Christ who makes the difference. It's "His blood" which "cleanses us from our sins" (1 John 1:7).

Lord, You are God.

Genesis 2:15-17

Lord, You are God. Who are we to tell You what to do? Who are we to say, “We’ll do what we like” - when You’re saying to us, “I know what’s best for you.” Help us to choose Your way - and stop insisting on getting our own way. How are we to do this? Jesus tells us, “If the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed” (John 8:36). How, we wonder, does Jesus make us free?
He shows us “the truth” - the truth about ourselves, the truth about Jesus.
We are sinners. Jesus is our Saviour. This is the truth. It’s “the truth that sets us free” (John 8:32). We are sinners. Jesus is our Saviour. This is the truth that brings us out of the prison cell of our own making. This, Lord, is the truth which brings us on to the pathway of Your blessing, the pathway of true and lasting joy, the pathway to Your eternal glory.

Lord, we look at ourselves ...

Genesis 2:4-14

Lord, we look at ourselves, and we say, “This is my life. This is the way I’ve always been. I’ll never change. I’ll never be any different.” Is this all that we can say about ourselves? Is this what You’re saying about us? We’re always thinking about what we are. You’re always saying to us, “This is what you can become. This is what I am going to make you.” Help us to listen to what You’re saying to us. Help us to make a new “beginning” with You - as we believe and receive “the Good News of Jesus Christ, the Son of God” (Mark 1:1).

Paradise Lost! Paradise Regained?

Genesis 3 - From the majestic perfection of God and the privileged responsibility of humanity, we now move to the evil subtlety of Satan. An intruder has sneaked into the privileged place between God, the Creator, and mankind, His creation.

Chapter 2 ends with the absence of shame. Chapter 3 begins with the presence of Satan. The work of Satan, successfully executed, ensures that chapter ends rather differently from chapter 2 – “the Lord God sent the man out of the Garden of Eden” (v. 23).
This was “Paradise Lost”. Was there a way to “Paradise Regained”? There are two answers to this question: “No” and “Yes”. Taking ourselves as the starting-point, the answer is “No”. God will not permit us to take salvation into our own hands (v. 24). Starting with God, the answer is “Yes”. This is the answer of verse 15: Christ (the woman’s descendant will be crucified (the bruising of His heel), but the outcome of this will be the defeat of Satan (the crushing of his head).

Lord, You are our Creator.

Genesis 1:26-2:3

Lord, You are our Creator. We have been created by You. We have been created for You. What have we done with this great blessing? We have turned away from You. We have gone our own way. We have done our own thing. Have You lost patience with us? Have You given up on us? We often feel like we are a waste of Your time - then we remember Jesus. That's when everything changes - We remember Jesus. He came from where You are. He came to where we are. From where we are to where You are - This is what Jesus does for us.

Open Doors And Closed Doors

"The Lord appeared to Isaac and said,'Do not go down to Egypt, settle in the land that I shall show you" (Genesis 26:2).

Sometimes, God says, "No" - "This is not the way you are to go." Sometimes, He says, "Yes" - "This is the way you are to go." The Lord "opens and no one shuts." He "shuts and no one opens." At the crossroads of life, where we must make decisions concerning the direction our life is going to take, it is good to have the Lord's promise: "I have set before you an open door, which no one is able to shut" (Revelation 3:7-8). "Thus says the Lord: Stand at the crossroads, and look, and ask for the ancient paths, where the good way lies and walk in it and find rest for your souls" Help us, Lord, not to be like those who looked at the good way, and said, "We will not walk in it" (Jeremiah 6:16). Help us to choose the good way - and not the bad way.

Sent To Bring Life

Sent To Bring Life

"God sent me before you to preserve life" (Genesis 45:5).

We are to bring life. That's why God has sent us. We are to bring the Saviour. We are to bring the Scriptures. We are to bring the Spirit. People coming to the Saviour, people learning from the Scriptures, people walking in the Spirit - this is what we're praying for and working for.

Sin Comes From Satan. Salvation Comes From God.

Sin, Judgment … And Salvation (Genesis 3:1-24)

Genesis 3:1   –  “The serpent” (Satan) raises doubts – “Has God said?

Genesis 3:2-3   –  The woman tells Satan what “God has said.”

Genesis 3:4   –  Satan contradicts God’s Word. Note the progression from questioning God’s Word to contradicting His Word.

Genesis 3:5   –  “Your eyes will be opened.” You will see everything in a different way. You will know “good” as something you’ve lost. All you’ll have left is “evil.” That’s not exactly how Satan said it would turn out. What can you expect from someone who contradicts God’s Word? – Nothing but lies!

Genesis 3:6   –  This is the beginning of sin. We listen to Satan. We do what he says – instead of listening to God and doing what He says.

Genesis 3:7   –  “Their eyes were opened.” They saw what they had become through their disobedience to God’s Word.

Genesis 3:8   –  Sin leads to hiding from God.

Genesis 3:9   –  “Where are you?” Why is God looking for them? Is this nothing more than the voice of accusation? There is something more than that. There is the voice of love.

Genesis 3:10   –  The sinner does not hear the voice of God as the voice of love. He hears only the voice of accusation.

Genesis 3:11   –  More questions from God – He makes us think about what we have done.

Genesis 3:12   –  Passing the buck!  

Genesis 3:13   –  More passing the buck!!

Genesis 3:14   –  Here, we have the Word of judgment – but that’s not the only Word that God speaks to the sinner.

Genesis 3:15   –   This is the Word of salvation. It’s the first prophecy of Satan’s defeat. Christ will win the victory over Satan.

Genesis 3:16-19   –  Sin has its consequences!

Genesis 3:20-24   –  In these verses, we read about “the tree of life.” Here, we catch a glimpse of Christ who died on the Cross for us. It’s through His death that we receive eternal life.

Lord, You are always with us ...

Genesis 4:17-26

Lord, You are always with us - but we are not always with You. There is never a time when You are not there at our side – but there are many times when we don’t realize that You are right there, beside us at every stage in our journey through life. Life isn’t easy! Bad things happen to us – and we take our eyes off You. Before we know it, we’re going round in circles – getting nowhere quickly. What are we to make of all this? Are we to say, “Why have You left me, Lord?” Our difficult circumstances are shouting at us, “God has left you. You’re on your own. Make the most of it – without Him.” Lord, help us, when we feel like this, to keep on listening for Your “still, small voice.” Help us to hear the “gentle whisper” of Your love (1 Kings 19:11-12). When our emotions are pulling us this way, pulling us that way, pulling us all over the place, help us to hear and believe Your precious promise: “I will be with you always” (Matthew 28:20).

"In the beginning, God" (Genesis 1:1).

"In the beginning, God" (Genesis 1:1).

Here, we are taken back to eternity, back to the eternal God. There is nothing beyond this. There is nothing beyond Him.

"God created the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1).

He is the Lord of heaven and earth. The mention of heaven and earth in the Bible's opening verse sends our minds on from the beginning to the middle and the end of God's great Story of salvation. At the heart of this wonderful Story, there is Jesus Christ who came from heaven to earth for us. The Story moves on to the marvellous fulifilment of God's plan of salvation. The Lord Jesus will come to take us from earth to heaven to share with Him in the glory of eternal life.

Lord, help us to stand upon Your Word.

Genesis 31:43-32:21
Lord, help us to stand upon Your Word. You have given us a firm foundation for our faith. You have given us Your salvation. When everything around is shaking, we can stand firm because we know that You are our God. You are the God who has saved us through the death of Your Son. You are the God who gives us new power for living - the power of the Holy Spirit. You are the God who will lead us into the glory of Your eternal Kingdom - Your Kingdom of everlasting love, everlasting life and everlasting light.

God is faithful. He will never fail us. His love is everlasting love.

Genesis 12:1-3 (related reading - Hebrews 6:13-20)

Our concern is not so much with Abraham as the God of Abraham. The story of Abraham is both the story of Abraham's weakness and the story of God's grace and power. We see the grace of God revealed in the promises of God. We see the power of God, as He fulfils His promises.

The promise, given to Abraham, has three parts: (a) personal - "I will bless you"; (b) national - "I will make of you a great nation"; (c) universal - By  you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

As the fulfilment of God's promise moves forward from Abraham to Israel to Christ, we hear God's Word speaking to us. "I will bless you."

As we receive the blessing of God's salvation, we discover how faithful God is, in His love for us. God is the everlasting God. He is carrying out His purpose - the purpose of His unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable love. This purpose is expressed in His promises. His promises have been fulfilled in Christ. His promises are offered to us today. These promises, summed up in the simple yet rich and full words, "I will bless you", express "the unchangeable character of His purpose"(Hebrew 6:17). We know that God will not fail us. He will not let us down. He will not forsake us. He will not leave us. We know this, not only because of the promises given to Abraham. We know that God is faithful in His love, because of the Cross of Christ, who is "the sure and steadfast anchor of the soul" (Hebrews 6:19).

As we discover the faithfulness of God, we find ourselves drawn to Him, drawn by His love; attracted to Him - not with a shallow and superficial attraction  but with a deep devotion and a heartfelt loving loyalty: "He Himself hath sworn, I on His oath depend: I shall, on eagle's wings upborne, to heaven ascend; I shall behold His face, I shall His power adore, and sing the wonders of His grace forevermore."

A Message Of Hope - Triumphant Hope, Glorious Hope, Eternal Hope

When we come to God, acknowledging His holiness and our own sin and guilt, we discover that the God of great holiness is also the God of great love. The God who pronounces his judgment upon sin, declares His love for sinners.

When God says, "What is it that you have done?" (Genesis 3:13), this is not only a word of judgment upon sin, it is also a word of love for the sinner. God is declaring His love. He is saying, "I have loved you so much. There is absolutely no reason why you should have done this - full in the face of all My great love for you." God is saying to us, "I love you."

When God says, "Where are you?" (Genesis 3:9), this is not only a word of holiness from which man has been separated by sin. It is also a word of love. This seeking love. God - the God of love - is seeking the lost sinner. He is saying, "I love you, and I am seeking to save you."

The God of love, the God who seeks to save sinners, gives the first promise of a Saviour as early as Genesis 3:15. These words.spoken to the enemy, promise One who will triumph over the enemy: "I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; he shall bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."

Jesus - our Saviour - fulfils this promise of love. He was "bruised" for our sins and, through His death, He has triumphed over Satan for us. So, even here in Genesis 3 with its message of sin and guilt, there is, for us, a message of hope - triumphant hope, glorious hope, eternal hope.