Daily Posts

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Day 10 -– Job 27 – 29

Job acknowledges that God brings justice for the wicked, but often not in their lifetime. While he waxes poetic about wisdom, consider: anywhere man might be able to go on this earth, he cannot find wisdom. There exists no wealth to exchange for it. God is the only source of wisdom, and has decreed that the only way for us to get it is through knowledge of Him. He offers no shortcut to wisdom. If we want it, we must invest ourselves in relationship with Him.

That’s no easy thing, to search for relationship with Him and find it. Messiah’s coming has made it much easier for us than it was for Job, but it’s still a matter of diligence in that which doesn’t always seem to bear fruit in our limited perception. How can we know One Who is so much higher than we are? Whom we can’t see or hear or touch? Faith. If we choose to believe what He tells us about Himself and about the way He has given us to approach Him, if we follow that way, He promises that He will reward “those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6)

Job obviously invested himself in such relationship, for God obviously rewarded him with wisdom. In chapter 29 he tells what his life was like before the events of this book. Here we see what a life blessed by God looks like. Think about what such a person would look like in our culture today, and compare it to Job’s reduced state here so that you can better appreciate his plight.

Another thought worth considering is that if God is the only source of wisdom and only gives wisdom through knowledge of Him, what can we conclude about man’s wisdom apart from God?

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Day 9 -– Job 22 – 26

Eliphaz is going in for the kill. Note in verses 22:6 and 13, he accuses Job of doing things and saying things that he actually hasn’t. Whatever causes him to make such accusations – anger, pack mentality, envy of old boiling over now that Job is in a weakened state – whatever it is, we must understand that we are susceptible to the same ugly behavior, and guard against it. God, transform me as You promise to do!

Eliphaz’s brand of righteousness is not lovely. In verses 22:19 -20 he speaks of the righteous being glad at the destruction of the wicked, and mocking them. Does that seem like a righteous person? He also doesn’t understand that even the righteous don’t get their way in all things. Note verse 22:28. The righteous don’t have a relationship with God like Aladdin had with the magic genie. That would make God the slave of the righteous, and that is not the sovereign God He says He is or that we want Him to be. Eliphaz’s speech leads one to believe that he is speaking about the righteous from experiential knowledge, but we can be certain that he didn’t enjoy that magic genie relationship with God.

Job again shares his longing for a way to approach God. How fortunate we are to have Jesus as the way to come to God (John 14:6) and as our intercessor before God (Hebrews 7:25).

In verse 23:10 Job expresses his continued confidence in God’s justice. Note the way of the blameless man that he describes in the following verses, and remember that God considers him a blameless man. This is certainly reason enough for us to use him as an example for what blamelessness looks like and how to attain that goal. Notice that what he has done is invest in relationship with God. He hasn’t checked off a list of to-dos, but has done what God has said to do, without deviating, without accommodating his personal comforts or opinions.

Job notes that his friends are wrong in their observations about the prosperous wicked being struck down and brought to destruction. How often do we actually see that happen? God’s justice is often a matter between Him and the unjust, and we don’t get to see it happen.

Then Bildad adds his two cents. He doesn’t say anything wrong, but He comes off as self-righteous. Man may see himself as a worm in comparison to God’s greatness, but this is not God’s view of man;. we know that because of Psalm 8.

Job demonstrates the best understanding of God, which leads to the observation that if we take our questions to Him, we will gain understanding. If instead we hold to our assumptions about Him, great as they are, and don’t acknowledge the challenges that reality sometimes brings to bear on our limited understanding, we will not learn the deeper truths about God. That’s what the Roman Catholic Church leaders did to the revelations of the telescope during the Renaissance, and refused to believe that the earth revolves around the sun, leading to a marginalization of the Church and of God in people’s minds. Rather, the best way to handle such perceived challenges to our understanding of God is to take them to Him and ask for help understanding the truth.

If we don’t, is it because we don’t believe that God will answer? He promises that we’ll find Him if we seek Him with all our hearts. Or don’t we believe that the truth can stand up to the scrutiny of man’s understanding? It always can, but we’ll never know that if we don’t seek to understand. God is the only source of understanding, and our questions must be taken to Him. Or do we trust man’s wisdom and the observation of our limited senses more than we trust the all-knowing God?

Crises often present us with a challenge to choose to believe God or man’s wisdom (whether that be one’s own, or a revered wise man or scientist). God is up to the challenge! Present Him with the dilemma!

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Day 8 -– Job 19 – 21

What kind of friend torments a profoundly suffering person, crushing him with words? These men were firm in their convictions that they were being faithful friends to point out Job’s obvious wickedness to him, presumably with the end that he would repent and be saved from the ultimate fate of the wicked. But these friends were wrong – incorrect in their assumptions about Job’s wickedness, incorrect in their assessment of God’s ways, and morally wrong to presume to make such assessments and to beat suffering, blameless Job over the head in judgment. We need to be careful we don’t do the same with people in the name of friendship. These men truly didn’t care for Job, to respond as they did – they descended like carrion birds to lord it over Job in his fallen state, to enjoy their position of superiority over such a man of prominence.

Zophar was angry in his self-righteousness. Again, his anger shows that he didn’t care about Job. He now responds in anger, when he supposedly is there to offer consolation to a suffering man. Then he blathers on and on self-righteously, burying Job even deeper than he already is, as if he wishes upon Job the dark catastrophes about which he speaks. Job’s response is correct. How often do you see the prosperous wicked cut down to utter despair in this life? Not often. That justice is not a given in this life. Zophar is nattering words that sound correct, but in fact are not. We must be careful that we don’t offer the same. For because of such behavior, Christians have alienated enough people, that now Christians are perceived as intolerant, and no one wants to listen to a Christian.

How can I possibly know that God has allowed this catastrophe or that tragedy because He is judging sin? The truth is, we may be as far off the mark as Job’s friends were in making such assessments. That’s why we are instructed to “let our speech be full of grace, seasoned with salt.”

Job says that God has wronged him. He is incorrect in his understanding of the situation also. The difference is that he does not set himself up in the place of God. He speaks with the humility of one bowing in submission to sovereign God, who knows who his Redeemer is. This is the example we are given of the attitude we must take when questioning God. When we assert our innocence, can we do so with the prospect before us of standing before God?

But his situation is not the end of the story. He longs for his words to be recorded, and look how long they have been preserved – and how many people they have helped over the years.

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Day 7 -– Job 15 – 18

Job’s friends grow bolder in their assertions that Job’s wickedness is the cause of his suffering. Eliphaz accuses Job of lacking reverence for God and turning away from God in his refusal to acknowledge the guilt that has obviously brought him to this point. Again, we know that Job’s friends have it all wrong.

Eliphaz thinks they have been gentle with Job in offering the “consolations of God,” but consider how such counsel would understandably add to Job’s suffering. He is confused himself as to what has been the cause of his suffering, because his conscience is clean. Job feels like “they have slapped (him) on the cheek with contempt” and ganged up on him (verse 16:10).

They err in refusing to accept the fact that God’s ways are higher than their ways, and His thoughts than their thoughts (Isaiah 55:9),  believing that they have the cause of suffering figured out completely. Their increasing boldness is perhaps due to the fact that they have found strength in numbers.

Their behavior needs to serve as a warning for us. Do we swoop in with a killer instinct when someone we know is suffering? Are we quick to accuse because we think, in the luxury of our non-suffering ease, that we know what God’s thoughts are in this matter? Do we feel strengthened in our position because of others’ backing, and so strengthen our attack? We must keep in mind that suffering is doubtless coming our way, or if it doesn’t, we should be concerned, for God accomplishes much through suffering. James says that trials work patience in us, which ultimately leads to greater perseverance. If this is how God grows us, we should be prepared for suffering ourselves. Hopefully this common human condition gives us compassion towards a suffering fellow human being. There is nothing like suffering to make us more compassionate toward the suffering of others.

Eliphaz accuses Job of lacking reverence for God, when in fact it is Eliphaz and his companions who lack reverence for God. For God has already called Job blameless – twice -, and Eliphaz has the audacity to speak for God, sure that he has God’s way in this matter figured out. This is another lesson for us. Jesus taught that before we judge another for his minor fault, we must first address our own greater faults. Fallen human nature is quick to condemn in others the very behavior with which one struggles himself, and slow to see his own fault. When I find myself judging others, I should use that as an occasion to examine myself. Help us, O God!

Again, Job is crying out for justice and longing to confront God about his confusion over why this is happening to him. Can you relate to his pain? It is adding tension to the plot of the story. His many words about his misery should help us to understand that he is utterly miserable, and to long for satisfying resolution for him. The erroneous wind of his friends and their smugness in their utter confidence of their assessment of the situation should frustrate us and make us long for justice for Job.

One week down! If you can keep up the reading for five more weeks, you’ll have established a habit of daily Bible reading. But let’s take it week by week, and focus on starting off week two strongly tomorrow.

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Day 6 -– Job 11 – 14

Zophar also expresses disbelief that Job is blameless, implying that since Job is suffering such calamity, it must be God’s judgment for his wrongdoing. He tells him that if he would only seek God and repent of his sin and forsake it, his fortunes would turn. He is setting himself up in the place of God! Job’s friends are a warning for us as we respond to hurting people in our spheres of influence.

Note Job’s sarcastic response in verses 12:1-3; and he again slams the wisdom and comfort of his friends in verses 13:1-5.

A popular quote from Job is found in verse 13:15. This is popular because it displays Job’s lovely character in the midst of suffering. He bows to God’s sovereignty, rather than trying to manipulate God or shake a fist in His face. Submission to God, as demonstrated by this blameless and upright man, doesn’t mean we can’t and shouldn’t bring our questions to Him. Can’t we trust God with our questions? However, confronting God having already drawn the conclusion that if He doesn’t grant my heart’s desire then I refuse to believe that He is God, is not the model of questioning given to us in Job.

Have circumstances ever caused you to question that God is who He says He is? When innocent people suffer unjustly, how can man not doubt God’s justice? When evil befalls us, how can we continue to believe that God is good? Or is it that He is in fact just and good, but the problem is caused by the fact that He’s not as powerful as He claims to be? I once asked God to clarify for me such questions, and He did in such a way that my confidence in His goodness and power has never again been shaken. Only He can provide answers that can withstand the fire of hard trials. We need to follow the example given us and ask the questions that burn in our minds, keeping in mind that God is sovereign God Almighty. He doesn’t have to answer; He doesn’t owe us anything, and certainly not an explanation. However, if we are truly seeking Him, rather than seeking our own prosperity; seeking to know Him rather than seeking to vent our anger and frustration upon Him or seeking to manipulate Him as if He were the creature and we were God, He may enlighten us. Then we will be truly enlightened. If we don’t ask, we probably won’t understand. Then Satan is left with the opportunity to move in on us like he did on Eve, and we have left ourselves vulnerable to his attacks.

Job asked. By the end of the book, God answered. In the meantime, there are a lot more words. Another lesson of Job might be that we should speak fewer words, thus minimizing our opportunity to embarrass ourselves.

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Day 5 — Job 8 -10

Bildad adds insult to injury by dismissing Job’s children’s lives with the accusation that they deserved their end because they were sinners. They get no more than one sentence. How would you feel about that if you were grieving the loss of your children?

He says that if Job were righteous as he claims to be, surely God would restore his fortunes. However, Job’s current state was obviously not the end of the story; just wait to see Bildad stand corrected.

In God’s story of the redemption of mankind through the son of Eve that would one day crush Satan’s head, the story of Job seems like a diversion. How could it possibly belong? Why include it? For one thing, it offers an answer to vital questions every suffering person asks: If God is good, why is there suffering in this world? How interesting that Job’s life came before God got too far into the story of redemption. 

And the story of God’s redemption of mankind is not neglected here. Messiah is important to Job’s story by His very absence. Job longed to be able to confront God with his questions and receive answers. In verses 9:32-35 he expresses his inability to confront God. One of Jesus’ roles today is that of intercessor. Jesus is the way to God, as He says in John 14:6; and Hebrews 7:25 tells us that He lives today to intercede for us. God is not a man (Job 9:32) that Job could confront Him; but He became a man. We see in Job’s desperate dilemma that we are blessed in the great salvation God has provided through Messiah, and in the role of the Holy Spirit who “will teach us all things.” (John 14:26)

There are other places in Job where Messiah is implied by His absence. Keep your eyes open for these ways Jesus shows up in Job.

We see in Job’s response the agony of the crisis of faith that suffering creates. Is God who He says He is? Have I been worshiping someone no greater than a man, with man’s limited knowledge, with man’s unreliability and deception and injustice? Is God truly good, or is He toying with me as a lion toys with its prey? A life without God, the “Big-G” God that God Almighty in fact is, is not worth living. 

Plan now when you are going to do your reading this weekend. It may be a sacrifice; are you willing to make that sacrifice for the sake of knowing God better?

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Day 4 — Job 4 – 7

Ancient Near East poetry. What can I say? Most of us do not enjoy it. Understanding it a little better can help us appreciate it, though.

Think about what we like about poetry. Most of us don’t enjoy poetry in our own language and culture, but we do enjoy good rhythm and rhyme. But Ancient Near Easterners didn’t go for rhythm and rhyme. What made their poetry great in their eyes was mostly parallelism of thought. Which means a really good poet would find several different ways to state his idea. Say it, then say it again, and again, and perhaps again. Unfortunately, that isn’t appreciated in our culture; we are strictly the opposite: say it in the smallest possible sound byte. Reading Hebrew poetry is an opportunity for us to grow in appreciation for other cultures and to be exposed to other ways of doing things than our own. It’s good for us. When you’re frustrated with a speaker’s beating his idea to death, instead of thinking, “We get the idea; now move on!” we can think about how the writer’s original audience would have been really impressed with his poetry writing skills.

That can make Job a rather dangerous book. In the midst of our minds wandering as we slog through the speakers’ beating their subject to death, our attention is caught by a startlingly inconsistent statement. “The Bible says THAT?” we think. Many people take statements from Job out of context in this manner. Your challenge with Job is to follow the arguments and understand what is being said. Sometimes the forthrightness of the speakers is scandalous to our politically correct ways of thinking, especially as the exchange progresses. See if you can find these slams. Make sure you understand who is saying the startling statements that people take out of context, and understand their context. Hopefully these things will not only keep you awake and engaged as you read Job, but even give you some enjoyment.

So Eliphaz is the first one to speak. He’s a prime example of how not to comfort your grieving, suffering friend.

Have you ever experienced even just one of the losses Job suffered in chapters one and two? The loss of a child? The loss of your wealth? The loss of your source of earning a living? Any one of these is a devastating loss; all three together are unimaginable. The loss of the latter two transformed Job’s way of life: he went from being a prominent citizen of his community, managing his many resources, to facing subsistence living at cost of great toil. It’s a painful transition.

What do you want from others in the face of the profound pain of such awful losses? A dismissal of your losses in comparing them to something much less costly than your own loss? (I once had an acquaintance say he understood my grief over the death of my baby daughter, because he had just lost his dog.) Offering platitudes? Stating the obvious – over and over again? A judgment of your undeniable sinful state because this has happened to you? If you think these can give you comfort in loss, then Eliphaz is the friend for you.

It’s not that what he says is untrue. But his opening statement implies that Job’s grief makes him a hypocrite for all the words of comfort and strength he has offered hurting people in the past. Wouldn’t Job be expected to hurt deeply over these losses he has suffered, wishing he had never been born? Seasons of sorrow come upon all of us throughout our lives, and we will hurt, but that doesn’t make us hypocrites for offering comfort to others who hurt.

Eliphaz left Job no response but to admit his sinful state (which would not be true, because Job knew he was blameless, and God had verified it to Satan), because Eliphaz had had the privilege of a great revelation from God: that all men are sinners before God. In the midst of Job’s great loss, Eliphaz tells him, “Behold, how happy is the man whom God reproves,/So do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.” He assumes Job is suffering because God is disciplining him for his sin, which of course is not true, and Job knows it isn’t true or else either God is not all-knowing or He is not just. The crisis of faith in God adds to Job’s suffering! Further, how can Job be happy in light of his current losses? He needs time to grieve his loss, and his friend should have given him time to go through that process, including its anger phase. Who can possibly be happy that he has lost every one of his children in one fell swoop, and his wealth and earning power to boot?!

He assumed that God only brings suffering to a righteous man to discipline him. How fortunate we are that God’s ways are above our ways, and His thoughts are above man’s thoughts!

Job was left to find his own comfort, and he did, small as it may seem. Can you find what it was? Hint: it came from his own character.

A great lesson for us all in Job’s response is, “For the despairing man there should be kindness from his friend; Lest he forsake the fear of the Almighty.” (v. 6:14) God’s enemy only bothers with us because he knows our commitment to God is often based on the blessings He gives us, and when they are withdrawn, we will turn away from Him. We need to understand the nature of our own commitment to God in preparation for such testing. We need to understand the danger to our suffering friends’ souls in such times. If our platitudes or presumptions to know God’s mind and ways cause them to turn away from God, we are no true friends.

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Day 3 -– Genesis 10:1 – 11:9; Job 1-3

We are not jumping around randomly with our diversion to the book of Job. The best scholarship has determined that Job lived before Abram, so that’s where we’re going to read about him.

The book of Job is not placed in its chronological spot in the Bible, because it is not a history book as Genesis through Esther are. That doesn’t mean that its history is not historically accurate. The Bible’s history has been proven accurate by cross references with man’s historical accounts and by archaeology time and again. The accuracy of the Bible’s history accounts began to be questioned by man in the nineteenth century, as scholars of literature began studying the Bible as a piece of literature. That was occurring at the same time that the science of archaeology was beginning, and had yet to dig up much that would shed light on the questions of historicity of the Bible. These scholars questioned the accuracy of the Bible’s history because it told of people and places for which no other historical references existed. These so-called scholars then concluded that this history which was not corroborated by man’s accounts was false. Then archeologists began uncovering historical records that verified time and again the history recorded in the Bible. Archaeologists found cities that had been buried so long that they were forgotten, except by the Bible. We need to accept the truth of the Bible apart from man’s corroboration, but isn’t it rewarding to be given answers to the skeptics’ doubts? We need to be careful that we aren’t persuaded by man’s so-called wisdom to doubt the truth of God’s word. Man’s wisdom is as limited as his knowledge of history was, as the evidence lay buried and long-forgotten. There is still much that lies buried; the absence of the evidence should not diminish our faith. God rewards us when we come to Him in faith.

Job’s story has offered much comfort to suffering people throughout history. How good God is to give us this story, and the glimpse into events behind it that we could never witness otherwise. Although the book is primarily poetry, we don’t need to doubt the historical existence of Job and the fact of his suffering. Has anyone suffered like Job? If he can endure faithfully in suffering, so can we. Some things to note about Job:

He was, in God’s words, “a blameless and upright man, fearing God and turning away from evil” (v. 1:8). God even reiterates that assessment of Job’s character in v. 2:3. It is important to remember throughout the book that Job is blameless in God’s sight. He remains blameless through the end of the book, which is also important to remember.

His first response was to bow to God’s sovereignty. Wow. What a model for us to follow when we are struck by catastrophe. His response to loss wasn’t due to his lack of care for what he lost. Rather, the background the book gives us tells us that Job cared for his children deeply. In the midst of that kind of pain, he submitted to God. He did not raise a fist to God’s face in rebellion. Lord, prepare each of us to respond to our own tragedies as did this lovely model You have given us.

He grieved. He was suffering cruelly, and he didn’t bottle it in!

He was suffering cruelly. Satan had no trouble with Job’s suffering; he simply wanted to use Job any way he could against God. Satan cares about you and me the same way. Understand what kind of enemy he is. He really doesn’t care about us; no, his passionate hatred is for God. We are merely the tools he uses to try to thwart God, and he picks us up and uses us any hurtful way he can, to hurt God. He wants to devour us, ruin us, hurt us – all in service to his hatred for God.

Satan could do nothing without God’s permission. Does that make God equally cruel, to allow Satan to harm Job? Hannah Whitall Smith used the picture of those hurtful trials coming from Satan through God’s hand: He stops some things, allows others. Why? Ultimately, only God knows, but we can submit to Him because His ways are higher than our ways (Is. 55:9) and because He is good. Anything He allows to come to us, He wants to use for our good (Romans 8:28). What good came to Job? Read the book, and see. One good thing that has come from Job’s story is that my soul has been fortified in the midst of my own suffering, by his example, as have countless other souls through the ages. The understanding and model this book gives us has proven to be a great help to God’s people.

Chapter 3 introduces us to ancient Hebrew poetry, of which few of us are fans. More about ancient poetry tomorrow.

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Day 2 – Genesis 5 – 9

Did the flood really take place? There is much evidence for it in creation. That other cultures recorded flood accounts in their ancient mythologies well before Moses wrote Genesis is not evidence that the Bible copied its story of a world-wide flood from other sources. Man had been sharing oral accounts of this amazing event for generations. That someone wrote it down before Moses did does not diminish the authenticity of Moses’ account. Again, if we want accurate information, we need to consult the only available eyewitness to the flood.

God brought the flood to wipe out mankind and start over again with his finest specimen, because man was so evil that God regretted creating him. That fine specimen, Noah, had his faults, too, and even after performing so well in building the ark and getting into it, he blew it. How many times was God going to have to wipe out mankind and start over before man would get it right? Well, God had just better have a better plan than that. In fact, He did have a most amazing plan, one that would be incredible! Hint: reference Isaiah 9:6, Luke 1:35, Luke 2:10-12, and Matthew 1:22-23. The take-away from Noah’s life is that even someone who pleases God enough for Him to save mankind through him, is capable of ruining that reputation and blowing it in shameful sin. But for God’s grace, that will be us.

The flood brought changes to the world to make it the place it is today. Flood waters came not only from rain, but from the depths of the earth. Parts of the earth broke open to let out water. Our continents were formed as we know them today. Animals now feared man, and rightfully so, because now God gave the animals to man for food and whatever else he could use them for. Death came a lot sooner to man with the atmospheric changes resulting from the flood. These changes brought by the flood are more characteristics of this earth that cause us sorrow, prompting us to wonder if there is a God, or if He is the good God He claims to be. This important lesson from the flood story is that man, not God, is the source of evil in this world. God made it all good; man’s choice ruined what is no longer good.

The real culprit, however, is Satan. It is his influence that causes evil in this world. When man commits evil deeds, he is cooperating with Satan, promoting Satan’s agenda against God, allowing himself to be used by Satan to try to hurt God. May every evil that we witness or by which we are victimized, drive us to God and away from Satan.

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Day 1 – Genesis 1 – 4; Psalm 8

There’s so much here that we’ll never cover it all, or even scratch the surface. But a few things I choose to cover this time through:

Did God create? Did He create in a literal six days?
God did not give us an exhaustive account of creation here. Moses wrote the first five books of the Bible, writing with the purpose of documenting the history of the nation of Israel, whose transformation from slavery to conquerors he was attempting to lead. The questions in their minds about origins were much different than ours are. No one in that day doubted that the earth and life are the creations of a transcendently existent, powerful and intelligent God, so Moses didn’t record all the details we would like to have to satisfy the questions raised by modern man. But just because the details aren’t there, doesn’t mean that the Bible’s account of creation is inaccurate.

If you want to know how something happened, you consult eyewitnesses. Who was present to witness creation? Only God. So why wouldn’t we accept His account as authoritative? Man’s wisdom has arrived at accounts of origins of the universe, of life, and of man, based on observations of what is present today: matter and processes he observes today. Science’s theories of origins assume that the processes we observe today have always continued as they are today, which is not necessarily true. In fact, tomorrow’s reading tells about a one-year process that formed much of what we see today. A similar modern-day experience on a smaller scale would be the Mount St. Helens eruption. The processes that they think take millions of years can in a catastrophe take a very short period of time – days, even.

The theories of origins devised by man are inconsistent with the laws of nature, such as the law of entropy, which states that everything goes from a state of order to disorder, unless energy is applied to stop that process of decay. Microbiologists no longer believe in evolution, based on discoveries of how a cell, even a simple cell works. The discoveries about the cell wall itself leave those who know the most about it in awe, unable to believe that it could happen by chance in any amount of time. They believe that a cell is evidence for intelligent design, even if they are not willing to admit that the designer is God.

This story in today’s reading confronts us with a choice: will we choose to believe God, despite what man’s most revered wisdom has devised, or will we risk man’s derision and choose to believe God? If we doubt what God (the only eyewitness) tells us about creation, how trustworthy can we consider His account of man? Of His plan to redeem man; indeed, of the actual need to redeem man? Our choice of whether or not to believe this account of creation has critical consequences for our belief of other truths of which the enemy will want to deceive us. Faith needs to be exercised to believe any account of creation, for none of us were present to witness it; who will you choose to believe, the One who is called faithful and true, or the one who is a deceiver?

What does His creation teach you about God? Creation and God’s method of creation speak to us in different ways. I challenge you to consider this today: what does God’s creation declare to you? For example, a couple observations off the top of my head: That cell wall. If the more man, even a skeptical man, knows about the cell wall alone, drives him in awe to believe in intelligent design, God’s design is truly wonderful. Usually, the more we understand about something, the less amazing it seems. Not so with God’s creation; we will never plunge the depths of understanding He demonstrates in His creation. So it is with all of God’s truth. Secondly, He evaluated His work at the end of each day, and pronounced it good. He took satisfaction in a job well done! I like that about God!

The awfulness of sin.
What’s so awful about eating a piece of fruit, we wonder. God had instructed them not to eat it; they disobeyed God. Eve disobeyed because she found the fruit attractive and because she wanted to be as wise as God. She chose to believe the deceiver’s lie that it would make her as wise as God, rather than consult God about the matter. She attempted to take what she wanted, apart from God’s provision for her, when the denial was actually for her protection. She allowed herself to be used by Satan to hurt God, and allied herself with Satan, doomed to be his pawn. Adam ate because he was influenced by Eve.

The same thing that causes modern man to leave out God from the explanation of where the earth and life came from!

Perhaps we can’t fathom the awfulness of sin because we are in the midst of it, like we can’t see our way through a maze because we are too close to it. In any case, the truth is that sin is awful. If we see it no other way, we see it in its consequences: death. The first taste of this consequence that Adam and Eve had was when God in His mercy provided coverings for their nakedness: He killed an animal. Think of the shock that would have been for Adam and Eve: that animal was doubtless loved by Adam as we love our pets. He named each one! There was no enmity between Adam and any of them, and doubtless they played together like we play with our pets. Think how Adam and Eve grieved over the lifeless body of their dear pet, and how horrible it felt to know that their choice was the cause. Think how repulsed Adam might have been that God could do something so awful, when it wasn’t God’s choice at all; it was man’s choice that brought death. These are all thoughts that are worthy of our contemplation today about our own sin and God’s provision for it.

God’s Promise to Pay Satan Back

In Genesis 3:15 God promises that while Satan will bruise man’s heel, there is a man who will be born one day who will crush Satan’s head. This is God’s announcement that He isn’t giving up on man, that He has a plan to rescue him from Satan’s clutches. Don’t miss this important verse, for it’s what the whole Bible is about!

Is God Good?

Part of sin’s consequence was that the creation was changed. Caring for it would no longer be the delight it had been; it would be toil. Tomorrow’s reading tells us about further changes to creation resulting from man’s sin. God’s creation was something He called “good” over and over again; man’s sin ruined it. So when we see something awful in creation, we are in error to think, “If God is so good, why is this awful thing part of His creation?” Isn’t it scary to realize that sin has consequences beyond the obvious, and that nature suffers for our sin?