6/5/18
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
In our Old Testament reading from Genesis 3:8-15 I would like to focus on the questioning and listening work of God. In verses 8-13 God, fully aware of all that has happened between the man, the woman, the serpent, and the tree, comes to visit his people and asks them what they are doing. Why did they hide? Why were they ashamed? Did they eat the fruit? What did they think they were going to accomplish by it? Through the course of the conversation, a very pleasant evening time in the garden was shown to be a terribly difficult time. The man and woman were confessing their sin against God, something they had never done before. It’s clear that the world will be in a fallen condition because of their disobedience. God speaks for the first time as one imposing a penalty, rather than as the one who brings blessing.
When God comes to his people through his word, we should not be surprised to find ourselves needing to repent. We live in a world cursed by sin. Our response, when confronted, should be to turn from the sin and seek God’s face. That will only ever happen as we are sorry for sin and as that, with God’s help, we may be restrained from entering into sin.
We see in our passage from Genesis that the Lord listens to the cries of his people. He doesn’t simply tell them to shape up. Rather, he tells them that he will provide a deliverer who will crush the head of the serpent. Here’s the good news of the Gospel. The people can’t save themselves by their obedience. They can only be rescued through God’s work on their behalf. This is the promise given.
As we see the results of a fallen world all around us, sickness, sorrow, sin, and shame, we can also look to Christ who has promised to adopt each and every one who believes on him. Here is the hope of the Christian.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
Many churches throughout the world use a Bible reading schedule called a "lectionary." It's just a fancy word meaning "selected readings." Posts like this reflect on the readings for an upcoming Sunday or other Church holiday, as found in the three-year lectionary.
In our Old Testament reading from Genesis 3:8-15 I would like to focus on the questioning and listening work of God. In verses 8-13 God, fully aware of all that has happened between the man, the woman, the serpent, and the tree, comes to visit his people and asks them what they are doing. Why did they hide? Why were they ashamed? Did they eat the fruit? What did they think they were going to accomplish by it? Through the course of the conversation, a very pleasant evening time in the garden was shown to be a terribly difficult time. The man and woman were confessing their sin against God, something they had never done before. It’s clear that the world will be in a fallen condition because of their disobedience. God speaks for the first time as one imposing a penalty, rather than as the one who brings blessing.
When God comes to his people through his word, we should not be surprised to find ourselves needing to repent. We live in a world cursed by sin. Our response, when confronted, should be to turn from the sin and seek God’s face. That will only ever happen as we are sorry for sin and as that, with God’s help, we may be restrained from entering into sin.
We see in our passage from Genesis that the Lord listens to the cries of his people. He doesn’t simply tell them to shape up. Rather, he tells them that he will provide a deliverer who will crush the head of the serpent. Here’s the good news of the Gospel. The people can’t save themselves by their obedience. They can only be rescued through God’s work on their behalf. This is the promise given.
As we see the results of a fallen world all around us, sickness, sorrow, sin, and shame, we can also look to Christ who has promised to adopt each and every one who believes on him. Here is the hope of the Christian.
If this brief meditation was helpful to you, I hope you will check out the other materials on our website at www.WittenbergCoMo.com and consider supporting us.
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