Eve deceived: The heart of the matter, is the heart

Believers who think they can't be deceived, already are! I mean why would the Bible tell us not to be deceived if it were not possible (Galatians 6:7)? Actually, deception and unbelief are connected, and are both matters of the heart. Hebrews 3:12, 13 reads “Make sure that you do not have an evil unbelieving heart, so that you will not be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” It startled me to learn that God regards unbelief as evil. But Eve's unbelieving heart (her mind and emotions) lead her into deception and disobedience (Genesis 3:1-6, 13; 2 Corinthians 11:3). Sin was thus introduced sin into humanity, and escalated exponentially from there (Genesis 4ff). “Sin’s deceitfulness” is about rationalization. I mean if we want to do something, we'll find a thousand reasons to do it. It's called self deception. Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt!

And it is a heart matter! Jesus put is this way, evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander, all these originate in the heart (Matthew 15:19). Brian researcher Dr. Caroline Leaf, has shown that every thought has an emotion attached to it, and that persistent or obsessive thoughts carve out neural pathways in the brain. Positively neural pathways facilitate learning skills, such as reading, or playing a musical instrument. Negatively they form, and reinforce, addictions. Our thought life matters, for it is self evidently true that thoughts lead to actions, actions lead to habits, habits form character, and character reaps destiny. And the reason Jesus tells us that looking at a woman lustfully is the same as committing adultery (Matthew 5:28), is because adultery starts in the heart. Who would have known the Bible understood all these things thousands of years ago?

But who hasn't had lustful thoughts? Well this is where the disciplines of the normal Christian life come in. The normal Christian life is that which was lived by the first disciples who were willing to die for their faith, but I digress! Our thought life matters, and we need to deal radically with it, to cut these negative thoughts off at the source, nip them in the bud. In fact we are commanded to guard our hearts diligently, and as indicated above, it is because it is the place from which issues of life flow (Proverbs 4:23). Recognizing the problem, Paul talks about crucifying the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). We will not be spiritually mature if we do not learn to do this. It is a process, at least it is for me, and it involves setting our minds and hearts on the things above (Colossians 3:2).  It involves, with the help of the Spirt, putting to death the misdeeds of the body (Romans 8:13). And it involves bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5). If all this seems too much, consider that if He is not Lord of all, He is not Lord at all!

 Father, Your Word is living and powerful, and sharper than any double edged sword. It discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart (Hebrews 4:12). So let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight oh Lord (Psalm 19:14). Please  help us to hide Your Word in our hearts, so that we might not sin against You (Psalm 119:11). Truly the heart of the matter is the heart. With Your help Lord, we commit to keep it with all diligence, in Jesus Name Amen

“You will not surely die” (Genesis 3:4): Tempting lies

This lie was a direct contradiction of God (Genesis 2:17). We tell ourselves lies too, or we believe the Serpent's lies, because we want to do, what we want to do. As an unbeliever, I knew what I was doing was wrong. But I either didn't know, or didn't care (until I did), that bad choices have bad consequences. It's the law of sowing and reaping (Galatians 6:7). But I kept bumping up against the reality that “sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death” (James 1:15). It certainly felt like death!

In the end the choice is simple, we either choose life, or we choose death (Deuteronomy 30:19). But the Serpent is a deceiver, and he uses doubt and temptation as a kind of pincer movement on our senses (Genesis 3:4, 5). We can choose what we want, but we cannot choose the consequences of our choices. We might try, even denying the pain. In the end however, the pain is prolonged, and we end up suffering even more. But as with the prodigal son, the consequences are there to bring us out of the lies, into our right mind, and into the arms of the Father (Luke 15:17-20). Like the prodigal son, many of us we were not willing to change until we reached the place where the pain of the consequences became greater than the fear and pain of change.

James explains that we are tempted when we are drawn away by our own desires and enticed (James 1:14). But drawn away from what? Well, sin separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2). So then, first and foremost what we drawn away from, is relationship with Him, whom to know is life eternal (John 17:3). And the lies and the enticement also draw us away from both freedom and truth. This is because truth is suppressed in unrighteousness, and it is only the truth at sets us free (Romans 1:18; John 8:32). Finally, we are drawn away from the protection of obedience, and from the wisdom that comes from the fear of the Lord (Galatians 6:7; Psalm 111:10).

Now there has to be something attractive about sin that entices us (entraps, catches us, as with fish bait), or we would not be tempted. Few of us are tempted to eat dirt! So let's not pretend there's no pleasure in sin. It is however fleeting, lasting only for a season (Hebrews 11:25). Since Jesus was tempted, yet without sin (Hebrews 4:15), being tempted, in and of itself, is not sin. Unless checked however, it leads to the next stage, namely that “desire conceives and then gives birth to sin” (James 1:15).  How many of us flirt with the darkness? When we do so, emotions are aroused, as in our imagination we contemplate the delight of what it would be like. This is so dangerous! In terms of sexual fantasy, Jesus tells that we have already committed adultery in our hearts (Matthew 5:28). In fact, the best way to deal with temptation, is to immediately nip these thoughts in the bud, taking them captive, and replacing them with pure thoughts (2 Corinthian 10:5; Philippians 4:8).

Father, we thought that doing what we wanted was freedom. Only later to learn that the one who sins is addicted to sin. And true freedom is found in continuing in Your word, meditating on it and obeying it (John 8:31-34 AMPC). True freedom is being able to choose to not do what harms us. Thank You for these truths Lord, in Jesus Name Amen
 

Dust in the image of God: Creatures before our Creator

“This is the history of the heavens and the earth when they were created” (Genesis 2:4). The verse introduces the second creation account. The first (Genesis 1:1-2:3), gives the big picture, starting with the creation of the heavens and the earth, and culminating in mankind (both male and female), as its crowing glory, being in the unique and privileged position of image bearers of the creator Himself (1:27)! This second account is before the fall. The main focus is mankind, his place in the garden, and his relationship with God and others.

Many times Biblical truths need to be held together in tension. In such cases it's not 'either or,' but 'both and.' Truth out of balance is error! Here, we need to hold in tension that we are image bearers and, as Genesis 2:7 puts it, we are formed from the dust of the ground. Earlier, we merely scratched the surface of what it means to be image bearers with all its advantages and privileges. But we need to keep in mind that while we are image bearers we are not God, we are dust! The appropriate response is humility! True humility is about thinking neither more, nor less, of ourselves than what God says of us. Jesus tells that the poor in spirit are blessed (Matthew 5:3). Being poor in spirit is about becoming as little children, so we can enter into relationship with the Creator (Matthew 18:3; Micah 6:8). Isaiah tells that the ox knows its master, but Israel does not (Isaiah 1:3). So it is with many of us!

In case you hadn't noticed, humility is not a widespread virtue in our culture! Have you ever said (or thought) “nobody is going to tell me what to do, not even God?” You have forgotten you are but dust, a creature before the Creator. We are dependent on God for our very breath! The famous quote “I am the master of my fate, the captain of my soul” from the poem ‘Invictus’ sought, I think, to spur us on to greatness. However, it can lead to being puffed up with pride (1 Corinthians 8:1). The entrance of pride came with the fall. It was Satan's primary sin (Isaiah 14:14), and like all sin, it separates us from God (Isaiah 59:2)!

But there is also false humility, which takes “pride” in being nothing. It is in many of our hymns ('such a worm as I,' 'my own worthlessness'). Do you beat yourself up for who you think you are, or for what you did (I'm a worm, I'm a looser, I'm a piece of ...)? You are forgetting that you are made in God's image, forgetting Jesus died for your sins (Galatians 2:20). The most depraved of us, is an image bearer for whom Christ died. And when we repent, He abundantly pardons, and restores our fellowship with Himself (Isaiah 55:7; 1 John 1:9). We are not insignificant, we are beloved children, we are co-labourers together with Him (1 John 3:1; 1 Corinthians 3:9). There is a lot of both pride, and false humility, out there!

Father, please do not give me too much so that I forget You. Neither let me become poor so that I steal, and dishonour You (Proverbs 30:8, 9). Let me think neither too highly of myself, nor too lowly (Romans 12:3). I am Your valued, beloved, precious son. I am nevertheless a creature made from dust! I love You Lord in Jesus Name Amen

God said, “Let the waters under the heavens

.... be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear....  Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed. Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees that bear fruit whose seed is in itself (Genesis 1:9).  We continue observing how well the Genesis creation story fits with what is currently know from science. We saw earlier that science affirms that the earth started off as a dark water world (Genesis 1:1). Today science understand that land appeared as a result of volcanic activity and plate tectonics. From the internet “About 300 million years ago, Earth did not have seven continents, but instead one massive supercontinent called Pangaea, which was surrounded by a single ocean.” Our text also explains that the waters were gathered into one place!  And of course, the theory of continental drift explains our current atlas.

On this third creation day then, land appears and starts to bring forth seed bearing vegetation, seed-bearing plants, trees etc. These things could include any plant species that ever existed and certainly includes “the relatively primitive plant species scientists have identified as the first land vegetation” (Ross 'The Genesis Question' p. 39). The text doesn't say all land vegetation appeared at this time, but in any case, as Schaeffer points out (Genesis in Space and time), there is no claim that the Bible gives complete knowledge, only that what it gives is true!

The phrase “whose seed is in itself” is significant. Not only does life appear at this point, it is self propagating life. This is one of several radical discontinuities that proceeds to human life, the pinnacle of creation (1:27). So far we have something out of nothing, and here not just life out of non-life, but self propagating life! In terms of this latter discontinuity, the cell that makes up the building blocks of life are turning out to be far more complicated than Darwin supposed. And evolution's small and gradual change over time, has not even begun to explain the complexities that are being revealed (i.e the flagellum). Stephen Myer (Signature in the Cell: DNA and the Evidence for Intelligent Design) quotes Darwin's thesis that we should look to things we understand, to explain things we don't. Darwin used this idea to jump from observed small changes over time, to huge changes over geological time. Using Darwin's thesis, Myer points out that the only source we know of that produces complex information, is intelligence. He suggests therefore, that only intelligence can account for the mystery of the origin of the digital information encoded along the spine of the DNA molecule.

I mentioned earlier Science's resistance to paradigm shifts (M1). Myer, in his preface, documents the resistance here.  He tells that some of the early proponents of Intelligent Design were cancelled, not because of lack of scientific rigour, but because they dared to question the status quo.

Father, there was a time that Your wisdom was also foolishness to me (1 Corinthians 1:18).  I uttered things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me (Job 42:3). But today I see great and marvellous are Your works, and Your ways past finding out (Revelation 15:3; 11:33). Help us Lord, not to loose our child like sense of wonder. It's Your glory Lord to conceal a matter, but ours to suss it out (Proverb 25:2). Help us not to be afraid of new ideas,   and give us please openness, honesty, wisdom and integrity, in Jesus Name Amen

Science, sound, God's voice and ours

“God said ... and it was so” (Genesis 1:9). God's voice is powerful, it spoke creation into being, and brought order out of chaos (Genesis 1:1-27). Interestingly, sound can order chaos! Using a flat metal plate as a sounding board, Ernst Chladni Sprinkled sand randomly over the surface. And he observed intricate geometric patterns emerging, as he played notes of various frequencies (search Chladni plates on Youtube). Dan McCollam (God vibrations work book) imagines the scattered sand as the nuclear particles created in Genesis 1:1, and the sound as Jesus' voice calling creation to order.

Einstein explained that everything in the universe is in a continuous state of vibratory motion, and that every object has a frequency. Two things happen when an opera singer shatters a wine glass. Firstly there is entrainment, a synchronizing the frequency of the note with that of the glass. Secondly there's resonance, when the volume causes an increase in amplitude of the small back and forth movements inherent in the natural frequency of the glass. Together they push the amplitude beyond what the structure can sustain. Doctors use this phenomenon to break up kidney stones. But it can also be weaponized! Youtube videos of the Tacoma suspension bridge disaster give a visible demonstration of these things.The rigid structure goes through unbelievable contortions before it finally collapses.

Perhaps God used entrainment (the frequency of the marching feet matching that of the walls) and resonance (from the volume of the stamping and shouting) to cause Jericho's walls to fall (Joshua 6). By the way, there is strong archaeological evidence that the walls of ancient Jericho did indeed suddenly collapse (see Tim Mahoney's 'Patterns of evidence: The Exodus'). God, of course being God, could also have suspended natural laws! Either way these things are signs and wonders!

Is it much of a stretch then, with McCollam, to imagine the whole of creation moving in obedience to God's voice? But here, by contrast, is a huge wonder! With the gift of free will, it is possible for us to disobey His voice (Genesis 2:17; 3:6)! Also, being created in the image of God (Genesis 1:27), our words too are powerful! In fact life and death are in the power of the tongue (Proverbs 18:21). Though sticks and stones make break my bones, they will eventually heal. Unkind words however, can leave inner scars that may never heal! We are commanded therefore, to let our speech be edifying, seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6).

There's an important, and very great upside! In fact entrainment and resonance come together as a parable of the promises of believing prayer. Entrainment comes when we are in synch in heart, mind and soul with God's will. And He promises, when we ask in synch with Him, that He will hear us, and grant our petitions (1 John 5:14, 15). Resonance occurs when any two agree together to ask for something. When we do this, He promises it will done for us (Matthew 18:19)!

Father, just as the science of sound can be used for good or evil (war), so it is with our speech. Set a guard over our mouths Lord (Psalm 39:1; 141:3). And help us Father, as in the early church, to move in the reality of Your exceedingly great and precious promises (2 Peter 1:4). We somehow lost it, but You did not change! You are the same yesterday today and forever (Hebrews 13:8). Please restore what's been lost, and we'll give You the glory, in Jesus Name Amen

In the beginning God: Elohim

Skeptics thinking to undermine faith ask “If God created everything (Genesis 1:1), who made God?” But nobody made God, He always was (Genesis 21:33).  People have pretty weird ideas! For example “I like to think of God as ....,” as if we could decide for ourselves what He's like. Can we decide that water is not wet?  Since God is totally other, the only way we can know anything about Him, is if He reveals Himself to us.
The Hebrew Names of God are a fascinating study, and reveal the person. Here in Genesis 1:1, God is Elohim. Interestingly Elohim is plural, and can refer to any so called god or gods. Wikipedia says 'despite the -im ending common to many plural nouns, the word Elohim when referring to God, is grammatically singular, and takes a singular verb in the Hebrew Bible.' For example “Elohim spoke to Noah” (see Genesis 9:8 Biblehub.com interlinear).  But also interestingly, Elohim refers to Himself as “Us” in 1:26, giving a hint of what theologians call Trinity.

Trinity is problematic for our over-rationalized Western mind. Trinity consists of three entities Father, Son and Holy Spirit each called God, but there's only one God. Part of the problem is the tendency to throw out mystery. But even science cannot do that. Is light particles or waves, and what about quirks, quarks, black holes and dark energy? Trinity was not something deduced from reason alone, but rather is an attempt to be faithful to the mystery of the Biblical record. And we read “The Lord our God is One” (Deuteronomy 6:4). But also, Jesus is the Word, and the Word is God (John 1:1,14). Finally Holy Spirit is God, for in Acts 5:3 Ananias lied to Holy Spirit, but had not lied to men but to God (verse 4)!

You don't have to use the word Trinity.  But if you're going to be true to the Bible, you do have hold both truths together in tension. There are practical applications! In particular, the three entities of the Trinity are in full  agreement with each other. If you have seen Jesus you have seen the Father John 14:9). So then any concept of the Father that you don't see in Jesus, has to be wrong. Secondly all Scripture was inspired by the Spirit (the theo- pneustos of 2 Timothy 3:16, translated God-breathed in the NIV, is equally well translated as God- Spirited). Jesus, of course is the Word, and the Holy Spirit teaches the things of Jesus (John 14:26), illuminating what is written. An important application here concerns the balance of the Spirit and the Word. I like the saying the Word without the Spirit you dry up (legalism and the like), the Spirit without the Word you blow up (resulting in excesses). But with the Word and the Spirit together, you grow up!

Father, many have a warped view of Your Fatherhood, but I need it so very much, because for the longest time I operated out of an orphan spirit. Thank You Lord, that Your Spirit now testifies to my spirit, that I am Your child (Romans 8:16). Forgive me Lord,  for the times I somehow made into what I wanted You to be. You are far more wonderful than I could think, or imagine.  Please continue to fascinate me with Yourself, and to draw me ever deeper into the experience of Your extravagant healing love (1 John 3:1). For these and many other things I give You thanks and praise, in Jesus Name Amen

The image of God II: Our identity as beloved children of God

We humans lost many things at the fall (Genesis 3), but paramount in what was lost, is the sense of our identity as image bearers of God (Genesis 1:26). Knowing our identity is important, for we live our lives out of who we think we are. Believing I am a looser, for example, is likely to become a self fulfilling prophecy. For the longest time, even as a Christian, I was still trying to get my identity out of what I did for the Lord. But we are human being not human doings. At one level, we are all wounded by life. And too often a lie gets attach to the wound. If we are rejected, we may believe we are unlovable and unworthy of love. Also, because our earthly fathers were less than perfect, we may have a twisted view of Father God. I knew that my father loved me, but unfortunately he had no time for me. So for me, God loved me, but was distant! But God wants an intimate relationship with us. In fact relationship with Him is the essence of eternal life (John 17:3). As I said earlier, to see what the Father is like we just need to look to Jesus for  “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

A primary picture of our identity as image bearers, is as beloved children of God (1 John 3:1). But a major consequence of our moving further and further away from our Judaeo-Christian roots, is our culture's fatherlessness. With the rampant propaganda that attacks masculinity and the family, is it any wonder that we live in perhaps the most fatherless generation ever? Psychology, with it's emphasis on the inner child, confirms the spirit of the age is the orphan spirit, the sense of not belonging.  We have an enemy, whose agenda is to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10). So perhaps it is no surprise to understand that identity is a primary area of attack. Jesus Himself was tempted in this area. Just before the beginning of His ministry the Father had affirmed Him as His beloved Son (Mark 1:11). Then, in His weakened state after 40 days of fasting, the very the first thing out of the Devil's mouth was “If you are the Son of God. ....” (Matthew 4:6).

As believers, we are brothers and sister of Christ (Hebrews 2:11). And since there is no partiality with God (Romans 9:11), you and I need to hear Him say to us that we too are His beloved son and daughters.  John invites us to meditate on what kind of love the Father has lavished upon us, that we should be so called (1 John 3:1). But tapping into the reality of this is a process, at least it was for me. And one of the Holy Spirit's primary jobs is to facilitate our receiving the Spirit of adoption that causes us to cry out “Abba, Daddy, Father” (Romans 8:15).

Father help us, in spite of our feelings at times, to believe  that we are Your beloved children. Thank You that You have given us the Spirit of adoption, and that Your Spirit witnesses with our spirit,  that we are indeed Your  children (Romans 8:16).  And I choose Lord, to tell myself over and over that I am Your beloved child.  I will tell myself until I believe it, then I will tell myself because I believe it, in Jesus Name Amen

Created in the image of God I: What is man?

“So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (Genesis 1:27).  The Psalmist asks  “What is man ...”  (Psalm 8:4)?  It's an important modern question. Evolution claims that impersonal, undirected, random processes account for everything. In this view personality is an illusion, and love is a biological trick to keep us reproducing. We have no value, no identity, no sense of who we are, or why are we here. Life has no meaning or purpose, no destiny. In fact,  since we are merely a random collection of molecules, it doesn't even make sense to ask questions regarding these things. Nevertheless we do question. In particular in the midst of suffering we so often cry out “Why?” There's no easy answer regarding suffering (but see M??24). The answers to questions concerning value, identity, meaning, purpose and destiny are all found in understanding what it means to be created in the image of God. We will likely spend all eternity exploring the glory and the wonder of what this means, but here in this meditation I will simply make some brief introductory comments.   

Verse 27 is only the third time that the Hebrew word bârâ (created) is used in Scripture. As I said earlier, it indicates something completely new brought into existence. This in spite of any superficial similarities between other “nefesh” animals, including hominids. The context clearly presents humanity as the pinnacle of God's creation,  and as something radically different from anything that came before. Of no other creature is it said that they were created in the image of God. In addition, over against humanity being the result of impersonal undirected, random process, we see God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (the “us” of verse 26) conferring among themselves, and deciding (a directed process) to create mankind in “our” image.

One of the things it means to be created in the image of God, is that there is something about us that reflects Trinity (see M??27 Man became a living soul). What I want to say here though, is that Trinity is intensely relational (i.e. John 5:20). And we are made for relationship with Him, and with each other in love (John 17:3; 3:16; 13:34, 35; Mark 12:30). This is very different from the way that the world sees things. In particular, God tends to be seen as an oppressive fun destroying tyrant! It can be difficult to see the image of God in humanity, for that image was marred by the fall (Genesis 3). In fact there is only one Man whose image was not marred, the Man Christ Jesus (Colossians 1:15; Hebrews 4:15; 1 Timothy 2:5). In fact Jesus not only shows us man as God intended man to be (Hebrews 4:15), but He also shows us what God is like. In fact He tells Philip that if we have seen Him, we have seen the Father (John 14:9).

Father, too often the  picture we have of both You and Jesus is warped by our sin. You tell us that only after we acknowledge our sin will we be be able to truly see You as You are. And so often that only comes after we are in trouble (Hosea  5:15). But Lord as we truly seek Your face, we are being transformed back into Your glorious image from glory to glory (2 Corinthians 3:18). For these and many other things we praise You Lord, in Jesus Name Amen


 

Created very good: The problem of suffering

Since the fall mankind, has wrestled with the problem of a good, all powerful God, and the fact of suffering (Genesis 3; 17:1; Luke 18:19).  In the end,  if you are to find an answers, you will need to wrestle with the question for yourself. That's what Job did! He was righteous, but his suffering, as his friends would have it, was not for wrongdoing (Job 42:7). Certainly bad choices have bad consequences (Galatians 6:7). But not all suffering is for our own sin! We can suffer from other people's sin, or because of seemingly random happenstances. When we suffer, we might think, with Job's accusers, that God is punishing us. They were wrong (Job 42:7)! We might feel that He is unjust. That was Job before he got his answer (Job 19:7; 42:3). You might feel He doesn't care, that's a lie too (1 Peter 5:7). Have you ever asked “Why?” Many people who say they don't believe in God, nevertheless seem to be angry with Him.

I hear people say “there's a reason for everything!” That seems to imply that God sends the bad, but that He has a reason for sending it. He gives a child cancer to teach him or her something?  That would be child abuse! And that's not the God of the Bible, nor the One I trust! And in the end, it is all about trust! We read “God works all things together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose” (Romans 8:28). It's not that evil is good, rather that God is at work for good in the evil that He allows. It's not so much then, that everything happens for a reason, but rather that for disciples, God uses what He allows for the disciple's good.

Life's not fair, nobody said it was! But the greatest injustice ever, was surly the perfect Son of God crucified (1 Peter 1:19). The fact is, we all suffer (John 16:33)! For the disciple however, the bigger question is how to deal with suffering?  On the day that I knew was going to be the most difficult in my life, the day I knew my wife was going to take the four children and leave, the Lord brought this verse to mind “Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame” (Hebrews 12:2). I felt I was being told that suffering is a barrier the other side of which is joy, and if, like Jesus we endure it, there will be “joy in the morning” (Psalm 30:5).

Our response to suffering is a crossroads. You either curse God (Job 2:9), or you wrestle, and keep wrestling until you get your answer (Genesis 32:26). If you persevere, you will, like Job, find yourself humbled, and acknowledging that you know nothing, move from knowing about God, to having a personal, loving, intimate relationship with Him (Job 42:3b, 5; Genesis 32:24-28).

Lord Jesus, You tell us that in this world we will have troubles. But we are to rejoice, because You have overcome the World (John 16:33). Thank You Lord that You provided a way to stand up under trials, and we can come boldly to Your throne of Grace to find help in time of need (1 Corinthians 10:13; Hebrews 4:16). Thank You Lord that You not only suffered for us, You suffer with us (1 Peter 3:18; Hebrews 13:5). Thank You Lord in Your precious Name Amen

Regaining our identity as God's Image bearers

Paramount in what was lost at the fall, is the sense (but not the reality), of who we are as image bearers of God (Genesis 1:26).  In fact, the spirit of the age is the orphan spirit, the spirit of not belonging. When we don't know who we are as God's beloved, precious children (1 John 3:1), we are very likely to act out, seeking affirmation and approval wherever we can. We may try to find our identity in our achievements, in our careers, or in what we do. But it's never enough, and we end up feeling empty! We are human beings, not human doings. The first step in coming out of a destructive orphan spirit, is to receive His unconditional acceptance in salvation. When we are saved, the truth is that we are His precious, beloved and valued children (John 1:12; 1 John 3:1).

But for many reasons, the distance between the reality of this truth and our feelings, can be very great. We may still be trying to find our identity in stuff, but “life does not consist in the abundance of things” (Luke 12:15). For the longest time after salvation, I was a Christian workaholic, essentially trying to fill the emptiness through service. When we don't know who we are in Christ, we may try and medicate our feelings of inadequacy and insecurity by substance abuse, or in many other ways. We may become perfectionists, unconsciously trying to earn our salvation. Even as Christians we are  not immune to such substitutes for truth!

At one level or another we are all wounded by life. And too often a lie gets attached to the the wound. If we are rejected, we may believe we are unlovable, and not worthy of love. Many of us are wounded in childhood, and because of this we may have a twisted view of Father God. We can get God confused with our earthly father. It seems to be a widespread belief that Jesus is okay, Holy Spirit is okay, but you've got to watch out for Father God!  He's out to get you, just waiting for you to mess up, so He can condemn you! But nothing could be further from the truth! If we want to know what the Father God is like, we just need to look at Jesus. In fact He tells us “He who has seen Me, has seen the Father” (John 14:9).

We cannot earn salvation, and God's love for us is unconditional, but as a loving Father He will discipline us. We don't have to like it, but actually His discipline is evidence of our being sons and daughters (Hebrews 12:5-8). His aim is to teach us to walk in the Spirit, and to put to death the deeds and the desires of our inherited fallen nature. When we do this is, it enables us to received (and feel) the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, 'Abba, Father' (Romans 8:12-15).

Father,  Abba, Daddy,  I am Your child. Your Word tells me I am, and I choose to believe it. When I doubt, I need to keep coming back to what You say, and You are not a man that You should lie (Numbers 29:13). And so many times Lord, I need keep telling myself the truth until I fully believe it, and then to tell myself because I believe it.  Help me Lord to live out of the reality of my identity as Your precious and valued child in Jesus Name Amen

Responding to our father's nakedness

It is clear, from Noah cursing Ham's line, that he had felt radically disrespected by his son's disdain (Genesis 9:20-24).  In street gangs in large Western cities, respect can be a matter of life and death. We all need love and respect, and I know that I have felt undermined at times by disrespect.  Mother Teresa's saying that nakedness is not just for a piece of cloth, comes to mind. Respect is easily lost, I mean if I do ten things right and one thing wrong, what stands out in the minds of others?  Noah, in obedience to God, had stood firm against ridicule and accusation, he had rescued his family from the flood that had wiped out the rest of humanity. But all that seems to have been lost in Ham's mind by his father's drunken nakedness.

We saw earlier that nakedness in the Bible is a symbol of guilt and shame and of being exposed (Genesis 3:8-10; Revelation 3:17). Jordon Peterson gives an interesting application of this passage.  He says “We are constantly pushed to see the nakedness of our Father, so to speak, because of the intense criticism that’s directed towards our culture—the patriarchal culture. We’re constantly exposing its weaknesses, vulnerabilities, and, let’s say, its nakedness.”  And surly what is happening here is blindness to the good, and the inevitable overreaction to its faults.  How many people going through divorce make statements like “All men are ...”, or “All women are ...”  And surly the widespread accusation that masculinity is toxic is, in and of itself, part of this overreaction!  In  M97 I outlined some of the many places where our  society has been positively influenced by Judeo-Christian values. These include tolerance and respect for others, the very values that have made criticism acceptable in our culture. But they are now being turned inward and are producing what some authors call the suicide of the West.  I invite you to consider whether any of what is happening in the West, would be tolerated in non-Western cultures.  But I also invite you to consider,  if we throw it all out, what would replace it. History has something to teach us here! In the end, revolution is not change, it simply replaces one oppressed group with different one.

The Scripture commands us to honour father and mother, and to give honour to whom honour is due (Exodus 20:12; Romans 13:7). The freedom we have to criticize, is both good and bad. Free speech gives us the freedom to engage in respectful debate (Galatians 6:1). It can lead us to identify what’s bad and what’s good, so as to keep what's good, and to figure out what, and how,  to change what needs to change (Proverbs 27:17; 18:17). But criticism inevitably goes too far when it flows out of bitterness and resentment. These things defile the culture  (Hebrews 15:12).  And I have to say, from God's perspective, many of the changes are happening in the West are not good. What we have in the West is far from perfect. And we may not be where we need to be, but thank God we are not where we used to be.  

Father, we don't always understand the reason behind your commandments. But we can be sure that as the good, good Father that You are, that You always have our best interest at heart, and that the commandments are there for out provision and protection. Please help us to find the balance between heathy criticism and disrespect (Galatians 6:1), in Jesus Name Amen

Noah, and the power of the tongue

“Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. And Ham was the father of Canaan. These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated” (Genesis 9:18) God had blessed Noah and his sons, and told them to “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (9:1). This was the same commandment that God had told Adam and Eve before the fall, and it was essentially the renewal of that command to make the earth like Eden. God's intention was, and is, that the whole earth be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea. It will happen, God has declared it (Habakkuk 2:14). But we have already seen that there was a lot of opposition to His plan in both the earthly, and the heavenly realms.  After the flood, God was starting over again with Noah and his family, but it would get messed up again, almost immediately.

“And Noah ... planted a vineyard.. he drank of the wine and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. .... So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. Then he said: “Cursed be Canaan; A servant of servants He shall be to his brethren” (Genesis 9:20-25).  The commentators agree that the sense of the Hebrew, is that Ham's telling was done in a scornful, deriding manner. And perhaps what happened here, is that Ham knew better than to let his father see his disdain. But Canaan was not so wise,  and that's why the curse came on him rather than his father.

We discussed in previous meditations that the father's sins tend to get repeated by the children (Exodus 20:5). And what comes to me here, is that “life and death are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). In the recovery circles in which I move, I have become very aware of the life long wounds inflicted on children by the words of significant care givers. “You'll never amount to anything.” 'You're no good, you're just like your blankety, blank father.'  When such words are taken to heart, as they so often are, they become both part of that person's identity, and a kind of self fulfilling prophecy. We need to see such words as curses on our children.

Unfortunately, these things tend to be passed down to multiple generations (Exodus 20:5).  And this was certainly true with Canaan. The descends of Noah's sons would eventually form the various nations (Genesis 10:32). And Canaan's descendants seem to have been the most prolific (Acts 13:19). In fact, a large part of the middle East became know as the land of Canaan. And the destruction of the nations in that land at the time of the  conquest, was so that Israel would not learn their  “abominable practices.” Such practices included cult prostitution and child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 20:18; 23:17; Leviticus 18:21). It all started with Noah's curse, and we must not underestimate the destructive power of our words.

Father, please help us to take our identity from what You think of us.  And to You, we are Your precious, beloved children (1 John 3:1).  Help us to be especially careful Lord, when speaking to the vulnerable. Forgive when we fail (1 John 1:9), and help us to guard our hearts and tongues,  in Jesus Name Amen

The olive branch and the Bible's influence on the West

“Then the dove came to him in the evening, and behold, a freshly plucked olive leaf was in her mouth; and Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth” (Genesis 6:11). God had sent the flood as judgement on the wickedness of mankind. Warned by Him, Noah had built the ark, and only he and his family had escaped.  They were now waiting for the waters to subside (Genesis 6, 7).  The flood as judgement on mankind clearly demonstrates what Paul calls the severity of God.  But the goodness of God is glimpsed in the olive branch as a sign of new beginnings, sign of new life after the devastation (Romans 11:22). It points to a new beginning for humanity, and to peace and reconciliation with God. In fact the olive branch and the dove have become universal symbols of peace and reconciliation.

It's not always acknowledged that this symbol dates back to Noah, but in fact it must be, since the whole of humanity derives from him  and his family (Genesis 9:1). More significant, especially in the West, there is little acknowledgement of the positive influence of the Christianity and the Bible on Western culture and values. To be sure Western culture is far from perfect, but we have to ask why it is that so many want to emigrate here from non-Western countries. Winston Churchill's comment that democracy is the worst form of government apart from all of the rest, comes to mind. It is only seen to be the worst when compared with unattainable utopia. If we do not learn from history we are destined to repeat it. And we are in danger of throwing out the baby with the bath water, as many seek to throw out the foundations of what has been the most prosperous and just time in history.

There is much written if we are prepared to seek it out. Because of space considerations,  I have restricted myself to thoughts that come from Aquilina and Papandrea's book “How Christianity Saved Civilization ... And Must Do So Again.” The authors outline seven cultural revolutions that changed society for the better. Each are the direct result of the presence of Christianity in the world, and were corrections of certain flaws in society. These non-violent revolutions can only be fully appreciated when compared to the then existing situations. The disciple is encouraged to research these things out.

The first mentioned revolution affirmed that all people are created equal. The second, that of the home, affirmed it as a place of safety and love, and where women and children are not to be exploited. A revolution of the workplace affirmed that people are not property and must also not be exploited. The revolution of religion taught that God is love. The revolution of community, taught us to love our neighbour as ourselves.  The revolution of life affirmed life and hope, and encouraged people to stand up for human rights. Finally, the  revolution of government set up the ideal that rulers should serve those whom they rule (not the other way around). These revolutions are not fully complete, neither did they occur overnight.  As I outlined earlier the yeast of the Kingdom come changes things  only gradually, as hearts are transformed. The world's revolution is not really change, it merely interchanges the oppressed and the oppressor.

Father, please open our eyes to appreciate what the Kingdom has already accomplished. Help us to continue to work towards its fulness in Jesus Name Amen

As the days of Noah: So Noah, with his sons, his wife,

and his sons’ wives,  went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. .... So those that entered, male and female of all flesh ...  went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in ( Gen. 7:7,16).  In all, only eight people were saved from the flood (1 Peter 3:20). The rest had been warned, but now it was too late. Jesus similarly warns “as the days of Noah ... they ... did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Matthew 24:37-39). Jesus, the Son of Man is coming again to judge the world. And His resurrection is proof He will do this (Acts 17:31).

However you interpret Genesis, what you must not do, is fail to grasp Jesus' clear teaching on sin, righteousness and a literal coming judgement (John 16:8). Concerning Noah, Paul wrote “Everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement they provide, we might have hope” (Romans 15:4). We'll come back to hope. But first in context, Jesus tells that in Noah's day everyone carried on regardless in spite of the warnings. But how is it with all that preaching they “did not know?” The short answer, is that we suppress the truth (rationalize it away) by our unrighteous acts (Romans 1:18). When we want to do what we want to do, either what we want to do goes, or our belief in God goes! Paul again “they did not like to retain God in their knowledge” (Romans 1:28). I mean God's existence is something of an inconvenient truth right? The context implies that we all start off knowing the things of God intuitively, and are therefore without excuse. In fact “what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them” (verse 19). 



The Bible prophesied about what would happen, and what indeed is happening, in these last days:- “Men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, .... headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying its power (2 Timothy 3:1-5).  Isaiah warns “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20). Surly this generation is,  “as it was in the days of Noah” (Genesis 6:5)!



Coming to hope, there is a sure hope for those who flee to Jesus for refuge from the coming judgement (Hebrews 6:18, 19).  Indeed God so loved the world that He gave His unique Son Jesus, so that all those who believe in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (John 3:16). When we truly grasp and respond to this hope, it leads to holiness, for “all who have this hope purify themselves just as He is pure” (1 John 3:3)!



Father, You did not send Jesus into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. Those who believe are not condemned. But unbelievers are condemned already, because they have not believed in His Name (John 3: 17, 18; Romans 8:1). Thank You Lord for the sure hope of eternal life, that is an anchor to the soul (Hebrews 6:19) For these and many other things we give You thanks and praise, in Jesus Name Amen

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord

(Gen. 6:5).  This Follows the pronouncement that every intent of the thoughts of man's heart was evil.  God was grieved in His heart, and had determined to send the flood (verses 6,7).  But Noah found Grace “in the eyes of the Lord.”  Noah was righteous before God “perfect in this generation” (6:9). The book of Hebrews clarifies what is being said here. We read “By faith Noah, being divinely warned of things not yet seen, moved with godly fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his household .... and inherited the righteousness which is according to faith” (Hebrews 11:7).

The heroes of the faith were not perfect. King David was a murder and an adulterer, Noah had a drinking problem(Genesis 9:21). But when we confess and forsake our sins, we are forgiven, and God chooses to remember them no more.  In this way we are perfect “in the eyes of the Lord” (Proverbs 28:13; Hebrews 8:12). Noah received the righteousness of faith (Philippians 3:9), and this is part of what it meas to be saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8).

We see here in Genesis all the ingredients of a balanced Biblical view of salvation by grace. Grace is God's undeserved, unearned favour. It's not however, as some have perverted it, permission to live ungodly lives, to do exactly what the sinful nature wants to do.  Let's look first at Ephesians 2:8-10. “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God, not by works, so that no one can boast.  For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  Paul is saying on the one hand that we cannot earn salvation. It's a gift, and you don't earn a gift! On the other hand, God has prepared things for us to do, not to earn our salvation, but embrace the new life in Christ. 


Paul puts it this way “The righteous requirement of the law is  fulfilled in those who do not walk according to the sinful nature, but according to the Spirit” (Romans 8:4). Paul also talks about “the obedience of faith” (Romans 16:26).  All this Noah fulfilled, for we read “Noah walked with God” (6:9), and that he “did everything just as God commanded him” (6:2; Hebrews 11:7). Again, this is not about earning our salvation, it's about establishing faith (James 2:17).

Dietrich Bonhoeffer called the attitude that refuses to obey, that does not work out our sanctification with fear and trembling  “cheap grace” (see Philippians 2:12).  Such grace is not grace at all! It's presumption, and there are warnings in scripture about persistent, willful presumption (i.e. Hebrews 10:26).  It is not about never failing, for even walking in the light is about being cleansed from sin when we stumble (1 John 1:7, 9). But the only appropriate response to the tender mercies of God, is to take up our own cross daily, and following Him (Romans 12:1; Luke 9:23).

Lord Jesus, God forbid that I should cheapen Your incredibly costly sacrifice by refusing to obey, or to walk in the Spirit.  Help us Lord, for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak (Mark 14:38).  Thank You that Your grace is sufficient for us, and that Your strength is made perfect in weakness (2 Corinthians 12:9). For these and many other things, we give You thanks and praise, in Your precious Name Amen

God's regret: “The LORD saw how great the wickedness

of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.  The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. So the LORD said, 'I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created ... for I regret that I have made them.'”(Genesis 6:5-7).

If the general population knows anything about the Bible, and increasingly that is not the case, they likely have the impression that the God of the Old Testament is a God of wrath, while the God of the New Testament is the God of love. But both of these divine characteristics are there in both the Old, and the New Testaments. In the Old Testament for example, we read that the Lord is good, His steadfast love endures forever (Psalm 136:1). On the other hand in the New, we read that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness (Romans 1:18).  Many of us are happy with a God of love, with a God of wrath not so much. But God is both a God of love, and a God of justice (1 John 4:16; Genesis 1:26; Isaiah 30:18). And being made in His image (Genesis 1:26), we have the very same sense of justice built into us. Why else, when we see atrocities or abuse, do we have this inner sense that somebody should do something about it?”   

God's diagnosis about the thoughts of the heart only being evil, come again and again in  Scripture.  That is why the disciple needs, with the help of the Spirit,  to put to death the passions and desires of the heart (Romans 8:13; Galatians 5:24).  Left on its own the heart is deceitful beyond cure (Jeremiah 17:9). This is part of the offense of the cross, and it is why the only way to salvation is to be rescued by receiving the substitutional sacrificial death of Christ on the cross (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).

The context of the Genesis passage comes on the heals of the story of the mixed offspring of the sons of God and the daughters of men (verse 4). It points to the horrendous evil in the world being inspired, and directed from the unseen realm (see Ephesians 6:12). That the wickedness of men was great, is totally believable when you consider the over two hundred million murdered through genocide in the last century. However no matter where the influence comes from, mankind will be held responsible for his deeds (Hebrews 4:13). And justice and judgement are coming (Romans 2:5).  It is deferred only because God does not want that any should perish but that all should come to repentance (2 Peter 3:9). That all will not come, is clear from the lips of Jesus (Matthew 7:13).

Father, many of us want our cake and eat it too. We want judgement for the sins of others, but mercy for ourselves. However, we will  be judged with the very same measure we judge others (Matthew 7:2). And Your mercy is freely offered only to the repentant, whose who admit they are lost without you, and who turn from their sin. How shall we escape if we neglect this great salvation (Hebrews 2:3)? We will not! Thank You Lord that You opened my eyes to see my need, in Jesus Name Amen

Exclusion from paradise: So the LORD God drove

out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life (Genesis 3:24). Since their disobedience, Adam and Eve now had within them the nature of the serpent to kill, steal and destroy (John 10:10a). And now, lest they eat from the tree of life and live forever in that state, they were driven from paradise (verse 22).

Many question why a single transgression was enough to expel them from the garden.  I hear people say “I am a good person. So why would God exclude me from heaven?” But Jesus tells us that only God is good (Matthew 19:17). If and when we come out of denial however, we will surly say with Paul that in me, that is in my sinful nature, dwells no good thing (Romans 7:18). It's true that because we are made in God's image, each and every one of us has the potential for great achievement, creativity, nobility, love, generosity and unselfish sacrifice. On the other hand, even if you don't fully know it, each and every one of us is also capable of unimaginable depths of depravity, corruption, destruction, hate and vindictiveness selfishness. That is the nature of the serpent, and it resides in us all.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, a dissident in Soviet Russia spent many years in  the notorious soviet prison the Gulag. But instead of becoming bitter, hate filled, self righteous and judgemental, he came to following conclusion about human nature (including his own). He wrote  “The line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties -- but right through every human heart -- and through all human hearts.” Confirming this,  Jesus tells us “from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, lies and slander” (Matthew 15:19).

Not that long after conversion,  the Lord showed me that what was good in my behaviour, was conditioned. Conditioned because the consequences of the opposite were unacceptable. Paul could talk about the offense of the cross (Galatians 5:11), and part of this is that Christ's horrendous death was a necessary substitute to secure my salvation. It was necessary, because as Jeremiah tells us, the unregenerate hear is deceitful above all and desperately wicked (Jeremiah 17:9). I know this is true, not because I experience the reality of it on an ongoing basis, but because the Word of God tells me it is true. With the disciples I would not be able to bear it (John 16:12). But what I do, is that I accept the fact that in order to be fit for heaven, the unregenerate part of me needs to die.

Father, I thank You that though I am incomplete, yet I am fully accepted in the Beloved (Ephesians 1:6). I have found this business of dying to sin and being alive to You is a process (Romans 6:11). And I suppose that is why Paul takes three full chapters to expound on it (Romans 6-8). I also want to thank You for the assurance that You who began a good work in me,  will keep right on doing it until the Day of Jesus Christ (Philippians 1:6). Thank You too, that on that Day that work will be completed in an instant.  I will be like Him, and so fit for heaven (1 John3:2). And I will be forever with You (1 Thessalonians 4:17) in Jesus Name Amen

The LORD God clothed Adam

and Eve with garments of skin (Genesis 3:21). After their disobedience, Adam and Eve had realized they were naked.  They sewed fig leaves together to make coverings for themselves (3:6, 7). Before the fall they had an open, vulnerable and transparent relationship. You will likely know from your own experience, that this side of the fall openness and transparency are, by and large,  unsafe! It will likely come back to you as judgement, accusation and blame (3:12)!  The fig leaves were an attempt to hide from each other and from themselves (see: Three alienations).

Like Adam and Eve, we try to hide our guilt and shame by covering them up.  Out of  fear of rejection, we are likely afraid to let others see who we really are, afraid they will see the “naked me.” Some of the 'fig leaves' we use to cover our guilt and shame, are to suppress them, to pretend they don't exist, or that it doesn't bother us. We also blame others for laying guilt trips on us. None of this works! In fact “He who covers his sins will not prosper” (Proverbs 28:13a). David cried out “When I kept silent about my sin, my body wasted away through my groaning all the day long” (Psalm 32:3). Researchers increasingly are finding connections between guilt,  shame and mental, physical and emotional health. In recovery we often say that we are only as sick as our secrets.

This brings us to God's covering, God's provision for guilt to be forgiven. And ultimately God is the only one who can forgive, for in the end all sin is against Him (Psalm 51:4). David could cry out “ Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered (Psalm 32:1).  One of the pictures of salvation then, is that God cloths us with the robe of righteousness (Isaiah 60:10).  Since all our own righteousness is as filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6), then it is with His righteousness that He covers us, not our own (Philippians 3:9).  Without His covering we are lost, without hope in the world, and subject to God's wrath (Ephesians 2:12; Romans 2:8).

That's not good news, but we likely cannot fully understand the good news, unless we have first absorbed the bad. And we need to come out of denial of the fact that without Christ we are indeed lost. For if we do not know, that in and of ourselves we are wretched, miserable, poor and blind, and naked, then we will not seek to buy gold from God refined in the fire, so that we may be rich, and clothed, and that the shame of our nakedness may not be revealed (Revelation 3:17, 18).

This being so clothed is not automatic. There is no such thing as universal salvation (Ephesians 5:6; Romans 2:5). So how does it work? We first need to know that “without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins” (Hebrews 9:22). When God clothed Adam and Eve with skins, animals had to die. This was one of many pictures, shadows of things to come, but the substance is Christ  (Colossians 2:17). In other words it is the blood of Jesus Christ that covers our sin (1 John 1:7).  This covering has to be received through faith and repentance (John 1:12; Mark 1:15).

Father, I greatly rejoice in You today, for You have clothed me with garments of salvation (Isaiah 61:10). Thank You Lord for salvation, amazing, great, rich and free in Jesus Name Amen

Your desire shall be for your husband

And he shall rule over you” (Genesis 3:16b). To say in another way what we said in the last mediation, the statement “he shall rule over you” would be the reality in a fallen world where the yeast of the Kingdom had yet to permeate (Matthew 13:33). Man dominating woman is not part of God's plan to bring the rule of God to earth as it was in paradise (Matthew 6:10). In paradise Adam and Eve ruled together over creation, not over each other. But what are we to make of “Your desire shall be for your husband?”

The commentators do not agree on what this means. Part of the confusion is that the Hebrew word translated here as “desire,” occurs only in two other places, and does so with different meanings. The first is Genesis 4:7 which reads “if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.” God was warning Cain that his anger was wanting to control him. If this is the sense of the word here in Genesis 3:16, it means that Eve's desire would be to control Adam, but in stead he would rule over her.

The only other occurrence of the word is in Songs 7:10 where comes in the context of the honeymoon stage of King Solomon's love for the Shulamite. It reads “I belong to my lover, and his desire is for me.” This is not just sexual intimacy however, though it certainly includes it. In fact Songs is quite raunchy at times, even instructing us on foreplay (2:6)! It is significant however, that the very next verse admonishes “Do not stir up nor awaken love, until the time is right” (Berean Study Bible). The point is that sex engaged in too soon can sabotage a relationship. In particular, as we were saying in earlier if the time is not right (i.e. in marriage) then the friendship love (phileo), is stunted by sexual love (eros). And is is here that the two meanings of the Hebrew come together. True intimacy is nurtured over time, and within the pseudo hyper sexual love that so dominates the West true intimacy (body, soul and spirit), it is largely absent. In the Jewish context, the (at least) year long betrothal with abstinence, had the benefit of increasing longing resulting in true intimacy. And to do this, while at same time, taming the beast of lust without which, it inevitably eclipses the deeper intimacy.

Emotions, longing and desire, in and of themselves, are neutral. They become sinful however when, for example, we allow anger to turn to rage, and attraction to lust. As with Cain we must master them. Brain research has show that emotions and thoughts come together as a package, and that every thought has an emotion attached to it. When we obsess it amplifies the emotion. So then in order to take control of our emotions, we need to take our thoughts captive unto obedience to the Lord (2 Corinthians 10:5).

Father, emotions out of control do not bring the Kingdom. Paul tells that those who are Christ’s have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires (Galatians 5:24). When we do our part in, by the Spirit, putting to death the deeds and desires of the sinful nature (Romans 8:13), You do yours! You even change our desires (Philippians 2:12, 13). For these and many other things we give You thanks and praise in Jesus Name Amen

The yeast of Kingdom come on earth

The perceived teaching of the Bible on the woman's and other issues are red flags to our culture, but it's widely misunderstood. We are only now beginning to understand the ancient texts in context. One huge misunderstanding is that not every admonition is for all times, and all circumstances. Moral commands don't change, cultural ones might. If Paul's command concerning men's hair was for all time, how come the Nazarite vow required men to let their hair grow? There are many examples, do women need to wear hats in church (1 Corinthians 11:14, 6; Numbers 6:5)?

The primary mandate of the disciple is to cooperate with God in bringing in the Kingdom of God (Mathew 28:19, 20). Kingdom come is revolutionary,  and if we don't see this, we have misunderstood Scripture. Cunningham and Hamilton's “Why Not Women?” is helpful with respect to women's issues. Kingdom come is revolutionary, but it doesn't promote violent revolution. Jesus told that the one who lives by the sword shall die by the sword (Matthew 26:52). In other words violence promotes violence.

Kingdom principles and practices are very different from the World's. The picture is of yeast working its way through the lump (Matthew 13:33). Kingdom yeast does not address the problems head on, and change comes only gradually as hearts are changed. Consider slavery. It would be easy to make a (false) case that the Bible endorses it.  But if we love our neighbour as ourselves, we'll set slaves free wherever possible (Leviticus 19:18; Mark 12:31). The yeast of the abolition of slavery is contained in this commandment.

William Wilberforce worked the yeast of the Kingdom for the abolition of slavery through his speeches in Britain's Parliament. It was a life long battle. Similarly it was the yeast of the Kingdom working though the suffragettes a hundred years ago, that lead peacefully to a women's right to vote.  “Kingdom come” reforms things, rather than tearing them down.  When things are not done in a Kingdom way however, things inevitably finish up going overboard.  Far too often in the World, the oppressed become the oppressor. Surely Wilberforce's way, was preferable to the carnage of America's abolitionist war. And it's still not settled today! Violence promotes violence, and hatred promotes hatred. And this is exactly what we have in the West in the tyranny of radical race ideology, and in the extremes of the women's movement. There is  much hatred of men in general, and masculinity in and of itself is said to be toxic. To be sure violence against women and gays is still very much a problem, and yes there are inequities in all these arenas, but if we don't follow Kingdom principles in reformation, things will always go too far.

The Kingdom is all about changing and winning hearts, and bringing peace. A key principle, if not the key principle, is forgiveness.  And if there is to be peace, the victim has to be the better person. It's a hard lesson to hear when you've been abused, but while we are not responsible for the wrong done against us, we are responsible for our response to the wrong done. Even harder to hear is that if we don't forgive, neither will we be forgiven (Matthew 6:14). But as King David came to realize, the one we have all offended and sinned against the most, is God (Psalm 51:4).

Father, we pray Kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us grace to do our part Lord, in Jesus Name Amen