All other things derive
being – their ‘is-ness’ is secondary.
But God did not derive His being from any other – His ‘is-ness’ is
underived, original, eternal! He was,
and is, and is to come, the eternal ‘I Am.’ Rather than concealing His
identity, this Name reveals the deepest mystery of His being, and rocks our
minds with the discovery that we cannot begin to fathom the mind and life of
this eternal God.
Sinclair Ferguson
A Heart for God, 1987, p. 51
Genesis 2:4-3:9 (NASB)
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.
7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.
12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.
20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
22 The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
And flesh of my flesh;
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Chapter 3
The Fall of Man
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden,
God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”
5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When
the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
Did you miss it? Might I indulge you to re-read it, one more time, below.
Genesis 2:4-3:9 (NASB)
4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven.
5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.
7 Then the Lord God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
8 The Lord God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed.
9 Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers.
12 The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there.
14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it.
17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name.
20 The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him.
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place.
22 The Lord God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
And flesh of my flesh;
24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.
Chapter 3
The Fall of Man
1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?”
3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden,
God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”
5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When
the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a
delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings.
8 They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
LORD God.
Lord, in the original language of the text, is “Yahweh”; God is “ĕ•lō•hîm”.
Yahweh occurs 6,829 times in the Old Testament (the first instance here in Genesis 2:4); Elohim occurs 2,598 times (this, in Genesis 2:4 being the 36th instance).
Yahweh literally means “I am who I am", or, "He who will be”; it is used when God’s word stresses God’s personal relationship with His people as well as His holiness (perfection). Basically, the pure-goodness of God. Elohim, on the latter side of “LORD God”, refers to God as creator of all things, as well as ruler over it. Basically, the pure-greatness of God. Some scholars suggest since Elohim has a plural form, the mystery of the Trinity, from verse one of the Old Testament, was embedded to be revealed in the coming of Jesus Christ.
Elohim has been used to this point in God’s word, and correctly so, to show God’s role as THE creator of all things; which is the main stress of chapter one. Yahweh enters God’s Word to begin to show, and unravel to the reader, God’s purpose and plan of salvation.
There are at least fourteen different names for God in Holy Scripture (that is, if you do not use the multiple names for Jesus himself: i.e—Son of man, The Living One, The first-born from the dead, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, etc); obviously we cannot examine the full magnificence of our Lord.
However, what is very interesting about this text—which is very practical in its essence without getting too deep into the many ideas of God and His countless attributes—is the sleight of hand by the serpent. The one point of this article I pray you grasp is to see and understand what the serpent did (and does, still, today). The goodness of God, the self-sufficient God Himself (Yahweh), was shown to Adam and Eve in the garden very clearly; so much so that in verse 23 of the text we witness Adam, literally, singing because he was so delighted to have a companion in woman. Sadly, it didn’t last long.
The serpent (Satan), a created being, did not deny God’s existence, or His greatness. Very subtly, Satan attacked Eve by installing doubt into her mind: “Indeed, has God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” Eve answers, following the lead of Satan rather than God-- and what had been passed on to her by Adam: ”From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die’”. Let me be clear: this command was given to Adam before Eve was created; obviously, there was communication of God’s command between Adam and Eve. This, though, should not present as an opportunity to myself nor anyone, for that matter, to lay a heavier blame on Eve versus Adam; both were equals in sin. Look ahead to verse six: “..and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate”. Adam, close by, sat idly by with full awareness of what Eve was doing and the consequences that would come of it. He did nothing. He was apathetic to God’s command.
“Yahweh” joined “Elohim” to indicate that the creator of all is now the one (Yahweh) who is thoroughly concerned to preserve a personal relationship with individuals who will walk with him. The very cunning one, the “shining one” (“Nachash” in Hebrew which literally means “shining one”), enters the picture in an attempt to separate the two traits of God; an attempt to undermine God’s word and command to persuade Eve, and Adam for that matter, to go their own way, or the way of the world. Yes, God is great; that, even Satan and his demons concede. Their goal is not to dissuade the greatness of God; that, is quite impossible. It is, however, Satan’s goal to remove God’s goodness from your eyesight, to give you a picture of what life could be like living with worldly possessions and worldly desires; basically, to persuade you that sin and its pleasures are sufficient enough for us over obedience to God.
Make no mistake Christian: Satan will attack us, exactly how he attacked our parents—Adam and Eve. Think about it: Satan does not and will not waste his time attempting to disprove God, he himself is a created being and fully aware of who God is. Maybe you are a new believer; you, naturally, are less prepared in knowing how to resist his seductive suggestions. Maybe you are going through a tough season in your life, maybe you are facing persecution or affliction; you instantly become an easy target—the suggestion will come (like in the garden of Eden) that God is not fair, He doesn’t have our best interest at heart, there is a better way to get through your trials; i.e, instant gratification by way of sin.
I quote Thomas Brooks here: “Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death. But God pays as He promises; all His payments are made in pure gold.”
How true and how profound are those words. I pray you think not of this world as your final dwelling place. Because, when all is said and done, when this life bids us adieu, one of two things will happen: 1) we live or; 2) we die. Both realities are eternal; the former is in the presence of God living in Holiness; the latter is the unending wrath of God—a life of torment. Satan’s goal and objective is to take as many people as he can to the absolute best thing he has to offer you—Hell.
Do not run the risk of believing for a second that Satan is more interested in your welfare than God is: not following Jesus, not crucifying yourself daily as you carry your cross, not surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, is, though, just that, believing Satan’s way is the best way. Believe that and you, like Eve, will look into the face of God and call him a liar—don’t make that mistake.
Don’t think because you profess your belief in God that you are set on the narrow path; Satan will indeed guide you down the road you believe leads to heaven—don’t fall for it. God is great, yes, but the goodness of God should not be separated from this equation—He works all things for good, He is fully in control, and His love is the greatest love the world has ever seen.
Lord, in the original language of the text, is “Yahweh”; God is “ĕ•lō•hîm”.
Yahweh occurs 6,829 times in the Old Testament (the first instance here in Genesis 2:4); Elohim occurs 2,598 times (this, in Genesis 2:4 being the 36th instance).
Yahweh literally means “I am who I am", or, "He who will be”; it is used when God’s word stresses God’s personal relationship with His people as well as His holiness (perfection). Basically, the pure-goodness of God. Elohim, on the latter side of “LORD God”, refers to God as creator of all things, as well as ruler over it. Basically, the pure-greatness of God. Some scholars suggest since Elohim has a plural form, the mystery of the Trinity, from verse one of the Old Testament, was embedded to be revealed in the coming of Jesus Christ.
Elohim has been used to this point in God’s word, and correctly so, to show God’s role as THE creator of all things; which is the main stress of chapter one. Yahweh enters God’s Word to begin to show, and unravel to the reader, God’s purpose and plan of salvation.
There are at least fourteen different names for God in Holy Scripture (that is, if you do not use the multiple names for Jesus himself: i.e—Son of man, The Living One, The first-born from the dead, Lion of the Tribe of Judah, etc); obviously we cannot examine the full magnificence of our Lord.
However, what is very interesting about this text—which is very practical in its essence without getting too deep into the many ideas of God and His countless attributes—is the sleight of hand by the serpent. The one point of this article I pray you grasp is to see and understand what the serpent did (and does, still, today). The goodness of God, the self-sufficient God Himself (Yahweh), was shown to Adam and Eve in the garden very clearly; so much so that in verse 23 of the text we witness Adam, literally, singing because he was so delighted to have a companion in woman. Sadly, it didn’t last long.
The serpent (Satan), a created being, did not deny God’s existence, or His greatness. Very subtly, Satan attacked Eve by installing doubt into her mind: “Indeed, has God said, you shall not eat from any tree of the garden?” Eve answers, following the lead of Satan rather than God-- and what had been passed on to her by Adam: ”From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die’”. Let me be clear: this command was given to Adam before Eve was created; obviously, there was communication of God’s command between Adam and Eve. This, though, should not present as an opportunity to myself nor anyone, for that matter, to lay a heavier blame on Eve versus Adam; both were equals in sin. Look ahead to verse six: “..and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate”. Adam, close by, sat idly by with full awareness of what Eve was doing and the consequences that would come of it. He did nothing. He was apathetic to God’s command.
“Yahweh” joined “Elohim” to indicate that the creator of all is now the one (Yahweh) who is thoroughly concerned to preserve a personal relationship with individuals who will walk with him. The very cunning one, the “shining one” (“Nachash” in Hebrew which literally means “shining one”), enters the picture in an attempt to separate the two traits of God; an attempt to undermine God’s word and command to persuade Eve, and Adam for that matter, to go their own way, or the way of the world. Yes, God is great; that, even Satan and his demons concede. Their goal is not to dissuade the greatness of God; that, is quite impossible. It is, however, Satan’s goal to remove God’s goodness from your eyesight, to give you a picture of what life could be like living with worldly possessions and worldly desires; basically, to persuade you that sin and its pleasures are sufficient enough for us over obedience to God.
Make no mistake Christian: Satan will attack us, exactly how he attacked our parents—Adam and Eve. Think about it: Satan does not and will not waste his time attempting to disprove God, he himself is a created being and fully aware of who God is. Maybe you are a new believer; you, naturally, are less prepared in knowing how to resist his seductive suggestions. Maybe you are going through a tough season in your life, maybe you are facing persecution or affliction; you instantly become an easy target—the suggestion will come (like in the garden of Eden) that God is not fair, He doesn’t have our best interest at heart, there is a better way to get through your trials; i.e, instant gratification by way of sin.
I quote Thomas Brooks here: “Satan promises the best, but pays with the worst; he promises honor, and pays with disgrace; he promises pleasure, and pays with pain; he promises profit, and pays with loss; he promises life, and pays with death. But God pays as He promises; all His payments are made in pure gold.”
How true and how profound are those words. I pray you think not of this world as your final dwelling place. Because, when all is said and done, when this life bids us adieu, one of two things will happen: 1) we live or; 2) we die. Both realities are eternal; the former is in the presence of God living in Holiness; the latter is the unending wrath of God—a life of torment. Satan’s goal and objective is to take as many people as he can to the absolute best thing he has to offer you—Hell.
Do not run the risk of believing for a second that Satan is more interested in your welfare than God is: not following Jesus, not crucifying yourself daily as you carry your cross, not surrendering to the Lordship of Jesus Christ, is, though, just that, believing Satan’s way is the best way. Believe that and you, like Eve, will look into the face of God and call him a liar—don’t make that mistake.
Don’t think because you profess your belief in God that you are set on the narrow path; Satan will indeed guide you down the road you believe leads to heaven—don’t fall for it. God is great, yes, but the goodness of God should not be separated from this equation—He works all things for good, He is fully in control, and His love is the greatest love the world has ever seen.
You do not have the option of making Jesus Christ Lord of your life; He is Lord. Surrender and follow Him; but be prepared for the serpent's sleight of hand.
YAHWEH ELOHIM. He is good. He is great!
Quotes:
[In reference to the temptation in the garden:] "God is a liar," (Satan) says. "He has deceived you, taken your freedom, and restricted your joy." Satan's lie is still the same today: "You can be free. Do whatever you want. It is your life. There are no divine laws; no absolute authority; and above all, no judgment. You will surely not die."
John MacArthur
The Battle for the Beginning, W Publishing Group 2001, p. 197.
“Drunkenness is the devil’s back door to hell and everything that is hellish. For he that once gives away his brains to drink is ready to be caught by Satan for anything.”
C.H. Spurgeon
Sermons, 46.64.
“[Satan] can make men dance upon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven.”
C.H. Spurgeon
Sermons, 11.75.
”Our enemy knows that when he strikes the shepherd, the sheep will scatter (Matt. 26:31), and church leaders – even as the Lord Himself – are Satan’s special targets. The more faithful and fruitful a pastor is, the more his people need to pray for his strength and protection. He is more subject to the devil’s schemes to make him discouraged or self-satisfied, hopeless or superficially optimistic, cowardly or overconfident. Satan uses every situation – favorable or unfavorable, successful or unsuccessful – to try to weaken, distract, and discredit God’s gifted men in their work of “equipping of the saints for the work of service” (Eph. 4:12).”
John MacArthur
Ephesians, Moody, 1986, p. 384.
“Some of these things the devil would not do if he could. He would not awaken the conscience and make men aware of their miserable state caused by sin. He would not make them aware of their great need of a Savior. The devil would not confirm men in the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of sinners or raise men’s value and esteem of Him. He would not generate in men’s minds an opinion of the necessity, usefulness, and truth of the Holy Scriptures or induce them to make much use of them. Nor would he show men the truth in things that concern their souls’ interest. He would not undeceive them and lead them out of darkness into light. He would not give them a view of things as they really are…Therefore, we may be sure that these marks are especially adapted to distinguish between the true Spirit and the devil transformed into an angel of light.”
Jonathan Edwards
Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, 1741. Modern language courtesy of Archie Parrish, The Spirit of Revival, Crossway Books, 2000, p. 100, 102
[In reference to the temptation in the garden:] "God is a liar," (Satan) says. "He has deceived you, taken your freedom, and restricted your joy." Satan's lie is still the same today: "You can be free. Do whatever you want. It is your life. There are no divine laws; no absolute authority; and above all, no judgment. You will surely not die."
John MacArthur
The Battle for the Beginning, W Publishing Group 2001, p. 197.
“Drunkenness is the devil’s back door to hell and everything that is hellish. For he that once gives away his brains to drink is ready to be caught by Satan for anything.”
C.H. Spurgeon
Sermons, 46.64.
“[Satan] can make men dance upon the brink of hell as though they were on the verge of heaven.”
C.H. Spurgeon
Sermons, 11.75.
”Our enemy knows that when he strikes the shepherd, the sheep will scatter (Matt. 26:31), and church leaders – even as the Lord Himself – are Satan’s special targets. The more faithful and fruitful a pastor is, the more his people need to pray for his strength and protection. He is more subject to the devil’s schemes to make him discouraged or self-satisfied, hopeless or superficially optimistic, cowardly or overconfident. Satan uses every situation – favorable or unfavorable, successful or unsuccessful – to try to weaken, distract, and discredit God’s gifted men in their work of “equipping of the saints for the work of service” (Eph. 4:12).”
John MacArthur
Ephesians, Moody, 1986, p. 384.
“Some of these things the devil would not do if he could. He would not awaken the conscience and make men aware of their miserable state caused by sin. He would not make them aware of their great need of a Savior. The devil would not confirm men in the belief that Jesus is the Son of God and the Savior of sinners or raise men’s value and esteem of Him. He would not generate in men’s minds an opinion of the necessity, usefulness, and truth of the Holy Scriptures or induce them to make much use of them. Nor would he show men the truth in things that concern their souls’ interest. He would not undeceive them and lead them out of darkness into light. He would not give them a view of things as they really are…Therefore, we may be sure that these marks are especially adapted to distinguish between the true Spirit and the devil transformed into an angel of light.”
Jonathan Edwards
Distinguishing Marks of a Work of the Spirit of God, 1741. Modern language courtesy of Archie Parrish, The Spirit of Revival, Crossway Books, 2000, p. 100, 102
No comments:
Post a Comment