Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Murderer, 25 April 2015, Anno Domini

… Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him …

And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  (Gen 6:5)

            That same heart and imagination of the first men to inhabit earth has not changed from that early day to this. The will of man is not free if it is not conformed to that perfect Will that was in Christ Jesus. What man considers his free will (i.e. to make his own decisions and to do as he pleases) is not a free will at all, but a will that is in subjugation and bondage to that same Old Serpent that deceived Eve in the Garden at Eden.  If you do not believe the unrestrained will of man is evil, please observe the atrocities occurring in our own day by those who call themselves ISIS and who murder, maim, and rape in the so-called name of their god, Allah. It is true Allah is their god, but he is not God[1], that is the God of Mercy and Grace who is the Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  If Satan desired to choose a god to mask his evil ways, I have no doubt Allah would suffice nicely.

            The Firsts addressed today are actually three-fold:

1.     First son born to mankind

2.     First prophet on earth

3.     First murder

            You will remember the words of God to Eve after the Fall at Eden: Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.  (Gen 3:16) This same promise is confirmed in the New Testament: And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (1 Tim 2:14-15) Herein we read one of the strongest principles of male-only clergy. Adam was not a better person than Eve for, unlike Eve, he sinned purposefully; however, it was the trusting and loving heart of Eve which caused her to be deceived. In those churches today that practice extravagant gifts of the spirit and twist the word of God by the preaching of wicked men who present themselves as ministers of God, we see a preponderance of women. It is not because the heart of woman is more inclined to evil than man, but that she is more trusting through her natural, nurturing instincts, and therefore more easily deceived. At least, that is my non-politically correct opinion. At any rate, Eve was deceived and Adam was not.

            In the process of time, after being expelled from the Garden at Eden, Eve bore a son: And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. (Gen 4:1) Conception of children is a gift of God, and Eve recognized that gift in her proclamation. By his sinful nature and subsequent conduct, Cain proved himself to be more the seed of the serpent than of the woman, for he was the very first child born, and the very first murderer. It is our hearts that determine whose we are, and not the accident of birth. We find a circumstance in the birth of Cain and Abel that defies the traditions and mores of ancient culture. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.  (Gen 4:2) There are acres of diamonds concealed in these first two verses of Genesis. Let us consider them in detail.

            Cain was the first-born and, therefore, considered to be the predominant son. Abel was the second son and, in accordance with historical custom to follow, would have been considered of lesser prominence than the first-born, Cain. However, Cain was wicked. He sinned greatly by murdering his brother. Of what significance is this to us? Adam, the father of Cain, was also the first man; but Adam did not predominate, but distinguished himself only in being the man who brought grief and death to his progeny. But God had promised a second man, the Seed of the woman, who would gain the ascendency over all. Who was that Seed to which God made reference in Genesis 3:15? No sinful man has yet to crush the head of the Serpent (Satan), but there is One Man, the Lord Jesus Christ, who did so crush the Serpent’s head. That was the second and righteous Seed of the woman!

            And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly.  And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly.  (1 Cor 15:45-49) I hope this passage does not make your head swim for wonder, but it is truly a passage of wonder and truth! We bear that earthly image of our primitive father, Adam; but if we are Christ’s, we bear His spiritual image as well. We have ascribed to us that perfect righteousness that is not our own, but imputed by Christ and His redemptive blood.  Adam, being the federal head of humanity, has begotten us in our earthly and sinful frames; but Christ, through His quickening Spirit (Life-Giving Spirit), has become the parent of all who are the Children of God. So Adam is the first man, and Christ is the second man – or Seed of the Woman – to which Abraham looked forward (as we look back upon as accomplished fact) for salvation. Christ is that Promised Seed of all ages and time!

            God’s ways are not man’s ways[2]. So from that early time, man has considered the first son to always be of greatest importance for purposes of inheritance and blessing; but with God, it has always been the second son. Abel was righteous and a prophet – Cain was a lost sinner! Abraham had two sons – the first was Ishmael, and the second was Isaac. But Ishmael did not come forth according to the will of God. Isaac was the rightful son of Abraham since he was born of the true wife of Abraham, Sarah. Jacob, too, was the second son, behind Esau; but Esau rashly traded his birthright for a pot of porridge when famished from hunting. Jacob was the son by whom the birthright was established; therefore, our God is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Abel was the first prophet (see Matt 23:34-35; Luke 11:50-51; & Heb 11:4), perhaps because he understood virtue and righteousness. And Abel was a keeper of sheep.  (Gen 4:2) Abel was the first shepherd. He raised sheep. He raised clean, living animals. It was one of the increase of his own flock that Abel brought later as a sacrifice! It is much like that sacrifice which no doubt exemplified the sacrifice made by God to cover the nakedness of his parents in Eden: Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Gen 3:21) Cain had a different source of livelihood: Cain was a tiller of the ground. (Gen 4:2) There is nothing wrong with being a farmer, but even a farmer must honor the example of sacrifice provided by God.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. (Gen 4:3) Let me point out here that Cain had precisely the same understanding of sacrifice that Abel had; however, the two brought sacrifices of a different nature on that day. What did Abel bring? And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering. (Gen 4:4) Why did God have respect unto Abel’s, but not, Cain’s, offering? Attitude was as much involved as the sacrifice itself. Cain knew that the only example of sacrifice that God had given was by way of the shedding of blood to make coats for Adam and Eve to cover their shame.  There is no covering, or remission of sins, without the shedding of blood:  And almost all things are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no remission. (Heb 9:22) Abel brought a sacrifice that was not the produce of his own hand because life is given only by the Lord. What of Cain’s offering?  But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.  (Gen 4:5)

Why did God reject Cain’s offering? Cain’s offering was one of works and not of grace. He had a bad attitude. He was doubtless jealous of his brother, Abel, who raised sheep. Knowing that an innocent lamb would make an acceptable sacrifice, Cain refused to appeal to Abel for a worthy sacrifice and, instead, brought the fruit of his own labors – a product of the earth. What was wrong with a product of the earth? What had God said to Adam after his sin was revealed?  . . . . cursed is the ground for thy sake. (Gen 3:17) Cain had knowingly brought an offering which was the fruits of his own labor (of works) and from a cursed source – the ground!

Envy and covetousness are the fruit of false pride which seemed to be an abundant feature of Cain. He hated his brother because his brother, Abel, was recognized in his offering and Cain was not. Pride and greed (its child) lead to every other sin – even MURDER, the very FIRST murder! And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. (Gen 4:8)

I cannot imagine the misery caused by that first murder. Adam and Eve had only two sons. Now, one is murdered by the other. Abel is lost to them, and so is Cain because he was forced away in exile. How tragic! The righteous son, Abel, died due to the sin of his brother, Cain, and at his very hand. Christ, too, died for our sins, and at our very hands in reality.  One small sin leads to ever larger and increasing sins. Eve arose and went to the ill-fated Tree. She lingered there before the Tree. She conversed with the serpent of the Tree. She made herself at home there before that Tree by partaking of its fruits. How like the counsel of God in Psalms 1 –  Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful. (Psalms 1:1)

I hope the readers of this devotion are the blessed men and women of God, and not the family of the disgraceful Serpent of Eden!

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[1] There is only one God, there are many gods.  God is a Triune God; Father, Son and Holy Ghost.  He is the Creator of the Universe and all that therein is.  He is perfect, loving and rational.  He has rules and follows those rules.  On the other hand a god, that is the lower case god, there are many of.  They are things or beings people put above others and worship.  In this sense, Allah is a god, of course, Allah is another name for the Devil.

[2] This statement in and of itself is a wonder.  A wonder we often forget quite readily.  We are to follow God’s ways, He provides what we need for the time.  We want Him to follow our ways, to provide what we want.  Imperfect creatures with free will, what could possibly go wrong?

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Promise, 24 April 2015, Anno Domini

… I will put enmity between thee and the woman…

14 And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: 15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen 3:14-15)

            There is something very important to each of us that happened on this date – something of personal and particular importance. Can you guess what it was? Lend me your ear and I will share the little secret: Today is the first day of the rest of your life! The question is, “What will you do with it?” This may seem like an over-simplification, but it is true to the bone, is it not? There is a first for everything including our physical births, but also including our spiritual births in Christ.

            One of my favorite hymns, Dear Lord and Father of Mankind, is composed by John Greenleaf Whittier. The meaning, taken in the context of the sinful nature of man, is wonderfully true; however, the title might mislead some, who are not grounded in Scripture, to accept the Universalist notion that God truly is the spiritual Father of all mankind – He is not! We will discuss in this devotion the reason why God is not the spiritual Father of all mankind even though He is the Maker of all.

            I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. The first beginnings of all mankind from a single pair of parents seem small and insignificant until one considers what a mighty river of mankind can flow from such tiny headwaters of the Lord. If one was to visit the headwaters of the largest river in North America (the Mississippi), he would find a small, meandering stream flowing from Lake Itasca (less than 2 square miles in size) that is only about twenty feet wide. The observer would be totally unimpressed unless he knew the magnitude of that river hundreds of miles to the south; in fact, the Mississippi flows 2,300 miles to the Gulf of Mexico. Knowing that bit of geography, one would be forced to realize that great and mighty results can have very small beginnings. It is with this in mind that we consider this promise given in Genesis 3:15. All of the billions of people upon earth today, and all of the billions who have ever lived in the remote reaches of centuries past, have sprung from these two primordial parents – Adam and Eve.

            But just as not all children of the same parents share the characteristics of their parents, or even of each other, so there are two channels of mankind – two separate families, so to speak – that are quite different in both natural and spiritual disposition. For the purposes of expressing the scriptural implications our text today, reinforced by innumerable others to follow, we will divide all of mankind into two families – the Family of God, and the family of their father, the devil (or serpent). Every man, woman and child born into the world is a member of one, or the other, of these two families – no exception, no middle ground. There will be no cold, or tepid, Christians in Heaven. The Lord hates lukewarm Christians and will spew them out from Hs presence. I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. (Rev 3:15-16)

There will be no hedging of bets when it comes to eternal salvation! To quote an unlikely source, General George S. (Blood & Guts) Patton was asked how he dealt with lukewarm friends. His response, “Make an enemy of them as quickly as possible – then you will KNOW where they stand!” There is some wisdom in that remark because a lukewarm friend is already one of your most dangerous enemies. In great matters, there is no middle ground; and the state of a man’s soul is no middle ground affair. So how do we distinguish the bloodlines of families to determine the DNA of each and to which family they belong?

Adam had a choice to obey, or to disobey, God in the Garden. Though Eve was deceived, Adam was not! He sinned with his eyes open. God had told him directly what to expect if he partook of the forbidden fruit. Before woman was created, God said to Adam: And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:16-17)

It seems likely that Adam did not adequately and forcefully impress this command upon Eve for she truly was deceived by the serpent. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (1 Tim 2:13-15) You may be wondering, “Why, then, did Adam partake of the poisoned fruit knowing its outcome?” We are not explicitly told, however, I believe that Adam, being a subordinate type and figure of Christ (though clearly unmeritorious), loved his wife Eve enough to share her fate. This is consistent with Christ dying on behalf of His Bride, the Church. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. (Romans 5:14)  We learn in verse 15 that the one to come is Christ.  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.  (Romans 5:15) Now to the point of Two Families:

TWO SEEDS

Seed of the Serpent

            The stain of a single drop of sin contaminates the entire blood stream just as a single cell in the bloodstream of the causal organism, ''Mycobacterium lepromatosis,'' is sufficient to cause the eventual death of its host via leprosy. This is true because sin, like leaven, permeates the whole of its environmental reach. God is not able to tolerate sin of any dimension in His presence. For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all. (James 2:10) I hope all who read this devotion will admit that their works of the flesh are of no worth at all. We all are transgressors of the law – plain and simple. Until we admit that, we remain in the same category as the unbelieving Pharisees. For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.  (Romans 3:23) Are you an exception? We are all born with the sin-tainted blood of Adam coursing through our veins. The very best of us are born with this fatal affliction. The Bible compares sin to leprosy. It begins small (as with Adam) and eventually takes other the whole body, gradually rotting away the organs and flesh until it, at last, takes the life of its victim. At its outset, it may be concealed for a time; but the putrid sores and flesh eventually are beyond concealment. The odor alone betrays the victim. Sin cannot be covered either. If untreated by the blood of Christ, it will murder its practitioner.

            So what does one need to do to join the family, or seed, of the Serpent? The answer: Nothing at all. You are born with an incurable disease of sin, and you shall die with it. You are a member of that family of the damned whose allegiance is to your father, the devil.  If God were your Father, ye would love me: for I proceeded forth and came from God; neither came I of myself, but he sent me. Why do ye not understand my speech? even because ye cannot hear my word. Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.  (John 8:42-44) If we love not God, and His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, we cannot hear His Voice and will tragically remain in the family in which we were born. We are entitled, by birth, to hell.

The Seed of Promise – Jesus Christ!

            Following Romans 3:23 in which we are told that all have sinned, we find a very comforting word from Paul: Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God.  (Romans 3:24-25) I am happy to proclaim that, based on God’s promise, there remains a cure for our deadly disease, and a release, by way of adoption, from that family of the Serpent – and into the Family of God. Jesus Christ is that Seed of Promise made to Abraham toward which Abraham looked for salvation. He has been the Seed of Promise through all ages of human history. Few have known that Seed from Abraham until today; but those who know Him, and claim Him as Lord and Redeemer, are members of the Family of God by way of adoption. We are now beneficiaries of another Bloodline – not that of our carnal births – but that of our spiritual rebirth in Christ. The effect of the old diseased blood of sin is removed and sanitized by the pure and sinless blood of Jesus Christ. It is His imputed righteousness by which we shall be called the Children of God by adoption.

            According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 1That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him: In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will. (Eph 1:4-11) There are just some points that cannot be adequately made in the common vernacular. God has stated the case best in the above text from Ephesians. So I have plagiarized heavily on the Word of God.

            How can you know with certainty that you are a child of God?  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God.  (Romans 8:14-16)

Have you received that assurance of adoption, friends? 

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Death, 23 April 2015, Anno Domini

… God make coats of skins, and clothed them …

Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither: the LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.  (Job 1:21)

            The Garden of Eden (Paradise of God) was a place of utmost beauty and dreamy comfort, yet man still was tempted to turn away from that beauty and turn to the ugliness offered by Satan over a matter of pride. There was every wholesome and delicious fruit of the Garden, yet Eve chose the only poison fruit in the whole realm. God had given only ONE commandment, and this they could not keep. There was neither sickness nor death in Eden until sin was found in the heart of our primordial parents. As a result of Adam and Eve opting to follow Satan rather than God, sin, sickness, and death befell – not only the human race – but every creature of the world.

            Tell me, if you recall, the first death to occur on earth? You will remember, perhaps, that Cain killed his brother, righteous Abel; but though that was the first man to die, it was not the first death. So by whose hand, and for what purpose, was the first death on earth? If you read closely you will discover that the first death on earth came by the hand of God, and the purpose was for the temporary covering of the nakedness and sin of Adam and Eve. Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (Gen 3:21) Nakedness is often an illustration God uses to show that we stand as naked people before God having our sins exposed to His omniscient eye. So God found it expedient to take the life of an innocent animal in order to get the skins from which to make a coat to cover their nakedness. This is the second allusion to the Lord Jesus Christ in the Bible. What was the first? God said to Eve: And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. (Gen 3:15) This makes reference to the bruising that the serpent (Satan) gave Christ on the cross, but the crushing of Satan’s head by the death and resurrection of Christ – the Lamb of God.

            What kind of animal do you suppose had to die in order that skins be acquired to cover the nakedness (sin) of man? The Bible does not say but, certainly, God would not have chosen an animal that He later decreed to be unclean, so it must have been a clean animal according to Scripture – it would have been perfectly consistent with His purpose if He had chosen a lamb for that best describes the prophetic meaning God intended to convey. Whatever the animal, all were innocent in the Garden. But, even though innocent, that animal had to die as a result of the sin of Adam. Had God not covered the nakedness of Adam and Eve, it is doubtful åthey could have survived in the world into which they were driven by the Holy Angels. All of Creation suffers and groans under the curse of death and sin brought upon it by our first parents. There doesn’t appear to have been thorns and thistles until Adam’s sin, but God said that these would spring up perhaps with blood-sucking insects as well, as a result of sin. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. (Gen 3:18) Because of Adam’s sin, the WHOLE earth was cursed.

            Though Adam could be forgiven, if he repented of his sin; sin, nevertheless, leaves damaging scars. The first animal to die for Adam’s sin gives testimony of that truth.

            Returning to the innocent animal that was slain in order to cover Adam’s nakedness, we should consider the crucial implications for a Savior that God enacted by taking that innocent life. Do you suppose that God was surprised or amazed that Adam and Eve fell for the bait of Satan? No, He knew this would be the result, and He had already, before the dawn of light of the first day beamed its rays through endless space, made provision for it! The whole of our lives and being are viewed by God in the Eternal Present, not past, present, and future; for God is the Great I AM! We see and judge the character of others by the present moment, and past behavior; but God sees the end of the man He judges. We may see a murderous, drunken slave trader in the moment of our time, but in the prescience of His character, He sees a great minister become John Newton of England. God knows you now, He knew you yesterday, He knows you tomorrow, and He has known you from before the foundations of the world were laid. So He made provision for a Savior since He knewman He created with a selfwill would sin.

            Did God know Jeremiah, the prophet, before he ever was born? Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations. (Jer 1:5) God knew you, too, even before the world was made: According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will. (Eph 1:4-5) In whom did God the Father choose us before the Foundation of the World? It was in His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who was prefigured in that first death at Eden. We wear the resplendent White Robes of Righteousness purchased by the Blood of the Lamb of God before the Foundation of the World.

            We find in Revelations 13:8, a most interesting statement of Scripture: The Lamb slain from the foundation of the world. What does this mean? It is making reference to the end times of Anti-Christ when all whose names are not written in the Book of Life of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world will worship the anti-Christ. Those who are elect in Christ shall have their names written in the Book of Life (by Grace) and shall not worship the Anti-Christ. But you may say: “Christ was sacrificed only 2,000 years ago. How can He have been slain from BEFORE the foundations of the world?” Because, in the Eternal Decrees of God, a thing decreed is not bound by the limits – either past, present, or future – of time. That means that those of the Old Testament Church of the Wilderness such as Abraham, Moses, and David are also covered by that blood of Jesus Christ that would be shed in the fullness of time according to the Oracles of God. Any decree of God, regardless of when uttered, is not time-bound.

            Rev. Tony Warren, of the Mountain Retreat, summarizes the point in this way: “Christ being slain from the foundation of the world illustrates not only that He was foreordained to be slain, but also that the efficacy, or the beneficial effects of that death, is the same as if that sacrifice had been made before the creation of the world. Thus, Old testament saints are washed clean in Christ's blood the same as we are today. In other words, the efficacy of Christ's sacrifice is not limited by time. God had already chosen who He would Save before creation, and had thus already ordained the Saviour to shed His blood for them, to make this possible. Their Salvation wasn't something which could be thwarted, it was something which was as good as 'done' from the time that God ordained it.”

            God knows our weaknesses and frail frames. He desires our minds to be fixed on Him and His uncompromising will for our lives. When we allow the poison of Satan to settle on our ears (as did Eve) our lives become a mire of mud and sewage. But He stands at the ready to lift us up and place our feet on Higher Ground in His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Jesus, too, was fore-shadowed by that innocent bloodshed in Eden for our sins since the sin of Adam became our own. We have Adam’s sin-tainted blood coursing through our veins. It is carrying the deadly disease of sin. The only cure is a transfusion of disease-free blood – that of the Lord Jesus Christ – for our healing. The Throne of Mercy and Grace of God is the Blood Bank where that healing may be procured.

Have you been there?

Devotion on Firsts of the Bible - First Lie, 22 April 2015, Anno Domini

… Ye shall not surely die …

1 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: 3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. 4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (Gen 3:1-5)

            The Paradise of God at Eden was matchless in beauty, comfort, and pleasure. It was the very picture of Heaven. In fact, it has been removed and the Tree of Life will again appear to us beside the river of Life in Heaven. 8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. (Gen 2:8-15)

            Without knowing what God had prepared for man in the Garden at Eden, we, too, may be deceived by the ill-natured serpent of the Garden. You will read in the above passage that God made “every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food.” There was no death in Eden; therefore, man’s diet was vegetarian. But God made two special trees – the first was the Tree of Life, and the second was the Tree of the knowledge of Good and Evil – and these two He placed in the midst of the Garden. Why did God place these two trees of conflicting character in the midst of the Garden? I believe it is because God desires genuine love to be reciprocated by His creatures. Love must be volitional. If it is not, it is not genuine love since to love, or not to love is a choice. The Two Trees also present this contrasting choice – the Lord Jesus Christ, or Satan. If there is no choice but that of righteousness, then there is no choice at all. So God makes a measure of the heart in the choices that man must make. Man possesses a mind capable of reason, logic, and decision. God desires that we use those faculties in revealing our true character.

The First Liar

            There is a dark and odious creature that now appears, following the blissful institution of the estate of Marriage in Genesis, chapter 2. He comes in the form of a serpent, and this leaves little doubt of his subtle approach, fascinating gaze, colorful beauty, and twisting paths. He is the Devil, or Satan. And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.  (Rev 12:9) The nature of the serpent is quite well known. The serpent is able to entrance, bedazzle and mesmerize its victim with its bewitching gaze until the victim falls prey to its wiles. Satan, once a great angel of light (Lucifer), was never happy about the Creation of God. There was not strongly an enforced rule over the minds of the man and woman that God had created, and Satan was disposed to authoritarian rule. If he could not exercise it, he would rather mar and destroy. His pride was his downfall. 14 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. (Isaiah 14:11-15) Pride is a parent to a multiplicity of sins.

            Satan is the first liar, and who would be more apt for the title? He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it. (John 8:44) Please observe his approach in deceiving the woman.

The Lie

1.     Questioning God’s Word - He begins his deception with a question (Satan always does), “Yea, hath God said.” He begins by asking, did God really say what the Scriptures aver that He says? The Satan has his influence today in the voices of Higher Critics who question every reference to Christ as Divine. They find Christ offensive to their consciences and try, through spurious translations of the modern Bible, to direct our attention away from the Lord Jesus Christ and toward some sterile and unknowable god. Modern Bible translations are the avant-garde of that movement (NIV, NASB, ESV, RSV, etc).

2.     Misrepresenting God’s Word - Satan next misstates the Word of God by his question: “Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?” The question is intentionally misleading. Why? Because God did NOT say, “Ye shall not eat of every tree in the Garden.” He said: “Of every tree of the garden thou gayest freely eat (including the Tree of Life): But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou salt not eat of it: for in the day that thou neatest thereof thou salt surely die.”  (Gen 2:16-17) God said there was only ONE tree of which we could not eat – the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil! Eve answers with a partially true response. The Tree of Life was ALSO in the midst of the Garden, and God did not forbid the eating of its fruit. “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. Of only ONE tree in the midst were they not to eat.

3.     Flatly Refuting God’s Word - Satan now flatly refutes the Word of God just as modern Bible translations have egregiously done: “Ye shall not surely die.” Satan, the prime liar, has the evil and unmitigated temerity to call God a liar – like the swamp waters calling the pristine fountain, IMPURE!

4.     Ascribes False Motives to God - For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. Pride motivates Satan, yet he ascribes a false pride to God Almighty, Maker of Heaven and Earth and, yes, and the Creator of Lucifer himself ere he fell from Divine Grace and Favor!


The Sin of Eve


Eve took the baited fruit! Young ladies of today still take the poisoned bait placed on Satan’s hook by licentious young men bent on carnal gratification. “It is Ok, love is all that matters. Why not?” are the deliberate deceptions that are often uttered to violate the virtue, purity, and character of a young lady? But the deception of Satan goes far afield in deceiving mankind in religion, science, politics, and social mores. He still plants questions in the sinful hearts of men concerning what God has said. He still misstates God’s Word with his newly invented Bible versions based on inferior manuscript evidence. He still directly refutes the Word and Will of Almighty God, and millions, and billions, fall victim to his enchanting gaze and deceptions. 


Eve was deceived, not Adam! Womanhood, being more inclined to trust and believe than stubborn man is also more easily deceived. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in childbearing, if they continue in faith and charity and holiness with sobriety. (1 Tim 2:14-15)

There might be some tepid defense for Eve who resides in the means by which she came by God’s warning against the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. She learned this, seemingly, from Adam and not directly from God as Adam had done. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die. (Gen 2:16-17) This was before God created woman later in Genesis 2:22.

So Adam received the warning directly, and Eve from a lesser authority – Adam.

Remember the people of Sychar believed in Jesus on the word of the Woman who came to Jacobs Well, but they believed finally once they had met Christ face-to-face. Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.  (John 4:42)

But Eve sinned, beyond question, with her eyes open for she quoted enough of God’s Word to seal her guilt in knowing better.


What led to Eve’s deception?

1.     She went before the Tree which God had forbidden her to partake of subjecting herself to unnecessary temptation;

2.     She stopped before the Tree admiring it;

3.     She listened to the voice of the serpent in contradicting the Word of God;

4.     She looked at the tempting fruit and partook of it.

Remember what we learn from Psalm 1:1: sin is a DIRECTION! “Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful.” (Psalms 1:1) Eve fell victim to the serpent because she submitted to all three of these temptations leading to transgression.

Her only defense: The serpent beguiled (meaning to morally seduce or to delude) me, and I did eat. (Gen 3:13) Eve placed herself before the tree. She lingered there. She listened to the voice of the deceiver.  She sinned!


It is my prayer that all who read these words will listen only to that Voice that both made, and loves you. The other only desires your ruin and destruction. He lies and speaks NO truth!