Peter was all guts and little brains. He boldly declared, “Though everyone else shall deny you, I will remain firm and stand by your side” (Matt. 26:33). But you know the story. Or do you?
It has been taught that Peter denied Jesus three times and then the cock crowed. But is that really what happened? Did Peter deny Christ three times before the cock crowed (John 13:38), or six times before the cock crowed twice (Mark 14:30, 72)?
Now follow with me because this is fascinating. Afterwards, I will apply this in a way that magnifies Christ’s love and the kind of love we should also have toward one another. But follow my train of thought. I will show you that Peter actually denied Jesus for a total of six times – the first three times and then the cock crowed, and then another three times and the cocked crowed again for a total of two crows resulting in Peter’s six denials.
The situation all begins with Jesus' prophecy to His disciples in Matthew 26.
31Then Jesus told them, "This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written: " 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' 32But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee."
This sparked Peter’s response to Jesus - Matt. 26:33: 33Peter replied, "Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will."
Now Jesus delivers His infamous prophecy concerning Peter’s denials.
34"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times." 35But Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you." And all the other disciples said the same.
You will find the same speech in Luke 22:34 and John 13:38.
Now only in the Gospel of Mark is it mentioned that Jesus said anything about the cock crowing “twice.”
30"I tell you the truth," Jesus answered, "today—yes, tonight—before the rooster crows twice you yourself will disown me three times” – Mark 14
So, in the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and John, Jesus clearly stated that Peter will deny Him three times before the cock crows. Only in the Gospel of Mark does Jesus state Peter’s denials with the addition of the cock crowing twice.
Now let’s move into the actual account of Peter’s denials. When Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, He was taken immediately to Annas, the high priest. Now remember, there were two high priests reigning at the same time – Annas and Caiaphas (Luke 3:2). Caiaphas was the legitimate high priest (A.D. 18-36), whereas Annas ruled as high priest from A.D. 6-15.
However, Annas continued to exercise his authority as a result of amassing great political and momentary power and being the “father-in-law” of Caiaphas (cf. John 18:13). Now keep this in mind, because during the “religious” trials of Jesus, He will be brought before Annas and Caiaphas on separate occasions.
Jesus before Annas – “They bound him and brought him first to Annas” (John 18:12-13).
When Jesus was arrested and the disciples had escape capture on the account that Jesus wanted it that way, Peter later at a distance followed Jesus to His first trial before Annas.
15Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest, he went with Jesus into the high priest's courtyard, 16but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the girl on duty there and brought Peter in (John 18:15-16).
A girl (woman) served at the palace door. John went into the palace leaving Peter outside. John comes back outside, talks to the girl, and Peter is admitted.
While present, the girl questions Peter in regard to his being a disciple of the Lord Jesus.
Peter’s First Denial
17"You are not one of his disciples, are you?" the girl at the door asked Peter. He replied, "I am not” (John 18:17).
The story continues. The setting is still at the palace of Annas. It is cold and so a fire is made – John 18:18: 18It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.
After Jesus was personally questioned inside the palace by Annas, He was then sent bound to Caiaphas, the other high priest (the son-in-law of Annas).
24Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the high priest – John 18:24; cf. Matt. 26:57
Now Jesus before Caiaphas.
Peter followed Jesus from a distance unto the high priest’s palace, and went in, and sat with the servants, to see the end (Matt. 26:58).
And they led Jesus away to the high priest: and with him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes (Mark 14:53).
And Peter followed him afar off, even into the palace of the high priest: and he sat with the servants, and warmed himself at the fire -- Mark 14:54; Luke 22:55. This is another fire in another location. Remember, Jesus is now before Caiaphas and brought into his house (Luke 22:54).
Peter is sitting at the fire along with the servants when a maid asserts that he is with Jesus – Matt. 26:69; Mark 14:66.
And when she saw Peter warming himself, she looked upon him, and said, “And you also was with Jesus of Nazareth” (Mark 14:67; Luke 22:56).
Peter’s Second Denial
But Peter denied before them all, saying, “I don’t know not what you are talking about!” (Matthew 26:70; Luke 22:57)
Peter goes into the porch and another maid accuses him of being with the Lord Jesus.
And when he was gone out into the porch, another maid saw him, and said unto them that were there, “This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth” -- Matthew 26:71
Peter’s Third Denial
And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man.
Matthew 26:72
Now comes the FIRST Crow of the Rooster
And he went out into the porch; and the rooster crew
(Mark 14:68).
A maid sees Peter once more, this time on the porch, and makes her allegation to those present – “This is one of them” (Mark 14:69).
Peter’s Fourth Denial
And he denied it again (Mark 14:70).
Still on the porch, after a while those that stood by insist Peter is one of Jesus’ disciples.
And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, surely you also are one of them; for your speech betrays you (Matthew 26:73; Mark 14:70; Luke 22:58).
Peter’s Fifth Denial
Peter said, “Man, I am not!” (Luke 22:58; John 18:25)
The account continues after about an hour, another person says confidently, “Truly this fellow also was with him: for he is a Galilean” (Luke 22:59).
Then one of the servants of the high priest, being his relative whose ear Peter cut off, said, “Did not I see thee in the garden with him? (John 18:26)
And this point, Peter begins to curse and swear in his denial of knowing Jesus.
Peter’s Sixth Denial
Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man (Matthew 26:74; Mark 14:71; Luke 22:60; John 18:27).
The Second Crow of the Rooster
And immediately the cock crew (Matthew 26:74; Mark 14:72; Luke 22:60; John 18:27).
Again, only in the Gospel of Mark (14:72), does it mention that the rooster crowed twice and ties that prophecy to the words of Jesus. 72Immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken to him: "Before the rooster crows twice you will disown me three times." And he broke down and wept.
And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, who said unto him, “Before the cock crow, thou shall deny me three times.” And he went out, and wept bitterly (Matthew 26:75; Mark 14:72; Luke 22:61-62).
So there you have it, a total of six denials by Peter. When the first three occurred, the rooster crowed for the first time. When Peter’s second three denials occurred, the rooster crowed for the second time -- a total of two crows indicating Peter’s six denials that had been fulfilled JUST AS JESUS SAID!
Now if that does not put hairs on your chest regarding the accuracy of Jesus’ words and the authority and inspiration of the Bible, nothing will.
But, I said all that simply to show this. In John 21, after Jesus’ resurrection, Jesus and Peter make contact for the very first time since Peter’s horrific six denials. I guarantee you this – Peter did not expect Jesus to show any love for him after his boastful statement of how although others would deny Him, he (Peter) would remain true.
And yet, that’s exactly what Jesus did. He showed His love for Peter when Peter least expected it – Notice John 21:15-17
15When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me more than these?" "Yes, Lord," he said, "you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my lambs." 16Again Jesus said, "Simon son of John, do you truly love me?" He answered, "Yes, Lord, you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Take care of my sheep." 17 The third time he said to him, "Simon son of John, do you love me?" Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, "Do you love me?" He said, "Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you." Jesus said, "Feed my sheep.
You see, we need to love people when they least expect it and least deserve it. When we love people who expect to be loved or deserve to be loved, that does not count for much. This is why buying a gift for someone on their birthday is like breaking even. They expect it.
But if you and I are really going to impact people like Jesus did, love them when they have just made the biggest mistake of their life and everyone else has deserted them.
This is how Jesus loved Peter – at a time when he least expected or deserved it. Can we also do the same? Of course we can with the love of God controlling us. Jesus comes out of nowhere and surprises us with His unconditional love.
How many times in your life can you attest to that? Now who in your life needs love, but expects it less from you? Surprise the person with the love that God has loved you with.
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Saturday, January 30, 2010
God Has His Reason For Procedures
1When he came down from the mountainside, large crowds followed him. 2A man with leprosy came and knelt before him and said, "Lord, if you are willing, you can make me clean."
3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” – Matt. 8
Here is an interesting account of a miracle that is often seen as stupendous. But a closer look reveals that partial healing actually occurred.
A leper comes to Jesus and humbly asks for cleansing. The leper did not doubt Jesus’ ability to heal him, only His willingness to do so. Jesus was more than willing. He touched the man and immediately the man was made whole.
Interestingly, Jesus’ command to this man was to “tell no one” of his healing from leprosy, but instead go directly to the priest and fulfill the offering prescribed in Leviticus 14.
The man disobeyed the Lord and went and told everyone (cf. Mark 1:45). Thus, this man was healed in one way, but not in another.
Now here is the deal. People often want to come to Jesus for healing and for whatever they need to be delivered from. Jesus is the Person to come to for deliverance. But here’s the question to raise: “If you are delivered from your situation, will you then obey the One who healed you?”
The law of God given through Moses states that, when a man was healed of leprosy, then he was to go to the temple and show himself to the priests. And if, upon examination, the man indeed was healed, he was to undergo a ceremonial ritual of cleansing (Leviticus 14:1-20). Only after this ceremony had been completed by the priest could the man then be restored to the social life of his people. God taught the Jewish people, "Take heed in an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you ; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do" (Deuteronomy 24:8). And according to 2 Corinthians 7:1, this principle of law continues today.
You see, this man was delivered from his leprosy, but not from his disobedience. Now of course, one can hardly blame the man when you think of the excitement that came over him. How would you react? But that’s my point.
Disobedience to the Lord never has an excuse. If “excitement” is a good reason for disobedience, then Satan will keep on setting us up to receiving it. And if we disobey Jesus over our personal excitement, then what else will we use?
In this brief story, Jesus showed concern for two people: First, He showed concern and compassion for the leper. Jesus healed him. Second, Jesus showed concern for the priest. He wanted the man to go first to the priest as a testimony.
The priest had a duty to fulfill. He had to present the appropriate offerings, examine the man who claimed to be healed (many of the priests functioned like medical practitioners), and once verified shall make the public pronouncement that the man is cleansed (Lev. 14:11).
Now when the priest makes the pronouncement of being cleaned, who is he making it to? The people.
Notice in Matthew 8:4, Jesus said show yourself to the priest (singular); and then Jesus adds, “for a testimony to them” (plural). Some see the “them” referring back to the priest. But Jesus did not say “priests,” but “priest.” The “them” would refer to the people who might have heard the rumor of a miracle occurring and are now waiting for an official word from the priest.
In other words – now watch this – Jesus did want this man to tell others of what God had done for Him in healing him from his leprosy. Jesus wanted the priest to tell the people upon verification. In other words, Jesus wanted this man to go through the proper procedures and channels. Jesus is most certainly interested in glorying His Father by letting others know about such a compassionate act on the part of God. But never for the sake of disobedience. Jesus had a plan and He wanted this man to follow the law of ceremonial cleansing mentioned in Leviticus 14 for a purpose. More good would have resulted if this man did so. So Jesus, wants others to know about what God has graciously done for this man as long as the "telling" part is done through the proper channel.
We read in Mark 1:45 that Jesus could no longer enter publicly into a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas. This hindered the Lord’s ministry and it caused Him not to minister directly into cities where He could have done an even greater good. So now, people had to leave their cities and homes and find Jesus outside in deserted regions. This pose some restrictions in that not everyone was able to travel at those distances and it posed a great deal of inconvenience.
You see my point is this: Sure, we love this man’s joy, excitement and enthusiasm for having experience a divine touch from God which resulted in his healing. But his disobedience to Christ brought negative consequences on Jesus’ ministry and others.
It is important that when we come to Christ for healing and deliverance, we must be committed to obey Him fully especially if He is willing to grant our healing. Don’t use your excitement over a miracle as an excuse to do what you want to do and therefore put aside what Jesus wants you to do. What you think is right at the time, may yield unfavorable results later.
When coming to Jesus for deliverance, don’t settle for a one-sided healing. Instead, be healed completely – physically and spiritually. And the proof of spiritual healing is your obedience to the Lord.
You and I will never go wrong listening to Jesus and following His Word fully. Going through proper channels and procedures may seem like a waste of time, but God put such procedures in place for a reason. The real waste of time will occur when we don't do things God's way and the results end up being far worse.
3Jesus reached out his hand and touched the man. "I am willing," he said. "Be clean!" Immediately he was cured of his leprosy. 4Then Jesus said to him, "See that you don't tell anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the gift Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” – Matt. 8
Here is an interesting account of a miracle that is often seen as stupendous. But a closer look reveals that partial healing actually occurred.
A leper comes to Jesus and humbly asks for cleansing. The leper did not doubt Jesus’ ability to heal him, only His willingness to do so. Jesus was more than willing. He touched the man and immediately the man was made whole.
Interestingly, Jesus’ command to this man was to “tell no one” of his healing from leprosy, but instead go directly to the priest and fulfill the offering prescribed in Leviticus 14.
The man disobeyed the Lord and went and told everyone (cf. Mark 1:45). Thus, this man was healed in one way, but not in another.
Now here is the deal. People often want to come to Jesus for healing and for whatever they need to be delivered from. Jesus is the Person to come to for deliverance. But here’s the question to raise: “If you are delivered from your situation, will you then obey the One who healed you?”
The law of God given through Moses states that, when a man was healed of leprosy, then he was to go to the temple and show himself to the priests. And if, upon examination, the man indeed was healed, he was to undergo a ceremonial ritual of cleansing (Leviticus 14:1-20). Only after this ceremony had been completed by the priest could the man then be restored to the social life of his people. God taught the Jewish people, "Take heed in an outbreak of leprosy, that you carefully observe and do according to all that the priests, the Levites, shall teach you ; just as I commanded them, so you shall be careful to do" (Deuteronomy 24:8). And according to 2 Corinthians 7:1, this principle of law continues today.
You see, this man was delivered from his leprosy, but not from his disobedience. Now of course, one can hardly blame the man when you think of the excitement that came over him. How would you react? But that’s my point.
Disobedience to the Lord never has an excuse. If “excitement” is a good reason for disobedience, then Satan will keep on setting us up to receiving it. And if we disobey Jesus over our personal excitement, then what else will we use?
In this brief story, Jesus showed concern for two people: First, He showed concern and compassion for the leper. Jesus healed him. Second, Jesus showed concern for the priest. He wanted the man to go first to the priest as a testimony.
The priest had a duty to fulfill. He had to present the appropriate offerings, examine the man who claimed to be healed (many of the priests functioned like medical practitioners), and once verified shall make the public pronouncement that the man is cleansed (Lev. 14:11).
Now when the priest makes the pronouncement of being cleaned, who is he making it to? The people.
Notice in Matthew 8:4, Jesus said show yourself to the priest (singular); and then Jesus adds, “for a testimony to them” (plural). Some see the “them” referring back to the priest. But Jesus did not say “priests,” but “priest.” The “them” would refer to the people who might have heard the rumor of a miracle occurring and are now waiting for an official word from the priest.
In other words – now watch this – Jesus did want this man to tell others of what God had done for Him in healing him from his leprosy. Jesus wanted the priest to tell the people upon verification. In other words, Jesus wanted this man to go through the proper procedures and channels. Jesus is most certainly interested in glorying His Father by letting others know about such a compassionate act on the part of God. But never for the sake of disobedience. Jesus had a plan and He wanted this man to follow the law of ceremonial cleansing mentioned in Leviticus 14 for a purpose. More good would have resulted if this man did so. So Jesus, wants others to know about what God has graciously done for this man as long as the "telling" part is done through the proper channel.
We read in Mark 1:45 that Jesus could no longer enter publicly into a city, but stayed out in unpopulated areas. This hindered the Lord’s ministry and it caused Him not to minister directly into cities where He could have done an even greater good. So now, people had to leave their cities and homes and find Jesus outside in deserted regions. This pose some restrictions in that not everyone was able to travel at those distances and it posed a great deal of inconvenience.
You see my point is this: Sure, we love this man’s joy, excitement and enthusiasm for having experience a divine touch from God which resulted in his healing. But his disobedience to Christ brought negative consequences on Jesus’ ministry and others.
It is important that when we come to Christ for healing and deliverance, we must be committed to obey Him fully especially if He is willing to grant our healing. Don’t use your excitement over a miracle as an excuse to do what you want to do and therefore put aside what Jesus wants you to do. What you think is right at the time, may yield unfavorable results later.
When coming to Jesus for deliverance, don’t settle for a one-sided healing. Instead, be healed completely – physically and spiritually. And the proof of spiritual healing is your obedience to the Lord.
You and I will never go wrong listening to Jesus and following His Word fully. Going through proper channels and procedures may seem like a waste of time, but God put such procedures in place for a reason. The real waste of time will occur when we don't do things God's way and the results end up being far worse.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
Faith and Certainty
What kind of faith do you have in God’s ability to bring deliverance? When you lean over the bedside of a sick and dying person – maybe a friend or close relative – do you have the kind of faith that does not doubt God’s will to heal? Or, when you pray, do you sometimes find yourself doubting God – not His power or ability to heal and deliver, but His will to do so?
I am struck by the uncompromising faith of David when he went up against Goliath (1 Sam. 17). Remember his words to king Saul who thought it was crazy for a young boy like David to go up against a giant like Goliath? David said to Saul: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37). And of course, you know the rest of the story. God did come through just as David said He would.
But how did David know this for sure? Did God tell him something that David is not saying? And if David was so sure of God’s mighty hand of deliverance, why did he then take with him five stones (v. 40)? One was more than enough. Was David talking big in front of king Saul but secretly battled with his own doubts? The bible does not say, but the outcome speaks for itself. God did deliver David and the faith that David had in God’s own ability and His will to do so was magnificent.
But my mind also takes me back to another story about three boys who also had a similar faith like David, but with a little less certainty.
Remember the story of Daniel’s three friends – Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (Dan. 3)? These three men along with Daniel refused to worship the idol that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. So as a punishment for their civil disobedience, they were sentence to be thrown into the furnace of fire. But I want you to listen to what they said to the king of Babylon. It was a little different than what David said to Saul.
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Like David, these three men did not doubt God’s ability, but unlike David, they doubted God’s will. They knew that God was more than able to deliver them, but they were not sure if He would.
Would you say that the faith of these three men was anything less than the faith of David? I don’t personally think so. I think they were being reasonable. They put all their hopes in the Lord’s ability to do what He thought would be best.
But here is the ONE CERTAINTY that I wish to convey to you. Even though they were not certain of God’s will, and they did express that to Nebuchadnezzar, they were absolutely certain of “their will” – “let it be known to you, O king, we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (v. 18).
Did you get that? There was uncertainty in the hearts of Daniel’s three friends with regards to God’s will, but there was no uncertainty in their hearts regarding their own will.
The lesson in these two stories are encouraging. Some have the faith of a David. “God will deliver me. . .” and some have the faith of Daniel’s three friends, “If it be so our God is able. . .but let it be known to you, we will not worship your gods.”
Both David and Daniel friends had the kind of faith that captures the attention of the rest of us. Both had a God-given faith for their particular situation. Both had pleased the Lord in their expression of their faith. And God responded to both of their faiths accordingly to His good pleasure.
So remember these two things: First, with David, “I know God will bring deliverance, but in the mean time, go see your doctor, take your medicine, do you part.” Isn’t this what David did when he took with him five stones? His faith in God did not negate his own personal preparation and responsibility.
Second, with reference to Daniel’s three friends, “I know God has the power and ability to bring deliverance to me, but even if He chooses not to, let it me known, I will serve and love Him to the end!”
How has your faith in God been lately?
I am struck by the uncompromising faith of David when he went up against Goliath (1 Sam. 17). Remember his words to king Saul who thought it was crazy for a young boy like David to go up against a giant like Goliath? David said to Saul: “The Lord who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine” (v. 37). And of course, you know the rest of the story. God did come through just as David said He would.
But how did David know this for sure? Did God tell him something that David is not saying? And if David was so sure of God’s mighty hand of deliverance, why did he then take with him five stones (v. 40)? One was more than enough. Was David talking big in front of king Saul but secretly battled with his own doubts? The bible does not say, but the outcome speaks for itself. God did deliver David and the faith that David had in God’s own ability and His will to do so was magnificent.
But my mind also takes me back to another story about three boys who also had a similar faith like David, but with a little less certainty.
Remember the story of Daniel’s three friends – Shadrach, Meshach and Abed-nego (Dan. 3)? These three men along with Daniel refused to worship the idol that Nebuchadnezzar had erected. So as a punishment for their civil disobedience, they were sentence to be thrown into the furnace of fire. But I want you to listen to what they said to the king of Babylon. It was a little different than what David said to Saul.
16 Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego replied to the king, "O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to defend ourselves before you in this matter. 17 If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to save us from it, and he will rescue us from your hand, O king. 18 But even if he does not, we want you to know, O king, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up."
Like David, these three men did not doubt God’s ability, but unlike David, they doubted God’s will. They knew that God was more than able to deliver them, but they were not sure if He would.
Would you say that the faith of these three men was anything less than the faith of David? I don’t personally think so. I think they were being reasonable. They put all their hopes in the Lord’s ability to do what He thought would be best.
But here is the ONE CERTAINTY that I wish to convey to you. Even though they were not certain of God’s will, and they did express that to Nebuchadnezzar, they were absolutely certain of “their will” – “let it be known to you, O king, we are not going to serve your gods or worship the golden image that you have set up” (v. 18).
Did you get that? There was uncertainty in the hearts of Daniel’s three friends with regards to God’s will, but there was no uncertainty in their hearts regarding their own will.
The lesson in these two stories are encouraging. Some have the faith of a David. “God will deliver me. . .” and some have the faith of Daniel’s three friends, “If it be so our God is able. . .but let it be known to you, we will not worship your gods.”
Both David and Daniel friends had the kind of faith that captures the attention of the rest of us. Both had a God-given faith for their particular situation. Both had pleased the Lord in their expression of their faith. And God responded to both of their faiths accordingly to His good pleasure.
So remember these two things: First, with David, “I know God will bring deliverance, but in the mean time, go see your doctor, take your medicine, do you part.” Isn’t this what David did when he took with him five stones? His faith in God did not negate his own personal preparation and responsibility.
Second, with reference to Daniel’s three friends, “I know God has the power and ability to bring deliverance to me, but even if He chooses not to, let it me known, I will serve and love Him to the end!”
How has your faith in God been lately?
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Listen: God is Using Haiti To Say Something To Us
Ron Pierre, board president for Baptist Haiti Mission, sent this update on the situation in Haiti:
• Our hospital is filled with people 250-300 people lying in the halls, many, many with serious injuries that need immediate attention, more people outside and surrounding areas with a constant flow coming in.
• Our doctors are exhausted, most all of our staff are assigned to the hospital.
• Thousands of people sleeping in the park just below in Petion-Ville, afraid to return to their homes.
• At least 10 to 15 thousand people are sleeping in the park near the airport with roving gangs of hoodlums attempting to steal whatever "aid" arrives before it gets to the helpless people.
• People all along the roads with serious injuries, multiple fractures and puncture wounds; bleeding and unattended.
• Chris passed women grasping their dying children in their arms, after a while it becomes overwhelming because there is not a thing that you can do about it..
• Countless small children wandering about without any parents or adult oversight.
• The initial stunned calm that was over the population is rapidly turning to despair and in many cases anger. There is a real danger of things turning very ugly, potentially for those who are beginning to arrive to help.
• For most of the "search and rescue" people that have arrived or will arrive, it will be far, far too late to save lives. The stench of death everywhere and is overwhelming. Many places have seen no help whatsoever.
• There are piles of bodies in many roads and some have become "roadblocks" in and of themselves.
• Many people are simply in shock, most have lost at least one or more family members.
• Vehicles are abandon, roads are blocked or down to one tight lane as large chucks of the mountain have fallen.
• Chris gave out about 100 very large heavy duty tarps today to be used as temporary shelters and it got very ugly as the last ones were dispersed. The actual process of giving out aid is going to be quite dangerous the longer it takes to reach the people.
• There appears to be no oversight of the "teams" arriving. They are equipped but do not know where to go or how to get there. It may improve but it is going to continue to be a big problem.
• Medical supplies are running low at our hospital; I asked for a list of the supplies that they need we can be a bit more specific in our requests when aid does arrive.
• We have a need for anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons. Any medical personnel would be a blessing.
• Chris commented that he has seen things over the past several days that he hoped he would never see and would chose never to see again.
• Many people are simply walking around in what is really clinical shock.
• Everything is closed down; no stores, no markets, water is in tight supply and is running out fast.
• People walk up and down the mountain just looking for their families; there is no transportation.
• The Samaritans Purse people were supposed to arrive today with Greta Van Susteren of FOXNews.com. The plane circled for about an hour but could not land. They returned to Miami.
• The same was true for several other planes caring supplies and aid for the mission. We desperately need a pump and water filters that are coming in.
• All in all, there are no words to describe what is taking place, the TV news gives inadequate for those of you who know Haiti, the conditions, the culture, the people.
• Two of our churches in PAP have been completely destroyed, we do not have reports on the many churches in outlying rural areas yet.
• Most every school in PAP is destroyed, personnel killed. It will be a long, long time before there will be any schools in PAP.
• Our chaplains have been ministering to every single person who comes to the hospital; scripture is read and they pray with each and every one. We do have some very dedicated people.
• Our mission families are all accounted for and remain uninjured; we need to uphold them in prayer during these times. God certainly gives the strength and grace when needed. They recognize that the tasks before them are humanly impossible; They also recognize that prayer is the greatest asset they have in this trial.
• We are trying to keep the website current with pictures, video, and various other feeds . . . . go to www.bhm.org. It may be a bit slow due to traffic but it does function.
One thing I often hear and read about is what is God saying to the people of Haiti? Perhaps, a better question is this: What is God saying to the rest of the world?
One of the things we need to keep in mind is that no one has a handle on what God is thinking. The bible is the only reliable source on the thoughts and heart of God, but we also must be sure that we do not wrongly apply bible passages to modern day catastrophes. In situations like what we see in Haiti, the best approach is to pray diligently for the people and relief workers, send money for support, and ask ourselves, “What is God saying to me about this disaster?”
Whenever a disaster of this magnitude hits anywhere in the world, one of the first passages I am reminded of is found in Luke 13:1-5: 1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
From this passage, I see three messages God would want us all to pay attention to.
1. We must Listen Carefully. Notice how Jesus brings up the topic of natural disasters and then He springs upon the people a couple of penetrating questions:
First, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?”
Second, “Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?”
It is as if Jesus is saying, “Don’t try to understand so much as to what God was saying to those who perished. Rather, the concern you should have is what is God saying to you since you are well aware of these tragedies?”
When you read through the report above, you are slapped with the intensity of the devastation that is over in Haiti. Our natural response is to ask, “Why them? What did they do to deserve this?”
But we should be listening carefully on our end as to what God is saying to us. Let me put it another way. Sadly, the dead are gone. But we the living are still around. So stop asking questions as to why this has happened to those who have died, what is God saying to those of us still alive? We the living should be listening carefully.
2. We must love unconditionally. You see, the issue we always must never forget is the issue of sin. Sin brings to the world terrible consequences. Naturally, we will think, “What terrible sin did those people commit?” But here is where unconditional love comes in. Whatever sin they had committed, we committed those sins too. The only difference is that our ground has not been shaking – at least not yet.
Twice Jesus said that those who perished were no more worse sinners than anyone else. But did anyone have the love to tell those people about the Messiah before such tragedies hit? You see, while there is still time, we need to check our own hearts for sin, confess and forsake it, and then reach out and lovingly warn others of their need to be right with God. This is where we are all the same no matter what country one lives in or race he or she is born into. It is the love of God that motivates me to tell others about Jesus. It is God’s love for me that enables me to love others unconditionally, since I am in no way better than anyone else or less of a sinner.
We all have sinned against God and offend His holy nature. We all should have perished, but God in His compassion has those of us still alive and breathing. Why? Is it not to passionately and lovingly take His message of hope and salvation in Christ to everyone we can, so if a tragedy strikes again, then the only perishing that will occur will be man made buildings and not the souls of men and women?
3. We must lead decisively. Jesus again, using repetition says twice to the listeners, “I tell you. . .” In other words, Jesus was putting the ball in their court. Since they heard Jesus’ explanation, what are they going to do about it? That’s the issue.
Hopefully, we will lead decisively in three ways: First, take the initiative and repent of your sins and get right with God. Second, tell others about Christ and His gracious offer of salvation for forgiveness of sins. Third, use the context of a tragedy to give of yourself to those who need help.
Tragedies like the one in Haiti is not something Christians should walk away from or turn their backs on. We might not be able to actually go there, but we can provide momentary resources and other vital ingredients to put “works” with our “faith.”
So when I read the papers or watch the news about Haiti or any other place in the world where a disaster will strike, I am reminded that God wants me to 1) Listen Carefully. We Christians during such tragedies should be more of God’s ears than His mouth. 2) Love Unconditionally. No one is more of a sinner than I. When it comes to sin, we are all in the same predicament. The only difference is that someone loved me enough to tell me about Jesus. Will I do the same? 3) Lead Decisively. I must take the initiative and look within me and repent of my own sins, share Jesus’ love with others, and get involve.
• Our hospital is filled with people 250-300 people lying in the halls, many, many with serious injuries that need immediate attention, more people outside and surrounding areas with a constant flow coming in.
• Our doctors are exhausted, most all of our staff are assigned to the hospital.
• Thousands of people sleeping in the park just below in Petion-Ville, afraid to return to their homes.
• At least 10 to 15 thousand people are sleeping in the park near the airport with roving gangs of hoodlums attempting to steal whatever "aid" arrives before it gets to the helpless people.
• People all along the roads with serious injuries, multiple fractures and puncture wounds; bleeding and unattended.
• Chris passed women grasping their dying children in their arms, after a while it becomes overwhelming because there is not a thing that you can do about it..
• Countless small children wandering about without any parents or adult oversight.
• The initial stunned calm that was over the population is rapidly turning to despair and in many cases anger. There is a real danger of things turning very ugly, potentially for those who are beginning to arrive to help.
• For most of the "search and rescue" people that have arrived or will arrive, it will be far, far too late to save lives. The stench of death everywhere and is overwhelming. Many places have seen no help whatsoever.
• There are piles of bodies in many roads and some have become "roadblocks" in and of themselves.
• Many people are simply in shock, most have lost at least one or more family members.
• Vehicles are abandon, roads are blocked or down to one tight lane as large chucks of the mountain have fallen.
• Chris gave out about 100 very large heavy duty tarps today to be used as temporary shelters and it got very ugly as the last ones were dispersed. The actual process of giving out aid is going to be quite dangerous the longer it takes to reach the people.
• There appears to be no oversight of the "teams" arriving. They are equipped but do not know where to go or how to get there. It may improve but it is going to continue to be a big problem.
• Medical supplies are running low at our hospital; I asked for a list of the supplies that they need we can be a bit more specific in our requests when aid does arrive.
• We have a need for anesthesiologists and orthopedic surgeons. Any medical personnel would be a blessing.
• Chris commented that he has seen things over the past several days that he hoped he would never see and would chose never to see again.
• Many people are simply walking around in what is really clinical shock.
• Everything is closed down; no stores, no markets, water is in tight supply and is running out fast.
• People walk up and down the mountain just looking for their families; there is no transportation.
• The Samaritans Purse people were supposed to arrive today with Greta Van Susteren of FOXNews.com. The plane circled for about an hour but could not land. They returned to Miami.
• The same was true for several other planes caring supplies and aid for the mission. We desperately need a pump and water filters that are coming in.
• All in all, there are no words to describe what is taking place, the TV news gives inadequate for those of you who know Haiti, the conditions, the culture, the people.
• Two of our churches in PAP have been completely destroyed, we do not have reports on the many churches in outlying rural areas yet.
• Most every school in PAP is destroyed, personnel killed. It will be a long, long time before there will be any schools in PAP.
• Our chaplains have been ministering to every single person who comes to the hospital; scripture is read and they pray with each and every one. We do have some very dedicated people.
• Our mission families are all accounted for and remain uninjured; we need to uphold them in prayer during these times. God certainly gives the strength and grace when needed. They recognize that the tasks before them are humanly impossible; They also recognize that prayer is the greatest asset they have in this trial.
• We are trying to keep the website current with pictures, video, and various other feeds . . . . go to www.bhm.org. It may be a bit slow due to traffic but it does function.
One thing I often hear and read about is what is God saying to the people of Haiti? Perhaps, a better question is this: What is God saying to the rest of the world?
One of the things we need to keep in mind is that no one has a handle on what God is thinking. The bible is the only reliable source on the thoughts and heart of God, but we also must be sure that we do not wrongly apply bible passages to modern day catastrophes. In situations like what we see in Haiti, the best approach is to pray diligently for the people and relief workers, send money for support, and ask ourselves, “What is God saying to me about this disaster?”
Whenever a disaster of this magnitude hits anywhere in the world, one of the first passages I am reminded of is found in Luke 13:1-5: 1Now there were some present at that time who told Jesus about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. 2Jesus answered, "Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way? 3I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish. 4Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish."
From this passage, I see three messages God would want us all to pay attention to.
1. We must Listen Carefully. Notice how Jesus brings up the topic of natural disasters and then He springs upon the people a couple of penetrating questions:
First, “Do you think that these Galileans were worse sinners than all the other Galileans because they suffered this way?”
Second, “Or those eighteen who died when the tower in Siloam fell on them—do you think they were more guilty than all the others living in Jerusalem?”
It is as if Jesus is saying, “Don’t try to understand so much as to what God was saying to those who perished. Rather, the concern you should have is what is God saying to you since you are well aware of these tragedies?”
When you read through the report above, you are slapped with the intensity of the devastation that is over in Haiti. Our natural response is to ask, “Why them? What did they do to deserve this?”
But we should be listening carefully on our end as to what God is saying to us. Let me put it another way. Sadly, the dead are gone. But we the living are still around. So stop asking questions as to why this has happened to those who have died, what is God saying to those of us still alive? We the living should be listening carefully.
2. We must love unconditionally. You see, the issue we always must never forget is the issue of sin. Sin brings to the world terrible consequences. Naturally, we will think, “What terrible sin did those people commit?” But here is where unconditional love comes in. Whatever sin they had committed, we committed those sins too. The only difference is that our ground has not been shaking – at least not yet.
Twice Jesus said that those who perished were no more worse sinners than anyone else. But did anyone have the love to tell those people about the Messiah before such tragedies hit? You see, while there is still time, we need to check our own hearts for sin, confess and forsake it, and then reach out and lovingly warn others of their need to be right with God. This is where we are all the same no matter what country one lives in or race he or she is born into. It is the love of God that motivates me to tell others about Jesus. It is God’s love for me that enables me to love others unconditionally, since I am in no way better than anyone else or less of a sinner.
We all have sinned against God and offend His holy nature. We all should have perished, but God in His compassion has those of us still alive and breathing. Why? Is it not to passionately and lovingly take His message of hope and salvation in Christ to everyone we can, so if a tragedy strikes again, then the only perishing that will occur will be man made buildings and not the souls of men and women?
3. We must lead decisively. Jesus again, using repetition says twice to the listeners, “I tell you. . .” In other words, Jesus was putting the ball in their court. Since they heard Jesus’ explanation, what are they going to do about it? That’s the issue.
Hopefully, we will lead decisively in three ways: First, take the initiative and repent of your sins and get right with God. Second, tell others about Christ and His gracious offer of salvation for forgiveness of sins. Third, use the context of a tragedy to give of yourself to those who need help.
Tragedies like the one in Haiti is not something Christians should walk away from or turn their backs on. We might not be able to actually go there, but we can provide momentary resources and other vital ingredients to put “works” with our “faith.”
So when I read the papers or watch the news about Haiti or any other place in the world where a disaster will strike, I am reminded that God wants me to 1) Listen Carefully. We Christians during such tragedies should be more of God’s ears than His mouth. 2) Love Unconditionally. No one is more of a sinner than I. When it comes to sin, we are all in the same predicament. The only difference is that someone loved me enough to tell me about Jesus. Will I do the same? 3) Lead Decisively. I must take the initiative and look within me and repent of my own sins, share Jesus’ love with others, and get involve.
Friday, January 15, 2010
How To Make Today Really Count
In him was life, and that life was the light of men. 5The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it – John 1:4-5 NIV
The Father and Son both have something in common – Life in themselves – self-existence. All of creation, including us of course, can be considered “as becoming.” Nothing created by God is unchangeable. Only God has the attribute of immutability. Since He is self-existent and has life in Himself, and since He is eternal and infinite, He is also unchanging. All else that is not eternal around Him changes.
The bible says, “In God we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). In other words, we cannot do anything apart from God. Yes, even our breath comes from God – all of it. To say therefore that in Jesus was life is to attribute to Him the purest form of deity.
So let’s think about Jesus as having self-existence. What we normally take for granted until we have a heart-attack, stroke or in some way find it hard to breathe is life itself. How often do you thank God for the life you have? God is responsible for your physical life and eternal life.
Since we know that in Jesus is life, and since we have been given life, we can confidently conclude that life is a gift from God who has given to us the greatest gift of all and that is His Son. “He who has the Son has life and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
Every living being has the gift of life and to one extent God as a gift, since in God is life. But only believers have come to appreciate this gift of life found in the Person of Christ.
How valuable is salt? 40 million tons are required each year to fill our needs. Homer called it divine. Plato called it a "substance dear to the gods." Shakespeare mentioned salt 17 times in his plays. Perhaps Leonard da Vinci wanted to send a subtle message about purity lost when he painted "The Last Supper"; in that painting, an overturned salt cellar is conspicuously placed before Judas.
In ancient Greece, a far-flung trade involving the exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, "...not worth his salt." Special salt rations were given to Roman soldiers and known as "solarium argentums," the forerunner of the English word "salary." Thousands of Napoleon's troops died during his retreat from Moscow because their wounds would not heal—their bodies lacked salt.
The human body contains about 4 oz. of salt; without enough of it, muscles won't contract, blood won't circulate, food won't digest and the heart won't beat a beat. Without a doubt, salt is the essence of life. And Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13).
You are valuable because you have been given a truly valuable gift from God. Make this day count. Take time throughout this day to thank God for giving to you the gift of life. You have been given another day to make your appreciation to God really count.
The Father and Son both have something in common – Life in themselves – self-existence. All of creation, including us of course, can be considered “as becoming.” Nothing created by God is unchangeable. Only God has the attribute of immutability. Since He is self-existent and has life in Himself, and since He is eternal and infinite, He is also unchanging. All else that is not eternal around Him changes.
The bible says, “In God we live and move and exist” (Acts 17:28). In other words, we cannot do anything apart from God. Yes, even our breath comes from God – all of it. To say therefore that in Jesus was life is to attribute to Him the purest form of deity.
So let’s think about Jesus as having self-existence. What we normally take for granted until we have a heart-attack, stroke or in some way find it hard to breathe is life itself. How often do you thank God for the life you have? God is responsible for your physical life and eternal life.
Since we know that in Jesus is life, and since we have been given life, we can confidently conclude that life is a gift from God who has given to us the greatest gift of all and that is His Son. “He who has the Son has life and he who does not have the Son of God does not have life” (1 John 5:12).
Every living being has the gift of life and to one extent God as a gift, since in God is life. But only believers have come to appreciate this gift of life found in the Person of Christ.
How valuable is salt? 40 million tons are required each year to fill our needs. Homer called it divine. Plato called it a "substance dear to the gods." Shakespeare mentioned salt 17 times in his plays. Perhaps Leonard da Vinci wanted to send a subtle message about purity lost when he painted "The Last Supper"; in that painting, an overturned salt cellar is conspicuously placed before Judas.
In ancient Greece, a far-flung trade involving the exchange of salt for slaves gave rise to the expression, "...not worth his salt." Special salt rations were given to Roman soldiers and known as "solarium argentums," the forerunner of the English word "salary." Thousands of Napoleon's troops died during his retreat from Moscow because their wounds would not heal—their bodies lacked salt.
The human body contains about 4 oz. of salt; without enough of it, muscles won't contract, blood won't circulate, food won't digest and the heart won't beat a beat. Without a doubt, salt is the essence of life. And Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth" (Matt. 5:13).
You are valuable because you have been given a truly valuable gift from God. Make this day count. Take time throughout this day to thank God for giving to you the gift of life. You have been given another day to make your appreciation to God really count.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
What Happens When My Wife Gets Excited About An Idea?
15The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and keep it (Gen. 2:15 ESV). 24He drove out the man, and at the east of the Garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life (Gen. 3:24 ESV).
Adam was put in the Garden of Eden to do two things: To work it, that is to cultivate the ground, and also to keep it. The bible does not actually say if he ever did both. We can only assume he did. When we think of Adam being placed in the Garden by God to work it, we often wrongly conclude that once he was placed in the Garden, his fall into sin quickly followed. But this may not have been the case. There may have been a great deal of time in which both Adam and Eve lived their lives enjoying the Garden of Eden before they were removed by God on account of their sin.
I don’t have a problem believing Adam cultivated the ground of the Garden. What I am not so sure of is if he ever did the “keeping” of it. Interestingly, the same Hebrew word for “keep” in 2:15 (shamar) is also used in 3:24, translated “guard.”
God wanted Adam to both work in the Garden and to “guard” it. Now what was Adam to guard in the Garden? Well, what was the one tree God told Adam not to eat from? Was it not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Adam and Eve would be having children and grand-children and great grand-children, etc. Therefore, in order for God’s command not to be violated, Adam was told to “guard” the garden in addition to working in it.
Note: When I have asked others what was in the Garden of Eden worth guarding, some have said “the tree of life” (Gen. 2:9). But remember this: God NEVER told Adam he could not eat from the “tree of life.” He was only forbidden to eat from ONE tree only and that was from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (2:16-17). So, I personally believe Adam ate of the tree of life before his fall.
Now remember this folks: Adam already had longevity, right? God said to Adam that in the day you eat from the wrong tree, you will surely die. This means, that if he did not eat from the wrong tree he would not have died. God never said, “Until you eat from the tree of life, you will never live forever.” Nor did God say, “Unless you eat from the tree of life and not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will not live eternally. Adam already had the potential of longevity on earth in which he would not die. The only thing that would cut short Adam’s life was to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
So Adam, I believe partook of the “tree of life” not to have longevity, but he partook of the tree of life BECAUSE he had longevity. You see my point?
Do not think that Adam was ever forbidden to eat from the “tree of life” prior to his fall. He was only forbidden to do so “after” his fall. Adam lost his right to enjoy eating from the “tree of life” after his fall, but not before it. Adam’s life of longevity did not begin when he partook from the tree of life, it began when God first formed him out of the dust of the earth and breathe into him the breath of life. The partaking of the tree of life was put in the Garden for Adam to enjoy BECAUSE he would not die, not to partake from it in order to be given eternal life.
Now remember also this: It is called “The tree of life” (Gen. 2:9; 3:22, 24), not “the tree of eternal life.” So a person like Adam, before his fall, ate from the tree of life, not to get longevity – he already possessed it. But he ate of it because he had longevity from God and to also enjoy the fruit of it. Now of course, understand that we are talking about longevity in the physical and spiritual sense.
When God first formed Adam and breathe into him the breath of life, Adam was at that moment given both physical and spiritual life. When God told Adam that on the day he eats from the wrong tree, he would surely die, God had in mind two kinds of deaths: physical and spiritual. When Adam ate from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” Adam died spiritually instantly. He was instantly separated from God. But his physical death did not occur instantly. He did not die until he was over 900 years old. But as promised by God, he did die.
Why then did God put a Cherubim to guard the tree of life from being eaten? Simple. God did not want Adam in his sinful spiritual and physical state to eat from it or else he would remain alive “spiritually” in his sin forever. If such a thing occurred, then Adam could be permanently separated from God in such a state. Sin had to be punished. God is holy and there must be justice – and there was. Remember, God made garments of skin for Adam (God performed the first animal sacrifice, which pointed ultimately to the one sacrifice of His Son yet to come) which took care immediately Adam’s spiritual separation from God – i.e. his spiritual standing before the Lord.
Sin was dealt with on one level when Adam died physically (Gen. 5:5). “It is appointed unto man once to die. . .” (Heb. 9:27). But even though God performed the first animal sacrifice and made for Adam and Eve garments of skin, this was only a “temporary solution” for Adam’s sinful state. You see, the animal sacrifices were never meant to “take away the sin of the sinner,” (Heb. 10:11); instead such sacrifices only “covered the sin,” thus the picture of the garments of animal skins used for clothing. Animal sacrifices simply saved a sinner “on credit,” until Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God paid the ultimate sacrifice and thus paid the debt of all men who had applied to their lives the blood of animal sacrifices.
While in heaven, did Lucifer and the other one-third of the angels have eternal life? Yes. But what cut it short? Lucifer’s rebellion and of those who followed him.
Now let’s go a step further here. Keep this in mind as well. We think of “eternal life” as life that never ends, right? Well, this really is not the case. Every person who dies without Jesus still lives, right? Everyone born will NEVER die in terms of having life that never ends. The issue is– watch this – it’s the QUALITY of life. Where will one’s never ending life be lived? In heaven in the presence of God where there will be joy forever, or in hell apart from the presence of God where there will be pain and suffering forever? We need to understand that once God gives to each person his or her soul, never-ending life starts right then. Now the challenge is to decide what kind of quality of life does a person want? Life with Jesus or life apart from Jesus – it is all eternal.
Now watch this: By guarding God’s command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam was doing something that we often forget when it comes to understanding God’s commands. Adam was protecting others from the curse of sin. Someone may stumble into the Garden, see the forbidden tree and be tempted to eat from it. If that were to happen, then God’s Word would have been broken and the result would be death. Adam’s responsibility was to guard the Garden so as to ensure everyone’s protection. That was his job as both a husband and father.
Well, we know what went wrong. Eve took of the forbidden fruit and ate. Where was Adam? I don’t know, but I do know that he was no where guarding the Garden as was commanded to him by God. For if he was doing what God wanted him to do, Eve would have been stopped from falling prey to the serpent’s temptation.
Maybe this explains why Adam so willingly partook of the forbidden fruit from his wife. He realized that he had neglected his responsibility to guard the Garden, and his neglect was his fault that led to his wife’s fall.
You know how some people when they realize how irresponsible they were and how their irresponsibility may have cause the life of a loved one, once they process the enormity of their guilt, they end up taking their own life or try to destroy it in some way to ease the pain and deal with the guilt?
I remember this one young couple on the Mainland who had to deal with their son falling into their swimming pool because the wife took her eyes off of him for a moment. Her son fell into the pool and when she hung up the phone to go looking for him, there he was in the middle of the pool floating face down.
The guilt of knowing that your irresponsibility had caused your son to almost die and become crippled for life is overwhelmingly painful. You often pray to God, “Please, let me suffer for my irresponsibility, not him!”
Perhaps, Adam felt the same way, so to deal with his guilt of being an irresponsible husband to his wife, he willingly ate of the forbidden fruit so he would suffer the same fate as his wife.
I don’t know, I am only using sanctified speculation. But I do know that God told Adam to “keep” the Garden, and I do know what the word “keep” means “to guard” or “protect.” There was only one danger in that Garden worth watching over and that was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Eve slipped through Adam’s guard and became a casualty. Now remember, God told Adam that whoever eats from this tree will surely die (Gen. 2:17). There were no other women around. When Eve ate of the tree and Adam knew what the consequences would be, there would go his wife and at that time the only woman on the planet.
Here’s the bottom line: God asks of us, fathers and husbands to “guard” members of our families from the forbidden fruit of the world. What kind of job are we doing?
Could it be that working the ground and guarding the Garden goes hand in hand? If Adam had been working the ground of the Garden, would he not also have been in a better position of guarding the Garden? When he should have been working in the Garden, he wasn’t. And the serpent used Adam’s absence to take advantage of his wife’s vulnerability. I have worked as a security guard long enough to know that you cannot guard a place while at the same time leaving your post. Adam left the Garden. To leave the Garden was not forbidden by God. What Adam should have done in terms of protecting his wife was when he left the Garden, he should have took her with him.
When God gives a command, always remember that behind every command uttered by God, there is the element of protection that goes with it. When God says, “Thou shall not. . .,” God is really saying, “I am trying to protect you from some serious consequences.” Therefore, we need to guard the commands of God seriously. We are to keep God’s commands in the sense of holding them close to our hearts so His commands are never out of our sight. To be a good guard means to keep whatever you are guarding within your sight.
Here’s a few more interesting observations. First, Adam was told by God not only to rule over the Garden, but also the earth (Gen. 1:28). So the extent of Adam’s rulership went beyond the boundaries of the Garden. We must not think that the only place Adam was to live his life was within the confinement of the Garden. No, Adam could move about freely outside the Garden.
Second, food was not limited to what was found in the Garden for both man and animals (Gen. 1:29-30). Adam could freely eat of any tree outside of the Garden. He was not limited to eating only what was within the Garden itself.
Third, God was looking for someone to cultivate the ground outside of the Garden before Adam came along (Gen. 2:5). Adam was told to cultivate the Garden too (v. 15). The only difference between working in the Garden and working outside of it was God told Adam to “guard” the Garden, but he was not told to guard the land outside of the garden.
Fourth, Adam was created outside of the Garden and afterwards place in it by God (Gen. 2:7-8). After Adam had sinned, God expelled him outside of the Garden where he was first created and where his body would once again return to dust (Gen. 2:23-24). What I find interesting was that after Adam had sinned, God stationed a Cherubim to guard anyone from eating of the tree of life (v. 24). But why did God have to expel Adam from the Garden? What God wanted guarded was the tree of life so that Adam would not be tempted to eat of it in his sinful state. But the tree could still be guarded without having to expel Adam from the Garden itself.
Perhaps, the Garden could also be looked upon as an illustration of heaven. The “tree of life” would be a type of Christ. Where is the tree of life now? In heaven or paradise (cf. Rev. 2:7; 22:2, 14). The Garden, being perhaps a representation of heaven itself where God, the giver of life dwells cannot contain anything sinful. This is why Satan was also expelled (Luke 10:18). Since Adam and Eve sinned, both had to be expelled from the Garden, never to return again in their natural state. Therefore, the Cherubim not only guarded the tree of life, but also kept sinful man from entering back into the Garden (a type of heaven itself).
Apparently, nothing died in the Garden. When God expelled Adam from the Garden, he was brought back to the place where God had originally formed him. This would be the place where he would eventually die outside of the Garden. Similarly, nothing dies in heaven. All physical death and decay occurs here on earth. If Adam were to reenter the Garden, if would have to do so not with his natural sinful body, but with a resurrected glorified body.
Anyway, I must thank my wife for getting me started on these observations. Most of what I have put in words came from her own bible study observations that she excitedly shared with me. I am sure glad she did.
Adam was put in the Garden of Eden to do two things: To work it, that is to cultivate the ground, and also to keep it. The bible does not actually say if he ever did both. We can only assume he did. When we think of Adam being placed in the Garden by God to work it, we often wrongly conclude that once he was placed in the Garden, his fall into sin quickly followed. But this may not have been the case. There may have been a great deal of time in which both Adam and Eve lived their lives enjoying the Garden of Eden before they were removed by God on account of their sin.
I don’t have a problem believing Adam cultivated the ground of the Garden. What I am not so sure of is if he ever did the “keeping” of it. Interestingly, the same Hebrew word for “keep” in 2:15 (shamar) is also used in 3:24, translated “guard.”
God wanted Adam to both work in the Garden and to “guard” it. Now what was Adam to guard in the Garden? Well, what was the one tree God told Adam not to eat from? Was it not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? Adam and Eve would be having children and grand-children and great grand-children, etc. Therefore, in order for God’s command not to be violated, Adam was told to “guard” the garden in addition to working in it.
Note: When I have asked others what was in the Garden of Eden worth guarding, some have said “the tree of life” (Gen. 2:9). But remember this: God NEVER told Adam he could not eat from the “tree of life.” He was only forbidden to eat from ONE tree only and that was from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil” (2:16-17). So, I personally believe Adam ate of the tree of life before his fall.
Now remember this folks: Adam already had longevity, right? God said to Adam that in the day you eat from the wrong tree, you will surely die. This means, that if he did not eat from the wrong tree he would not have died. God never said, “Until you eat from the tree of life, you will never live forever.” Nor did God say, “Unless you eat from the tree of life and not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you will not live eternally. Adam already had the potential of longevity on earth in which he would not die. The only thing that would cut short Adam’s life was to eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
So Adam, I believe partook of the “tree of life” not to have longevity, but he partook of the tree of life BECAUSE he had longevity. You see my point?
Do not think that Adam was ever forbidden to eat from the “tree of life” prior to his fall. He was only forbidden to do so “after” his fall. Adam lost his right to enjoy eating from the “tree of life” after his fall, but not before it. Adam’s life of longevity did not begin when he partook from the tree of life, it began when God first formed him out of the dust of the earth and breathe into him the breath of life. The partaking of the tree of life was put in the Garden for Adam to enjoy BECAUSE he would not die, not to partake from it in order to be given eternal life.
Now remember also this: It is called “The tree of life” (Gen. 2:9; 3:22, 24), not “the tree of eternal life.” So a person like Adam, before his fall, ate from the tree of life, not to get longevity – he already possessed it. But he ate of it because he had longevity from God and to also enjoy the fruit of it. Now of course, understand that we are talking about longevity in the physical and spiritual sense.
When God first formed Adam and breathe into him the breath of life, Adam was at that moment given both physical and spiritual life. When God told Adam that on the day he eats from the wrong tree, he would surely die, God had in mind two kinds of deaths: physical and spiritual. When Adam ate from “the tree of knowledge of good and evil,” Adam died spiritually instantly. He was instantly separated from God. But his physical death did not occur instantly. He did not die until he was over 900 years old. But as promised by God, he did die.
Why then did God put a Cherubim to guard the tree of life from being eaten? Simple. God did not want Adam in his sinful spiritual and physical state to eat from it or else he would remain alive “spiritually” in his sin forever. If such a thing occurred, then Adam could be permanently separated from God in such a state. Sin had to be punished. God is holy and there must be justice – and there was. Remember, God made garments of skin for Adam (God performed the first animal sacrifice, which pointed ultimately to the one sacrifice of His Son yet to come) which took care immediately Adam’s spiritual separation from God – i.e. his spiritual standing before the Lord.
Sin was dealt with on one level when Adam died physically (Gen. 5:5). “It is appointed unto man once to die. . .” (Heb. 9:27). But even though God performed the first animal sacrifice and made for Adam and Eve garments of skin, this was only a “temporary solution” for Adam’s sinful state. You see, the animal sacrifices were never meant to “take away the sin of the sinner,” (Heb. 10:11); instead such sacrifices only “covered the sin,” thus the picture of the garments of animal skins used for clothing. Animal sacrifices simply saved a sinner “on credit,” until Jesus, the perfect Lamb of God paid the ultimate sacrifice and thus paid the debt of all men who had applied to their lives the blood of animal sacrifices.
While in heaven, did Lucifer and the other one-third of the angels have eternal life? Yes. But what cut it short? Lucifer’s rebellion and of those who followed him.
Now let’s go a step further here. Keep this in mind as well. We think of “eternal life” as life that never ends, right? Well, this really is not the case. Every person who dies without Jesus still lives, right? Everyone born will NEVER die in terms of having life that never ends. The issue is– watch this – it’s the QUALITY of life. Where will one’s never ending life be lived? In heaven in the presence of God where there will be joy forever, or in hell apart from the presence of God where there will be pain and suffering forever? We need to understand that once God gives to each person his or her soul, never-ending life starts right then. Now the challenge is to decide what kind of quality of life does a person want? Life with Jesus or life apart from Jesus – it is all eternal.
Now watch this: By guarding God’s command not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, Adam was doing something that we often forget when it comes to understanding God’s commands. Adam was protecting others from the curse of sin. Someone may stumble into the Garden, see the forbidden tree and be tempted to eat from it. If that were to happen, then God’s Word would have been broken and the result would be death. Adam’s responsibility was to guard the Garden so as to ensure everyone’s protection. That was his job as both a husband and father.
Well, we know what went wrong. Eve took of the forbidden fruit and ate. Where was Adam? I don’t know, but I do know that he was no where guarding the Garden as was commanded to him by God. For if he was doing what God wanted him to do, Eve would have been stopped from falling prey to the serpent’s temptation.
Maybe this explains why Adam so willingly partook of the forbidden fruit from his wife. He realized that he had neglected his responsibility to guard the Garden, and his neglect was his fault that led to his wife’s fall.
You know how some people when they realize how irresponsible they were and how their irresponsibility may have cause the life of a loved one, once they process the enormity of their guilt, they end up taking their own life or try to destroy it in some way to ease the pain and deal with the guilt?
I remember this one young couple on the Mainland who had to deal with their son falling into their swimming pool because the wife took her eyes off of him for a moment. Her son fell into the pool and when she hung up the phone to go looking for him, there he was in the middle of the pool floating face down.
The guilt of knowing that your irresponsibility had caused your son to almost die and become crippled for life is overwhelmingly painful. You often pray to God, “Please, let me suffer for my irresponsibility, not him!”
Perhaps, Adam felt the same way, so to deal with his guilt of being an irresponsible husband to his wife, he willingly ate of the forbidden fruit so he would suffer the same fate as his wife.
I don’t know, I am only using sanctified speculation. But I do know that God told Adam to “keep” the Garden, and I do know what the word “keep” means “to guard” or “protect.” There was only one danger in that Garden worth watching over and that was the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.”
Eve slipped through Adam’s guard and became a casualty. Now remember, God told Adam that whoever eats from this tree will surely die (Gen. 2:17). There were no other women around. When Eve ate of the tree and Adam knew what the consequences would be, there would go his wife and at that time the only woman on the planet.
Here’s the bottom line: God asks of us, fathers and husbands to “guard” members of our families from the forbidden fruit of the world. What kind of job are we doing?
Could it be that working the ground and guarding the Garden goes hand in hand? If Adam had been working the ground of the Garden, would he not also have been in a better position of guarding the Garden? When he should have been working in the Garden, he wasn’t. And the serpent used Adam’s absence to take advantage of his wife’s vulnerability. I have worked as a security guard long enough to know that you cannot guard a place while at the same time leaving your post. Adam left the Garden. To leave the Garden was not forbidden by God. What Adam should have done in terms of protecting his wife was when he left the Garden, he should have took her with him.
When God gives a command, always remember that behind every command uttered by God, there is the element of protection that goes with it. When God says, “Thou shall not. . .,” God is really saying, “I am trying to protect you from some serious consequences.” Therefore, we need to guard the commands of God seriously. We are to keep God’s commands in the sense of holding them close to our hearts so His commands are never out of our sight. To be a good guard means to keep whatever you are guarding within your sight.
Here’s a few more interesting observations. First, Adam was told by God not only to rule over the Garden, but also the earth (Gen. 1:28). So the extent of Adam’s rulership went beyond the boundaries of the Garden. We must not think that the only place Adam was to live his life was within the confinement of the Garden. No, Adam could move about freely outside the Garden.
Second, food was not limited to what was found in the Garden for both man and animals (Gen. 1:29-30). Adam could freely eat of any tree outside of the Garden. He was not limited to eating only what was within the Garden itself.
Third, God was looking for someone to cultivate the ground outside of the Garden before Adam came along (Gen. 2:5). Adam was told to cultivate the Garden too (v. 15). The only difference between working in the Garden and working outside of it was God told Adam to “guard” the Garden, but he was not told to guard the land outside of the garden.
Fourth, Adam was created outside of the Garden and afterwards place in it by God (Gen. 2:7-8). After Adam had sinned, God expelled him outside of the Garden where he was first created and where his body would once again return to dust (Gen. 2:23-24). What I find interesting was that after Adam had sinned, God stationed a Cherubim to guard anyone from eating of the tree of life (v. 24). But why did God have to expel Adam from the Garden? What God wanted guarded was the tree of life so that Adam would not be tempted to eat of it in his sinful state. But the tree could still be guarded without having to expel Adam from the Garden itself.
Perhaps, the Garden could also be looked upon as an illustration of heaven. The “tree of life” would be a type of Christ. Where is the tree of life now? In heaven or paradise (cf. Rev. 2:7; 22:2, 14). The Garden, being perhaps a representation of heaven itself where God, the giver of life dwells cannot contain anything sinful. This is why Satan was also expelled (Luke 10:18). Since Adam and Eve sinned, both had to be expelled from the Garden, never to return again in their natural state. Therefore, the Cherubim not only guarded the tree of life, but also kept sinful man from entering back into the Garden (a type of heaven itself).
Apparently, nothing died in the Garden. When God expelled Adam from the Garden, he was brought back to the place where God had originally formed him. This would be the place where he would eventually die outside of the Garden. Similarly, nothing dies in heaven. All physical death and decay occurs here on earth. If Adam were to reenter the Garden, if would have to do so not with his natural sinful body, but with a resurrected glorified body.
Anyway, I must thank my wife for getting me started on these observations. Most of what I have put in words came from her own bible study observations that she excitedly shared with me. I am sure glad she did.
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