A Glorious Church

Today marks the first Sunday of Advent, as celebrated in the Roman Catholic Church.  Advent begins on November 27, 2011, and ends on December 24, 2011, this year.

The word "Advent" comes from the Latin word “Adventus”, and means “Coming”.  It that refers to the coming of Christ.  In Western churches, Advent signifies expectation and the awaiting of the nativity of Jesus.  In Eastern churches, it signifies observances as the church waits to celebrate the nativity of Jesus.

“Adventus” derives from the Greek word “Parousia” which is often used in reference to the Second Coming of Christ.

Advent commemorates the first coming of Christ and the waiting for His second coming.

In Acts 1: 9 – 11, the angles told Jesus' apostles, as they watched Jesus being taken up from them into Heaven, that He will return in a similar manner.

A Wedding

In Matthew 25: 1 – 13, Jesus told a parable and likened the Kingdom of God as to virgins who went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five were wise and had extra oil, as they waited for the Groom to come; while the other five only had enough oil in their lamps.  When the groom came at midnight as the lamps were going out, the wise virgin who had extra oil went into the wedding feast to join in the celebrations; while the foolish virgins were running about searching for oil and were shut out of the feast.

The Canadian Wedding Industry is a $4 Billion a year industry.  According to the Wedding Planners Institute of Canada Inc., 1 in 5 in Canadian couples hired a Wedding Coordinator in 2010.  That's 2-% of couples who got married.  What about the other 80%, you ask?  I'm glad you did.

Most women have planned their weddings, since they were little girls.  They know the style of their dress.  They want to wear a tiara.  They plan every little detail of their wedding, and all is ready - even many years before they even meet their groom.  Quite often the wedding plans change when the girl's mother or future mother-in-law becomes involved in the planning of the actual weddings.  But, for the most part, most women know what they want for their weddings.

They get to be glamorous.  A princess for the day in a beautiful gown, having an intimate ceremony, having a celebratory ball.

When one becomes engaged, what is involved in planning a wedding?

• They need to get engagement and wedding rings and other jewellery
• They have to buy a bridal gown, bridemaid gowns, and tuxedos
• They need to determine if it will be a church wedding or if they will use some other venue
• They need to determine who will be the Officiant – a minister or a registrar
• They have to plan the bridal party and determine how many guests to invite
• They have to print invitations
• They need to find a good florist
• There is the wedding cake and wine; and will they need catering services
• There are also decorations and Favours/Gifts
• They have to consider hair and makeup
• Entertainment
• Photography/Video
• Transportation
• New clothing
• A home to live in after the wedding

There is a lot to be done, before the wedding occurs.  What about Jewish weddings?  What happens when a Jewish couple becomes engaged?

Jewish wedding customs in Jesus' days:

• The Betrothal (the Kiddushin) was more than an engagement – it was a legal contract and as binding as the marriage.  Remember when Joseph was engaged to marry Mary and she was found to be pregnant?  He considered divorcing her secretly, so that she would not be stoned to death.
• The Ketubah was a marriage contract that includes the price for the bride and an expressing of the groom’s love for the bride
• The groom would say the Marriage formula “You are consecrated to me according to the law of Moses and of Israel” [Consecrate means to be set apart, make sacred or holy].  The woman would not say anything, and her silence was acceptance of this marriage.
• Exodus 32: 29 – “consecrate yourselves today to  the Lord … that He may bestow upon you a blessing this day”
• Groom would then leaves to prepare a place for his bride - usually in his father's house
• The bride remains pure – she wears a veil to show she is spoken for and she prepares for her wedding
• The Wedding – the groom could come at any time (usually at night time), so the bride and her bride maids must always be ready
• The Shofar – a shout and the shofar announces that the groom is approaching

A shofar is an instrument made from the horn of a ram or other kosher animal. It was used in ancient Israel to announce the New Moon, Rosh Chodesh, and call people together. It was also blown on Rosh Hashanah, marking the beginning of the New Year, signifying both need to wake up to the call to repentance and brings to mind the binding of Isaac when Abraham, in obedience to God, would have sacrificed Isaac, but God changed the sacrifice that was needed and provided a ram instead.

The preferred shofar is a bent horn from a ram, that is hollow on the inside, and makes sound when a man blows into the instrument.  

“The bend in the shofar is supposed to represent how a human heart, in true repentance, bends before the Lord. The ram's horn serves to remind the pious how Abraham, offering his son Isaac in sacrifice, was reprieved when God decided that Abraham could sacrifice a ram instead. The man who blows the shofar is required to be of blameless character and conspicuous devotion; he must blow blasts of different timbre, some deep, some high, some quavering.”

            - Jewish Virtual Library

• The Chuppah – a canopy that symbolises the groom leaving to build a room for his bride on his father’s house; The Chuppah is a marriage canopy that symbolizes the couple's first home together.
• John 14: 2, 3 – “In my Father’s House are many mansions … I go to prepare a place for you …”
• During the Jewish wedding ceremony, the bride and groom stand under the Chuppah, blessings are recited, the wedding ring is given, the Ketubah is read aloud, and the glass is broken.  [A Ketubah is a marriage contract that explains the basic material, conjugal and moral responsibilities of the husband to his wife. It is signed by the groom, as well as two witnesses, and given to the bride during the ceremony.  It protects the woman's rights during the marriage, and in case she becomes divorced or widowed.
  
  It is forbidden for Jewish couples to live together without a Ketubah.  If the Ketubah is lost, a new one must be written.

The Chuppah is a piece of cloth that is held up by four poles. Some people use a Tallit for the Chuppah.

The Tallit is a Prayer Shawl worn by Jewish men and women after they reached their Bar Mitzbah (13th Jewish Birthday) for boys or Bat Mitzvah (12th Jewish Birthday) for girls The Tallit is used during the morning prayer every day. It is not worn for afternoon and evening prayers.  It is a white rectangular piece of fabric, which is usually made of wool, but sometimes is made of cotton, polyester or silk. On each of the four corners are special knots called  Tassels, which are there to remind us of God's commandments.

Back to the Chuppah.  The Chuppah is open on all sides, which commemorates the hospitality that Abraham and Sarah showed guests in their open tent.  It is usually held outside, under the stars, just prior to sundown, as a reminder of the blessing given by God to Abraham, that his children will be as numerous "as the stars of the heavens."

• The marriage is consummated [Genesis 2:24 – become one flesh] – the groom announces that the marriage is consummated.  And everyone celebrates.
• There is a seven day feast

The ceremony ends the betrothal period and starts the marriage

Let’s recap and put everything in context:

The Groom is Christ.  The Bride is the Church

• Betrothal (the Kiddushin) – a legal contract and is as binding as the marriage

Isaiah 1: 16 – 19: “Wash you, make you clean, put away the evil of your doings from before My eyes, cease to do evil, learn to do well, seek judgement, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.  Come now and let us reason together … though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.  If you are willing and obedient, you shall eat the good of the land.”

John 3: 16 – “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Begotten Son that whosever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life”

You are the “whosever” that Jesus spoke of; so am I; we become worthy in His Eyes.  He declares His Love for us and sets the price for us.

• The Ketubah – a marriage contract that includes the price for the bride and an expressing of the groom’s love for the bride.

Matthew 26: 28 – Jesus said, “This is My Blood, which is shed for the remission of sins”.  Our transgressions are fully pardoned as he makes full payment for the debt that we owe to God.

He paid the full price for my sins and for yours, and we are made righteous in Christ -  Romans 8: 1 says – “There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.”

• Marriage formula “You are consecrated to me according to the law of Moses and of Israel”

1 Corinthians 6: 17, 19, 20; 1 Corinthians 7: 23 – “You are joined to the Lord; your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost – you do not belong to yourself.  You are bought with a price – glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which belong to God” (Sharon’s Paraphrased Version)

• The bride remains pure – wears a veil to show she is spoken for; she prepares for her wedding

Colossians 3: 12 – 17 – “Put on as the elect of God holy and beloved bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another and forgiving one another … put on charity which is the bond of perfectness … let the peace of God rule in your hearts to the which also you are called in one body, and be thankful.  Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly in wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.  And whatsoever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him.”

We put on Christ.  He radiates through us and sets us apart as belonging to Him.

• The groom goes to prepare a place for his bride.

Jesus told His disciples, "I go to prepare a place for you so that where I am, you will be also.  In my Father's house are many mansions.  If it were not so, I would tell you."  (John 14: 2, 3)

• The Wedding – the groom could come at any time (usually at night time), so the bride and her bride maids must always be ready

Matthew 25:6 – “At midnight there was a cry made, ‘Behold, the Bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet Him.’”

• A shout and the shofar announces that the groom is approaching

In Psalm 47: 5 – God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of a trumpet.  When He returns, it will be the same.

1 Thessalonians 4: 16 – the Lord Himself shall descend with a shout, and with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God.  The shofar is blown and a shout announces that He, the Groom, is coming.

• The wedding occurs

Revelations 19: 7, 8 – “Let us rejoice and be glad and give the honour to Him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready.  And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white for the fine linen is the righteousness of the saints.”

You can always identify a bride.  She is usually the one in beautiful clothing, who is looking radiant and happy.

Yesterday, as I left to walk the dog, I saw a woman in the Foyer of the building in which I live.  I parked and went in to speak to her.  I told her how absolutely beautiful she looked.  She was wearing a short, white dress, that made her look more like a fairy than a bride.  But there was no mistaking the happiness that radiated from her.

We will be beautiful brides for the Lord.  We, too, stand under the Chuppah for the ceremony.  Song of Solomon 2:4 says, "He brought me into His banquet hall, and His banner over me is love."

• The marriage is consummated – the groom announces that the marriage is consummated.

In John 3:29, 30, John the Baptist declares, “He that hath the bride is the Bridegroom: but the friend of the Bridegroom, which standeth and heareth Him, rejoice greatly because of the Bridegroom’s voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled.  He must increase, but I must decrease.”

John the Baptist declared that He heard the voice of the Bridegroom.  He rejoices in the happiness of the Bridegroom.

A Marriage

Let's speak of marriages.  I am not talking about Hollywood type marriages – such as Kim Kardashian’s wedding to Kris Humphries that cost $10 MM and included 3 wedding dresses for a marriage that lasted only 72 days.  Our relationship with God is far more intimate – it is a marriage that will last forever.  It is a union that is pure and holy.

Ephesians 5: 22 – 28 – speaks of the relationship between husbands and wives.

• Ephesians 5: 25 – 27 “Husbands, love your wives even as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for it; That He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blemish.

• The Church has been declared to be sanctified and set apart for Christ – Ephesians 5: 2; 1 Corinthians 1:2, 6:11; Hebrews 10:10; 13:12
• God is a consuming fire – Hebrews 12: 29 – burns off any impurities within us so that as the Bride of Christ, we may be radiant, beautiful, blameless, lovely, pure and holy.

The Groom is glorified in her – 2 Thessalonians 1:12 (“That the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ”)

Let's speak of another wedding that happened a long time ago.

Diana Spencer married Prince Charles in the summer of 1981.  The wedding ceremony was watched by 750 million people world wide.  She wore an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot (7.62 metre) train, valued at £9,000.  Since Diana was bulimic, she dropped from a size 14 to a size 10, and the dress looked big on her.  The dress was huge, and so her father had difficulty fitting into the coach that transported them to the church for the wedding ceremony.  Needless to say, when Diana emerged from her coach, her dress was noticeably crushed, even on television.

She was spectacularly beautiful.  Beside her, Prince Charles was tall, dark, and handsome in his military dress.  She was a nervous bride, and managed to muddle his name from Charles Phillip Arthur George to Phillip Charles Arthur George.

Like Diana Spencer, we are also in a high profile relationship with Royalty.  The difference is that our Betrothed is the King of kings and Lord of lords who loves us and paid for us with His Blood on Calvary's Cross.  Our marriage to the Lamb will last forever.

• Ephesians 5: 27 – A glorious church without spot or wrinkles.

Spots and wrinkles

• Wrinkles are folds, creases or ridges – may be clearly visible or faint
• Dictionary.com calls them: furrows, creases, ridges, defects, a clever trick, a new idea, a minor problem
• Jesus outlined some of the wrinkles that we may have in our lives in Matthew 5 - 7
• Our attitudes
• Our secret thoughts
• Hypocrisy
• Lies; Thievery
• Unforgiving nature
• Judging others
• Mean spirited and hateful
• Without faith
• Jesus concluded in Matthew 7:21 – 23 – Not everyone who says, “Lord, Lord” will enter His Kingdom

• When our clothing has wrinkles, how do we get rid of wrinkles?  Usually by ironing our clothes.
• Romans 12: 1, 2 tell us to present body as living sacrifice, holy and acceptable; that we should renew the mind; and that we should allow the Holy Spirit to work in and through us to renew us.
• How do we demonstrate renewal of the mind, as seen in Romans 12: 9 – 21?
• Love for each other
• Kindly affectionate
• Being good stewards
• Not being  lazy
• Being joyful
• Patient
• Hospitable (Hebrews 13:2 – entertaining angels unawares)
• Humble
• Kind hearted and good
• We change our outward man though renewing the inward man (2 Corinthians 4:16)

 Spots are a little more difficult than wrinkles.

• A spot is an impairment, defect, or imperfection that is clearly visible to others.
• Dictionary.com call them "marks, stains, blemishes, flaws, spots, something that mars one’s character".
• According to Matthew 15: 16: It is “What comes out of a man that defiles him”
• What are some spots in our lives, according to Colossians 3:5?  They include fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness.  Others, as noted by 2 Peter 2: 1 - 22 are:
• Our deviant value system
• Strife ... contention
• Strange doctrines – Hebrews 13:9.  There are many cults and false teachers who are very charismatic, but who are not of God and whose ways lead to destruction and death.
• If we adhere to or promote teachings that are not Biblical
• Breaking God’s commandments –  we are dishonest, lie, steal, commit adultery, bear false witness against others, hate others
• Dishonouring the Lord
• If we are corrupt
• Deception
• If we are lustful and unfruitful
•  How do we normally get rid of spots in our clothing?  Through washing and/or bleaching.
• Ephesians 5: 26 says, “sanctify and cleanse with washing of the Word”.  The Word of God sanctifies us.
• 1 John 4: 7, 11 – Love is of God; love one another
• Hebrews 9: 14 – the Blood of Jesus purges our conscience from dead works to serve the living God
• Ephesians 4:23 - 32 – We become renewed and put on a new man

As the Bride of Christ, how do we keep ourselves from committing adultery against the Lord?

• 1 John 4:1 – believe not every spirit, but try the spirits, whether they are of God.  We don't go chasing after false or strange doctrines.
• Believe in His saving power – Ephesians 2:8 calls it “a gift”.  Salvation is a gift from God to mankind.
• Think on pure things – Philippians 4:8 says, “Whatsoever things are true, honest, just, pure, lovely, of good report, if there is any virtue, if there is any praise – think on these things”

How do long distant relationships survive?  Through love, friendship, trust, and good communication.

How do we, as Christians, deepening our relationship with the Lord?

• Pray without ceasing – 1 Thessalonians 5:17
• Ephesians 6: 18 – pray always
• Philippians 4:6 – be careful for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your requests be known to God
• Give thanks – 1 Thessalonians 5:16, 18
• Rejoice in the Lord – Philippians 4:4
• Quench not the Holy Spirit – 1 Thessalonians 5: 19; Hebrew 10: 15 – 17 – the Holy Spirit witnesses the covenant in which God puts His law in our hearts and minds and forgives us of our sins and iniquities
• Worship God
• Read His Word – Listen to Him
• Philippians 2: 6, - Be Christ-like
• Do good – Philippians 2: 12, 13
• Be blameless and harmless and shine like lights in the world – Philippians 2: 15
• Abstain from the appearance of evil – 1 Thessalonians 5:22
• Allow God to keep you blameless – 1 Thessalonians 5:23
• Be hospitable

In Matthew 25: 31 – 40, Jesus said, “Whatsoever you do to the least of my brothers, that you do unto Me.  When I was hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and in prison, you cared for me.”  Let us, therefore, never cease from doing good.

Romans 12: 1 - Let us present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, which our reasonable service.  It is our reasonable sacrifice to be living sacrifices to God.  He paid for the right when He allowed His Blood to be shed for us, so that we would live.

Romans 13: 1 – Let our soul be subjected to God.  If we belong to Him, we are subjected to Him.  He takes first place in our lives.

Romans 14: 16 – Let not our good be evil spoken of – don’t allow anything to overshadow the good and steal glory from God.  The Kingdom of God is “righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” – Romans 14: 17

How fitting it is that Jesus’ ministry began at a wedding.  His second coming symbolises a marriage

As the Bride of Christ, are we preparing ourselves for His second coming?  Will He come and find us ready for the marriage feast?  Will we stand before Him blameless as a glorious church without spot or wrinkle?  Will we rejoice in the realisation that we are being called up to the marriage supper?  Will we be able to look around, with joy, and see that our loved ones are also being called up to join in the marriage supper with the Lamb?

Jesus called us salt and light in Matthew 5: 13 – 16.

Salt is a mineral that is made up of sodium chloride - two essential minerals.  Salt is used for seasoning and food preservation.  Within the human body, sodium chloride maintains fluid balance, is essential to the nervous system, enables red blood cells to carry oxygen to blood tissues, facilitates in digestion and helps in the absorption of potassium.

Light is used to illuminate things ... to make things visible  Jesus said that light is to be placed in prominent areas to help people to see.  In Matthew 5:16, He said, "Let your light so shine before me, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in Heaven."  Are our lamps shiny and clean so that the light shines forth for all to see?

God wants us to be a glorious church, but we can't do that without Him.  We need the Holy Spirit working in us and through us to transform us.  When we become a glorious church, He is glorified in us.

Lord, we become a glorious church when we allow You to change us and transform us.  Give us grace to cast away the works of darkness, and put on the armour of light, that as we shine in You, we will draw others to You.  And as we move through the season of Advent, help us to move away from a worldly holiday of excess to a worshipful Advent and Christmas in which You are glorified.  For Jesus’ sake, and through Jesus we pray. Amen.

Noah

Genesis 5 documents the genealogy from Adam to Noah.  Noah was Adam's great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great grandson.  From Adam to Noah there are ten generations.

Please note that the men listed below had many children.  However, we are following particular lines in the history of mankind.

Adam, at age 130 years, bore Seth.  Adam died at age 930 years old.

Seth bore Enos at age 185 years, and died at age 912.

Enos bore Cainan at age 90 years, and died at age 840.

Cainan bore Mahalaleel at age 70, and died at age 910.

Mahalaleel bore Jared at age 65, and died at age 895.

Jared bore Enoch at age 62, and died at age 962.

Enoch bore Methuselah at age 65 years, and then walked with God (no indication that he died) after 365 years.

Methuselah bore Lamech at age 187 years, and died at age 969.

Lamech bore Noah at age 182, and died at age 777.

By the time Noah came along, Man had become extremely evil and violent, to the point where God had had enough.  He decided to destroy Mankind in 120 years' time.

Genesis 6:2 speaks of the sons of God marrying the daughters of men.  Many people interpret this to mean that angels came down to Earth to marry women.  That is not so.  For one thing, Jesus Himself said that there is no marrying nor giving into marriage in Heaven.  There has been no indication throughout the entire Bible that angels have ever been interested in having physical relationships with Man.  There is also the observation that Man was created "a little less" than angels.  So, to what does Genesis 6 refer?

Remember that according to Gill's commentary of the Bible, based on Arabic writings: in Enos' days men started to call themselves sons of God and started to worship in God's Name.  The commentary speaks of a separation between Seth's family and Cain's family, after Adam's death.  It states that Seth and his family moved to the mountains, where they were closer to God, and where they took on holiness; whereas Cain and his family remained in the valley where Abel had been killed.  (Biblos.com, 2011)

So, Seth's offsprings saw the women in the valley, and desired them; and married them.

It appears that there is also a spiritual connotation to the statement.  There was a joining of different principles.  Seth's offsprings appeared to be spiritual and holy; whereas Cain's offspring were more sensual, worldly, and carnal.

This obviously displeased God, who determined that His Spirit could not strive in an evil environment.  The desires of Man was carnal, easily rejecting holiness.  And God recognised this trait that was emerging within Man.   In the battle between carnal and spiritual, Man easily chose the desires of the flesh.

Could the repercussion to Man's behaviour be a reduction in his life line - that Man would start dying at a much younger age than those from Adam to Lamech.  Is this what God meant, when He said that the days of Man should be 120 years?  No, it isn't.

Barne's commentary speaks of a spiritual message within God's declaration that the days of Man should be 120 years.  It speaks of God's decision to allow 120 years to pass, before executing judgement on sinful Man.

So God looks around and sees Noah.  Here's what the Bible says about Noah:

Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord ... Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations.  And Noah walked with God. Genesis 6: 8, 9

So God speaks to Noah about the wickedness that was filling the Earth, and of His decision to destroy Mankind.

Now, this gets pretty interesting.  Let's assume we were sitting around when God came to speak with Noah.

God says to Noah, "Build an ark."  And Noah probably asked, "What's an ark?"  And God probably said something like, "Well, Noah ... an ark is a very big boat."  To which Noah would likely ask, "What's a boat?"  God would explain that a boat is a vessel that floats on water.  And Noah would probably say, "Ahh!" but still not understanding.

Then God probably said something like, "I'm going to send a flood to destroy the Earth."  And Noah probably asked, "What's a flood?" to which God would explain that He would send rain ("What's rain?").

But God had made a provision to save life.  The ark would be large enough to transport a pair of every living creature, food for them all, and space for Noah and his family.

So, Noah listened to God and started to build this really big boat.

Can you imagine the ridicule that Noah must have endured for the decades that it took him and his sons to build the ark?

Perhaps in the early days man may have been fearful of God's judgment.  But as time passed and no rain happened and no flood happened, they must have ridiculed the "crazy" man and his family daily.  Noah worked on the ark for many years.  To everyone else, he was totally mad.

As the song says,
 and http://bible.cc/genesis/9-27.htm

They thought he was a man possessed, a maniac at best
Building an ark fifty feet tall, In a land where rain had yet to fall
Going on about a flood, the whole world turned to mud
Poor old fool, something went wrong, Working in the summer sun a bit too long
They said,

Noah, oh where you gonna go in the middle of the desert in a giant boat?
Noah, oh open up your ears, it's never gonna happen in a hundred years
No matter what you say, Noah, no way!

So, God commanded Noah to take seven of every clean animal and two of every unclean animal into the ark.  And at the time for entering the ark, the animals and birds and beasts and creepy crawlies all presented themselves and entered the ark.

It is important to note that there were more clean animals, birds, and beasts, than unclean.  One of each was intended as a sacrifice to God, and the others were intended to reproduce and replenish the earth.

So the flood occurred.  It rained for forty days and forty nights, and the entire Earth was covered all the way up past the mountains.  Scripture clearly stated that every creature (man, beast, cattle, birds, or creepy crawlies) that had life in them were destroyed in the flood.  All except Noah and his family - eight people saved with the creatures that were safe in the ark.

The waters remained on the Earth for 150 days, before it dissipated.  So, it rained for five months.  For another three months, the water started to reduce.  Forty days after he had seen the tops of mountains, Noah sent out a raven and a dove to see if they would find places of rest, but there wasn't any.  Seven days later, he sent out a dove, who returned with an olive leaf.  Seven days afterward, he sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return.

A year after Noah had gone into the ark, God told him that it was safe for him, his family, and all the animals that were in the ark to leave the ark.

When Noah disembarked from the ark, he made an altar, took one of every clean beast and bird, and worshipped God by offering up sacrficies to God.

God determined that the thoughts of Man are evil from his youth, and decided to no longer curse the ground or destroy every living thing because of Man's evil ways.

God then gave a commandment that was identical to the one He had given to Adam: "Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the Earth."

In Genesis 9 we find God saying something very interesting to Noah and his family: every beast, bird, creepy crawly, and fish had now developed a fear of Man.  Not only that, Man could now eat these animals, birds, and fish - except those that still had life in them.

God also reiterated something that He had said to Cain: any beast or man who killed a man, God would require judgement for that smitten man because Man was created in God's own image.

He then made a covenant with Noah and his sons and with every beast, bird, cattle and all other living things that He would never again destroy all living things by a flood.  So He placed a rainbow in the skies as a reminder to never again destroy all flesh by a flood.

After the flood, Noah became a farmer.  He planted a vineyard and, a few years later, drank wine, and became drunk.  This may have happened as a result of the richness of the soil after the flood.  It could also have been that Noah may not have had wine before, and so this new drink was intoxicating to him.  Another possibility could be Noah's age.  He was more than 600 years old, when he exited the ark.  Even if he had had wine before, it may have been a bit strong for this much older man, resulting in intoxication.  And the account of the events indicate that this incident happened many years later.

In any case, Noah was sleeping naked in his tent when his younger son, Ham, went in, saw that he was naked, and told his brothers that he was naked in his tent.  The older and youngest son backed into Noah's tent and covered their father.

When Noah awoke, he knew that Ham had dishonoured him and he prophesied a curse on Canaan, and pronounced blessings on Shem and Japheth.

Now that was interesting.  Why did Noah curse Canaan, and not Ham?  Is it possible that it had been Canaan, Ham's son, who had first seen Noah naked and told his father?  That is the assumption that we are following here, since it is peculiar that Noah should immediately curse his grandson, Canaan, not his son, Ham; and utter blessings on his other two sons, Shem and Japheth.  that would make sense if this incident actually originated with Canaan.

Matthew Henry's commentary interpreted Noah's curse on Canaan:

Genesis 9:25: he said, "Cursed be Canaan! The lowest of slaves will he be to his brothers." NIV

by speaking of the enslavement of blacks from Africa.  Of Noah's blessing of Shem, Henry speaks of the blessings on Shem's descendants, the Jewish people.  Of Noahs's blessing of Japheth, Henry speaks of blessings to Japheth's descendants, the Gentiles.

Noah lived for 350 years after the flood, and died at age 950 years.
Reference:

Biblos.com, 2011.  Retrieved August 7, 2011 from http://bible.cc/genesis/6-2.htm and http://bible.cc/genesis/9-27.htm

An Offering of Faith

A friend challenged something I wrote on the First Murder (last post).

He said that Cain killed Abel over worship.

That is true.

In Genesis 3, after Adam and Eve sinned, God sacrificed animals to create coverings from skin for Adam and Eve.  The coats would provide better covering than the flimsy ones that Adam and Eve had created for themselves.  They were durable and covered the nakedness that sin had brought to Man.

The fig coverings that Adam and Eve made were inadequate covering for them.  So is it when we try, by our works or our assumptions of righteousness, to cover our sins.  Salvation from sin is by the Grace of God.  It is not by works, least any should boast.  There is nothing that we can do of and by ourselves that would redeem us from sins.  All our good work profits us nothing.  And our righteousness is like filthy rags before God.

Did God give instructions regarding atonement for sin to Adam and Eve?  That is not recorded, and therefore, though likely, it can be assumed that He may not have provided instructions.

So, Adam and Eve departed from Eden, and started their family.  They gave birth to Cain and Abel.

Perhaps they saw Cain as their hope of salvation from God, based on God's pronouncement that Eve's seed would crush the head of the serpent.  Cain's name means "acquired", which was what Eve said: "I have gotten a man from the Lord".  Abel's name means "breath".  (Campbell, 2011)

Then something interesting happens.  The two sons brought offerings to God.

Cain and Abel demonstrated worship of God differently.  Cain brought a vegetable offering, and Abel brought an offering of the first and best of his flock.  These were the offerings they were presenting to God.  And it appears that they brought their offerings to an appointed place.  It could be that they saw Adam worshipping at this place, but there is no account of this.  It is likely that this place could have been at or near the guarded gate of Eden.  Again, though, there is no account of where this act of worship took place.

Genesis 4 records the beginning of sacrifice.

Genesis 4:4

Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering

Hebrews 11:4

It was by faith that Abel brought a more acceptable offering to God than Cain did. Abel's offering gave evidence that he was a righteous man, and God showed his approval of his gifts. Although Abel is long dead, he still speaks to us by his example of faith.  NIV

Barnes' commentary demonstrates the difference between the two offerings to God.  One was a "presentation of things without life, the other a sacrifice of life".  Vegetation, versus a creature in which there had been life.  1 John 3: 12 refers to Abel as being righteous, but Cain as being a worker of evil.

Sin had introduced death to the paradise that Man had enjoyed.  It was now to be through the shedding of blood that redemption would come to Mankind.

Abel was humble and contrite as he presented his offering to God - an offering that required the shedding of blood as an atonement for sin.  Paul called it an offering of faith that was more acceptable than Cain's offering.

Cain reaped his harvest and decided to present an offering to God.  He took of his plants, fruits, and seeds, and brought these as an offering to God.  It was likely an abundant offering, and he was possibly quite pleased with himself for the greatness of what he brought to God.

However, Abel came in his sinful state with an offering that was humble and sincere and that he hoped would provide payment for his sinful state - the shedding of blood, the exchange of life (that mirrors Jesus taking our place and dying in our place to atone for our sin), the desire for mercy from a mighty God.  God saw the intent of their hearts and the sincerity of their offerings, and He was very pleased with Abel's offering - thus accepting it.

Cain became angry as a result of the pride of his heart.  But God gave him opportunities to examine himself, and do what was right.

The commentators agree that God's admonition in Genesis 4: 7 - "sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it" refer to the relationship between Cain and Abel.  According to the commentators, Cain's place as first born and his birthright are not being usurped by Abel, and so there was no reason for Cain to be angry at or jealous of Abel.  (Biblos.com)

Instead of Cain examining himself, making amends to God, and bringing an acceptable offering to God, he went out into the field with his brother, engaged him in an argument, and then killed him.  And when God asked him about his brother, he expressed contempt for his brother when he asked, "Am I my brother's keeper?"  The rest of the story, we know.

Abel made an offering of faith to God.  He approached God sincerely, with his heart attuned to Him.  It was an offering of love.  It was an act of worship.  And God accepted the offering.

When we approach God, we must be sincere and contrite and provide the acceptable offering.  According to Romans 12:1, spiritual worship involves living sacrifices that are holy and pleasing to God.  That was the difference between Abel's offering and Cain's.

Reference:

Behind the Name, 2011.  The etymology and history of first names.  Retrieved August 7, 2011 from http://www.behindthename.com/name/abel

Biblos.com, 2011.  Genesis 4:7.  Retrieved August 7, 2011 from http://bible.cc/genesis/4-7.htm

First Murder

Genesis 4 documents the first murder.

Two of Adam's and Eve's children, Cain and Abel, brought an offering to God.  Cain was a farmer and brought his offering from his harvest, but Abel, a shepherd, brought the best of the first born of his flock.

God accepted Abel's offering and rejected Cain's offering, which made Cain very upset, to the point where God spoke to him and gave him a warning:

7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. KJV

What does that mean?

The NIV says, "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."

This brings question to Cain's offering.  God is saying that Cain had done something wrong.  Is it possible that although he brought of his harvest, it was not the best and it was not of the first of his harvest?

There are times when we bring our offering to the Lord, but how many times do we bring what is left over after?  How many times do we give to the Lord as an afterthought?

Malachi 3:8 asks a question:

Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me! But you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and offerings.  New American Standard

Leviticus 27: 30 clarifies: And all the tithe of the land, whether of the seed of the land, or of the fruit of the tree, is the LORD's: it is holy unto the LORD.

Cain had brought an offering of the fruit of the ground.  There is no indication that it was the best of the fruit.  There is no mention that he brought of the seed to God.  God rejected this offering.

When we look at Leviticus 1 - 9, we see where God requires the first - the best of the flock or cattle - as offerings.  The required flock had nothing wrong with them.  They were the fattest and best of the flock or of the cattle.  That was what God required.

Abel's offering to God was of the first born - the best -  the fattest.  That was what he had offered up to God.  And that was what God accepted.

So we next see that Cain spoke to his brother Abel, and became so angry that he killed his brother.

We have God asking a question,

9 And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

 The All-Knowing God knew what had happened, before he asked Cain.  He had already warned Cain that sin was lurking close by and told him to master sin.  Yet Cain had fallen to sin.  Then he became flippant toward God when he asked if he was his brother's keeper.

God responds in verse 10,

But the LORD said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground!" (New Living Translation)

God brings Cain face to face with what he had done.  He charged him immediately with the crime that he had committed.  Not only that, He said something very important: "Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground!"

God is saying that blood is alive, that it speaks, and that He has to listen to the voice of blood.

In Genesis 9: 4 - 6, God speaks of life in the blood.  Not only that, He required a punishment to every man or every beast who killed a human being.  He gave a reason: He had created Man in His own image.

Man was special to God.  He had been made with loving care in God's own image.  The life that God created, the living soul He had created, is to be protected and held in honour.  Killing a man is like attempting to destroy God, who had used His own image to create Man.

Back in Genesis 4: 11 - 12, God put a curse on Cain that resulted in the ground becoming hard and unyielding because of Abel's blood that had flown into the ground.  He declared Cain to be a fugitive and a vagabond.

According to Dictionary.com, this meant that Cain was like an outlaw - someone fleeing prosecution - and a shiftless nomad, moving from place to place, unable to settle down.

Cain exiled himself from God (verse 14) and declared that anyone who found him should kill him.  However, God countered that declaration by saying that anyone who killed Cain, He would take vengeance against that person.  To protect Cain, He marked Cain so that anyone who found him would recognise the mark, realise that God's protection was on him, and would not kill him.

There was no indication what the mark was.  In that era, however, it would have been an easily recognisable mark that set Cain apart from all other men.

So, Cain and his wife left and built a city to the east of the Garden of Eden.  We then see in verse 23 that his great-great-great grandson, Lamech, confessed to killing two men.  However, he declares, anyone seeking revenge against him for the death of the two men would be avenged by God, thus hiding under God's protection.

26 And Seth had a son, and he gave him the name of Enosh: at this time men first made use of the name of the Lord in worship.  Bible in Basic English

Another first.  According to Barnes' Notes on the Bible, this is the first time that Man initiated a conversation with God and also the first time that Man used the Name of God in prayer and in worship.

Clarke's Commentary of the Bible indicates that Man started swearing, using God's Name, in the days of Enos.  It also indicates that men began worshiping idols in Enos' days.

Both Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible and Keil and Delitzsch Biblical Commentary of the Old Testament referred to Enos as being "weak, feeble, and frail".  Other commentaries stated that it was at this time that Man started to call himself "son of God".

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary interpreted verse 26 to mean that Man began to publicly protest against the wickedness of the world around them as He worshiped God.

Reference:

Biblos.com

First Act of Disobedience

Genesis 3 outlines the fall of mankind from perfection into sin.


If you remember, in Genesis 2: 16 - 17, God tells Adam

16	Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
17	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.

Now we come to Genesis 3, and there are two new players in the story, Eve, Adam's wife, and the serpent.  They're having a conversation in the garden.  There is no surprise, on Eve's part, that she is conversing with the serpent, so Man must have been able to communicate easily with the animal kingdom.


Note that the serpent was characterised as a "beast of the field" (Genesis 3:1).  A beast, according to Dictionary.com, is a large four footed mammal - similarly to a tiger or an elephant.


Genesis 3:1 described the serpent as being "subtil" or "subtle" or "crafty" or "clever" or "wiser" (depending on the biblical translation).  The King James version "subtil" (or "subtle") refers to the serpent's craftiness or ability to be cunning.


So the serpent and Eve are having a conversation.  And the serpent asks a question:

Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?

To which Eve responds:

2	... 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.

Now, let's look again at what God said to Adam:

17	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.

God said that in the day they ate of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, they would "surely die" - He didn't say, "don't touch it, lest you die".  The other thing was that there were two trees in the middle of the garden - Eve merely refers to the fruit as "the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden" - she did not differentiate between the trees.


So there are now discrepancies between what God said to Adam and Eve's understanding of God's instructions.


Perhaps what may have happened was that when Adam told Eve God's instructions about the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, he may have said to her, "To be on the safe side, don't touch any of the fruits of the trees in the middle of the garden, lest you die."  But, as we know, that was not what God said to Adam.


So, now we get into half truths.  The serpent says to Eve,

4	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.

The serpent knew that death did not come from merely touching the fruit.  But he also implied to the woman that God was keeping something from her.  The implication was that when she ate of the fruit, she would become aware, her knowledge would increase, she would become like a god, and she would know good and evil.
 

6	And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,  and that it was pleasant to the eyes,  and a tree to be desired to make one wise,  she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat,  and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.

 So, here was Eve in the middle of this splendid garden that was full of trees laden with fruits that were good to eat.  She probably picked the fruit, waited to die, saw that she was still alive, and then examined the fruit.  She saw that it looked good.  And she determined that God robbed her of wisdom, because she now saw the tree as being able to make her wise.  So, she ate the fruit and gave it to her husband, and Adam also ate of the fruit.


The moment Adam and Eve ate of the fruit, they became aware.  They had lost their state of being innocent and pure.  They had lost the wisdom that God had given them, when He made them perfect.  They realised that they had disobeyed God.  They suddenly became aware of right and wrong.  And in the guilt and shame, they realised that they were naked and exposed physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.  So, they made themselves clothing, aprons, from the leaves of fig trees, and went into hiding from God.  The aprons covered the parts of their bodies that were obviously different from each other, and not the whole body.

8	¶ And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the  garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid  themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst  the trees of the garden.
9	And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?

Now, God returns to the garden to spend time with Adam and Eve.  He comes in "the cool of the day", which may have been evening time, when it was not hot.  He came "walking in the garden", taking on human appearance.  And Adam and Eve heard the voice of the Lord God.  They knew His voice.


So, God didn't come with thunder and lightning, intimidating Adam and Eve.  He came in the form of the Second Person of the Trinity.  He walked leisurely into the garden at a calm, restful time, calling them from a distance so they would know that He was approaching.  Yet, they hid.  So the omniscient, omnipresent, omnipotent God asked a question:  "Where are you?"


God did not ask this question because he didn't know where Adam and Eve were hiding.  Nor did he not know why they were suddenly terrified of Him.  He wanted them to come to the place where they acknowledged what it was that they had done.


Here is Adam's response to God:

10	And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I  was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.

Man was no longer pure and holy.  He was now in a state of shame and had put on fear.  These were two emotions that Adam and Eve had not experienced before.    They experienced trickery.  They had lost the innocence that God had placed in them.  The purity within them was now gone.  Sin brings shame, fear, guilt, separation from God, and death.


Adam had become aware of his new sinful state that had occurred through his disobedience of God.  He felt exposed, ashamed, guilty and afraid.  So, he went and tried to hide himself from God's presence.

11	And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked?  Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee  that thou shouldest not eat?
12	And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me,  she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

When God questioned Adam about his disobedience, he shifted the blame to God.  He said, "It was the woman who You gave to me that gave me the fruit, and I ate it." (Sharon's paraphrased version)


When God questioned Eve, she said that the serpent had tricked her, and so she ate of the fruit.


God did not question the serpent, because the animal was incapable of the level of reasoning that Man was capable of.  He also knew that Satan had used the serpent to trick Eve.  And this was where God began His sentencing for the sin. 


The Webster-Merriam's definition for sin as:

1  a : an offense against religious or moral law

b : an action that is or is felt to be highly reprehensible <it's a sin to waste food>

c : an often serious shortcoming : fault

2  a : transgression of the law of God

b : a vitiated state of human nature in which the self is estranged from God

Sin is disobedience to God.  Sin separates us from God.


There are always consequences for our actions, good or bad.  And God had told Adam that in the day that he ate of the fruit of the tree, he would die.  So, God now metes out punishment for the disobedience.


You will note that while there were literal consequences for the serpent, there were mystical or spiritual consequences for Satan, who had used the serpent to tempt Eve.

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.

God first addressed the serpent and Satan, who had used the serpent to trick the Woman. 


The sentence on the serpent was two-fold.  God cursed it, took away its limbs so that it was forced to slither on the ground and eat directly from the ground.  And He now instilled enmity between the serpent and the woman.


But there is also a spiritual sentence that we should not over look.  Satan was cursed, and there is now an enmity between him and the woman, between his seed and her seed.


The punishment that He meted out was to apply literally to the serpent and spiritually to Satan.  To the serpent, God cursed it to move about on its belly, to eat dust, and for there to be natural enemity between it and Woman, and between it's offspring and the Seed of the Woman.


I should probably note here that the Woman probably found the serpent to be pleasing, which would be one reason for Satan to have used the serpent to speak to Eve.  However, now they would naturally hate each other.  While the serpent would bruise the heel of the Woman's Seed, He would crush the head of the serpent.

16	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.

Please note that biologically women do not produce seeds.  Women produce eggs (ova) and men produce seeds (sperms).  This Offspring of the Woman would come without a sperm from man.  This Seed that God speaks of is not of Man, but comes through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit through a virgin impregnation and a virgin birth.  God had put a provision for redemption.  This happened in the virgin birth of Jesus who was conceived, not by man, but through the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit.  This was the provision that God put in place immediately in Eden to combat sin.


To the woman, God's curse was for painful pregnancies, desires to be with her husband despite the painful pregnancies, and painful childbirth.  Additionally, the equality that she had enjoyed with Man was now gone, since God now decreed that the man would rule over her.

17	And unto Adam he said,         Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18	thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee;         and thou shalt eat the herb of the field:
19	in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,         till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art,and unto dust shalt thou return.

When God spoke to Adam, He pointed out that he had chosen to listen to the voice of his wife, than to the voice of God.  God cursed the ground, as Adam's punishment.  No longer would he have comforts and pleasures from trees that grew without need for care.  He would now have to work very hard to obtain food from the ground.  He would now have to battle thorns and thistles and a hard ground, to produce food.  Additionally, God stated that Adam would return to the ground, when he died, since he was dust and must return to dust.


Let's go back a little and re-examine Genesis 2: 17.  Remember what God had said to Adam,

17	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.

What He said to Adam now at the sentencing in Genesis 3: 17 - 19 is that he would have sorrow in producing food and eating food from the earth all the days of his life, until he returned in death to the earth.  Is there a discrepancy there?


No.  Genesis 5: 5 stated that Adam lived to be 930 years.  Remember that we discussed earlier that a day, to God, is like a thousand years.  So within the day that Man had eaten of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil, he died and was returned to the soil, from which he came.  He died physically within that day.  But, Man also died spiritually immediately after he ate the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil.  Remember, his eyes became open, he became aware, he became ashamed, he became afraid, he hid himself from God.  And death had entered Adam.  Sin is a separation of man from God.  And that separation was immediate.  So the spiritual death was immediate and within that Earth day; the physical death was gradual, but still occurred within the day that Man had eaten of the fruit.


 ²¹Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.

Wesley's concordance, located in Biblos.com at http://bible.cc/genesis/3-21.htm noted that God allowed animals to die, so that Adam and Eve would understand what death was, and that the death of these animals were an atonement for the sin that Adam and Eve had committed against God.


In His goodness and mercy, God took the skin from the animals and made robes for Adam and Eve and covered them, since the fig covering was insufficient.


It is also interesting to note that the animal's death was immediate, whereas Adam and Eve's deaths were gradual.


Here's an interesting thing that God said:

22	¶ And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us,  to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand,  and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:

The tree of life had been in the middle of the garden beside the tree of knowledge of good and evil - yet Adam and Eve hadn't even considered eating of that fruit.  Eating of that fruit would have granted life, even with the death sentence that Man had received from eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.


God observed that Man had become more knowledgeable, just like the Triune God, knowing good and evil.  With evil added to his nature, Man, living forever, would become irreparably corrupt.  Without the need for salvation and reconciliation with God, Man would continue in his sinful state - rejecting God and the need to reconcile with Him.


God's intervention that prevented Man from eating of the tree of the life was another means of reconciling Man and returning him to the state of being good and pure and holy before He allowed Man to eat of the tree of life.


So God put Adam and Eve out of the Garden of Eden and placed Cherubims to guard the Garden and a flaming sword that moved in all directions to protect the tree of life.

Reference:


Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible (2011).  Retrieved July 11, 2011 from http://gill.biblecommenter.com/genesis/3.htm