Recap
5 covering chapters 12 to 14
This
is a synopsis of the first three chapter group that form Part 3. (If
you click on any of he chapter headings they will take you to that
chapter)
A.
Overview
Chapter
12 – Banning Mankind from the Garden (1)
12.1
The Complaint Expressed
12.2
Affirming Genesis
12.3
The Existence and General Role of Satan
12.4
The Work of God through Satan in the Garden
12.5
Recapping God's Goodness
12.6
Brief Summary
Chapter
13 – Banning Mankind from the Garden (2)
13.1
The Consequences seen in Adam and Eve
13.2
The Consequences of the Fall seen in God's actions
13.3
The Exclusion from the Garden
13.4
Why God can't stay with Sinners
13.5
The Ongoing Outworking of the Exclusion from the Garden
13.6
Summary-Conclusion
13.7
A Closing Analogy
Chapter
14 – What about the Flood?
14.1
The Complaint Observed
14.2
Recap: What we know of God
14.3
The Uncertainties about the Record
14.4
The State of the Earth
14.5
The Alternatives for Action
14.6
Keeping Perspective
B.
Detail
Chapter
12 – Banning Mankind from the Garden (1)
Here
we have Adam and Eve who have been led astray by the serpent – who
God must have created and allowed in the garden – so it wasn't really
their fault! Then we see God dealing with them quite harshly and casting
them out of His presence and out of the garden to get on with life
alone. Wasn't He condemning them to failure right from the outset?
We
may not be able to be clear about the time-frame of Genesis 1-3, but
there is remarkable clarity of the account that is there, which is
conveyed in historical terms.
Genesis
is validated by:
- the testimony of the rest of the
Bible
- the things it teaches us found nowhere
else
Satan,
a fallen angel appearing in a variety of disguises, is used by God
in revealing and dealing with Sin, and to bring correction to mankind.
In
the Garden of Eden he is used to reveal
- the fact that we have the capability
to make responsible choices,
- the fact that our choices have consequences
which we have to live with,
- the vulnerability of the hearts
of Eve & Adam to temptation,
- the immaturity of the couple who
had not yet learned to rely upon God,
- their taking for granted the love
of God which they had experienced in abundance, and
- their immaturity and inability to
take responsibility, but instead make excuses.
- that without
God:
- we
are vulnerable to getting it wrong and
- not
strong enough to resist temptation AND
- we
take God's love for granted!
God's
love and goodness is seen in these accounts in His incredible provision
for Adam and Eve,
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Chapter
13 – Banning Mankind from the Garden (2)
The
consequences within Adam and Eve of their fall were:
- self-consciousness
- fear
- blame
- refusal to take responsibility
God's
actions following their fall were:
- to step back and allow anguish in
childbearing
- to step back and allow stress between
the man and the woman
- to step back and let the man manage
his own ‘gardening' with much effort
- to clothe the couple properly
- to exclude them from the Garden:
- to cut them off from the life
of God that is eternal
- to avoid intervening constantly
with their imperfect lives
- to avoid bringing constant judgment
on them
- nevertheless to interact with mankind
working out His plans and purposes to draw people to Himself in
ongoing history and eventually provide eternal salvation for whoever
would receive it.
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Chapter
14 – What about the Flood?
Any
thinking person must ask themselves about a God who is willing to
wipe out the inhabitants of the earth.
Whatever
happened must be seen in the light of all else the Bible tells us
about God,
Although
it is not completely certain, the text would suggest a universal flood.
The
ultimate cause of the flood was the terrible state of mankind whereby
mankind's sinful propensity had reached such
a climax that it would move God in such a way, with no alternative
being left to Him.
When
we think of a ‘crime' and think of what we would do if we were authority
observing ongoing crime, we recognise limited possibilities:
•
to do nothing – unthinkable in the
face of thoughts on justice,
•
to bring death – the only thing big
enough to change this state of affairs.
We
also need to keep death in perspective and recognise that our sin
brings thousands of deaths in the world every day, and that death
is not the end, only the end of this very short period of existence.
A
full reading of the Bible reveals God's love and wisdom and the fact
that God does not make mistakes and is not unjust. Whatever our hasty
responses to this episode may be, we perhaps need to reflect more
on the awful state of mankind and the inevitability of what took place,
bearing in mind that this was NOT the end of mankind.
C.
And So?
Perhaps
one reason we get so crabby about God's activities in the Old Testament,
is because they show up mankind – and that includes us – in such a
bad light. Adam and Eve remind us that we so often take God's love
for granted and so appreciate it.
The
Flood reminds us of the awful depths that mankind can sink to, but
we prefer to take sin for granted and because we live in a world where
the media reveals wrong doing around the world on a regular basis,
we take it for granted. Indeed we live in such an age where authority
is being questioned and moral absolutes have been cast out, that we
are afraid to say, “This is wrong” or “There are certain behaviours
that are wrong.”
For
many of us, we feel uncomfortable with this sort of language because
deep down we know that the lifestyle we are living is falling short
of what it could be – but don't you dare say that! to think about
a God who holds us accountable is uncomfortable is we have not understood
His wonderful love shown through His Son, Jesus Christ. We are fearful
of our inadequacies, weaknesses and failures being pointed out and
so we would rather make excuses for a civilisation that completely
fell off the rails, rather than face the truth about ourselves. Shame
on us.