Gen 22, pt 2- Parallels between Isaac and Jesus

It would be interesting to find out exactly how many parallels there are between Isaac at the alter and Jesus at the cross.


Here's a Jon Courson video sermon that lists about thirty.

Gen 20- Jon Courson

Gen 22- Training and Testing through Trials and Temptations

Abraham was already 100 years old when God finally allowed Isaac to be born to him and his wife Sarah. But this wasn’t God’s first act in Abraham’s life. Abraham had already been in training with God through many trials and temptations before Isaac ever came.


At 75 years old, God commanded Abraham to leave his fathers land (12:1). Once in Shechem God appeared to Abraham and said, “To your offspring I will give this land (Canaan)” (12:7). Later in Egypt, the Lord saved Sarah and Abraham from Pharaoh (12:17). Then again, God was with Abraham when he rescued his nephew Lot from the four kings (14:14).


On his way back from battle with the four kings Abraham met Melchizedek, the “Priest of God”, who immediately pronounced, “Blessed be Abram by God most high!” (14:19) After all of this, God then met with Abraham in a fiery ceremony and made a formal covenant saying, “Look toward heaven and the number of stars, if you are able to number them. So shall your offspring be.” (15:5)


All these are only a few examples scripture gives to show us how through year after year God was continually present with Abraham while training Abraham like a cadet in boot camp. Abraham was learning to listen, learning to trust, and learning to follow orders.


So finally when in Genesis 22:1 scripture says, “After these things God tested Abraham” I’m now able to stand inside the story with Abraham and say, “Yes! Let’s see how all God’s training has shaped us. Let’s show that we are loyal and faithful to our King.”


So God said, “Take your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you.” (22:2) And as you can read yourself, Abraham obeyed flawlessly.


In fact, scripture doesn’t speak of any emotional response from Abraham at all. It simply says, “So Abraham rose up early in the morning, saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and his son Isaac.” (22:3)


I love this story. I love it because when I step back and look at Abraham’s whole life it helps me to get a perspective of God’s work in my own life. As I heard one commentator say, “God is not rushing in to solve our problems; he’s carefully leading us through them.”


And now I can understand that I am in training by God.


That through every trial God has been with me. In fact, every trial in itself was carefully crafted by God. I can begin to see how every trial has acted as a sort of obstacle course through my past in which God himself has led me- refining me with fire, equipping me with strength, maturing me with confidence, mentoring me with wisdom- All of which I’ll need to overcome the trials I’ll be led to face today.


And sometimes even now when I still feel overwhelmed, I just picture Abraham at the base of that mountain with his son. Then I imagine myself standing at the base of a mountain God has led me to.


And I think to myself, “This is not a random mistake. This is not a punishment. I didn’t take a wrong turn. God hasn’t let me get lost. This exact mountain is in front of me on exactly the day God planned. This mountain is the reason I’ve been in training up to this point.”


So in sharing this with anyone reading I would offer this bit of advice- When you’re slammed up against a seemingly overwhelming challenge. When you can’t see around a problem in your own life and question how you even got there. When you wonder why God hasn't “rushed in.” Stop it.


Stop wailing and crying how undeserved it all seems. That’s like begging God to take the mountain away. Instead, show your reverence. Cover your mouth with your hand. Gaze at the immensity and awesomeness of this challenge. Take a night, set up camp at its base. And as you lay on your back in the dark silence staring up at this forbearing trial, reflect on all the challenges in life you have already faced and been led through to reach this point.


Reflect on all the times you thought you wouldn’t get through. Reflect how many times in the past God carried you even as you distrusted him. Then get some rest. And when you wake up early the next morning, give thanks to God for this and every trial. Then start climbing.




Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. -James 1:2-4

Gen 21- Ishmael and Isaac

After listening to seven hours of sermons from four different teachers, the best lesson I can grasp concerning the split in Abraham's lineage between Isaac and Ishmael simply comes directly from our Apostle Paul in Galatians 4-

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law,

do you not listen to the law?

For it is written that Abraham had two sons,

one by a slave woman and one by a free woman.

But the son of the slave was born according to the flesh,

while the son of the free woman was born through promise.

Now this may be interpreted allegorically:

these women are two covenants.

One is from Mount Sinai,

bearing children for slavery;

she is Hagar.

Now Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia;

she corresponds to the present Jerusalem,

for she is in slavery with her children.

But the Jerusalem above is free,

and she is our mother.

For it is written,

“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;

break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!

For the children of the desolate one will be more

than those of the one who has a husband.”

Now you, brothers, like Isaac, are children of promise.

But just as at that time he who was born according to the flesh

persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, so also it is now.

But what does the Scripture say?

“Cast out the slave woman and her son,

for the son of the slave woman shall not

inherit with the son of the free woman.”

So, brothers, we are not children of the slave

but of the free woman. -Galatians 4:21-31

Gen- 20, When Unbelievers are More Moral than Believers

After my first year in community college I was invited to join the honor society. I had a 4.0 GPA while registered with 12 credits for both semesters which meant I was "worthy” to be their member.
And I knew it was childish. I knew it was only a community college where even the average high school kid could’ve achieved the same grades with the same effort.


Never the less, I paid the small fee and in a crowded ceremony was given a dime-sized golden pin.


And even though a part of me still felt immature, I proudly wore that pin on the lapel of my Carhartt jacket everywhere I went. Simply put, it was a small symbol of my success. Seeing me wearing this symbol on campus or around town you could assume I had at least a moderate achievement of higher learning.


Well, a few years have passed since then. I never did graduate and the pin has long since been lost. So even now, I guess it’s proclamation was made useless. But still being a vain person who finds meaning and identity in wearing symbols I now wear a cross on a leather string around my neck.

There’s a difference though. Whereas the pin I wore was a symbol of my accomplishment, the cross I wear is not. In fact, it’s not a representation of me at all. Don’t even assume that by my display of this cross that I have by any means even earned the right to wear it. I have done nothing.
This cross is only a tribute to the act of Jesus Christ. It does not mean that I am a better person for wearing it. It does not mean I am honest, or compassionate, or trustworthy. It doesn’t even mean I’m Christian.


In fact, part of why I wear it is because I struggle in all of these areas. And it acts as a daily reminder in my reflection of all the things I am not and all the things Christ is.


Chapter 20 of Genesis deals with a similar issue. Abraham (God’s chosen) has once again been caught in a selfish distrust for God and fear for his own life. As a result, Abraham then lies to a non-believer while putting his wife’s life, his marriage, and his lineage in jeopardy.


It’s a good lesson which teaches me how a servant of God can be prideful, deceitful, and unloving. And how a trusting, non-believer was nearly punished for it.


I too need to remember that as a believer of God I am by no means of any better character than my non-believing brothers; that we as Christians do not have the moral high ground over all things. We are however, at best, open to a Godly correction.


So I guess my point is this- the cross I wear is not an honor society pin. It should not be assumed I have lived a Christ-like life worthy of it. It is however a symbol of the one who is Christ and my hope to be lead by him.


So let me not be self-righteous or shone any person when they’ve exposed me in my hypocrisy. I cannot assume that because they are an unbeliever or even of a different faith that they have no right to confront me. In fact, it may even be that God is using them to speak ever more boldly to me.


Here's an excellent video sermon by Jon Courson to carry us through the whole of Chapter 20:

Genesis 20- Abraham and Abimelech

Jon Courson

Gen 17-18. Abrahamic Covenant

There's a ton of information in chapters 17-18: the origin of circumcision, the promise of Isaac, intercession for the fall of Sodom, etc... So I'm not going to try to summarize it in writing. Instead, I've attached Jon Courson's video sermon on it. It's about 11/2 hours. He also goes on a number of interesting tangents in biblical ethics and practices that's worth watching.. Enjoy!

Gen 17-18, with Jon Courson

Jon and his dog PawDre!

Gen 16 pt. 2, Hagar-Ishmael-Islam

The angel of the LORD found her (Hagar) by a spring of water in the wilderness, the spring on the way to Shur. And he said, “Hagar, servant of Sarai, where have you come from and where are you going?” She said, “I am fleeing from my mistress Sarai.”
The angel of the LORD said to her, “Return to your mistress and submit to her.” The angel of the LORD also said to her, “I will surely multiply your offspring so that they cannot be numbered for multitude.”
And the angel of the LORD said to her, “Behold, you are pregnant and shall bear a son. You shall call his name Ishmael, because the LORD has listened to your affliction. He shall be a wild donkey of a man, his hand against everyone and everyone's hand against him, and he shall dwell over against all his kinsmen.” -Genesis 16:7-12

As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I have blessed him and will make him fruitful and multiply him greatly. He shall father twelve princes, and I will make him into a great nation. -Genesis 17:20

Islamic traditions consider Ishmael to be the ancestor of Arab people,[2] excluding Arabs who are descendants of Ya'rub. Arabs who are from Ishmael-descendant tribes are occasionally referred to as "Arabized-Arabs" to highlight their ancestry. The Prophet Muhammad was of these Arabs
-Wikipedia

Gen-16 pt. 1, Abram-Hagar-Ishmael

My top three favorite video's telling of the birth of Ishmael

Gen 15- Living in the Gap

Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and trade and make a profit”—yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, “If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that.” -James 4:13-15


Most times it feels like I’m just standing in a room with my hands at my sides while God tosses random items in a suitcase for me. And as he takes some things from my shelves and throws them in, still others are picked up and thrown directly in the garbage as he says, “You gonna need this" and "You’ve never needed this.” All while I politely stare in dazed amusement wondering, “Where are we going?”


But it’s become a large part of my life with Christ to simply trust in Him to guide me. And that means learning not to worry about my future.


And it’s easy to worry isn’t it? In fact in a twisted way it’s almost fulfilling to be immersed in our worries. We’ve simply allowed ourselves to be shaped into worrisome people. All too easily letting our fears guide us more than our hopes.


Ah, the awesome power of the “What If’s.”- What if I lose my job? What if my spouse leaves me? What if I get sick? What if the kids get sick? What if our house burns down? It really can be paralyzing. So we bubble wrap our dreams in a sort of padded room of plans for our future. We plan, plan, plan as though we're tightening the straps on a straight jacket to be sure we've taken as few risks as possible.


We’ll stay at our unhappy, dead end jobs for decades just to ride out our 401K’s instead of going back to school or starting a new career. We’ll turn down trips to new places in lew of staying home for our annual vacation, trimming our hedges and cleaning gutters. We buy insurance for everything we own (even our own lives). And some who can afford it might even retain lawyers on the side just to watch over it all in case there’s something we might’ve missed planning for.


And I’m not against planning but maybe we ought to stop and ask ourselves, what are our motives? Are we planning with a sense of hope or are we planning out of fear? Because as I understand it God has taught us not to focus so much on the ‘what if’s’ of tomorrow but instead to focus on our faith in Him right here, right now.


But if God so clothes the grass, which is alive in the field today, and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith! -Luke 12:28


Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble. -Matthew 6:34


And so at least in my life, living out this command has been challenging because it goes against my own normal, worrisome, social flow. So I’ve made it a point to pray regularly about it, asking for God to lead me.


And when I pray I like asking God to lead me with the easiest possible signs- “Lord, please lead me through opportunities. Lord, please lead me through mentoring. And Lord, please lead me by putting your own will on my heart.”


Then I can rest in God while comfortably soaking in new opportunities along with any trusted advice and by following my heart.


So with all that in mind I've included this next sermon entitled Living in the Gap. It was taught at the Village Church in Flower Mound, Texas by Pastor Afshin Ziafat.


In this sermon Afshin uses the covenant by God with Abram in Genesis 15 to teach us that we as Christians tend to focus on the gifts of God (fulfillment of the covenant) more than God himself.


Here’s how he puts it:
1. We need to recognize what the true reward is-The Lord came to Abram saying, "Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” -Genesis 15:1
2. We need to take our eyes off whatever’s in God’s hands and put our eyes back on Him. (Quit worshiping what God gives you, worship Him.)


So using my little analogy from the beginning- Is it right for me to be asking the Lord, “Where are we going?” Or should I simply be strengthened in knowing wherever I am He is with me.


Give it a listen then ask your own self, “What am I expecting out of this relationship with God?”

Living in the Gap, Afshin Ziafat

Gen 15-18, with Chuck Smith

Chuck Smith has been the lead pastor of Calvary Chapel in Costa Mesa, Ca. since 1965. He's done a wonderful job of teaching through the entire bible verse by verse and then making those recordings available for free online. 


When I first started reading the Bible I realized right away that I wanted help understanding more about the scriptures so I asked around. Chuck's name came up right away. I didn't have a computer at the time but I was able to listen to his sermons using the internet on my cell phone. So week after week I avoided many phone calls while listening to Chuck take me through entire books of the bible.


So here's a section of his C2000 series from Genesis 15-18. I hope you enjoy him as much as I have. I've since bought the C3000 series on mp3 and read a number of his books but to me, nothing is as good as this first series. It's almost like sitting at the feet of your easygoing, funny and tender grandfather while listening to him teach. You can find the whole series at:
Chuck Smith, C2000 Through the Bible

Gen 15-18 with Chuck Smith

Gen 18-19, Search for Sodom and Gomorrah

These are two links to the same awesome video. The link above is a lower quality but watchable video in YouTube format. The link below is a perfect quality video in Windows Media format. So chose whichever works best for your computer.

So this is a 1 hour documentary on the modern textual study and archaeological search for the locations of the two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah. And yes, you might have to either be a bible geek (like me) or maybe just a history nerd (like me) to appreciate this but I know I'm not the only one because 19,000 people already viewed it on YouTube!

Sodom and Gomorrah, 2009 Seattle Creation Conference

Gen 12-13, Abram and Sarai in Egypt

“When Abram entered Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman (Sarai, his wife) was very beautiful. And when the princes of Pharaoh saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken into Pharaoh's house. And for her sake he dealt well with Abram; and he had sheep, oxen, male donkeys, male servants, female servants, female donkeys, and camels.” Genesis 12:14-16




I’m almost ashamed that I’ve allowed myself to get this old. And now I sometimes feel like I’m left unwillingly wallowing in the social side effects of being in my late 30’s.


For instance, most all of my friends can be split into one of two categories- Married or Divorced. Having never been either, I usually stay awkwardly silent about the whole issue of marriage. Also because I’ve been warned by every former girlfriend to, “Never give anyone any type of advice on relationships, ever.”


So that in mind, I’ve used this sermon by Mark Driscoll (posted below) to interpret the blessings and woe’s of Abram’s first recorded dealings with Sarai, his wife. And for all its immature humor Mark does bring a curious peek into what might have been the early personality of Abram.


An important point to mention is that Abram was by no means a saintly man. In fact I think Mark may refer to him as a “lug-nut” more than once. However, that does create a beautiful setting for us as God’s children to understand. Because God does not call extraordinary people into service, He calls ordinary people into an extraordinary service.


In another key point during the sermon, Mark talks about the gifts Abram received from an ungodly pharaoh as rewards during Abram’s sinful acts. Mark say’s, “It looks like Abram is totally profiting from ungodliness. The truth is that everything he obtains later becomes for him, a curse. The point is this, you can obtain wealth and fame and power but if you do so apart from the kindness of God; what you perceived to be a blessing will actually consume you in the end.”


That hits home with me. I’ve often been confused in life by the imbalance of wealth and fulfillment. For me, they’ve always seemed to conflict. I do know that the times in my life when I’ve been most wealthy are those same times when I’ve been most destructive.


And that’s not to say that wealth is by any means a destructive thing. But it is important to understand that even a seemingly godly blessing such as wealth can be obtained sinfully, thereby being granted by Satan for our harm (see Luke 4:5-7).


Any-who, read Gen 12-13, listen to the sermon below and write your own damn commentary. I’m headin’ over to the Christian Singles website.

Mark Driscoll, Genesis 12:10-13

oh, to save time skip the first 10 minutes of the sermon.

(he's just doing some church announcements)

Gen 11, Tower of Babel

The Tower of Babel was most likely a type of
Ziggurat (click on the word ziggurat).

And it isn't that God was worried that the people would

actually accomplish a tower that reached to heaven.

(I was always confused by that)

It's that they were disobediently building a one-world city

after God had commanded them to "Fill the Earth" -Gen 9:1

The Origin of Races in a fast 3 minutes

oh. and if the video confuses you then let me help make it clear-
Adam and Eve weren't White.

Gen 10- After the Flood

After the flood of Noah there was a lot of rehabilitation needed. Namely, Re-Habitation.

Here's how it plays out: Noah had 3 sons with their wives on the Ark with him- Shem, Ham, and Japheth (see cartoon in Gen 6-8 post).

From these three sons came  what's known as The Table of Nations (mapped below).

There's a sermon beneath the map by John MacArthur that'll help carry you through.

It can get confusing. I've been at it all week and it's just now sinking in. But your probably a whole lot smarter than me so give it a shot. 

History in the New World, John MacArthur

Gen 1-7 Recap

Here's a 90min video sermon recapping Genesis 1-7. I like recaps at the end of each few chapters just to keep everything fresh in my mind.


Jon is an excellent teacher. He likes to use a lot of easy analogies and corny humor to teach with. There are some points in his teachings that are opinionated but I like those too because even if I don't agree with Jon, it helps me to properly question what I do believe. Anyway, put the kettle on and enjoy.

Gen 1-7, Jon Courson 2011

Gen 6-8, A Fairly Accurate Documentary- 1933

For those who still don't believe the flood actually happened.

Watch and learn!

Gen- 19, Looking Back

I tend to live in the past because most of my life is there. –Herb Caen


Warriors should be careful with war stories. It’s easy and it’s entertaining to take a time in our past when we might’ve run through hell on earth and then glorify it; even romanticize it. And I’m no exception. But we need to be careful when we reminisce about the things we’ve done in war. And by war I mean a time of chaos in our lives. When we lived so close to fear that we did almost anything to survive. My war was in drugs and alcohol but it could be a lot of other things for each of us.


I was with a friend a few months ago and I showed them the painting posted above and asked, “Do you remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah?” He said, “Yeah, a little.” And I said, “You know, we used to live our lives in a sort of Sodom before Christ saved us...


And now the music and drunken parties may have ended- the drugs may be gone- the money- the women- even our youth; But deep inside the wrinkles in our eyes when we smile there’s still a small sparkle of that glitter from the night we were pulled out.” And we need to be aware of that.


We need to consider that maybe we’re still susceptible to being pulled back in. Remember what the Angel's said to Lot as they we’re dragging him from the city- “Escape for your life. Do not look back or stop anywhere in the valley. Escape to the hills, lest you be swept away.” -Genesis 19:17


And what did his wife do as they were being rushed to a safe place to start new lives? She looked back. The story says, “But Lot's wife, behind him, looked back, and she became a pillar of salt.” -Genesis 19:26


You see where I’m going with this? I mean, is it right that we look back on those days of our sinful past with heroic tales as though we miss them?


Oscar Wilde said, “Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future.”


And I don’t think we can fully embrace our future until we’ve fully let go of our past. It’s as though we have to set something old down in order to pick something new up.


Anyway, all these thoughts are usually swirling somewhere in my head but maybe a little more clearly tonight than most. Tonight’s November 22 and it’s been exactly 1 year since my last drink. Tonight was the night I was arrested and finally humbled enough in my depravity to call out to Jesus.


And I guess I just wanted to take a minute to acknowledge the bombs that still fall as Jesus continues to completely destroy my sinful past. Thank you Jesus for continuing in my rescue.


And if it's God's will for me to use the salvation from my past as lessons to teach others of His mercy then let me continue to do that. But I know that's still me looking back so, Lord help me to be careful not to stare.

Jon Courson, Genesis 19 *excellent teaching

Gen-4, Killing My Brother

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”
Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” And the LORD said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying to me from the ground. And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. -Genesis 4:1-11





I like looking at my house on Google Earth. I like to zoom way down to the street level. All the way down till I'm standing in virtual reality in front of my driveway. Then slowly, click by click, I pan out further and further till I'm at the fullest distance of about halfway to the moon looking down on earth as a whole.


And then slowly again I zoom myself back in to street level and start over. All to get the accurate perspective. I see my little home, my little bills, and my little life engulfed in this immense world. And it's perspectives like these that help me to understand myself better.


It's putting something in context to its surroundings. A sort of getting-out in order to get a full view from above rather than fumbling in emotions while stitching together a dozen side-views from within.


With an admitted over-simplification I call it the God Perspective.


It's also one of the secrets I've learned to reading my bible. I try to think about it from God's perspective. For instance, the Cain and Abel story is familiar but it never really hit home with me. I mean, so what if one guy killed his brother. I've never killed my brother. I have no property in that neighborhood; no perspective to relate to this story.


And besides, thousands of people are killed off like ants throughout the Old Testament and even millions more since then. So I figured it was just an example of how murder is a sin and left it at that. You know, for those prison preachers to teach about.


But then I heard the Mark Driscoll sermon on it (posted below) and I began to look at it contextually- Cain was the firstborn son of Adam (father) and Eve (mother). They had sex just like we do and Eve got pregnant with a boy. So Cain must’ve had an unusual childhood to say the least.


He must’ve often heard from his dad (Adam) about being created from dust by God. He would’ve known about the days before “the fall” when his dad named every living creature.


Cain would be aware that God created his mother from his fathers’ rib. He would've heard stories about the beauty and blessings within the Garden of Eden. And Cain would've known how his mother and father were lured by the serpent and eventually expelled from Eden forever.


So using all that as the surroundings to Genesis 4 when Cain and his brother Abel brought their offerings to God, there shouldn't have been much doubt in Cain's heart of: (1.) Who God was (2.) What God expects (3.) That God delivers justice.


So now I’m racking my brain thinking, why then would Cain kill his brother practically right in front of God? Well just speculating but, maybe he didn't know he could kill him. Up until then the bible hasn't mentioned of anyone dying. Maybe they just didn't know what human death was. It’s obvious that Cain was up to no good. Scripture says, “Cain was very angry” and “Cain rose up against his brother.” But murder? The 10 commandments didn't even exist.


I decided to plug this into my Google Earth technique. It's as if God was saying, "Come here John. Sit up here beside me and watch how this unfolds." Kind of like a heavenly view of the Globe theater.


So I try panning out a little further...


Then I notice something. I begin seeing how God continually leaves my side to head down there and interact with Cain. And watching as God returns to his seat then smile while standing up again to head back down I'm starting to think this isn't about a murder. This is about a repentance.


It's about repentance and the persistence of God’s mercy. I think God is showing me how he comes to us and gives us multiple chances to accept our sin, to confess our sin, and to repent.


Let’s play around with the story a little and I’ll show you what I mean.


First off, the Lord said to Cain before the murder even happened- “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."


And remember, God already knew Cain would murder Abel. So when God said, “sin is crouching at the door” and “you must rule over it”, he wasn't so much warning Cain. God is preparing Cain for what’s about to happen.


And that helps me start moving the fog around a bit too. Because after the murder God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" When God already knew Abel was dead. God already knew Cain had killed him. God knows everything.


And I could be way off here but I think God allowed all this because he was trying to get Cain to admit what he had done. Because by getting Cain to own up to it, God could then help Cain understand it was wrong and then to repent.


Like a kid who’s drawn on the living room wall with crayons. The parent says, “What have you drawn on?” while staring at both the wall and the child. The parent knows but he wants to get his child to understand. He wants the child (who is plainly guilty) to have the chance to learn about his involvement in and results of his own actions.


Of course Cain just smarted off to God by saying, "I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?" And that would be like the child saying to their parent, “What am I, Picasso?”


So then God says plainly, "What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground.” And to me that sounds like the parent saying, “There’s crayon all over the wall and you’re the crayon kid.”


So now both Cain and the child are at a point of accepting, admitting and repenting that they have been engaged in a wrongful act.


Now whether or not Cain actually repented is debatable so I'll leave that up to you.


But all this is very important to me. I was raised with very few guidelines being taught about what sin is in God’s eyes. In fact, I was plainly raised to believe God was an inactive God and that I should sin as much as I could get away with.


And now by the grace of God's active love for me (like a father for his son) I have heard God’s voice call when I’m on the edge and say, “Sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” It is a warning, yes. But I think sometimes it’s also a preparation, knowing I will fall.


And to me at least, the point I get from Cain and Abel is how even in our sin God in his foreknowledge is already calling to us. Not in condemnation but in love. He lovingly holds our sins accountable to us to try to get us to see ourselves through his eyes. And we as his children must have the humility and courage to not deny our sin or hide our sin or even minimize our sin.


No, we must admit our sin even before it occurs- when it first becomes a thought. The way Cain was given the chance to when he first became angry and God came to him saying, "Why are you angry?"


So now I'm ready to start slowly zooming back down onto my life with a proper contextual reference. Through the story of Cain and Abel, God teaches me that as a descendant of Adam I am like Cain and in a continual headlong dive into sin.


And I must call to God now with the desperation of a convicted felon in repentance for my own murderous heart. And pray that in God’s mercy he will, “deliver me from evil” before I do something as awful as killing my own brother.

Genesis 4: Cain and Abel, Pastor Mark Driscoll

Gen 2-3, Falling in this Eden

And the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground the LORD God made to spring up every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

-Genesis 2:8-9


And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” -Genesis 2:16-17


God created Eden. Within Eden he created the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He pointed Adam to the tree and said, “Don’t eat of it” knowing both Adam and Eve would disobey him.


It’s not as though God was at all surprised by what they did. In fact when you get right down to it, God even allowed Satan into the Garden knowing he would tempt them.


My point is this, God already knows when, where, why, and how we are going to sin. In fact, he knows all our sins before we’re even born. That’s why we have one  Cross two thousand years ago. Not ‘in case’ we sin but because to God, we already have.


And I don’t know about you but that raises a few questions in my mind. Going back to Adam and Eve- Why did God put the tree there in the first place? Why did he even bother to warn Adam? Why didn’t he just destroy the serpent the second it came in? Most importantly, is God just setting us up to fail?


And if you know me then you know I like to simplify things. So after reading and prayer and a few notes I’m beginning to understand it in this way- God knows how many times I’m going to fall before I learn to walk. Without letting me fall though, I might never learn.


Does that mean its Gods fault when I fall? No. But he does sometimes let me fall. And once I do, he’s right there to help me back up so I can try again. Even if that means falling a few more times.


And that really does help me to understand my life better. Because I know God loves me. I know God is always with me. Yet sometime’s I end up flat on my face and I want to yell out, “Where were you on that one!”


But that’s when he puts out his hand to help me up and says, “I’m right here.” And that’s just one of those things that make me smile and say, “Beautiful. The way you work is simply beautiful.”


I also like to imagine that this world I live in is still a sort of Eden. There’s a lot of trees that God has put all around me and told me not to eat from.


But using this simple analogy in my childlike brain, I’m allowed to recognize when the serpent is tempting me with evil by using the fruit from one of these trees that God has created.


Then I can call to God for protection. Not necessarily from the fruit but from the evil Satan's using it for. Namely, getting me to do what God told me not to.


Here’s a video sermon (Yea Video’s!) of John Piper using Eden to explain how God allows Satan to exist so that the glory of Jesus Christ can be revealed to us. 


Piper’s cool because he’s kinda like the mad scientist of preachers. I love to listen but I especially love when I can watch him because I think he really is on the edge of earthly insanity and a full on spiritual combustion.


Near the end of the video he’ll describe 8 things we should always do concerning evil followed by 4 things we should never do concerning evil. It’s worth watching till the end to find out. I think the whole lesson is about 40 minutes.


Blessings…

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