Good Morning Gorgeous,
It’s a brand new day. A fresh new start. A new day all its own! You can put your feet on the ground and know that today has treasures for you. There are things that God desires to speak into you. There are moments of joy ahead throughout today. Even on the darkest of days, God can be found speaking to His people. Even in the midst of tragedy and heartache, He has something to say to us. He has comfort in the moment of our trauma, and He also has a plan for redemption.
When we stop running and we turn wholeheartedly to God and get real with Him, He will give us what we need in that moment and He will set a plan into motion to redeem us. He will make beauty even out of our darkest moments. He can set us free from our own sin and the sins that others have done to us.
He is the Master Creator and also the Master Redeemer. He can make things from the very dust of the earth. He formed man in His image from dust and His breath. What a Creator!!And He loved Adam and Eve so very much that even when they sinned against Him, He was so merciful.
You can see God’s heart even as He punishes them in Genesis 3. If you are a parent, you know that part of your role is correction and that includes consequences. Have you ever witnessed a child who never faced a consequence for their actions? It’s not a pretty sight, and the result is not healthy.
So, its important to view God’s punishment of Adam and Eve as necessary. God is Holy and He created people to be in full relationship with Him. When Adam and Eve chose to believe the lies of the enemy and sin against God by eating of the tree even when they knew not to, there had to be punishment. They had to live apart from Eden and apart from God physically. Yet, if you read Genesis 3 closely, you see such love and mercy pouring out of our Father. Even as His heart is breaking and His people have chosen to stray away by disobeying His only command, He is merciful. Even though He told them that they would die if they ate it, and they did it anyway, He made a way for them to live. Even through His disappointment, He was merciful.
Even though they chose death over abundant life in the garden, He already had a plan to redeem this whole human made mess. As He delivers the curse to satan, He speaks of the coming of Jesus! As He is dealing with the very first sin, and His heart is breaking, He is already speaking of redemption. His heart is already on the solution for getting His people back to total relationship with Him. He tells the enemy. “I will put enmity between the woman’s offspring and yours. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
This is the first mention of Jesus as redeemer. He is to be born of Mary to defeat the curse of sin and crush the enemy. He came to bring mankind back to relationship with Jesus, and God lets us in on His plan right here in Genesis!God does not plan for this separation to be a permanent state for His people. He already knows how He will get them back! And that’s the redemption plan, that’s the big picture, but how does He also comfort them in their moment of trauma and pain?
He provides clothing and covering for them. They are naked and ashamed. Their sin has made them view themselves in a new light, and now they see their nakedness. Now they may even start to perceive and imagine flaws in themselves. Now they look at their bodies with shame and want to cover up. God does NOT say, “Oh well, you did this.” He does NOT leave them naked and ashamed. He covers them. He makes clothing for them from animal skins.
With His Hands, He makes something to comfort them and make them feel protected. He clothes Adam and Eve out of His love for them. He loved them from the very start. He will continue to love them and all of the people He creates after them. He is passionate about His people and He continues to redeem and restore us when we sin today. He comforts us in the moment, and when we repent and submit over to Him, He makes beautiful things and He can redeem us no matter how dark our past.
Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank You for redemption. Thank You for Your passionate love that continues to seek us and call out to us even when we mess us. You look for us and when we turn to You and answer You, You are ready with redemption and comfort. Help us to view You in truth of who You are, a comforting, forgiving Father. In Jesus’s name, Amen.
Blessings!
Vanessa Lynn
As It Happened Bible Reading Plan
Genesis 1-3
