With Us // God and Separation
Life hasn’t exactly turned out like I would have expected it to. But in all the grief and loss I have experienced the last few years, there is one truth about God’s character that seems to jump off the pages of the Bible repeatedly to me, without me even trying to find it – God’s nearness. From Genesis to Revelation, the theme of God being with his people is woven throughout. This aspect of God’s character has given me comfort, changed my perspective on my circumstances, and drawn me to him in ways I have never imagined. Because I can’t help but find these nuggets of “God with us” all throughout His Word, I thought I’d share some of those with you, here, in the form of short, regular devotionals. Start off your week with the assurance that God is with you – and see how that changes things, no matter what you’re going through or where you are in life. Ask God, “Meet me here” – after all, that’s the very thing he's asking you.
Genesis 3:12-24
12 The man said, “Thewoman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?”The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above alllivestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shallgo, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. 15 I will put enmity betweenyou and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise yourhead, and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “Iwill surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bringforth children. Your desire shall be contrary to your husband, but he shall rule overyou.”
17 And to Adam he said, “Becauseyou have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of thetree of which I commanded you, ‘Youshall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because ofyou; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of yourlife; 18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forthfor you; and you shall eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, ‘til you return to theground, for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust, and to dust youshall return.”
20 The man called his wife'sname Eve, because she was the mother of all living. 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins andclothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us inknowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also ofthe tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work theground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east ofthe garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turnedevery way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Context
God hascommanded Adam and Eve, while in the Garden, to work and to not eat of onespecific tree. Obviously, they chose to.As a result, God – who was previously with them in the garden (from time totime at least) then gives them curses, or consequences, for their sin(disobedience to God) and forbids them from being in his presence in thegarden.
Questions to Consider
- Notice the consequences to their sin. God gave the serpent/Satan a curse, then Eve, and finally Adam. We see that death is one of the consequences to sin being in the world. What significance does this have when you consider how Adam and Eve created – which is, in perfect relationship or nearness to God (for more on that, read Genesis 2 & 3)?
- After God curses them, he clothes them (notice in this that God still provides for them lovingly, in spite of their actions – interesting!) and then he sends them out from the garden. What significance does this play when you consider God’s desire to be with his children, as evidenced in how they were created?
- Read 1 Corinthians 15:21-22. How does Jesus enter the equation here? What does it mean to you that God sent people out from his presence after they sinned, but also brings life to his people through Christ (whom he sent)?
Jesus, you are the only one who can eversolve the problem of our sinfulness – our active rebellion or passiveindifference to God. We know that apartfrom you, we would be still considered far and separated from God. Help us to treasure your gospel more dearlyas we recognize the grandeur of who you are. You left your throne to come near to us, and then you died that we mightknow you – that we might be with you. You long to be with us. Help usto walk in that truth.
Find all of the devotionals, including the introductory explanation post, here.