Devotions - Read Online
Friday | 17 August 2018
After Adam ate the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, he and Eve realised that they were naked and separated from the life of God. They were afraid and ashamed. Gen 3:7-10. God barred the way to the tree of life because of Adam’s sin. He also told Adam that He had cursed the ground so it would now bring forth thorns and thistles ‘for his sake’. Gen 3:17,24.
How could ‘cursing the ground’ possibly help Adam, when he was already naked, afraid, ashamed, and facing death? Cursing the ground was an expression of God’s love and mercy toward mankind. Even though Adam had just separated mankind from God by bringing sin and death into the world, God’s immediate response was to provide a way of recovery. Rom 5:12. Through the curse, mankind could be restored to relationship with God, and to their predestination as sons of God. Rom 8:20-21.
The fifth wound which Christ suffered on His journey to the cross was caused by the crown of thorns being driven into His head by a mock sceptre. Mat 27:29. It was through this suffering event that Christ dealt with our pride and projections. The very thorns that were woven together and driven into Christ’s head signified the curse upon all of mankind. They represented all of the difficult and conflicting situations in our life. These ‘thorns’ frustrate us in everything we do and undermine the work and success of our hands.
In many cases, the thorns in our lives will be the volatile and prickly responses of other people towards us. So how do these ‘thorns’ help us to deal with our pride? The testimony of the apostle Paul provides us with a helpful example. Paul received many amazing revelations directly from the Lord. However, he himself admitted that, because of this, he was particularly vulnerable to exalting himself and becoming proud. God knew that this mechanism in Paul needed to be removed, so He gave him ‘a thorn in his flesh’. 2Co 12:7.
Further Study:
Genesis 3
Daily Proverb:
References:
Gen 3:7-10
Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. They heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden. Then the LORD God called to the man, and said to him, ‘Where are you?’ He said, ‘I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.’
Gen 3:17
Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat from it”, cursed is the ground because of you. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.’
Gen 3:24
So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.
Rom 5:12
Therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned.
Rom 8:20-21
For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God.
Mat 27:29
And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand, and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’.
2Co 12:7
Because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, for this reason, to keep me from exalting myself, there was given me a thorn in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to torment me-to keep me from exalting myself!