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God First, Man Second: Genesis 3:21-24

The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. ~Genesis 3:21-24


Each Monday I like to start with scripture and ask what it says about God, then what it says about us. You might think today's selection is a bit odd, since it consists mainly of God's judgement on Adam and Eve. But I think we do learn some things about God here.

First, God makes garments of skin for the sinful duo. That tells us that in the midst of His disappointment that He still has compassion. This is still true today. We see it every time we receive a second chance...and a third....

We also see that God is willing to punish. Adam and Eve were bainshed from the Garden and were blocked from ever returning. Yeah, unlike the many spoiled children we see today who misbehave and still get the ice cream cone, God will punish for sin.

What about us? Well, in the midst of, arguably, our lowest point in history, we are still on the receiving end of grace and mercy from God. Yes, we got evicted from our home, but at least we weren't sent away naked. God could have said that we had to go get our own clothing. We might still be wearing leaves. That might chaff.

Oh, let's not forget that we did become knowledgable of good and evil. This is a trait that we share with God. That's not nothing.

So starts our week together. The good, the bad and what we learn about God and ourselves, even in the midst of trials. When is the last time you learned more about God or yourself through punishment?
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