February 7

Journey-through-the-Bible-with-us

READINGS FOR FEBRUARY 7, 2024: GENESIS 3, MATTHEW 3, PSALM 2: 7-12                    GENESIS 3                                                                                                                                      Remember that God clearly told Adam not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil in Gen. 2:17.  The Bible does not say why God created such a tree that could be the downfall of all humankind. It is the case, however, that this allowed humans the choice of either obeying God or disobeying God. They were not robots but had the opportunity to love God in return for His goodness or go their own way. 

Satan’s techniques to cause humanity’s downfall have not changed over the centuries: 

  • Install doubt about what God’s Word says: “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall eat from any tree of the garden’?”
  • Totally contradict God’s Word: “You surely shall not die.”
  • Point out supposed benefits to disobeying God’s Word: “Your eyes will be opened.”       

Consider if and how our culture or even some religious figures and institutions are employing these techniques. How might you stand against these subtle and effective approaches? Meditate on the following verses:   

  • Heaven and earth will pass away, but my Words will not pass away (Matt 24:35). 
  • But the Word of the Lord remains forever (1 Peter 1:25).   
  • The sum of your Word is truth, and every one of your righteous rules endures forever (Psalm 119:160).
  • Thy Word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee (Psalm 119: 11}.   

Instead of trusting God’s Word, Adam and Eve disobeyed God and caused the fall of the universe. Their actions led to all the death, violence, illness, and hatred we experience today.  Most of all, it severed the close relationship they had with God. They were driven from the garden and had no access to the tree of life. 

The rest of the Bible is the story of God’s loving and sacrificial work to restore that relationship and give us access to eternal life. The price was infinitely high for God: placing all our sins on His Son Jesus and allowing to Him suffer death separated from Him. This gift of grace, however, is free for us by believing in Jesus and making Him our Lord (i.e., obeying His Word). 

READINGS FOR FEBRUARY 7 CONTINUED: MATTHEW 3, PSALM 2:7-12                                          MATTHEW 3 According to verse 3, John the Baptist’s ministry was prophesized centuries before by the prophet Isaiah. John’s task, according to Isaiah, was to prepare the way for the Lord’s arrival. What was this message that would make the world ready for the arrival of Jesus’s ministry? “REPENT, for the kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”  Do we really need to repent first in order to be ready for Jesus?    That’s seems counterintuitive, certainly in our culture. What if that message offends folks?  But...what if it is true?

Here is a statement by a very popular current inspirational writer. It represents what many people believe: “Most people are good. Most people kiss their pets goodbye and read just ‘one more’ bedtime story to their children. Most people visit their grandparents even when they have no time and stop by to check on quiet friends, after a long day. Most people give money when money is scarce and most people worry about people they don’t even know, day in and day out. When the world seems bad, remember, most people are good.”

Most people may do these good things, but ever since the rebellion of Adam and Eve, all of us have fallen short of the perfect standards of a Holy God. We have continued to pursue our way instead of God’s way. John the Baptist’s message is that, although created in God’s image, we now first need to know that we are not good and need a savior. Our supposed natural goodness is not enough. One pastor summed up the gospel (the good news) well: “We are worse off than we realize, but we are loved more [by God] than we can ever imagine.” 

Finally, after Jesus's baptism and temptation by Satan, what were Jesus’s very first words as He began His ministry? “Repent for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” 

PSALM 2: 7-12                                                                                                                                             In Acts 13:33, Paul preached the good news that Psalm 2 promises: “God has fulfilled this promise to our children in that He raised Jesus, as it is also written in the second Psalm, ‘Thou are my Son: today I have begotten thee.’”  The rest of this Psalm completes the story: God’s wrathremains on those who reject or ignore Jesus. God’s blessing is for all who take refuge in Him. God’s message of the hopelessness of our own efforts and the certainty of entrance into the kingdom of God for all who take refuge in Jesus is the good news of the entire Bible.