Order

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease. (Genesis 8:22 ESV)

Order

I Have lived in many geographical locations, and I have noticed that while the seasons are sometimes not as pronounced in a particular place, seasons exist.  I have noticed that while seasons vary in intensity from year to year, seasons exist.  I have noticed that while some seasons are more pleasant, and some more profitable, and some more short, and some more long, seasons exist.

Because God desires His people to notice the orderliness that He produces in life.  Even when we see chaos, there is orderliness behind it.  Even when we see disruption, there is orderliness behind it.  Even when we might not comprehend God’s plan, there is orderliness behind it.

Because God loves His people.

Chaos breeds fear, order brings hope.  Chaos breeds worry, order brings peace.  Chaos breeds pain, order brings healing.

Christ came to earth to strengthen order… God’s people are scattered throughout the world to strengthen order… from the aftermath of the flood until tomorrow, God brings order.

Because He loves His people.

Memory

But God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. (Genesis 8:1 ESV)

Memory

God remembered Noah?   The family of Noah were the last humans on earth.  It does not surprise us that God remembered them, it would be more surprising if God had forgotten them! 

It might be that God remembered those on the ark because God created them.  Many years ago, my best friend and I renovated an old truck.  Later, we saw it totaled by the side of the highway.  I remembered it because in effect, I had created it.

It might be that God remembered those on the ark because God had saved them from the flood.  I once saw across a large lake a man with a beached sailboat, in the face of a summer storm.  A couple of us boated across the lake to help him.  I’ve occasionally wondered what happened to that man.  I have not forgotten him.

But those are not the full reason God remembered Noah.  God remembered Noah because God loved Noah.  In fact, God still does…

God remembers His people because He loves us.  He does not remember us because we are incredible, gifted, attractive, necessary, or memorable.  The love of God, unconditional, sacrificial, gracious, and merciful results in His memory. 

This is exactly why the Lord promises, with various phrases, that He will never forget us. (Deuteronomy 31:6; Hebrews 13; Joshua 1:5; Philippians 4:6,7; Genesis 28:15; John 14:18; Isaiah 41:13; I Chronicles 28:20; Micah 7:7; Psalm 139:8; Romans 8:39; Psalm 27:1; et.al.)

God loves His people.  So remembers us.

He remembered Noah on the ark.  He remembered us before the foundation of the world.  He remembered us while Christ was on the cross.  He remembered us when Christ arose.  He remembered you yesterday, remembers you today, and will remember you tomorrow.

He loves, so He remembers.

The Weight of God's Love

And the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord. (Genesis 6:6-8 ESV)

The Weight of God’s Love

My new eyeglasses automatically turn into sunglasses.  When the sun is a little bright, the lenses protect my eyes a little bit.  When the sun is brighter, the lenses are able to increase the protection.  According to the (humorously exaggerated) description by my optometrist, if I drove into the sun, those lenses would still darken enough!

I will not be testing that.

But God’s love does work that way.  His benevolent, sacrificial, and unconditional love protects His people from sin’s depravity.  Whether it is a little bit of sin, or sin like during the time of Noah. 

More specifically, Christ Jesus protects us from sin, through His life, His death, and His Life.

God’s love covers a multitude of sins.  And sin does not cover God’s love.

The amount of sin described in these verses is immense.  It was so bad that God regretted creating humans.  But then, we read that Noah found favor in God’s eyes.  That’s another way of saying that God loved Noah.  And that love of God saved the world, even though it was terrible.

Man sins… God loves.   And His love is more than enough.

Long Life

Thus all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. (Genesis 5:27 ESV)

Long Life

969 years is a long time.  If Methusaleh had lived in modern times, and died this year, he would have been born in the year 1054.  That was the year in which the events of Macbeth took place.  That was the year of the Great Schism, in which the Great Schism between Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism began.  That was a long time ago.

Why did Methusaleh live so long?  Beyond good vitamins, plenty of exercise, and a healthier environment, Methusaleh was simply blessed by God.  A long life is often understood as a blessing, from the promise attached to the fifth commandment, to Mr. Spock’s official greeting.  But note well, that Methusaleh did not reach 969 as a reward of better behavior than his grandfather, who only lived 962 years… but the reason for long life is found on the other side of the equation.  They lived that long because God loved them.

Do not get lost in wondering whether a few years’ difference equates with a measurable amount of love. 

Just relax and rejoice in noting that God’s love results in long life.

And because of Christ, that long life is not measured in years traveling around Sol.  Our long life will endure through eternity.  More than Carl Sagan’s billions and billions of years.  We, God’s people, are going to live longer than Methusaleh!

Because God loves His people, He bought us long life… eternal life… with the coin of His Son’s blood.

Weakness

To Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord. (Genesis 4:26 ESV)

Weakness

When I am feeling strong, intelligent, clever, wise, powerful, and able, I do not easily ask for help.  The more able I am, in my perception, the more self-confident I become. 

That is why Seth’s son, Enosh, has an interesting name.  Enosh means weak, drained, empty, or unable.  And during the time of Enosh, God’s people began to call upon the Lord’s Name.

In the name of Enosh, perhaps we can see why they turned to God.  Perhaps it was due to the growth of the unrighteous civilization descended from Cain, so that the descendants of Seth were feeling intimidated, threatened, and unable to stand.  Perhaps it was because they saw that life outside of the Garden was difficult, bloody, sweaty, and tearful.  Perhaps it was because they were listening to the words of Adam’s salvific son, Seth.

But from their various inabilities, they found the ability to call on the name of the Lord.

And a life calling upon the name of the Lord is infinitely and eternally better than any sort of life without Him.

In fact, it makes me wonder if the reason that God guides us to our inabilities is so that we find ability in His name.

Paul wrote that in His weakness, he found Christ’s strength.

So did the Sethites.

So will we.

Because that is the avenue of God’s love.  Our weakness lets us accept His love.

Sword

He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Genesis 3:24 ESV)

The Sword

That sword sounds scary.  Cherubim themselves are described in scripture as terrifying, and this one has a flaming sword, has alret eyes, and guards the way back to Eden.

It sure sounds like God really, really, really does not want people back in Eden.

But swords in scripture are often symbolic of something precious: God’s Word.  Ephesians 6:17 clearly connects swords, particularly the sword of the Spirit with God’s Word.  And this flaming sword is as spiritual a sword as has ever been seen.

Because God did not place that sword, wielded by a messenger of God, to stop people from coming back to Him.  Rather, because He loves His people, He gives us a way back to Eden.

That way is found only in Scripture. 

We can’t guess who Jesus was.  Creation does not teach of us God’s Grace manifested astonishingly through Christ’s atoning work.  Our brains can not imagine God’s plan of salvation.

Only God’s Word does those things.

The guarding angel is actually showing us the way to God… that sword symbolizes (as it does elsewhere in Scripture) God’s Word.

God loves His people, so He shows us the way back to Him, in His Word.

Work

…therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. (Genesis 3:23 ESV)

Work

Just a few verses before, God intimated that a savior would be punished for Adam and Eve’s sinful rebellion, instead of them.  And now, God kicks them out of the garden.

While the hardness of leaving Eden’s perfections might make this expulsion seem like punishment, it most certainly is not.  God is just.  He does not punish sinners twice.

Instead, God was showing His love of His rebellious children by trusting them with an important task, a necessary role in God’s plan, an actual job to do.

Loved employees are given more responsibility.  Loved children are given more responsibility.  Loved friends are given more responsibility.  And God loves us.

So He has given us something to do!

For Adam and Eve it was farming, but this is not the only dominion that God assigns.

Your career, your job, your responsibility are all intended for you to do the same thing Adam and Eve did… to restore the broken creation to Godly order.

And God loves you so much that He wants you to do His work.

Not Merely Clothes

And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them. (Genesis 3:21 ESV)

Not Merely Clothes

Adam and Eve, freshly aware of their nakedness, were given clothes by God.   Perhaps because nakedness was symbolic of their new broken openness before God and each other.  Perhaps because the Fall ruined every part of creation, and now the weather was no longer as ideal.  Perhaps because God was hinting at the eventual need for blood-sacrifice to cover human sinfulness.

It could be all of those.

But mostly, this gift of God was a foreshadowing of the Christ.  Scripture continues this theme and picture, using robes, garments, and clothing culminating in the metaphor of Christ’s Righteousness covering us.

God loves His people so much, that already, with the first rebellion still fresh and smelly,  smoldering and smoking, obvious and painful… He gives not merely clothes. 

But He shows what Jesus would eventually, surely, completely do.

God loves, so He makes His people presentable to Himself.

Admission

Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 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.” (Genesis 3:11-13 ESV)

Admission

There is an old dad joke… Question: After Adam and Eve ate the forbidden fruit, Adam blamed Eve, and Eve blamed the Serpent… but the Serpent did not blame anyone.  Why not?  Answer: He did not have a leg to stand on.

But the surprising thing about this story is not the Serpent’s silence, but it is the fact that God asks the question in the first place.

God already knew the answer.

But because of God’s love for Adam and Eve, He gives them the chance to admit what they have done, and therefore to trust in God’s grace and mercy.  

They, however, did not admit their sin.

Perhaps one of the most significant changes that God gives us in sanctification is that we are able to trust Him enough to admit our rebellion, voice our sorrowful understanding, and confess our sinfulness.

We are able to do that because God loves us.  And we show our acceptance of His love by making use of that gift.

Stop blaming others, stop making excuses, stop hiding your head in the sand.

God loves you enough to enable you to confess… and to rejoice when you do.

Not Alone

Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper fit for him.” (Genesis 3:18 ESV)

Not Alone

This is a strange verse, because more than any other human but Christ Himself, Adam was not alone.  He lived in amazing fellowship with God!

But God knew that something horrid was going to happen.  Adam (and Eve) were going to break fellowship with God through sin.

And THEN Adam would have been alone.

So God gave Adam a help-mate.  Adam nor Eve, even after heart-wrenching separation from God, would not be alone.

God was not jealous of Adam’s affection in this way.  God loved Adam enough that God provided a solution for Adam’s subsequent loneliness. 

So Adam had Eve, Eve had Adam, and all of us have an end to loneliness, whether married or single, in the bigger fulfillment of this promise through unity with Christ.

But God gave that helper, helping Adam (and us) overcome sin-induced loneliness, because He loves His children.

We are not alone, because He loves us.

Rest

So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation. (Genesis 2:3 ESV)

Rest

There is an old country song that quips, “…worked my fingers to the bone, what’d ah get? … BONY FINGERS.”  It is a discouraging song, however silly.

God’s desire for His people regarding work is not that we end up with bony fingers.  But rather, He gives us work with which to serve Him, glorify Him, bring His ecology into our economy.

And work works best when we have rest, too.

A loving boss gives appropriate rest, rather than be a harsh taskmaster.  A loving parent gives appropriate rest, rather than overwhelm our children.  A loving steward gives rest to our land, our possessions, our employees, our partners, our friends, our companions, and nearly everything.

God loves us, and so gives us rest.

Yes, rest is pleasant.  Yes, rest is restorative.  Yes, rest is wise.  Yes, rest is necessary.

But rest is also the result of God’s love.

Blessings First

So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. And God blessed them. (Genesis 1: 27, 28 ESV)

Blessings First

I once lost out on a promotion at a produce center because the job was given to the boss’s nephew.  In high school, the Vice-Principle’s daughter seemed to get away with anything.  When coaching, we were always on the lookout to make sure that we coaches-with-kids-on-the-team did not favor our offspring.

Nepotism is a horrible thing, we usually think.

But nepotism is also an understandable thing.  We want to bless our children, family, and friends wherever we can.  When we have something to give, whether materially, emotionally, or positionally, we yearn to do so.

It is a by-product of love.

As God created the universe, He created a lot of creatures.  And He blessed all of creation (Genesis 1:22).  But then He particularly blessed mankind (Genesis 1:28).

It was not nepotism… it was love.

He blessed them in the Garden. He blessed them with hope after the fall. He blessed them by giving dominion over all creation.  He blessed them by forming them into a nation.  He blessed them by promising, and keeping His promises.  He blessed them though providence.  He blessed them triumphantly through the Messiah.

The first thing God did after creating humans was bless them.

And He has not stopped.

All because of love.

Light and Love

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. (Genesis 1:14, 15 ESV)

Light and Love

I preach because without the Light of God’s Word, we would be walking in darkness.  But while the sermons I preach ARE available online, I do not really preach to the world.  I preach to the people I love. 

I yearn for the people I love to live in Light. 

And God does that, too.  He created light.  He did not duplicate light, or bring light, or show light.  He invented light, and created it. 

His motivation is given in these verses.  He desired for His yet unborn children order.  He desired for His yet unborn children safety.  He desired for His yet unborn children clarity.

God could have kept His children in the dark (literally and metaphorically).  But instead, He brings His unconditional love to light by making light happen in just the right way.

I do not cling to a poetic understanding of Genesis 1.  So I believe that God actually made this light before He created the sun and the moon.

His desire that we have order, knowledge, safety, and clarity were foundational as manifestations of His love for His children.

God wanted us to live in Light, so He created it.

He also therefore gave us His Word, more light.  He also gave us His Son, the most light.

We can see God’s love in His light.

The First Miracle

In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. (Genesis 1:1 ESV)

The First Miracle

This first verse of the Bible does not contain the word, “Love.”  It is a verse that is often used as a foundation for theological argument, scientific foundations, and historical understanding. 

Seven little Hebrew words that even tell us the place this verse belongs in God’s Word, the universe, and all of our understanding.  But behind these words is God’s love.

Our creativity is often connected to an expression of love.

Love, of course, is selfless attention, sacrificial service, and unconditional devotion to the beloved.  And when we love someone, we often desire to make something for them.

If I could paint, I might paint a picture for someone I love.  If I could compose, I might write a song for someone I love.  If I could design houses, I might build a house for someone I love.

God made a universe, the heavens and the earth, for someone He loves.

It’s not worth digging into the question of exactly who God loves, yet.  But at a minimum, God loves His children, adopted through Christ.

And look what He made for us!

The variety found in creation, the beauty found in creation, the power found in creation, the mystery found in creation, all are evidence of God’s attentive, sacrificial, and unconditional love of His people.

The Bible begins with a declaration of the One True Living God’s love.

Effects

Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant  or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful;  it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.  Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.  Love never ends. (I Corinthians 13:4-8 ESV)

Effects

This passage is filled with the effects of love.  Paul’s familiar passage is not really a textbook definition of love.  It is something better.  These words and phrases are a (partial) list of what love looks like.

And the diagnosis/analysis can work both ways.

If someone is patient, love is present.  If someone is kind, love is present… and on through the list.

The reverse is also true.  If love is present, patience is found.  If love is present, kindness is found.

Love is not found in mushy feelings, batted eyelashes, increased heartbeats, or valentines.  Although those things might result from particular kinds of love.

Instead, this is a list of some things that are evidence of Biblical (which is the only real) love.

Wolf tracks are evidence that a wolf is somewhere around.  That certain smell is evidence of a gas leak.   The lawn mower starting to sputter is evidence of low gasoline.  A siren and flashing lights are evidence of an emergency vehicle.

And this list announces that Biblical love is here.

It is less mystery than we sometimes think. 

And the ONE who is always patient, kind, not envious or boastful, not arrogant, not rude, not demanding, not irritable, not resentful is God.  The ONE who does not rejoice in any wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth is GOD.  The ONE who bears all things, hopes all things, and endures all things is God.  And God never ends.

God’s Word shows us the clearest evidence of God’s love.

Love

Love

Love is a more amazing thing than we often give it credit for.  Understandably, when love is defined by Hallmark cards, country music lyrics, and feel-good movies, love soon becomes tawdry, tepid, and temporary. 

But when love is defined by God, the One who invented love, understands love, is able to love, and in fact somehow IS love, then we can see why God tells us, “yet three abide: faith, hope and love.  But the Greatest of these is love.” (I Corinthians 13:13 ESV)

Part of the reason God says this is that love is what we will know, experience, and do for the rest of our lives, in heaven.  We will not need faith in heaven.  We will not need hope in heaven.  But we will love there and then.

Because at the foundation of love is this statement from John.  God is love. (I John 4:8)

That makes love the most important concept in the world.

That makes love the most important thing Scripture teaches us.

That makes love necessary, serious, and desirable.

So for the next few weeks, let us leave aside our silly human understanding of love.  Let us see what God Himself says about love.

So Many Blessings

Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. (I Thessalonians 5:18 ESV)

So Many Blessings

It is simpler for me to give thanks for books, than to give thanks for guns, because I have so many more books.

It is simpler for me to give thanks for my nose, than to give thanks for my spleen, because my nose is more visible.

It is simpler for me to give thanks for a morning espresso, than to give thanks for a kale salad, because I enjoy coffee SO much more.

But really, all those things are thanks-worthy.

This summer we have been noticing how many blessings God gives His people.  And hopefully Paul’s instructions in I Thessalonians have become simpler.  Because God blesses us all the time, in obvious and subtle ways, and ways that we enjoy, and in ways that are less fun.

We can give thanks in all circumstances, because God blesses us in all circumstances.

God's Name and God's Blessing

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” So shall they put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27 ESV)

God’s Name and God’s Blessing

When DeAnne married me, I gave her my name. 

When my children were born, we gave them our name.

I regret, at times, that my name has not been an indisputable blessing to any of them.  My name is not the equivalent of any particular character traits, historical importance, noble traditions, or inherent power.  But the lack of these things makes me glad of the last section of the benediction.

Because my God’s name is a blessing.

Because my God’s name is powerful, powerful enough to overcome the second most powerful thing in the universe, sin.

Because my God’s name is honorable enough to wash away my dishonor, disrespectability, and despair.

Because my God’s name is salvific, beneficial, and necessary.

He blesses His people by giving us His name, through His first-born Son, Jesus.  And when He bestows His name on us, He blesses us.

Those are very good words.  Words I need.

Countenance and Peace

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” So shall they put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27 ESV)

Countenance and Peace

My mom had a look that could stop me in my tracks.  I imagine that the Batman has that look, too.

More than a glare, a glance, or a face, that type of expression is what the Bible means by “countenance.”

Storms have a countenance.  Guard dogs have a countenance.  If hate were personified, it would have a countenance.

So why is it a blessing to have God lift HIS countenance upon us?  His wrath… His anger… His judgment…

Because even back in the time of Moses, God knew that the only way to save the universe was to lift His countenance in righteous judgment against the guilty.  But when the guilty is frail humanity and broken creation, God needed to lift His countenance elsewhere.

He needed to lift His countenance on His beloved Son instead of us.

That is why His countenance is a blessing.  Because it is how our guilt is taken away, and God’s justice preserved.

God lifts His countenance on Jesus instead of on us.

And that is the source of peace… the ONLY source of peace.

That is a blessing, indeed.  It is THE blessing.

Face Shining

The Lord spoke to Moses, saying,  Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, Thus you shall bless the people of Israel: you shall say to them, “The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make His face to shine upon you and be gracious to you; the Lord lift up His countenance upon you and give you peace.” So shall they put My name upon the people of Israel, and I will bless them.” (Numbers 6:22-27 ESV)

Face Shining

This is an odd blessing for God to bestow.  Exodus 33:20 declares that no one can see God’s face and live.  His Holiness is so incongruent with human sinfulness that being that close to God, that intimate with God, that present in God’s present would cause destruction of our sinful selves.

Yet God blesses His people (us) by saying that His face actually shines on us!

This blessing means that we will have God present in our lives.  He is not only far off in heaven, He is here, too. He is not distant, He is at hand.  He is not separated from us, He has shown us who He is.

It happens through Christ Jesus.

This blessing is brought elastically into our time through Christ’s words: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you had known me, you would have known my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” (John 14:6,7 ESV)

That means God chooses to bless us unnaturally by being present.  That means that we are never alone.  That means that we are never on our own.  That means that we are never abandoned, forsaken, deserted, isolated, or lost.  As long as we know Christ Jesus.

What a blessing His shining face is.