When I was in elementary school, I was a terrible student. My attitude was atrocious and my behavior was unbearable. I never did my homework and I thought the purpose of standardized tests was to see how many cool designs I could make by filling in those little circles on the answer sheet with my No. 2 pencil. If it wasn’t for recess and gym class, I don’t even know if I would have gone to school.

Well, my outlook on education caught up with me in the 5th grade. It was the end of the school year and my grades were so bad that my teacher told me that if I didn’t pass the States and Capitals final exam that I would be held back. Mrs. Ripple even called my parents on this one. For once, I studied hard and aced the final exam. I passed into the 6th grade, and to this day, I can tell you the capital of all 48 states; just kidding, all 50!

As we go through school, teachers give us tests to measure our knowledge and see if we are ready to progress to the next level. Likewise, as we live the Christian life, every once in a while God tests our faith to see if we are ready to progress to the next level of spiritual maturity. God usually tests our faith by allowing some adversity to enter our lives. He wants to see how we will respond. I wonder if anybody here today is experiencing a test of faith!

As we continue to look at the life of Abraham, we can’t help but notice that he experienced three tests of faith. They are found in Genesis 16-22. Let’s see how Abraham scored when God tested his faith!

Abraham Fails the Test of Faith with Hagar (Genesis 16)

When Abraham was 70 years old, God promised him that he would be the father of a great nation. But at 85, Abraham still didn’t have a son. After waiting for 15 years, Abraham and Sarah began to wonder about God’s promise (after all their biological clocks were ticking), and their patience grew thin. God used these years to test their faith.

Unfortunately, they failed the test. They became so desperate for a son that they decided to take matters into their own hands. In Genesis 16:2, Sarah even blames God for not giving her a child. So, she suggested a custom where Abraham would father a son through her maidservant Hagar. This was a common practice in ancient times. Slaves could serve as surrogates to produce an heir that would be entitled to full inheritance.

Abraham should have said, “No, Sarah, we will trust God to keep his promise.” But Abraham went along with Sarah’s plan. As soon as Hagar conceived they began to experience the consequences of their sin. Hagar began to despise Sarah and mistreated her. Sarah went to Abraham and said, “This is all your fault, what are you going to do about this?” Abraham, playing the part of a spineless coward, says, “She’s your maidservant, not mine. You deal with her.” So, Sarah mistreated Hagar and she ran away. Eventually Hagar returned and gave birth to a son and Abraham named him Ishmael. This whole mess started by failing God’s test of faith!

Abraham and Sarah had no idea how many problems their failed test of faith would produce. Their impatience with God’s promise is the primary reason why we still have so much conflict in the Middle East today. 4000 years later, Abraham’s descendants are still fighting over rights to the Promised Land.

More importantly, we find ourselves in this same situation all the time. God has promised to bless us if we do what is right, but we often grow impatient. God asks us to trust him, but we are so tempted to take matters into our own hands.

In one of the early scenes in the movie Forrest Gump, Forrest’s mom, played by actress Sally Field, visits Mr. Hancock, the principal of the Greenbough County Central School. Mrs. Gump wants to enroll her son, but the principal informs her that the state of Alabama requires a minimum IQ of 80. Forrest’s IQ is only 75.

Mrs. Gump insists on enrolling Forrest in that school. She says, “My boy, Forrest, is going to get the same opportunities as everyone else. He’s not going to a special school to learn how to retread tires. We’re talking about five little points. There must be something that can be done.” Forrest’s mom ends up in bed with the principal. Later, the principal tells Forrest, “Your mama sure does care about your education, son.”

This scene reflects the philosophy of our age: “Do whatever it takes! The ends justify the means!” This is the same philosophy Abraham and Sarah followed, and they failed God’s test of faith!

How about you? Will you be patient with God’s plan, or will you take matters into your own hands? Will you cheat the system to get what you want, or will you do the right thing and trust God with the results? When God tests your faith, how will you respond?

Abraham’s Laughter (Genesis 17, 18, & 21)

Abraham failed another test of faith when he was 99 years old. God appeared to him again and reminded him of the covenant he had made 30 years earlier that Sarah was going to bear him a son. What was Abraham’s response? He thought it was funny so he laughed. Why, he and Sarah were thinking about checking into a nursing home, not about what color to paint a nursery! Sarah overheard this, and she too laughed in disbelief.

But, as always, God got the last laugh! Sarah became pregnant and bore Abraham a son in his old age. As God had commanded him, Abraham named him Isaac. Guess what the Hebrew name Isaac (Yitzhak) means? It means “laughter.” When Isaac was born, Sarah was laughing again. This time she laughed in joy and wonder, not in disbelief. In Genesis 21:6, she says, “God has brought me laughter, and everyone who hears about this will laugh with me.”

God always has the last laugh in our lives too. There isn’t anything we can do alter his plans. When we sin and fail his tests of faith, he still accomplishes his plans. Even when we are faithless, he is faithful to us!

Abraham’s Greatest Test of Faith (Genesis 22:1-2)

As Isaac grew into a boy, Abraham experienced the greatest test of faith in his life. It was like the 5th grade States and Capitals, the NEECAP, the SAT, ACT, GRE, board and bar exam all together. God tested his faith by telling him to sacrifice his son Isaac as a burnt offering on Mt. Moriah.

Oh my! God’s instructions shock us. There’s nothing in the story of Abraham that prepares us for God’s stunning command. In fact, this is so disturbing that the narrator prefaces the account by telling us what God is testing Abraham. We know from the Old Testament that God condemns child sacrifice. Some pagan cultures did that, but God detests it. He never really intended for Abraham to take Isaac’s life. He wanted to test Abraham’s faith.

I can only imagine the anguish Abraham felt as he listened to God’s instructions. He must have been crushed! You can feel the tension mount as each phrase in verse 2 gets more specific and narrows the focus. The Hebrew text of verse 2 says, “Take you son…your only son…the one you love…Isaac.” Incredible! Here is the boy for whom Abraham and Sarah waited 30 years. And now God says, “I want you to sacrifice him as a burnt offering.” How devastating! God’s test forced Abraham to decide whom he would worship: God or Isaac?

Thankfully, God doesn’t asked many of us to kill our kids, but he does test our faith in other ways. God may even use one of your children to test your faith. Maybe your son wants to get involved in an all-star hockey league. The problem is that this will force you and your son to miss church for the next three months. You are being forced to choose between worshiping God and worshiping your child.

God may test your faith with your finances. You come across a good deal on something you’ve always wanted. Even though you don’t really have the money for it, you justify it as something you need. It just happens to be the monthly amount you give to God as part of your worship. If you took one month’s offering, you could get it. You may not like to admit it, but you are being forced to choose between worshiping God and worshiping your possessions.

As we go through life God continues to test our faith by forcing us to choose between worshiping him or worshiping the things he has given us. Every day we have to choose to worship God over our kids, careers, money, possessions, etc. What choice will make? Who will you worship?

Abraham Passes the Test of Faith (Genesis 22:3-14)

The story continues as Abraham woke up early the next morning and saddled his donkey. He took Isaac along with two of his servants. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. The trip from Beersheba was about 50 miles, roughly a 3 day journey. God must have planned it this way to give Abraham some time to think, some time to change his mind.

But on the third day he looked up and saw Mt. Moriah in the distance. He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” Did you catch the statement Abraham made to his servant “We will worship and then we will come back to you?” What an amazing statement! Apparently, Abraham believed that God would raise Isaac from the dead, because Isaac was the promised heir.

Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. Then Isaac asked the dreaded question “The fire and the wood are here, but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” Do you see the tears welling up in Abraham’s eyes as he said “God himself will provide the lamb, my son.”

When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. But just before Abraham pressed the metal blade into his sons’ flesh an angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

God interrupted the sacrifice and said “Do not lay a hand on the boy. Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” Then Abraham looked up and in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. Abraham called that place “The Lord Will Provide.”

God intervened! He provided a substitute! Abraham passed his test of faith. Now God knew that he wouldn’t hold anything back, not even the most important person in his life. Abraham feared God rather than fearing the consequences of sacrificing his child.

It can be difficult to trust God, especially when we don’t understand his plan. Our culture tells us to put ourselves first. I have heard people say things like, “If I don’t look out for myself, nobody else will.” But where is the faith in that?

Our culture also tells us to put our kids first no matter what. I have heard parents say, “I want to give my kids the things I never had.” The reality is our kids don’t need most of the things we didn’t have. The most important thing you can do for your kids is not to worship them. The greatest thing you can do for your children is to worship their Creator.

If God asked you to sacrifice one of your kids, would you do it? If God asked you to give up the things that bring you comfort and security, how would you respond? God constantly tests our faith to see who we love more!

Abraham’s Payoff (15-19)

Perhaps, as you listen to this story, you are wondering if there is a payoff for putting God first. Maybe you are wondering if the sacrifice is really worth it. Does passing God’s test of faith make any difference?

Look at the conclusion to this story! God blessed Abraham with an astronomical amount of descendants. Through his son Isaac, God made Abraham’s descendents as numerous as the stars in the sky and sand on the seashore. This was one of the greatest blessings a person could have in Abraham’s day!

What’s the payoff for worshiping God above all things? Blessing! Passing our tests of faith always leads to blessing! Do you trust God to bless you?

As I conclude, go back to verse 8 for a moment. Remember Abraham’s answer to the gut-wrenching question that Isaac asked? Dad, where is the lamb for the burnt offering? Abraham answered, “God himself will provide.” Literally, “God himself will see to it.” After the fact, in verse 14, Abraham called the place “The Lord will provide.” And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

In the larger story of the Bible, Genesis 22 foreshadows the provision of another sacrifice. 2000 years after this, there was another son who ascended Mt. Moriah. By this time it was called Mount Calvary. This son carried the wood on his back too; wood that would be used for a sacrifice. The same God who provided a sacrificial lamb so that Abraham’s son might live provided the ultimate sacrificial lamb, his own son Jesus Christ, so that we might live.

The same God who provided his one and only son Jesus Christ to be sacrificed on a wooden cross may test your faith. He wants to know if you really trust him. When God tests your faith, I hope you pass!

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How many of you like Roller Coasters? How many of you don’t like Roller Coasters?

Most historians agree that the first roller coaster was invented in Russia during the mid-1600’s. Riders climbed stairs to the top of a giant ice slide and sped down a 50 degree drop. The slides gained favor with the Russian upper class and some were ornately decorated to provide entertainment “fit for royalty.” It is said that Catherine the Great was a large fan that she had a few built on her own property. During the winter festival, slides were built between seventy and eighty feet high, stretched for hundreds of feet and accommodated many sleds at once.

The first American roller coaster was called the Switchback Railway and it debuted in 1884 at Coney Island, New York. It was invented by La Marcus Thompson, a creative man who invented a number of other things. No one is sure why Thompson decided to go into the amusement park business, but coaster folklore says that he was a Sunday school teacher who was discouraged by all of the depravity found at places of amusement during his time.

Whether you find roller coasters thrilling or terrifying, most of us have discovered that life is like a roller coaster. It is filled with highs and lows and it takes us through many twists and turns. It goes fast and even throws us for an occasional loop.

Have you ever noticed that faith is also a lot like a roller coaster? As we go through life, sometimes we feel so close to God that we could almost touch him, but there are other times when we feel like God is nowhere to be found! Sometimes God’s will for our lives is so clear that we know exactly what to do, but other times we don’t have a clue what God wants us to do! Sometimes our faith is so strong that we will follow God anywhere, but there are other times when we wonder if he even exists!

The Bible holds up Abraham as one of the greatest champions of faith. In the great hall of faith in Hebrews 11, more verses are dedicated to Abraham that any other person in biblical history. But when we examine his life closely, we see that even Abraham experienced the roller coaster of faith!

Abraham’s Call (Genesis 12:1-3)

Abraham was a tenth generation descendant from Noah’s son Shem. He was born, raised, and lived the first 75 years of his life in Ur of the Chaldeans. After spending 75 years in the same town, one gets pretty settled in his ways. Abraham was comfortable there—after all his family had been there for generations. Ur was the capital of Chaldea and the largest city in the world in Abraham’s day. It had a population of 65,000 people and was strategically located along the Euphrates River as an important trade city.

It was a cosmopolitan city that boasted one of the strongest economies and some of the greatest technological advances in the ancient world. Most of the houses in Ur were two story villas with 13 or 14 rooms and plastered interior walls. Some of the homes even had in-door plumbing. (I have friends in West Virginia who didn’t get in-door plumbing until 1985)

Ur was the pinnacle of ancient civilization. It had all the comfort and security you could ever want. No one in their right mind would ever want to leave there. That is why Abraham exhibited such tremendous faith. God revealed himself to Abraham and told him to leave his country, his people, and his family, and move to a land he had never seen before.

Both God’s command and promise to Abraham is staggering. God was calling him to leave everything that was comfortable and secure in his life. In return, God promised to pour out his blessing on Abraham and make him into a great nation. All the peoples of the earth would be blessed through him.

Now this promise sounded great, except for the fact that he was 75 and his wife was 65 years old and they had no children. And now God tells him that he is going to make him into a great nation. It would have taken incredible faith to trust God here, but Abraham did. This was Abraham’s first mountaintop moment of faith!

Like Abraham, sometimes God calls us to leave our comfort and security behind to follow him. Sometimes he calls us to leave what is familiar and to trust his plan for our future, even though it may not make sense to us. Sometimes he calls us to leave the comfort of our home or the security of our career! Sometimes he calls us to leave the familiarity of our family to enter his Promised Land for our lives. When he calls, do you have the faith to follow him? Do you trust him even when his plan doesn’t make sense to you?

Abraham Settles in Haran (Genesis 11:31-32)

Well, Abraham’s faith hit a peak when he left Ur, but it was about to descend into a valley when he got to Haran. Let’s back up to Genesis 11:31-32 for a minute. It says that Abraham, his wife Sarai, his father Terah, and his nephew Lot, all left Ur to go to Canaan, but when they reached Haran, they settled there. Also, look at 12:1 again—the text says “The Lord had said to Abram…” God called Abraham to settle in the land of Canaan, not in Haran. Haran was only half way to the Promised Land.

We don’t know why Abraham settled in Haran. Perhaps he didn’t obey God fully because of family pressure. Maybe Lot said, “Uncle Abraham, I’m afraid! I’ve never been this far from home before.” Maybe Terah said, “Sonny boy, it’s OK to be religious, but you don’t want to go overboard.” Maybe Sarai said, “Haran seems like a really nice place to live. We don’t even know what Canaan looks like.” Whether it was the spirit of fear, compromise, comfort, or something else, Abraham showed a lapse of faith by settling in Haran.

This is the way it is with a lot of people today. They try to leave their life of sin and head for the Promised Land of abundant life by faith, but after getting off to a good start, they get about halfway and stop. How many people are dwelling in Haran instead of pushing on to the Promised Land?

Also, I believe there are a great many Christians who are what we might call Haran Christians. They only half obey God. They may go to church; they might talk a good Christian game, but when it really comes down to it, they are not sold out for the Lord!

How about you? Where is your faith? Are you marching to the Promised Land, or are you half way at Haran?

Abraham Goes to Canaan (Genesis 12:4-9)

Abraham’s faith hit another high point when he got to the Promised Land. After a five year hiatus at Haran, Abraham packed up everything that belonged to him and continued toward the land of Canaan. As he came to the great tree of Moreh at Shechem and the hills between Bethel and Ai, he pitched his tents and built altars to the Lord.

This text shows a progression of worship. As Abraham’s faith and obedience deepened by going further into the land of Canaan, so did his worship. God appeared to him and told him that this land would be his, and Abraham continued to build altars of worship and call on the name of the Lord.

Like Abraham, as our faith and obedience deepens, so does our worship. The more we trust God’s plan for our lives and the more we step out in faith and obey his commands, we experience more of God in worship. We call on his name more and we hear him speaking to us more.

When you don’t seem to be experiencing God’s presence in worship, check your faith! When you don’t hear God speaking to you in prayer, check your obedience. Our faith/obedience goes hand in hand with our worship!

Abraham in Egypt (Genesis 12:10-20)

Abraham’s rollercoaster of faith began to descend again as a severe famine hit the land of Canaan. Instead of trusting God to provide his needs and sustain his life in the Promised Land, he took matters into his own hands and went to Egypt. He probably justified this in his own mind by thinking, “God promised to bless me and make me into a great nation. If I die in this famine, he won’t be able to keep his promise.” (As if God needs any help from us to keep his promises.)

As they were walking along the road to Egypt, Abraham’s faith continued to dive. He got to thinking and said to his wife, “Honey, you are a really good looking woman. I am lucky to have you and I never want to lose you. When the Egyptians see how beautiful you are, they will say, ‘He is his wife’ and they will kill me but let you live. Let’s say that you are my sister so they will treat me well.” So, that is what they did! Instead of trusting God to keep his promise, they took matters into their own hands again and disobeyed God by lying to the Egyptians.

As you hear this episode, let me ask you: Have you ever doubted God’s promises by taking matters into our own hands? Do you ever think that God needs you to help him keep his promises? Do you strive to control things that were never meant for our control? If we stop striving to control our lives and trust God’s plan, we will have a lot more peace and joy. Unfortunately, Abraham had to learn the hard way! How about you?

Abraham and Lot (Genesis 13-14)

After Abraham’s faith dipped in Egypt, it really began to dive as he reentered the Promised Land. His flocks and Lot’s flocks had become quite large and a quarrel arose between their herdsmen. Abraham realized that both of their herds had become too large to graze together, so he suggested that they separate. Abraham told Lot, “If you go to the left, I’ll go to the right. If you go to the right, I’ll go to the left.” But remember, God had called him to the land of Canaan; he made a mistake by allowing Lot to choose whatever land he wanted.

Lot saw that the whole plain east of the Jordan River was well watered. So, he selfishly chose what appeared to be the better land. Even though Abraham made the mistake of allowing Lot to choose whatever land he wanted, God’s providence allowed for Abraham to stay in Canaan, where God wanted him all along. Unfortunately for Lot, his selfish decision led to his downfall. Even though the land east of the Jordan looked better, it was close to the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were well known for their wickedness.

How often is this the way it is with us? In spite of our poor choices and sinful decisions, God still blesses us! God continues to pour out his grace upon us and his providence even brings good out of our mistakes. He can turn our biggest blunders into blessings. He keeps his word and fulfills his promises in spite of our failures!

The Abrahamic Covenant (Genesis 15)

Well, Abraham’s rollercoaster of faith ends on a high note today. Despite all of Abraham’s lapses of faith, God was still faithful to him. As the years went by, Abraham still didn’t have a son, but God said to him, “Do not be afraid Abram. I am your shield and your very great reward.” Then he took Abraham outside and gave him a little astronomy lesson. God said, “Look up at the heavens and count the stars—if indeed you can count them. So shall your offspring be.” Abraham believed the Lord, and he credited to him as righteousness.

God counted Abraham righteous because of his faith, not because of his actions. We all know that Abraham screwed up multiple times. He sinned against God in many ways, but through his faith, God counted him righteous.

The salvation of our souls today goes back to these words. Nobody enters God’s ultimate Promised Land because they are good people or because they have done good deeds. We are just like Abraham. We are all sinners who have fallen short of God’s glory. We have disobeyed God and we deserve to be punished for our sins. But God is rich in mercy; he counts our souls righteous in his sight through our faith in his son Jesus Christ!

You see, Jesus is the fulfillment of God’s promise to Abraham. Jesus was the descendant who would bring blessing to all the peoples on the earth. We experience God’s greatest blessing today when we receive Christ’s righteousness through faith. Jesus Christ, Abraham’s seed, is the only way to eternal life and everlasting blessing. Have you put your faith in Jesus Christ?

Abraham’s life was a roller coaster of faith. His faith fluctuated between trust and doubt; between obedience and disobedience. I suspect that most of us have experienced this same roller coaster of faith. Where is your faith today?

When you find yourself on the mountaintop of faith, hang on as long as you can and enjoy the ride! When you are in the depths of doubt and despair, hang in there! It will be over soon! God will get you through it, just like he did Abraham. Keep the faith! We’re on the way to the Promised Land!

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I suspect that when most of us hear the name “Noah”, the words “and the ark” immediately follow. The person of Noah is rarely divorced from the story of the ark he built to save his family and the animals from the great flood. Likewise, I suspect that when most of us hear the phrase “Noah and the ark” it conjures up certain images in our minds—images influenced by illustrations that we have see in children’s Bible’s and Sunday school curriculums.

Let me paint you a visual picture, and you tell me if it is right! Noah’s ark is usually portrayed as a sweet tale of a pastel colored floating zoo, replete with images of two fluffy little Easter bunnies munching on carrots and a pair of cute giraffes poking their heads out the potholes of a clunky little boat. The background is a pale blue sky with puffy white clouds and a disproportionately large rainbow bending across the horizon. Noah is a short chubby man with a long gray beard; after all he was 600 years old when he finished building the ark. And he has a giant smile on his face with a caption by his mouth that says, “Yaaah, the animals are all safe!” Does that look familiar?

Portrayals like this have evoked comments from expecting parents like, “Aww, how pretty! Let’s decorate the nursery like Noah’s Ark!” How many of you have seen a nursery with a Noah’s Ark theme? That’s what I thought!

Now I certainly don’t want to knock anyone for having a Noah’s Ark nursery, but I do want to bring some reality to the story. Noah and the Ark is actually one of the most terrifying horror stories in the Bible. It more closely resembles “Nightmare on Elm Street” and “The Texas Chainsaw Massacre” than it does “Care Bears” or “Peter Cottontale.” Noah’s Ark is a story about sin, judgment, and death! I hope that our reexamination of Noah will paint a more accurate picture for you!

Noah’s Wicked World (Gen. 6:1-8, 11-13)

The author of Genesis begins the Noah story with a chilling prologue. After Adam and Eve sinned, they were fruitful and multiplied. After Cain murdered his brother Abel, he and his wife were fruitful and they multiplied. As the human race increased, so did sin. Mankind became so rebellious against God that the Lord said that his Spirit would not contend with man forever, and he limited the human life span to 120 years.

The world had become so wicked (“every inclination of their hearts was wicked all the time”) that God actually grieved that he had ever created man in the first place. His heart was so filled with pain at the thought man’s violence and corruption that he decided to wipe humanity from the face of the earth. He decided to destroy everything he had created.

Now I have a question for you today! How many of you think our world is wicked today? Our world is filled with violence and corruption? In America alone, every year we have over 1,000,000 murders, almost 100,000 rapes, 400,000 robberies, and 800,000 aggravated assaults. When we think about the wickedness in our world today, it is hard to believe that it was even worse in Noah’s day, but it was!

I hope we feel the gravity of this prologue! Indeed, God’s Spirit will not contend with man forever. It is amazing that he has contended with us this long. The Lord is gracious and compassionate, but there will come a day when he holds the world accountable for its sin again. Just as he judged the world for its sin in Noah’s day, a day is coming when he will execute judgment again!

Noah’s Ark (Gen. 6:14-22)

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time because he walked with God. He had lived for 500 years and had three sons when God told him that he was going to destroy the whole earth because of its wickedness. He also told Noah to build an ark to save him, his family, and a male and female of every type of animal from the floodwaters. God gave him very specific instructions. The ark was to be made from cypress wood. It was to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, 45 feet high, and it was to have 3 decks, multiple rooms, a door in the side, and the whole thing was to be covered in pitch to make it waterproof.

The area of this ark was roughly equivalent to a football field. It was large even by modern standards; enormous by ancient standards. It took 100 years to build. Noah and his family certainly worked on the ark, and they probably had a number of hired men to help them.

God’s blueprint for the ark was very precise. His instructions and explanations were very clear. He communicated the exact dimensions and manner in which the ark was to be built. Notice what verse 22 says, “Noah did everything just as God commanded him.” Noah was a righteous man who took God’s word seriously. He obeyed the Lord completely by building the ark exactly as God commanded him.

God hasn’t called us to build an ark today, but he has given us his blueprint for our lives. He has given us precise instructions and has made his expectations very clear. The question that we have to ask ourselves is, “Will I live a righteous life and do everything as God has commanded me? Will I take his word seriously and obey him completely?”

The Great Flood (Genesis 7)

Noah completed the ark sometime after his 600th birthday. Then God showed up and said, “Get everything ready! The flood will begin one week from now!” So, Noah took his sons and their wives and all of the animals into the ark, just as God had told him.

When the week had passed, the springs that stored up all the tears from the violence that had taken place on the earth broke forth. The floodgates of heaven opened and God’s tears of judgment ran down his cheeks and pounded against the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

As the water continued to rise, people ran to the high ground and watched all of their homes and possessions wash into the valleys. Soon the animals couldn’t find a place to stand and the birds couldn’t find a place to perch. Then as the waters overtook the hills and ascended the mountains, parents could no longer hold onto their children and husbands could no longer hold onto their wives. Every living thing that moved on the earth perished—everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. Only Noah and those with him in the ark survived. The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days. It all happened just as God had said.

The story of the great flood shows us that God always keeps his word! In this case, it took him 100 years to make good on his promise to flood the earth, but he did it. I’m sure many doubted that the flood would ever happen. Can you hear the people say, “Ahh, that is just Noah’s fairytale! That ark, what a waste of time and money! God wouldn’t really flood the earth!”

People today say the same things—“God wouldn’t judge sin! The world won’t end in my lifetime!” Just remember what Jesus said! A day is coming when the sun will be darkened and moon will no longer give its light! The stars will fall out of the sky and the heavenly bodies will be shaken! With a great trumpet sound, the Son of Man will appear in the sky and his angels will gather the elect from all over the earth! He will separate the wheat from the chaff and the sheep from the goats and pour out his judgment upon the earth! Two men will be working in a field together. One will be taken, the other will be left! Two women will be grinding grain together. One will be taken, the other will be left! God always keeps his word!

Just as in the days of Noah, people today are eating, drinking, marrying, and simply living life as they always have, not expecting God’s word to actually be fulfilled. God warned the world of judgment through the words of Noah, the preacher of righteousness, but no one listened. He has warned the world again today through the words of our Lord Jesus Christ. I wonder if anyone is listening? He always keeps his promises!

Salvation Leads to Worship (Genesis 8)

After the floodwaters receded and the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, Noah sent out a raven and a dove to see if all of the water had dried up. The birds returned because there was nowhere yet to land. So, Noah waited seven more days and sent the dove out again. This time the dove brought back an olive branch which signified that God had made peace with the earth and the ground had dried enough to produce vegetation again. He waited seven more days and the dove did not return; then Noah knew that the ground was completely dry. He opened the ark and his family and all of the animals emerged safely. The ark saved their lives!

Noah recognized that God used the ark to save their lives. If it hadn’t been for God’s grace, they would have been swept away in the flood too. So, the first thing he did after he left the ark was to build an altar and sacrificed burnt offerings on it. He showed his gratitude to God through an act of worship. He put everything else on hold until he properly thanked God for the salvation he received.

Here again, Noah is an example for us today. Despite our corrupted hearts and wicked deeds, God has spared our lives. He has also extended his grace to us through the sacrifice of his own son for the salvation of our souls. When we recognize all that God has done for us, how could we do anything else but to respond with worship? Have you recognized what God has done for you? Do you that he is the only one who can save our body and soul?

The Noahic Covenant (Genesis 9:1-17)

The aroma from Noah’s burnt offering was pleasing to the Lord and he said in his heart, “Never again will I curse the ground because of man, even though every inclination of his heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.” He established a covenant with Noah and his sons to never flood the whole earth again. Then he set his rainbow in the sky as a sign of the covenant he made with Noah. Every time anyone sees a rainbow it is a reminder that God will never again do what he had done here.

God blessed Noah and his sons and renewed his command to “Be fruitful and multiply. Increase and fill the earth.” After God poured out his judgment on the world for its wickedness and even though he knew sin still ruled in people’s hearts, he began to recreate the earth—new vegetation, new animals, and a new human race that would descend from Noah and his three sons.

When we see a rainbow appear in the sky today, it is not only a sign that God will never flood the earth again, but it is also a foreshadowing of the new creation that we will one day experience. God has promised us that he will never flood the whole earth or destroy all living creatures again, but he will judge the earth. When we hear that great trumpet sound and Jesus returns, he will judge the world for its sin. But after this, he will make all things new.

The first heaven and first earth will pass away and make room for the new heaven and new earth. The New Jerusalem will come down out of heaven from God and we will hear him say, “Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.” He will wipe every tear from our eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.” We will experience a new creation devoid of sin. What a wonderful place it will be!

Noah’s Ark is a terrifying horror story, but it is also a story of redemption. Many years after Noah, there came a man named Jesus. He, too, lived a righteous life in a wicked world. He blameless in his generation and walked with God and obeyed him perfectly. God used both of these men to save the human race from its sin. He even used wooden structures in both stories. For Noah, it was an ark. For Jesus, it was a cross. God spared Noah when he punished the world for its sin! God did not spare his own son Jesus and allowed him to be punished for the worlds sin.

So, let me ask you: Are you on the ark today? Have you trusted in the cross of Christ? Have you asked him to forgive your sins? Is the hope of heaven in your heart?

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Cain’s Birth (1)

After Adam and Eve sinned and were kicked out of the Garden of Eden, their lives continued. Adam lay with his wife and they began to propagate the human race. God had promised that the woman’s offspring would one day crush the serpent’s head. Perhaps Adam and Eve hoped that their firstborn child would be the promised heir that would crush Satan once and for all. Unfortunately, the only head he would crush was his own brothers’.

Eve conceived and brought forth the first human through natural reproduction, and they named him Cain. She had apparently learned her lesson from her sin in the garden; here she did not rely on her own strength or volition, but she acknowledged God’s rule in her life by saying, “With the Lord’s help, I have brought forth a man.”

This is a significant statement for us to ponder. Even though Cain’s birth came through natural means, she recognized that God is the ultimate giver of human life. Even with the appropriate anatomy and physiology, God is still necessary in the reproductive process. All human life comes from God! She shows proper gratitude and worship to God by saying “with the Lord’s help…”

As we saw with the creation of Adam, I hope that we recognize that all human life is a gift from God. God is involved in the conception and birth of every child that is born. He is the ultimate giver and taker of life! Not us!

Today we live in a culture that celebrates convenience over life! Just this past week I was involved in a meeting of pastors, politicians, and physicians from Franklin Country to discuss upcoming legislation on this very issue. It looks like sometime this year a bill will come before our state congress to legalize suicide. Even though it was overwhelmingly defeated a few years ago, there are some people really pushing to have the legal right to take their own lives. They call it “Death with Dignity”, but do not be deceived—there is nothing dignified about suicide.

This is a blatant attack on God’s gift of life. When we start treating humans like animals, we are no different than Nazi Germany. Christians believe that all human life is precious!

Cain’s Offering (2-5a)

Sometime after Cain was born, Adam lay with his wife again and they had another son. They named this son Abel. We don’t know anything about these boys’ relationship with their parents or each other. We don’t know if their parents favored one brother over the other or if there was any sort of sibling rivalry. The only thing we know about them is that they both lived out the curse brought on by their parents in that they had to earn their keep by the sweat of their brow. As they grew up, Cain became a farmer and Abel became a shepherd. Cain became a crop farmer; Abel went into the livestock business.

We don’t know how old they were at the time of this story, but the phrase “In the course of time…” probably means that they were grown up and established in their respective careers. At some point, each of them brought an offering to the Lord. The text says that “Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor.”

The author of Genesis doesn’t tell us the why Abel’s offering was accepted but Cain’s offering was rejected. Both offerings were appropriate for their occupations. The only clue we have is the author’s usage of the word “some” of the fruits of the soil in reference to Cain’s offering and makes explicit that Abel’s offering came from the “firstborn” of his flock. Presumably, Abel offered his best to the Lord but Cain kept his best for himself. Regardless of the exact reason, Abel did what was right in God’s sight, but Cain did not.

This is exactly the way sin works today. How often do we find ourselves in Cain’s position—that is, we know the right thing to do, yet we don’t do it. We know what God expects from us, but in the moment we just don’t follow through—we only do “some” of what God wants us to do. In our hearts we say things like, “One little lie…it isn’t a big deal!” We say “Well, I need this money more than the government does.” Or “I need this tithe more than God does.” We make all sorts of excuses for not doing the right thing.

Do you ever do this? In what ways do you withhold your best from God? How do you make light of your sinful actions and attitudes? Like Cain then, we should not be surprised when our half-hearted attempts to honor god are rejected today!

Cain’s Anger (5b-7)

When God rejected his offering, Cain became angry. The Hebrew word translated here as “very angry” is “harah” which literally means to be kindled or burn with anger. His whole countenance changed and he became downcast. But the question is: Who was he mad at? God? His brother? Himself? I suspect it was a little bit of each.

But God showed compassion and mercy. Instead of punishing him, he responded with grace when he asked, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right, you will be accepted.” God acknowledged his guilt but gave him a second chance. He gave Cain an opportunity to do the right thing.

God also shows his grace to Cain by warning him that sin is a slippery slope. If sin is not confessed and repented of quickly, it often leads to other sins. God knows the treachery of the human heart, so he warns, “If you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it.”

Has this ever happened to you? Has anyone ever gotten angry with you because you did the right thing and they did not? Have you ever gotten angry with someone because they did the right thing and you did not? Have you ever been angry with God for how he blessed someone else’s faithfulness? We need to be careful not to follow in Cain’s footsteps!

Sin is indeed a slippery slope! Anger leads to hostility; hostility leads to malice; malice leads to murder. Envy leads to greed; greed leads to stealing. Lust leads to pornography; pornography leads to pedophilia and rape. Most heroin addicts I know did not start with heroin. They started with marijuana, Percoset, or Ecstasy, but they eventually needed more. How have you experienced sin’s slippery slope?

Thankfully, as he did for Cain, God deals with us graciously. He gives us a way to get off the slippery slope. If we repent from our sin—that is if we confess it, agree with God that it is wrong, and make a commitment not to do it again, God wipes our slate clean. If we take the second chance and do what is right, we will be accepted.

I wonder if there is someone here today who is sliding down the slippery slope of sin. Please realize that deeper sin is crouching at your door! It seeks to destroy your life. Don’t let it! Repent now! Turn from your sin today! Let God’s grace help you to overcome!

Cain’s Murder (8-10)

Unfortunately, Cain did not listen to God’s warning and did not accept his grace. Instead, he continued to spiral down the slippery slope of sin. He hardened his heart toward God and became jealous of his brother. His jealousy turned into anger, anger into malice, and malice led to murder.

Just as the serpent deceived Cain mother, Cain deceived his brother. He put on a face of affection to hide his heart of hostility and invited him to go for a walk. We don’t know if he used a weapon, how he carried out his assassination, or what they talked about in the field, but we do know that Cain attacked Abel and murdered him in cold blood.

Sometime later, God appeared to Cain and asked him where his brother was. In one of the most chilling statements in the whole Bible, Cain lies to God’s face and shows a complete lack of respect for human life when he says “I don’t know, am I my brother’s keeper?” He is saying that his brother is not his responsibility and what happened to him is not his fault.

Now I doubt if very many people here today have actually murdered someone in cold blood, but I wonder how many of us harbor Cain’s attitude in our hearts. It is so easy to ignore our responsibility to be our brother’s keeper. Who is our brother? Our family members…yes, even the one that we don’t get along with! Fellow church members…even the ones that drive us crazy! Our neighbors, community members, coworkers, and classmates…yes, even the ones we don’t like!

God calls all of us to be our brother’s keeper! We care about one another! We look out for one another! We provide for one another! We go out of our way to help each other! We love each other! Cain sacrificed his brother for his own benefit; God wants us to sacrifice ourselves for each other’s benefit.

Therefore, we should never think or say things like, “Well, it’s not my problem!” or “It’s none of my business!” When it comes to people, it is our problem and it is our business! We are our brother’s keeper!

Cain’s Curse (11-16)

It is not at all surprising to see God punish Cain for murdering his brother—after all, justice is an essential aspect of God’s character. God punished him by cursing the ground that he worked. He would never be able to farm the ground again. Instead, he was sentenced to be a restless wanderer on the earth.

What is surprising is that the punishment wasn’t more severe! God would have been justified to take Cain’s life for what he did to his brother, but he continued to act graciously toward him. Not only did he not take his life, but he also put some sort of mark on Cain’s body so that no one else would take his life. God preserved and protected Cain; perhaps in hope that he would one day repent from his sin.

Thankfully, this is the way God deals with us too. We have sinned against him and our brothers and sisters in so many ways, yet God has not dealt with us as our sins deserve. He is gracious to us and gives us second chances. Even when we slide down sin’s slippery slope, he gives us the opportunity to repent from our sins and change our ways.

Think about your own life for a moment! Think about some of the worst things you have ever done! Think about the worst sins you have ever committed! Think about those things you have done in secret! God knows what they are; we can’t hide our deeds from him. He would be right to condemn us to death and sentence us to eternity in hell for any one of those sins, but he hasn’t! As he did with Cain, in spite of our dark deeds, he has deals with us graciously.

As we finish the story of Cain murdering his shepherd brother, I would like to tell you about another shepherd who was murdered. Like Abel, this shepherd also suffered for doing the right thing in God’s sight. In fact, this shepherd never committed a single sin. He too was the victim of jealousy and violence, but instead of dying in a field, he died on a hill. Like a lamb led to the slaughter, this shepherd was nailed to a wooden cross and his blood continues to cry out from the ground.

Who murdered this shepherd? Who failed to be his keeper? We did! Just as Cain killed his brother, we killed our Lord! It wasn’t the Jews, the religious leaders, or the Roman soldiers! It was us! Our sins put him there! Every one of us is responsible for nailing Jesus Christ to the cross. Abel sacrificed the firstborn of his flock to God; God sacrificed his one and only son for us!

You see, Cain’s story is really our story! Even though we sin against God and our brothers and sisters, God deals with us graciously through the sacrifice of his Son! I don’t know if Cain ever accepted God’s grace or repented from his sin, but I hope you will! I hope that you will humble yourself before God, turn from your sin, and receive the grace of the Good Shepherd!

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As we consider Adam, the first human to appear in the Bible, hear the words to Calvin Miller’s humorous little children’s poem “One Apple, One Snake, Equals One Bellyache.”

“One apple, one snake, equals one bellyache,”
Said God, on Thursday at three!

“Sssssse here,” said the snake. “There’s no bellyache;
Sssssimply pay no attention! Be free!
Show God whose boss…it’s all applesauce!
Take one little bite and you’ll ssssee!”

“This apple looks sunny, firm and not gummy—
I think I’ll just chomp down and see!
Mmm! This is quite yummy and good for the tummy!”
Said Eve, standing under the tree.

After biting a chunck, she turned to her hunk
And said, “Adam, here, take a bite, too.”
But when Adam bit down, he fell to the ground:
“I think I’ve come down with the flu!”

“Ha, ha,” laughed the snake, “Tremble and ssshake,
For you doubted the old ressssssipe:
One apple, one snake, equals one bellyache,
Like God told you Thursssssday at three!”

1.) The Rise of Adam (Gen. 2:1-7)

After God created the heavens and earth and everything in them—that is after he created light on the first day and the sun and moon to hold the light on the fourth day—that is after he created the skies and seas on the second day and birds to soar through the skies and fish to swim through the seas on the fifth day—that is after he created land and vegetation on the third day and animals to roam the land and consume the vegetation on the sixth day, he came to the pinnacle of his creation before he rested on the seventh day.

Of all of God’s creative accomplishments, none was greater than the creation of man in his own image and likeness. Man was God’s greatest masterpiece. When he finished molding the first man, he stepped back and said, “It is very good!” (Gen 1:31)

This is how he did it—as a great sculptor takes raw clay and forms it into a beautiful figure, God, who is a master artist, reached down to the ground that he created and picked up some dust. His imagination became image as he formed this dust into a representation of himself. He smoothed the man’s skull and connected his hip bone to his leg bone and to all of his other bones. He attached the muscles and ligaments and arranged the organs. He popped in the eyes and opened the ears. And he covered it with skin to hold it all together.

And when the body was completely formed, God performed divine CPR on the man by breathing the breath of life into his nostrils. As God exhaled, life entered the lifeless body for the first time. The man became a living creature. He was a tripartite being—that is he had a body, soul, and spirit. He not only had the ability to walk, run, and lift, but he could also think, feel, and make rational decisions. He was created with the knowledge and skills to maintain his lordship over nature.

The first man that God created was given the name Adam. This name comes from the Hebrew word “adamah” which literally means “ground” or “soil.” Perhaps this name contains a bit of divine irony—God named him Adam to constantly remind him of his earthly nature.

Thinking about the creation of Adam helps us to appreciate the gift of human life. We should be grateful for being the pinnacle of God’s creation. We are all created in his own image and likeness—we each have a body, a soul, and a spirit. We have the ability to think, reason, and make decisions. We have the ability to experience and express emotions. We can communicate and have meaningful relationships with each other.

Being created in the image of God means that we all have a piece of God in us! This is why all humans have inherent worth and dignity. This is why all humans, regardless of race, class, status, or background are valuable. This is why Christians believe that all human life is precious. This is why we should treat everyone with respect.

2.) The Life of Adam (Gen. 2:15-25)

Not only did God create Adam, he also gave him a job. He placed Adam in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. So, Adam became a gardener. We don’t know exactly what types of trees and plants grew in this garden, but we do know that at least some of them produced fruit for Adam to eat. As long as Adam nurtured the garden, the garden would nurture Adam. He could eat from any tree in the garden except from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that was in the center of the garden.

Adam was also given the job of naming all of the animals that God created. Have you ever wondered why God gave Adam the task of naming the animals before he created Eve? Well, I don’t know the definitive answer to that question, but I do know of many parents who have gotten into heated arguments over what to name their kids. Can you imagine how difficult it would be naming all the birds and beasts, all of the livestock and every living creature?

Well, we don’t know how long Adam lived and worked the garden alone, but we do know that God recognized that it was not good for man to be alone. So, he created a suitable partner to help him tend the garden and procreate the human race. While Adam rested from his work, God went to work again. God became a divine anesthesiologist and caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep and then he became a divine surgeon and performed rib-removal surgery on him. From this rib he brought forth a woman—a creature like him, yet different. He created them male and female with complementary reproductive physiology for procreation.

Everything God makes is good, but Adam was especially pleased with God’s latest masterpiece. He verbally expresses his pleasure with the words, “This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. Then God created the marital relationship, performed the first wedding, and set forth the pattern for human family life.

When you think about it, Adam had a really good life. He had a wonderful relationship with God, a woman to call his own, a reliable job, a beautiful place to live, all the food he could eat, and all of his needs provided. Adam didn’t get any of these things for himself, they were blessings from God. And God blessed him abundantly!

As we consider Adam’s life, it provides a good opportunity to reflect on our own lives. Like Adam, God has blessed us abundantly. Those of you who are married, thank God for the blessing of your spouse! Those of you who have children, thank God for the blessing of each of your kids! Thank God for the anatomy to produce kids! He is the one who gave it to you!

Those of you who are working, thank God for the blessing of your job! Thank him for the ability to wake up and do something productive each day! Thank him for the skills he has given you to do your job. Thank him for the means to keep food on your table and provide your basic necessities. All of these are blessings from God! If you really think about it, we all have a pretty good life!

As I do every Christmas season, I sat down and watched my all time favorite film “It’s a Wonderful Life.” It is a story about recognizing God’s blessings and realizing that we really do have a wonderful life. The main character, George Bailey, had a wonderful wife, four precious children, an extended family that loved him, a stable job at the Building and Loan, a beautiful old house, and a whole town full of friends, but he didn’t recognize what he had because he focused on what he didn’t have. He was angry and frustrated because he didn’t have more money and he gave up his opportunities to go to college and travel the world. It wasn’t until the angel Clarence gave him some divine perspective until George realized how wonderful his life really was.

Do you realize how wonderful your life really is? Do you thank God for the things you have, or do you curse him because of the things you don’t have? Seeing Adam’s life helps us to see how good God is to us!

3.) The Fall of Adam (Gen. 3:1-12, 17-24)

Well, George Bailey fell into the same trap that Adam had many generations before—the things he did not have blinded him to all of the things he did have. God provided them everything they needed for a perfect life; he gave them only one prohibition—not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Only one rule to follow, only one commandment to obey!

But we know how the story goes. Satan disguised himself as a serpent and appeared to Eve. He cast doubt on God’s command by asking the question “did God really say.” He deceived her and she yielded to the temptation of eating the forbidden fruit. She also gave some to Adam and he disobeyed God by eating the fruit. Thus, sin entered the human race and they immediately felt shame. They sowed fig leaves together and covered their nakedness.

A while later Adam and Eve heard God approaching as he walked through the garden in the cool of the day, but they hid from him. That is when the blame game first began. Adam blamed Eve for his sin. He said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some of the fruit and I ate it.” (Gen. 3:12) Eve blamed the serpent for her sin. She said, “The serpent deceived me and I ate.” (Gen. 3:13)

God punished Eve by increasing her pain in childbearing. God punished Adam by increasing his pain in working the soil and farming the land. He punished both of them by removing them from the Garden of Eden. As John Milton would say, “Paradise was lost!”

The story of Adam’s fall is the story of the fall of mankind. Adam was our representative to God and he failed miserably. I have often heard modern men say things like, “This whole mess was really Eve’s fault…” But look at where the Bible places the blame. Romans 5:12 says, “Therefore, just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all men, because all sinned.” Likewise, I have heard people say, “Well, if I had been the one in the garden, things would have been different.” Really? If any of us think we would have done better than Adam, we are only fooling ourselves. Just look at our current track record with sin!

Sin still works the same way today as it did in the Garden of Eden. God has made his expectations and commands very clear, but we are often tempted to take what is not good for us. We often think we know what is best for ourselves, and therefore we rationalize our choices by asking, “Did God really say…” or “It isn’t that big of a deal…”

Do you ever rationalize or make light of your sinful actions? Do you ever blame someone else for your sin? What sins are you most tempted by—greed, lust, pride, anger, envy, etc? Like Adam, I guess all sin comes down to one question: Who do I trust more— God or myself?

Well, the story of the first Adam is one of great beauty and great tragedy. The beauty is how he rose from the dust; the tragedy is how he fell into sin. Indeed, the story of the first Adam’s rise and fall is the story of mankind’s rise and fall! God created each one of us, but we have all fallen into sin.

But I cannot tell you the story of the first Adam without telling you the story of the second Adam. The first Adam was a man created in the likeness of God; the second Adam is God begotten in the likeness of man! The first Adam fell for the devil’s schemes and yielded to temptation; the second Adam resisted the devil’s schemes and overcame temptation! The first Adam put his trust in himself; the second Adam put his trust in God! The first Adam got us into this mess called sin; the second Adam came to deliver us from sin! The first Adam brought death upon the human race; the second Adam brings the hope of everlasting life!

Like the first Adam, the story of the second Adam is one of great beauty and tragedy. The tragedy was when he hung on the cross and died; the beauty is how he overcame death by rising on the third day!

Who is this second Adam, you ask? It is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. Jesus was born in human flesh as the second Adam and is our new representative to God. Through his death and resurrection he paid for the sin of Adam and offers us forgiveness and reconciliation with God. He offers us a new paradise today!

Will you accept his offer?

Adam and Eve
by Victoria Dame

This is the story of Adam and Eve,
And of the Serpent who did deceive.
So that he could become one with the land,
From the dirt God made man.

Adam was his given name,
God gave him Eden to tame.
To keep Adam from being alone,
From his side he took a rib bone.

God then created a new life,
He made Eve, Adam’s wife.
He gave them the garden in which to roam,
Telling them to take care of their new home.

Help yourself to all that you see,
Except for this one little tree.
It is the tree of good and evil,
And if you disobey it will be your upheaval.

God said eating the fruit will make you die,
So leave it alone and on me rely.
Then one day as Eve was gathering food,
She met a snake who changed her mood.

He told her eating fruit from the tree,
Would not harm her but would set her free.
That she and Adam would like God become,
Knowing all that God knows and then some.

Eve did believe the Serpent’s lies,
She wanted to be powerful and wise.
Grabbing some of the fruit to Adam she ran,
Here eat this it will make you more than a man.

As soon as they had eaten it the knowledge was strong,
What the serpent had said was totally wrong.
Waiting for God they sat in fear,
Knowing his punishment would be severe.

God asked them what they had done,
Now from the Garden I’ll make you run.
God cursed the two as he set them out of the garden gate.
It had to be done because of the fruit in which they ate.

Adam, you’ll have to make a living from the dirt,
And Eve having children will truly hurt.
Nothing will come easy, but you will get by,
And then one day as promised you will die.

Sin was something that God could not stand,
But he still loved the man.