In the beginning … there is so much to the “In the beginning” in God’s Word:
* God created the heavens and the earth. He created everything in it. He is over it all, yet He loves us.
* He created man and woman – no in betweens that make us question our identity. We are man and woman. When we change that, we are lost and can’t find our true identity. We can’t see that God loves us.
* When Adam and Eve disobeyed, God taught them repentance and He forgave them. Then He started the institution of marriage; when they continue their life outside of the garden, Eve is referred to as Adam’s wife.
These are truths many of us have read about time and again. But this morning I got to thinking about how Adam and Eve treated each other when there were mistakes and failures. God continued to be part of their lives – they continued to have a relationship with Him, and He taught them how to work through life. God was their constant.
* When they gave in to temptation in the garden, neither of them said to God, “no way am I living with him / her; they messed this whole thing up!” Rather, they worked through it together.
* When their son Cain became jealous of their son Abel, and then killed him, Adam and Eve didn’t push each other away. There was no blame-game noted; I’m not saying they didn’t blame each other, but rather they worked through it together and didn’t push each other out. They comforted each other. They had another son and gave God the glory, saying, “God has granted another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”
From the beginning God was laying the groundwork for relationships, for following God and what happens when we don’t. We can see these same truths in Abraham & Sarah’s life and continuing through the whole Bible. And woven in and through all of this is the picture of how much we need a Savior. Praise God for our Savior, Jesus Christ!
As we read God’s Word, I pray we look for God’s truths, wanting to hear and understand what He is saying rather than what we want it to say. For He is greater! It all goes back to the beginning.