Month: October 2024

Genesis 3:7a Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; 

There is something about the imagery of “The Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day” (v 8a) that just soothes my spirit. There are studies that show that being in nature for at least two hours a week can benefit a person’s health and well-being. Looks like God was practicing that custom from the very beginning.

Genesis 3:7b so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. 

And I know when my guys were hiking the trail daily, they saw God everywhere in nature–sunrises and sunsets, breezes, birds, deer, even the crazy climbs and drops they endured in the northeast and the gorgeous, gorgeous views. Spending time in nature is good for the soul; it helps reconnect us with ourselves and our Maker.

Genesis 3:8a Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day,  

Precious Savior, You created the heavens and the earth, all the animals, all the land and sea formations, everything. Thank You. You allow us to be stewards of Your creation, to tend to Your world as an extension of our love for You. Help us not neglect that service. You also allow us to seek You, see You in so many ways, as we spend time in Your natural world. Help us not to forget to look for You as we spend time in nature. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 3:8b and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 3:1a Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. 

I have so many questions about today’s verses. This is the first time we’ve heard about the crafty serpent. Why? And why did God make him crafty? Why did He make him at all if He wanted to prevent the fall? And we’ve not heard a word from Adam. We know nothing about his character. Eve was just created. We really know nothing about her either. Why did the serpent go after her? And don’t try to hand me any garbage about women being more susceptible to sin. HUMANS are susceptible to sin.

Genesis 3:1b He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

Was God truly trying to test them? Was it a “Will they? Won’t they?” situation? Was He trying to be sure they actually had free will–which implies a choice to follow God or pick another option–by giving them choices to make? If the serpent had approached Adam first, would this have ended differently? If a platypus had been the crafty one, would it have ended differently?

Genesis 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 

Precious Savior, I have so many questions. About the only thing I know is that You are loving and gracious and sovereign. Thank You–for who You are, for all You created, for the ability to read and question and draw closer through Your word. Amen.

Genesis 3:3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 2:22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

During our wedding ceremony, the hubs and I lit a unity candle; however, we did not light a traditional candle with one wick to symbolize our union. We had a beautiful candle with two wicks, symbolizing our new bond as man and wife while also symbolizing that I had not been subsumed by my spouse in our marriage. I was still a distinct individual, but we were also, now, a united pair.

Genesis 2:23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.”

The idea of two becoming one goes so much further than just a physical analogy. Intimacy is about more than reproduction. When two become one in the bonds of marriage, they become physically, mentally, and emotionally intimate. They share the deepest parts of themselves, even those bits that they often keep hidden from others because they are afraid of judgment. That total intimacy allows them to be completely themselves with each other, without shame. What a beautiful gift to feel totally seen, totally accepted.

Genesis 2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.

Precious Savior, Thank You for the beauty and intimacy of marriage. Thank You that two become one, sharing even the parts of themselves that feel cringy and strange. Thank You for the ability to know another person and to love them deeply, warts and all. Thank You. Amen.

Genesis 2:25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 2:19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 

Verse 20b is the one that jumps out at me this morning, the fact that no suitable helper was found. We were made to live in community, to help and support one another, to uplift and encourage one another. I think it is an important part of who we are as people–this need for community, for support.

Genesis 2:20a So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

And it often surprises me how much I, as an introverted, non-people person, actually need people. I need my people for encouragement and support, but I also have a deep need to encourage and uplift others. Connection, the need for others in our lives, is deeply rooted in our DNA. That’s God. He designed us that way.

Genesis 2:20b But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for this need for connection and community. Thank You for this need to encourage and uplift others. Thank You that being Your hands and feet can be as simple as showing up for each other, encouraging each other, helping each other. Help us to love others as well as You love us. Amen.

Genesis 2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 2:15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 

Don’t think about hamburgers. Just the act of saying something like that makes us think about the thing–in this case hamburgers–even if it had been nowhere near our minds before. I get God setting healthy boundaries with verse 17, but in my mind, it feels like saying “Don’t think about hamburgers.”

Genesis 2:16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 

Maybe it’s just me and my curious nature, my need to know why. At some point, had I been in the garden, I would have wondered why I could not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, why that alone would cause me to die. I’m not saying it’s healthy. I’m saying it’s human nature to be curious, to wonder, to test boundaries. Jesus, Help me.

Genesis 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”

Precious Savior, Thank You for Your Kingdom, for You goodness and compassion. Thank You for helping to establish for us healthy boundaries that keep us safe. Forgive us when we get too curious and abandon common sense in search of answers we may not want to find. Use all things for our good and Your glory. Amen.

Genesis 2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 2:10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 

Two things strike me about today’s verses: The river with its four headwaters and the mention of gold and onyx. Water, symbolically, can represent birth, rebirth, new life. A river watering the Garden that separated into four headwaters could have some significance with taking the goodness of the Garden and spreading it outwards–the goodness of this new utopia, flowing for all.

Genesis 2:11-12 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 

Gold is a precious metal, symbolizing value and worth. Onyx is a symbol of protection and strength, and in some cultures is used as protection from evil. These items could symbolize the richness, the rebirth, the sanctity, the value of this place, this Garden. Or they could just be a lovely description of all that God created.

Genesis 2:13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the gift of looking more deeply into Your word, searching for meaning, searching for connection. Thank You that we bring meaning to Your word through our lives. Help us to see You, to see Your creation, more clearly, to draw closer to You as we read Your word. Help us, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 2:14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 2:8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 

I have never really had a green thumb, but I have found as I’ve gotten older a love of, a fascination with keeping plants alive. If you ask me, I’ll swear I’m *not* a gardener, but if a piece falls off a plant as I’m moving or watering them, that piece going into water is automatic with the hope it will grow roots and I can plant it and nurture it, too.

Genesis 2:9a The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—

And more than once I have seen a plant that seemed absolutely dead, that I stubbornly kept watering out of sheer hope, come back from the brink, sprout again, grow again, bloom again. That is an amazing feeling. Growth, rebirth, renewal are beautiful things to see in the plant world.

Genesis 2:9b trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. 

Precious Savior, Thank You for the garden, a place where plants can be nurtured and grow, a place where we can be stewards of Your creation and participate in some small way in Your miraculous world. Help me never to lose my wonder at watching Your world grow. Amen.

Genesis 2:9c In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

Have a blessed day.

Genesis 2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

We humans tend to think that we are a pretty big deal, but I find it incredibly interesting that God created light and darkness, sky and sea and dry ground, vegetation of all kinds, the sun and moon, the creatures under the sea and the creatures on the land AND He rested, all BEFORE creating human beings.

Genesis 2:5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 

All of this helps me with perspective. If I think *I,* as human, am the center of God’s creation, I am going to act like everything revolves around me. I am most important. But if *God’s creation,* light and darkness, sky and sea and dry ground, vegetation of all kinds, the sun and moon, the creatures under the sea and the creatures on the land, is the center, then my role as steward of all these things becomes infinitely more important.

Genesis 2:6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

Precious Savior, Forgive me when I make myself more important, more central in this life than You intended. Help me to focus on my role as steward of Your creation. Help me to understand my place in it, without getting caught up in my own self-importance. Help me, Jesus. Amen.

Genesis 2:7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.

Have a blessed day.