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H3513

H3513

a great and heavy object; burdensome, great

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened,
That it cannot save;
Nor His ear heavy,
That it cannot hear.

Isaiah 59:1

Previous article: Pharaoh’s Heart

Literal Definition

The literal definition of this word is fairly straightforward, as seen in the following verse. 

When he mentioned the ark of God, Eli fell backward from his chair beside the gate. He broke his neck and died, for he was old and heavy. He had judged Israel for forty years. 1 Samuel 4:18

The word describes something that had great weight due to great bulk (such as Eli) or a large quantity, such as Absalom’s hair.

And when he cut the hair of his head–at the end of every year he cut it because it was heavy on him–when he cut it, he weighed the hair of his head at two hundred shekels according to the king’s standard. 2 Samuel 14:26

We get some help from Job in understanding how ancient Israelites used the word figuratively. In the following passage, Job used the word literally, but in a figurative context. 

Oh that my grief were thoroughly weighed, and my calamity laid in the balances together! For now it would be heavier than the sand of the sea: therefore my words are swallowed up. Job 6:2-3

Job compared his tragedies to being crushed under the heaviest weight you could imagine. While the sand of the sea has a literal, physical weight, his tragedies did not have a physical weight. Yet the burden of his tragedies were as crushing on an emotional level as the weight of the sand on a physical level. Thus, the ancient Israelites used the metaphor similarly to how we use it.

Figurative Applications

Burdensome

These verses below link the figurative concept of H3513 with the literal by using direct comparisons of tangible weight with intangible burdens.

A stone is heavy (H3514) and sand is weighty, But a fool’s wrath is heavier than both of them. Proverbs 27:3
For my iniquities have gone over my head; Like a heavy (H3515) burden they are too heavy for me. Psalm 38:4

Very likely, this figurative use of heavy is relatively easy for us to grasp since we often use similar figurative language. Just as we use the word, burden, in the English language in a wide variety of contexts, so Scripture used H3513 to describe a wide variety of things that might be burdensome. For example, Pharaoh used the word in the context of work.

“Let more work be laid on the men, that they may labor in it, and let them not regard false words.” Exodus 5:9

But Scripture used the concept of heavy in applications other than burdensome, such as speaking of figuratively heavy [fierce] battle (Judges 20:34, 1 Samuel 31:3), or a fountain abounding [heavy] with water (Proverbs 8:24).

Greatness

An interesting figurative application of ‘heavy’ is to speak of relative greatness, such as Abram’s great wealth.

Abram was very rich in livestock, in silver, and in gold. Genesis 13:2

In other words, Abram was very ‘heavy’ in possessions. In my opinion, this application was based on the fact that a very heavy object was generally an impressively massive object. For example, a very heavy rock would be a great (large) rock. So Abram’s wealth was called ‘heavy’ in the sense that it was an impressively great amount of wealth. In a similar fashion, Scripture applied H3513 to great people, such as the prince of Shechem.

So the young man did not delay to do the thing, because he delighted in Jacob’s daughter. He was more honorable than all the household of his father. Genesis 34:19

In other words, the prince of Shechem was morally heavier, or, greater in morality, than his peers. H3513 also described a greater social status.

‘for I will certainly honor you greatly, and I will do whatever you say to me. Therefore please come, curse this people for me.’ Numbers 22:17

In this passage, king Balak promised to make Balaam heavy, that is, greater than his peers in a social setting. So H3513 could describe a greater morality, a greater social status, but also a greater reverence or respect. 

“Then the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I have gained honor for Myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” Exodus 14:18

Furthermore, Scripture even applied the concept in the context of a false sense of greatness. 

“Indeed you say that you have defeated the Edomites, and your heart is lifted up to boast. Stay at home now; why should you meddle with trouble, that you should fall–you and Judah with you?” But Amaziah would not heed, for it came from God, that He might give them into the hand of their enemies, because they sought the gods of Edom. 2 Chronicles 25:19-20

Amaziah had a false sense of greatness that stemmed from the pride that came from his previous victory. This false sense of greatness led him to ignore the wise words of warning and make a stupid decision that cost him his nation, just as Pharaoh’s pride cost him greatly.

Dysfunctional

The final type of figurative application we will consider is when heavy was applied to a body part. It generally meant the body part did not function as it should.

Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. Genesis 48:10

Saying Jacob’s eyes were heavy with age meant he was more or less blind. Similarly, saying a person’s ear was heavy meant they couldn’t hear. 

Behold, the LORD’s hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. Isaiah 59:1

Or, it meant the person wouldn’t hear and refused to heed what was told to them. 

“But they refused to heed, shrugged their shoulders, and stopped their ears so that they could not hear. Zechariah 7:11

Notice how making their ears heavy produced a similar result to when Amaziah was making himself heavy (great) through his boasting: neither Amaziah nor these people heeded the advice they received; both responded in a way that did not make good sense. So Scripture used H3515 to describe people as heavy with pride, which made them stubborn and unwilling to listen, and to describe people’s ears as heavy, which meant they were not willing to listen. 

It was in this same sense of dysfunctional that God used the term in calling for His peoples’ ears to be made heavy.

“Make the heart of this people dull, And their ears heavy, And shut their eyes; Lest they see with their eyes, And hear with their ears, And understand with their heart, And return and be healed.” Isaiah 6:10

God called for this dullness because the people of Israel, repeatedly getting into trouble through their idolatries, would repent just enough for God to bring deliverance, and once delivered they returned quickly to idolatry. God desired to bring a judgment that was severe enough to turn them from idolatries for good. For the judgment to be effective, it was necessary for the people to know why the judgment was coming. But to prevent them from having a shallow repentance to avoid the impending judgment, God called for their ears to be made heavy. The end result was, because their ears were heavy, they were carried away into Babylon for 70 years where they finally turned from idols for good.

Summary

The literal definition is heavy, due to bulk (Eli) or great quantity (Absalom’s hair). 

The figurative applications are varied. Using the concept of weight, Scripture called burdensome things, heavy. In addition, Scripture called honored people, heavy; evidently using the fact that the heavier object is also the larger object. Finally, when it called a body part heavy, it meant the body part didn’t function as normal.

The post H3513 first appeared on Simple Truth.

H7185

H7185

a overly heavy yoke, hard to bear; rebellious resistance of oxen

“Your father made our yoke heavy;
now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father,
and his heavy yoke which he put on us,
and we will serve you.”

1 Kings 12:4

Literal Definition

Scripture only used H7185 in a metaphorical sense, which means we can’t derive the literal definition by examining multiple passages. So we will rely on the definition from TWOT.

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The root apparently came from an agricultural context. It emphasizes, firstly, the subjective effect exerted by an overly heavy yoke, which is hard to bear; and secondarily, the rebellious resistance of oxen to the yoke.

1 Kings 12:4 gives the closest application of the literal sense, in the account of Israel’s demand that Rehoboam lighten the tax burden. 

“Your father made our yoke heavy; now therefore, lighten the burdensome service of your father, and his heavy yoke which he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Granted, it is a figurative application but it nicely shows the literal meaning. The passage tells of the people complaining about their required service under Solomon, that it was an unbearable burden. They used H7185 to compare the burdensome service to an overloaded yoke. Not only that, but the passage could have used H7185 to describe the people who were balking against the heavy burden of service, just as oxen might balk at a heavy yoke. Thus, we can see in this passage how these two literal meanings of H7185 relate to one another, which will help us understand the metaphorical implications.

Figurative Applications

As a metaphor, H7185 employed both the concept of a heavy yoke and of rebellious resistance. One example of the ‘heavy yoke’ type of application is in the command regarding bondservants, when their time of service ended.  

“It shall not seem hard to you when you send him away free from you; for he has been worth a double hired servant in serving you six years. Then the LORD your God will bless you in all that you do. Deuteronomy 15:18.

The master was not to view releasing the bondservant as a heavy burden, but freely let him depart. 1 Samuel 5:7 provides a second example, when the Philistines were trying to figure out what to do with the captured ark in the face of the plagues from God.

And when the men of Ashdod saw how it was, they said, “The ark of the God of Israel must not remain with us, for His hand is harsh toward us and Dagon our god.”

They employed H7185 to describe how the plagues which God brought upon them were a grievously heavy burden.

In the ‘resisting a master’ type of application, H7185 usually described people rebelling against God. In these instances, the English bibles usually translated the word as ‘hardened’ or ‘stiff-necked,’ using these words figuratively. This makes it tricky to derive the metaphorical definition because we would have to be certain of the English metaphorical meanings. However, the contexts that used H7185 figuratively often paralleled it with another word or phrase which clarified the figurative meaning. 

One example is 2 Kings 17:14 which described the sad history of the Northern kingdom of Israel, how they turned away from their God. 

Nevertheless they would not hear, but stiffened their necks, like the necks of their fathers, who did not believe in the LORD their God.

The surrounding context tells of how God sent prophets to declare His word, but the people refused to listen. The writer set H7185 in parallel with the phrase, ‘would not hear’. Thus, H7185 figuratively described how the people refused to heed God’s commands. Like oxen who balked, they were rebellious against God.

In this next example, the messengers from Hezekiah used H7185 as they urged the people to come down for the Passover.

“Now do not be stiff-necked, as your fathers were, but yield yourselves to the LORD; and enter His sanctuary, which He has sanctified forever, and serve the LORD your God, that the fierceness of His wrath may turn away from you. 2 Chronicles 30:8

They used H7185 as a contrast to yielding to the Lord, calling the people to not be rebellious against God. Finally, this last verse used H7185 in the same way as the earlier verse, setting it in parallel to the idea of disregarding God’s commands.

And testified against them, That You might bring them back to Your law. Yet they acted proudly, And did not heed Your commandments, But sinned against Your judgments, ‘Which if a man does, he shall live by them.’ And they shrugged their shoulders, Stiffened their necks, And would not hear. Nehemiah 9:29

These are a few of the passages which employ H7185 to describe people as those who refused to heed God’s commands, rebukes, and warnings. 

Hardening

When translated as ‘hardened’ in our English Bibles, the context clarifies that H7185 had the same meaning as when it was translated ‘stiff-necked.’ 

“But they and our fathers acted proudly, Hardened their necks, And did not heed Your commandments. They refused to obey, And they were not mindful of Your wonders That You did among them. But they hardened their necks, And in their rebellion They appointed a leader To return to their bondage. But You are God, Ready to pardon, Gracious and merciful, Slow to anger, Abundant in kindness, And did not forsake them. Nehemiah 9:16-17

The people didn’t heed God’s commands and rebelled against Him.

Summary

Scripture only used H7185 in its figurative senses. One sense spoke of a heavy burden which was hard to bear. The second sense was usually used to describe people who refused to heed God’s rebukes and commands.

The post H7185 first appeared on Simple Truth.

H2388

H2388

a firm grip; to strengthen, prevail, harden

‘But command Joshua,
and encourage him and strengthen him;
for he shall go over before this people,
and he shall cause them to inherit the land
which you will see.’

Deuteronomy 3:28

Literal Definition

The first occurrence of H2388 in Scripture is in the account of the angels pulling Lot and his family out of Sodom before the judgment began.

And while he lingered, the men took hold of his hand, his wife’s hand, and the hands of his two daughters, the LORD being merciful to him, and they brought him out and set him outside the city. Genesis 19:16

This verse used the word in its literal sense to explain how the angels grabbed hold of the reluctant Lot and his family to remove them from Sodom. It was not a casual clasping of hands, but a determined grip in which they applied their strength to overcome Lot’s reluctance. Thus, we can see H2388 meant a grip with applied strength.

Scripture did not limit its application of H2388 to situations of overriding a person’s will. Other passages used the word to describe strength applied to aid an individual. One example is in the account of Hagar and Ishmael’s departure from Abraham, after Ishmael had collapsed from exhaustion. The angel of the Lord said to Hagar:

“Arise, lift up the lad and hold him with your hand, for I will make him a great nation.” Genesis 21:8

Here, similar to the account of Lot, the word describes a grip with strength. However, in this case, the applied strength was to aid, not overcome, the recipient. Notice how, in both these accounts, they didn’t permanently grab hold but only applied their grip until they accomplished their purpose.

Figurative Applications

The above passages are examples of where Scripture used H2388 in a literal application to describe a grip that applied strength. There are several additional passages which use the word in such a fashion, some where the grip was used to prevent people from doing their will, and others where the grip strengthened and enabled the weaker individual to continue his course. 

Similarly, figurative applications in Scripture also described applied strength both to prevent and aid people. 2 Samuel 24:4 gives an example of the former when David compelled Joab against his will to number the people.

Nevertheless the king’s word prevailed against Joab and against the captains of the army. Therefore Joab and the captains of the army went out from the presence of the king to count the people of Israel.

David didn’t physically grab Joab, but his word had a similar effect as if he had grabbed Joab and forced him to go number the people. Furthermore, his word didn’t have a permanent effect on Joab, for he stopped before he counted all the people (1 Chronicles 21:6).

Judges 7:11 gives a clear example of the other type of application. The context tells how Gideon was nervous about facing the Midianites in battle, so God instructed him to sneak into their camp and eavesdrop on a conversation inside a tent.

“and you shall hear what they say; and afterward your hands shall be strengthened to go down against the camp.” Then he went down with Purah his servant to the outpost of the armed men who were in the camp.

As God promised, the conversation Gideon overheard strengthened him to continue the course of delivering Israel from the Midianites. Although no one physically grabbed his hand and held him up, what he heard had a similar effect. 

In addition to these and other examples, there are several passages where H2388 was used in the context of strengthening Joshua (see Deuteronomy 1:38, 3:28, 11:8, 31:6-7, 31:23; Joshua 1:6-7, 9, 18). Personally, I find these applications especially interesting, knowing that Scripture used the same word to describe the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart.Scripture also used the word in other types of figurative applications, such as describing the intensity of a famine (severe in Genesis 41:56-57), and rebuilding a wall (repairs in Nehemiah 3:4 and verses following). Although these examples give us an idea of the breadth of application, I don’t think they particularly help us in the topic of Pharaoh’s heart.

Hardening

Before focusing on Pharaoh’s hardening, I think it will be helpful to understand what hardening is and does to a person. A most helpful verse is Jeremiah 5:3 because of its poetic structure. It employs synonymous parallelism (poetry with synonymous ideas in parallel; see www.crivoice.org/parallel), which will allow us to compare hardening with a synonymous concept. This verse is in the context of Jeremiah’s vain search for people in Jerusalem who practiced justice.

O LORD, are not Your eyes on the truth?
You have stricken them, But they have not grieved;
You have consumed them, But they have refused to receive correction.
They have made their faces harder than rock;
They have refused to return. Jeremiah 5:3

Given the poetic structure, we can see the last two lines are parallel concepts. The former line utilized H2388 by describing how they hardened their faces. It is highly figurative in contrast to the line which follows it, which is more concrete. Taken together, the two lines show that hardening is metaphorical of refusing to change from the current course. The verse used H2388 figuratively to describe people refusing to change when God was trying to make them do so by sending them difficult times. Evidently, the connection between the literal meaning of the word and the figurative is the concept of strength, in that they resolutely withstood God.

Another helpful set of passages is Joshua 11:20 and Judges 3:12. Both used H2388 to tell how God brought nations to battle against Israel. In Joshua, Israel defeated the nations, but in Judges the enemy nation defeated Israel. In these passages, H2388 was translated ‘harden’ and ‘strengthened’, respectively. The first group of nations were Canaanites. 

For it was of the LORD to harden their hearts, that they should come against Israel in battle, that He might utterly destroy them, and that they might receive no mercy, but that He might destroy them, as the LORD had commanded Moses. Joshua 11:20

And the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the LORD. So the LORD strengthened Eglon king of Moab against Israel, because they had done evil in the sight of the LORD. Judges 3:12

It would have been clear for both sets of enemies that it was a risky endeavor to attack the Israelites. The Canaanites knew what Israel’s God had done to other nations of Canaan, as did the king of Moab. 

In Judges, H2388 clearly means God applied strength to Eglon, enabling him to face the risk and attack Israel. What about the verse in Joshua? Does H2388 mean God applied His strength to enable the Canaanites to carry out their will, or to prevent them?

It appears illogical to interpret Joshua 11:20 to mean that God applied strength to prevent the Canaanites from doing what they wanted to do. That would mean the Canaanites were not wanting to be the enemies of Israel. It would mean they wanted to repent of their idolatry, give up their lands, and make peace with Israel and the God of Israel. This interpretation makes no sense regardless of your theological position. If you believe the unregenerate cannot desire to do right, then surely the unregenerate Canaanites could not have desired to repent of their wickedness. If, on the other hand, you believe an unbeliever can repent, then surely God would not prevent them from repenting. So the application of H2388 to the Canaanites must mean that God applied strength to enable them in what they wanted to do. 

This would mean the Canaanites did NOT want to repent from idolatry, give up their land, and make peace with Israel. But when faced with the reality of the other nations’ failure to defeat the God of Israel, and knowing how Joshua saved alive the Gibeonites (Joshua 9:24-26), it would have made sense to at least superficially make peace with Israel. The sheer reality of the situation would have weakened their resolve to battle Israel and led them to give up the fight. But God wanted them destroyed (because of their great wickedness, Deuteronomy 9:4-5), so in some way He strengthened their resolve so that they engaged Israel in battle.

The application of H2388 evidently indicates that when God hardened them, it was a type of strengthening them to carry out their heart’s desire (which was to fight the people of God) when all the circumstances of their situation urged them to lay down their swords. But, whereas strengthening normally leads to a person’s benefit, hardening resulted in their great dis-benefit. 

Summary

In a literal application, the word meant a grip that applied strength to either help or prevent a person’s action for a limited period of time. Figurative applications had a variety of meanings. When the word was applied to people, it generally carried the concept of applying strength to either help or hinder. When the word was translated harden, it spoke of strengthening the individual to do what they wanted but led to their harm and destruction.

The post H2388 first appeared on Simple Truth.

The Floodwaters

Judgment and Deliverance

the ark was key to escaping destruction

So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground:
both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air.
They were destroyed from the earth.
Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark
remained alive.

Genesis 7:23

God rejoiced over mankind at the time of creation, giving them dominion over all other living creatures and blessing them with fruitfulness (see Creation). As time passed, people embraced wickedness and God’s rejoicing turned to sorrow, even to where He repented from blessing mankind and purposed to destroy all of them (see God’s Repentance), including all living creatures. But some living creatures escaped the destruction of the floodwaters, and it wasn’t because they were more righteous than others.

Universal Destruction

The waters of the flood would not be discriminatory in their destruction. They would destroy every creature exposed to them, regardless of that creature’s lifestyle. So it was the imminent coming of floodwaters that motivated Noah to board the ark, for not even he would have been spared.

So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. Genesis 7:7

There simply was no escaping the floodwaters. They would eliminate every living creature upon the earth, whether clean or unclean, wicked or righteous, because the flood was universal in its destruction.

This was, in fact, God’s purpose with the floodwaters – to destroy all living creatures. Knowing this, Noah and his family sought to escape the impending destruction by boarding the ark. Yet, in doing so, they were not thwarting God’s purposes for God Himself ensured the ark was secure by shutting the door.

So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him; and the LORD shut him in. Genesis 7:16

Clearly, it was God’s intent to deliver those on the ark from destruction, whether clean or unclean, wicked or righteous. We could say that although it was God’s purpose to destroy all living creatures, it was His will that every living creature on the ark would be saved alive.

The Key for Escape

So when the floodwaters came, the ark became the key to whether a living creature was destroyed or preserved. The waters buried everything on the earth except the ark.

Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. Genesis 7:17-19

Although the flood impacted everything on earth, it affected the ark differently than everything else. The flood did not bury the ark, as it did the rest of the earth; it lifted the ark, and everything in it, off the face of the earth.

Thus, God used the ark to make a distinction among all the living creatures. There were those creatures who were on the face of the earth, and there were those who were on the ark. All living creatures that were on the face of the earth were destroyed. But all living creatures that were on the ark were delivered from destruction.

So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. Genesis 7:23

So a living creature’s destiny was not dependent upon its wickedness or righteousness, but upon its position regarding the ark. Its deliverance from destruction depended entirely upon being with Noah in the ark. This was God’s will.

God’s purpose was to destroy all living creatures because of the acute wickedness in the earth. But it was not His desire to eradicate life, so He kept some of every species alive. He didn’t preserve the lives of certain living creatures based on their decreased level of wickedness or violences. He preserved their lives based on whether they were with Noah on the ark.

Coda

God’s approach in judgment and deliverance in the flood set a precedence in His approach with the judgment and deliverance of mankind for all time. The second death (Revelation 20:12-15) is a universal judgment established because of rebellion and wickedness. But He will not condemn people to this judgment based on their level of rebellion and wickedness. They will be condemned based on whether they are with Christ in the salvation He established through His righteous obedience in fulfilling the will of God.

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Covenant Conundrum

If God always repents when someone changes, how can He make an unchanging covenant with them? The first covenant recorded in scripture reveals an important feature of God’s administration and sovereignty over mankind.

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Covenant Dilemma

Covenant Conundrum

How can the unchanging God commit Himself?

But I will establish My covenant with you;
and you shall go into the ark—
you, your sons, your wife,
and your sons’ wives with you.

Genesis 6:18

In the last post, we looked at God’s repentance as described in the first part of Genesis 6. We noted that, although it may seem impossible that the unchanging God can repent, His unchanging nature actually means He must repent towards a person who changes their lifestyle. God will cease showing grace and favor to people who leave righteousness for wickedness. 

In the second half of Genesis 6, we find the first recorded covenant tucked within God’s instructions to Noah for building the ark. It is more of a promise to establish a covenant than actually establishing it.

And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Genesis 6:17-19

Interestingly, God didn’t define the terms of the covenant. That is, He didn’t specify what He would do or what Noah should do to accomplish the desired result. However, He did indicate the result of the covenant, which was that He would keep them alive. So this first covenant was basically a commitment from God to Noah to keep alive all those who were on the ark through the duration of the flood.

The context of this covenant sets up a stark contrast. The first half of Genesis 6 spoke of God’s repentance, that is, His change of attitude towards mankind. The second half of the same chapter spoke of God’s covenant to keep certain ones alive, which effectively was a promise that He would not repent towards Noah and those with him. Essentially, the context shows that the covenant was the opposite of repentance.

Given that it was necessary for God to repent in response to peoples’ choices, it seems impossible that God could make a long-term promise to not repent, since people are given to change. It seems like it would have made more sense if He promised Noah that He would keep them alive if they remained righteous. That way, if they didn’t continue in righteousness, He wouldn’t be obligated to keep the promise. But by making a covenant that was not based on their lifestyle, God removed His option of repenting if they embraced wickedness.

This creates a conundrum in justice. There was the possibility that one of those on board the ark would turn to wickedness. In that situation, because of His covenant, God would be obligated to extend grace to that wicked individual. The only way this could be just is if God had a good reason for making a commitment to show grace and favor on people regardless of their lifestyle.

The Basis of the Covenant

By emphasizing selective parts of the history, the text showed that God had a good reason to show grace to wicked men. Often, when we tell the story of the ark, we talk about the long process of building it. But the text entirely omitted the building process and instead focused on how Noah responded to God’s command, even telling us twice that Noah obeyed God.

Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. Genesis 6:22
And Noah did according to all that the LORD commanded him. Genesis 7:5

So the text presented God’s covenant to Noah in a context that emphasized Noah’s obedience.

From this emphasis, we can see that Noah’s obedience was critical to the establishment of the covenant. In the text, God clearly linked the covenant to the ark: “I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark…”. This covenant wouldn’t be established until there was an ark to board. Noah would need to obey God’s command of building the ark in order for the covenant to be established.

Thus, the basis of the covenant was not Noah’s lifestyle, but his act of obedience. God established the covenant based on Noah’s one-time act of obedience. It is common knowledge that an action committed cannot be retracted. Once Noah built the ark, his action became a fact of history and no one could undo the fact that he had built the ark.

If God had established the covenant based on Noah’s righteous lifestyle, then it would have been possible to lose the basis of the covenant because it was possible for Noah to commit wickedness. But when God based the covenant on Noah’s act of obedience, an unchangeable fact of history, then He established the covenant on the basis of something that could not be changed.

Because Noah fully obeyed His command, God established His covenant that He would grant the grace and favor of preserving life. If Noah chose wickedness while on the ark, God could look back on the time Noah obeyed and continue to show favor and grace based on that earlier expression of obedience. That is, God could say, ‘Even though you have done wickedly today, I will continue to show you grace because of your act of obedience in the past.’

The Covenant Scope

The text shows us that God did not limit His promise of grace and favor to only Noah. While it is true God made the covenant specifically with Noah, He expanded its benefits to Noah’s full family, including his sons and daughter-in-laws.

But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. Genesis 6:18

Their inclusion into the covenant was not based on their obedience, for the text is conspicuously silent on their role in building the ark, or even whether they had a role. It clearly told us that Noah obeyed, but said nothing about whether his sons obeyed. Yet, God included them in the covenant.

Then the LORD said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that you are righteous before Me in this generation Genesis 7:1

Noah’s family enjoyed the benefits of the covenant only because they were of his household. So if one of those sons became wicked, God would still show them favor because they were with Noah, the man who performed that act of obedience to God.

The unchanging God established covenant based on obedience as an unchanging fact of history so that He could show grace regardless of peoples’ lifestyle. The scope of the covenant included all who were with the man who obeyed.







Coda

There are a number of parallels worth noting between Noah and the Lord Jesus.

Noah found grace in God’s sight. Genesis 6:8Jesus found grace in God’s sight. Luke 3:21-22Noah obeyed God’s command to provide a means of salvation. Genesis 6:22Jesus did the will of God in providing a means of salvation. Luke 22:41-42God established a covenant based on the unchanging fact of Noah’s obedience. Genesis 7:5God established a covenant based on the unchanging fact of the Lord Jesus’ obedience. Hebrews 9:15The covenant of life extended to all who were with Noah. Genesis 6:18The covenant of life extends to all who are in Christ. Colossians 2:11-13



God established a covenant based on the obedience of Christ. When Christ died on the cross, He fulfilled the will of God to provide a means of salvation for all mankind. Because of His righteous obedience, God can now extend the grace of life to each person who entrusts themselves in the salvation Christ provided. So God gives life to each person who is in Christ.

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God’s Repentance

Our concept of God’s sovereignty must include His repentance, for this concept is in scripture.

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The post Covenant Dilemma first appeared on Simple Truth.

Gods Covenant

God’s Covenant

How can the unchanging God commit Himself?

But I will establish My covenant with you;
and you shall go into the ark—
you, your sons, your wife,
and your sons’ wives with you.

Genesis 6:18

In the last post, we looked at God’s repentance in light of His unchanging nature. We noted that, although it may seem impossible that the unchanging God can repent, the reality is that His unchanging nature actually means He will repent when a person changes their lifestyle. Since He always has judgment for the wicked, He will change from showing favor to judgment for a person who leaves righteousness for wickedness. 

A little farther in Genesis 6, we find a second concept related to God’s unchanging nature – a covenant. At first glance, a covenant appears fully congruent with God’s unchanging nature, since a covenant is basically a promise to not change from a course of action. But when we place the concept of God’s covenant alongside the necessity of God’s repentance, we will find there is a level of complexity that rivals and perhaps surpasses the complexity of God’s repentance. 

Incidentally, the covenant in Genesis 6 is the first one recorded in Scripture and thus likely carries a high level of significance. We find the covenant in the passage where God commanded Noah to build the ark.

And behold, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die. But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall go into the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. And of every living thing of all flesh you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. Genesis 6:17-19

Normally, a covenant includes detailed terms that specify the proposed actions, but, as you may have noticed, Scripture passed over the terms of this covenant. So we should conclude that the terms of the covenant are not significant to what the Author wanted to convey and not try to guess the terms. Instead, we should note what the passage shows us. Namely, the purpose of the covenant. God used it like a guarantee to preserve life. Scripture is telling us that God made a commitment to Noah to keep alive all those with him throughout the duration of the flood. The significance is in the contrast to the repentance we saw earlier in the chapter. By making a covenant, God promised Noah that He would not repent/change.

A promise to exempt from judgment seems impossible for the unchanging God to keep over an extended length of time, because of human tendency to change. It seems that God should have told Noah that his life would be preserved if he remained righteous. Instead, He made a covenant that committed Himself to preserving their lives regardless of their lifestyle, whether wicked or righteous. Thus, if Noah or his family abandoned their righteousness while on the ark, God would have to either show favor to a wicked individual or break His covenant. So by making the covenant, God seemed to put Himself in a situation that would inevitably require Him to compromise.

Why did God make a covenant?

When God spoke to Noah about the flood, He began by telling of the coming destruction upon every living creature on the earth. Then He said, ‘But I will establish My covenant with you…’. God promised to establish a covenant, but the promise came with an implied condition. Noah needed to build the ark. Thus, the covenant depended on the existence of the ark. If the ark wasn’t there, Noah wouldn’t be able to get on it. Noah would have to obey God’s command to build the ark in order for the covenant to be established. His obedience was key.

The text, after telling what God said to Noah, does not give a single detail related to the long process of building the ark, but jumps to the completion of the project and tells us that Noah obeyed.

Thus Noah did; according to all that God commanded him, so he did. Genesis 6:22

Notice how the verse repeats the fact that Noah ‘did’. The Author deliberately draws our attention to Noah’s obedience, making Noah’s obedience the context of the covenant. He shows us that God made a covenant with a righteous man in the context of his obedience. So we see God rewarded Noah’s righteous obedience.

Putting this in the context of God’s administration and sovereignty, we see God always has judgment for the wicked, always has favor for the righteous, and always rewards righteous obedience.



The Covenant Scope

There is more to consider because the covenant covered others besides Noah. Namely, it covered his family, both sons and in-laws. But did you notice the passage is conspicuously silent about his sons’ contributions (or lack thereof) in building the ark? The Author only drew our attention to Noah’s obedience, not his sons’. Yet the covenant specifically included Noah’s sons. And their wives. And the animals. It’s as if Noah’s obedience covered him, his family, and the animals.

This fits the precedence set in the first half of Genesis 6. God didn’t restrict judgment to only the most wicked of mankind, He sent it upon every living creature on earth, both man and animal. I suppose this was because man had dominion over the animals. When God’s judgment fell upon man, it also fell upon all who were with him. In the same sweeping way, the covenant of life applied to all who were with righteous Noah.

Of course, the passage is not implying that God holds one person accountable for another person’s sin; He will hold each accountable for their own sin. But the passage is showing that God’s judgment upon the wicked can impact those who are with the wicked. Similarly, but conversely, His reward upon the righteous can impact those with the righteous. So God guaranteed to deliver from death Noah’s family and the animals as long as they were with Noah and inside the ark.

God promised the covenant in the context of Noah’s obedience. That ark was the tangible expression of Noah’s obedience. As a result, the covenant included all those who were covered under the reality of Noah’s obedience. 

God committed Himself to reward righteous Noah in the context of his obedience. Thus, all those who were covered under the expression of Noah’s obedience (that is, those who were in the ark) would enter the benefits of Noah’s reward. God would not turn from rewarding righteous obedience even if non-righteous folks were under the cover of the obedience.

The unchanging God always has judgment for the wicked, and always has favor for the righteous. For this reason, He will repent from favor towards a person who turns to wickedness. However, when God commits to rewarding righteous obedience, He will not turn away from blessing even if undeserving individuals share in the benefit because of their proximity to the one being blessed.

Gods Repentance

God’s Repentance

How can a sovereign God repent?

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth,
and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart
was only evil continually.

Genesis 6:5

The next section in Genesis begins more than a thousand years after the first section. It opens with a view of mankind from God’s perspective. The following verses describe His attitude. As you read them, notice how the text applied ‘repented’ to God.

And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. Genesis 6:6-7 (KJV)

In the Old Testament, the Hebrew word translated above as ‘repented’ occurred 108 times. The KJV translators translated it as ‘repent’ forty-one times, and a majority of those referred to God’s repentance. It may be a surprise to see ‘repent’ applied to God in the passage above, but we understand it is not saying that God turned from sin, for He does not sin. But it is referring to God’s change of heart towards mankind. Originally, God had created man with the intent that he would multiply and fill the earth. But here, God speaks of destroying man (and the animals) from off the earth. So God’s repentance refers to the fact that His attitude towards mankind changed from blessing to judgment.

Why did God’s attitude change? Thankfully, this is a simple question to answer since the passage plainly tells us the reason.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:5

Mankind’s continual wickedness and evil turned God against them. So there is no guesswork regarding the reason for the change. But there is still the difficulty of understanding how an unchanging, sovereign God could change.

How can an unchanging God change?

Passages such as Numbers 23:19 and 1 Samuel 15:29, which clearly state that God does not repent, challenge our understanding. They seem like a contradiction, but I think it may help to consider a scenario that has happened many times throughout history.

Suppose there was a man who was living a life of wickedness. What would God’s attitude towards him be? We know it would be one of judgment – the man would be under condemnation. But suppose the man repented and turned from his wickedness – would God’s attitude toward the man change? Ezekiel 33:14-16, John 3:18, and many other passages teach us that God’s attitude would change from judgment to grace. Many of us understand this because we have personally experienced God’s change of attitude toward us. Since it is valid to define repentance as a change of attitude, we can say that God would repent in His attitude towards the formerly wicked, but now contrite, man.

Expanding this example, we can also see that God is unchanging. Notice how we did not need to debate whether a wicked man is under condemnation. We know God is consistent in how He treats mankind – He always judges the wicked. Always. And, we know He always shows grace to the righteous. In addition, we can read in Ezekiel 33 how God explained to the Israelites that He will show mercy to all those who heed His word and repent. We know that this is the way God is and the way He always has been.

So at the level of His administration over mankind, God is unchanging. He always has had judgment for the wicked; He always has had blessing for the righteous; and He always has had mercy for the repentant. A person is under judgment, blessing, or mercy based on whether they are wicked, righteous, or repentant. But at the level of God’s attitude (wrathful, favorable, or merciful) towards a person, His attitude will change depending on where the person is at. His administration does not change; but His attitude can and does change.

How can a sovereign God change?

This is a key question in the topic of God’s sovereignty. It is crucial that our understanding of God’s sovereignty takes into account the repentance of God for the simple reason that it is there in scripture. So let’s take a closer look at the Genesis 6 context and use it to develop our understanding of the sovereignty of God. As our first step, let’s identify the key point(s) made by the passage.

The opening portion of the passage presents two factors that led to God’s sorrow over mankind. The first has to do with how the sons of God chose wives.

…the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the LORD said, “My Spirit shall not strive [or, abide] with man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” Genesis 6:2-3

These two verses give us two details to help us see the first factor of God’s sorrow. The first detail is that the sons of God took wives based on their choice. The second detail is God’s comment that man is flesh. Together, these details indicate that the boys of that day were choosing wives based on what appealed to their flesh. The problem with this method of choosing a spouse is that it is essentially the same approach used by animals when they choose their mates. But God did not create man as an animal – He gave man the capability to appreciate non-physical characteristics, such as morality, intelligence, personality, etc. Men had descended to acting like the animals, choosing mates based on fleshly lusts. So the passage is telling us that this flesh-based choosing is one factor that contributed to God’s change of heart towards man.

The two verses following give us the second factor.

There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. Genesis 6:4-5

Verse 4 tells us that some ancient men became mighty and famous. But the second verse tells us they achieved their greatness through wickedness. They elevated themselves, not through fairness and justice, but by trampling down and destroying others. This wickedness is the other factor that led to God repenting.

The next verse is Genesis 6:6, which is the verse that speaks of God repenting. So the passage presents these two factors, man’s flesh-driven choices and his wickedness towards others, as what led to God’s decision to destroy mankind from the earth. What is it about these factors that made God regret making mankind? In comparing them, we can see that both behaviors are contrary to what God intended for mankind. God created man with a body of flesh, as He did with animals. But He also gave man the ability to appreciate abstract realities, such as justice, beauty, morality, love, and other such things. God did not intend that man’s physical desires would dictate his actions, but that man would use his understanding of the abstract realities to rule over his physical desires. Nor did God create mankind to destroy one another. Both these behaviors went against what God intended. Mankind’s embracing of that lifestyle made God regret creating them.

To make sense of God’s repentance, our understanding of God’s sovereignty must recognize that mankind did what God did not want them to do. This must mean that God established a creation which functioned without His direct control. The created beings He made had the capability of choosing to do the opposite of what He wanted. Of course, if they could choose that, then they could also choose to do what God wanted. That thought brings us to Noah.

But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. This is the genealogy of Noah. Noah was a just man, perfect in his generations. Noah walked with God. Genesis 6:8-9

Noah chose not to live like an animal, and not to practice wickedness. Noah chose to walk with God.

God’s administration (sovereignty) over mankind is unchanging. But His attitude towards a person depends on the choices a person makes. Thus, God’s attitude towards a person will change depending on that person’s choices.

Romans 11b

Wisdom of God

God exercises sovereignty with wisdom

For if the firstfruit is holy, the lump is also holy; and if the root is holy, so are the branches.
And if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them,
and with them became a partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree,
do not boast against the branches.
But if you do boast, remember that you do not support the root,
but the root supports you.

Romans 11:16-18

If the raw firstfruit grain is holy, then the lump of dough made from the grain is also holy. In the same way, if the root of the tree is holy, then the branches will also be holy. This illustrates the reality that because God is holy, His people are also holy. They are not holy because of their inherent holiness, but because they are God’s. Furthermore, as olive branches receive the fruit-producing richness that flows from the root of the olive tree, so His people receive rich goodness from Him.

To the present day, the nation of Israel is outside the spiritual richness of God; like branches broken from a tree, they have been broken off from Him. In contrast, believing Gentiles enjoy the richness of God; they are like wild olive branches grafted into a cultivated olive tree producing good fruit. But their ability to produce the good fruits of righteousness comes from their connection to the Root, not from some inherent goodness. Therefore, they have no grounds to boast that they are better than the Jews.

You will say then, “Branches were broken off that I might be grafted in.” Well said. Because of unbelief they were broken off, and you stand by faith. Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either. Therefore consider the goodness and severity of God: on those who fell, severity; but toward you, goodness, if you continue in His goodness. Otherwise you also will be cut off. And they also, if they do not continue in unbelief, will be grafted in, for God is able to graft them in again. For if you were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a cultivated olive tree, how much more will these, who are natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? Romans 11:19-24

Sadly, some Gentiles do boast, saying that God cut the Jews off because of their wickedness against their Messiah. But remember, the Jew’s standing before God was not based on their works. Therefore, they were cut off because of their unbelief, not because of their evil works.  So if they turned from unbelief to belief, they could (and would) be restored as God’s people.

For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written:
“The Deliverer will come out of Zion,
And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob;
For this is My covenant with them,
When I take away their sins.” Romans 11:25-27

In fact, God has revealed a coming day when He will restore Israel to Himself. While it is true that they are currently blinded so they do not understand the Word of God, the truth remains that God has not finished with them. They are still His people and He will restore them in a coming day.

Concerning the gospel they are enemies for your sake, but concerning the election they are beloved for the sake of the fathers. For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable. Romans 11:28-29

While it is true that they are enemies of the believing remnant, the truth remains that they are the nation whom God has chosen. Remember, their election was not based on works or faith. Furthermore, God is not a man that He should change His mind (Numbers 23:19, 1 Samuel 15:29), or permanently take back the gifts and commission He has given. Thus, their current state of blindness cannot be permanent. God has a purpose for them and is working with wisdom to accomplish it. Consider the greatness of His wisdom:

For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all. Romans 11:30-32

Before the time of Christ, the heathen Gentiles were rebellious against God. But, although they were historically rebellious, they now have received mercy. And how did they come to receive mercy? It was through the Jews’ rebellion against their Messiah when they put Him to death, for that death provided a salvation specifically for disobedient sinners. As disobedient sinners, the Gentiles were fully qualified to receive the mercy of that salvation.

At the time of Christ, the Jews would not have been considered to be a nation practicing disobedience towards God. They did not practice idolatry. They generally kept the commands and rituals of the Law. But they lost their status of general obedience when they rejected their Messiah and put Him to death. After that, they were counted as disobedient. But their disobedience meant that they were qualified to receive mercy because the salvation was specifically for the disobedient. This meant they could receive the same mercy that the Gentiles received!

This is what God is doing with Israel! He has not cast them aside but has blinded them, reducing them to the same level of ignorance as the Gentiles, and removed them from the position of a holy nation. So there is now no difference between them and the disobedient Gentiles. Now they perfectly qualify for God’s salvation for the disobedient. Now God can show mercy to everyone!

Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding out!
“For who has known the mind of the LORD?
Or who has become His counselor?”
“Or who has first given to Him
And it shall be repaid to him?”
For of Him and through Him and to Him are all things, to whom be glory forever. Amen. Romans 11:33-36

Do you see God’s wisdom? He took the Jews’ disobedience and provided a salvation for the disobedient Gentiles. But because it was a salvation for the disobedient, that meant the Jews, who are now disobedient, qualified to receive salvation.








Romans 11:1-15

Romans 11a

Election of Grace

God chose for Himself those who found grace through faith

I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not! For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin.

Romans 11:1

In Romans 10, Paul pointed out that Israel rejected their Messiah even though God had sent many preachers with the gospel message. All day long God had extended His invitation to these stubborn people (Romans 10:21), but only a few received Him. Yet, God did not discard the nation and for a simple reason.

God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew. Or do you not know what the Scripture says of Elijah, how he pleads with God against Israel, saying, “LORD, they have killed Your prophets and torn down Your altars, and I alone am left, and they seek my life”? But what does the divine response say to him? “I have reserved for Myself seven thousand men who have not bowed the knee to Baal.” Romans 11:2-4

From the very beginning, when God chose the nation, He knew that they would be a stiff-necked people and only a portion would be true to Him. Yet He chose them as His people. But that didn’t mean He would bring all of them into glory – He would keep for Himself only those who were faithful to Him. If we look at God’s people during the time of Elijah, we’ll see that most of them turned from Him and only a remnant (a few) were faithful. So out of the hundreds of thousands of His people, He kept for Himself only 7,000 because they alone had not bowed to Baal. And as it was in the days of Elijah…

Even so then, at this present time there is a remnant according to the election of grace. And if by grace, then it is no longer of works; otherwise grace is no longer grace. But if it is of works, it is no longer grace; otherwise work is no longer work. Romans 11:5-6

As in Elijah’s day there was a remnant, so in Paul’s day. In Elijah’s day, the remnant included those who had not worshipped Baal. But in Paul’s day, the remnant comprised of people whom God chose, not based on their works, but because of grace. Recall the basis of Jacob’s election in Romans 9:11. His election was not based on works either, for God chose Jacob in the womb before he had done anything, God’s choice of Jacob illustrated His choice of the remnant in Paul’s day – it was a choice not based on works. Thus, God did not choose for Himself the multitudes in Israel who pursued righteousness by the works of the Law (Romans 9:31-32). Instead, He chose for Himself those who obtained righteousness by grace, having believed in the Rock (Romans 9:33).

So, if God did not utterly cast aside the people of Israel, then what has He done with them?

What then? Israel has not obtained what it seeks; but the elect have obtained it, and the rest were blinded. Just as it is written:

“God has given them a spirit of stupor,

Eyes that they should not see

And ears that they should not hear,

To this very day.”

And David says:

“Let their table become a snare and a trap,

A stumbling block and a recompense to them.

Let their eyes be darkened, so that they do not see,

And bow down their back always.” Romans 11:7-10

The answer is very simple: God did not cast aside His people; He blinded them. This blinding implies that, prior to their rejection of Christ, they could see (to some extent). In what sense could they see? Recall what the Lord said of the scribes and Pharisees in Matthew 23:2-3. These men were teachers of the Law of God, and the people were expected to follow their teachings. Even though the Pharisees and scribes were ungodly in their lifestyle, they could see enough to teach the Law of God. But they lost that capacity when they rejected their Messiah. Thereafter, they no longer knew the ways of God. Having stumbled over Christ, they could no longer teach the Law of God accurately.

I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! Romans 11:11-12

God does not want Israel to remain in blindness. To persuade them to re-evaluate Christ, He has poured out His grace on the believing Gentiles in the same way He originally did for the Jews (see Romans 9:4-5). He showed grace to the Gentiles, not to replace Israel, but to provoke Israel into wanting what they lost. It’s a funny thing about people, that they often don’t appreciate what they have until it is taken away and given to someone else. So God removed His gifts from Israel and gave them to, of all people, the Gentiles so that Israel would, in a way, become envious and turn to God.

Imagine what God would do if Israel abandoned their stubbornness and returned to Him! If His grace is rich towards the Gentiles when Israel has rejected Him, how much greater an outpouring of His grace to all if Israel embraced Him?

For I speak to you Gentiles; inasmuch as I am an apostle to the Gentiles, I magnify my ministry, if by any means I may provoke to jealousy those who are my flesh and save some of them. For if their being cast away is the reconciling of the world, what will their acceptance be but life from the dead? Romans 11:13-15

Notice how Paul imitated God’s approach when he preached the gospel. When the Jews rejected his gospel, he turned to the Gentiles hoping to stir up jealousy by the grace received by the believing Gentiles. He wanted Israel to be reconciled to God, knowing that the resulting blessing would benefit the whole earth.

Romans 10

Day 1

Day 1 of History

dividing between light and dark

This is the history of the heavens and the earth
when they were created,
in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens

Genesis 2:4

Sovereignty, The topic of. 

Normally, when I want to understand the meaning of a particular term, I look for Bible passages that contain the word and examine how they use it. But I found that our English translations rarely use the word ‘sovereignty’, so I needed a different approach to learn the characteristics of God’s sovereignty. My thought was that Genesis, the book of beginnings, would be a good book to examine and try to identify God’s method of governing mankind, since governing is the essence of what sovereignty is. After several months of study, I finally made it through the second account of creation as recorded in Genesis 2:4-4:26. This post summarizes the key points and brings out the conclusion of the study.

Foundation of God’s sovereignty over man

The first verses of this portion in Genesis allude to a time before any plants were growing in fields (Genesis 2:4-6) In these verses, we understand that God created Earth without pre-cultivated fields. The fields would come about by man’s work of tilling the soil and God’s provision of rain. Notice how both God and man were involved in the process of producing crops. Man would till the soil, but he would need God to provide the rain for good success. Thus, God would be man’s provider.

This shows that God’s style of government was more supportive than dictatorial. By dictatorial, I mean a style of administration where the ruler expects his people to serve him, like slaves their master. But God created mankind as creatures who were dependent upon His provision for good success in their work. Thus, His sovereignty is the type that provides from His resources to meet the needs of those under Him.

Features of God’s sovereignty of man

The authority structure of God’s government is quite clear. The first interaction between God and man in this passage relates God giving man a command to not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:16-17). This clearly shows that God had authority over the man, which was fitting because God was the Creator and man was the created. So, this may be a simple observation, but God was sovereign over man. Though simplistic, I think it is a fundamental feature of God’s sovereignty – God is in charge and man’s role is to obey. 

However, we see that, although God forbade eating the fruit, He didn’t take steps to prevent disobedience. He could have restricted access to the forbidden tree, just as He did with the tree of life in Genesis 3:24.  But God allowed the option of disobedience. It might seem like God was setting the man up for failure, but notice what really was taking place – although God required the man to obey, He granted him the choice to obey or disobey.

Besides God’s authority, we saw a second fundamental component of His sovereignty introduced in Genesis 2:18-20, regarding the knowledge of good and evil. God created man without the knowledge and forbade him from taking it for himself. However, we noted that He didn’t leave the man in ignorance but instructed him. We saw how the task of naming the animals was used to bring Adam’s attention to the lack of companionship in his life and to understand that it was not good. God had declared that the man’s situation was not good. Then He brought awareness to Adam through the process of naming the animals (Genesis 3:20). Thus, we saw God was the revealer of good and evil to man. 

It seems to me that these two features, authority and revelation, are two fundamental components of God’s sovereignty over man which have continued to this very day. What is more fundamental than our responsibility to obey God? But there is also God’s revelation of good and evil to man. Hasn’t He been the source of true wisdom to us? Take, for example, how He has continually revealed to mankind that sin is evil, and that obedience to His word is good. He has been doing the work of revealing throughout all of history.

So God provides support to mankind in his endeavors, not as a genie who obeys every command, but as the Authority who gives the light of wisdom. But although He is man’s authority, He has permitted mankind the choice to obey. And although He is man’s revealer, He does not force men to accept what He reveals, as we shall see in the two primary stories of this passage.



Application of God’s sovereignty over man

After recounting the woman’s creation, the narrative takes up two stories that show several striking similarities between Adam and Cain. In the stories, God warned both men not to sin, yet both sinned; after their act of sin, God asked both a similar question, and both gave a response; and to both He pronounced a curse regarding the ground. But the narrative sets the stories in contrast, showing that the men ended up in very different situations: one was given provision to be in the presence of God, while the other left the presence of God for a life of apparent independence. 

The first story is of Adam and his wife, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and the serpent. The serpent’s interaction was full of deception, obscuring the true good and evil by making it appear beneficial (good) to eat the fruit when it was actually very detrimental (evil). Furthermore, he diverted the woman’s attention from her responsibility to obey God. His words, although seemingly enlightening, brought darkness.

It occurs to me that Adam and his wife’s act of eating from the forbidden tree struck at the core elements of God’s sovereignty. First, in disobeying God’s command, they disregarded His rule over them. Secondly, in listening to the serpent, they rejected the truth that God had revealed regarding the detrimental (evil) effect of eating the tree.

God’s response to their sin showed that His style of administration did not change when they fell. We can see they were still responsible to obey God, for God made them give account for their disobedience. We also see He continued as their revealer, for He clarified that their main problem was not their nakedness but their disobedience. Also, He made life-changes so all their descendants would recognize that life without God is an evil situation. Thus, we can see that He continued as ruler and revealer even to unregenerate man.

God also continued as provider, for He gave clothing which made it possible for them to stand before Him without shame. If that was not enough, He provided protection from destruction by guarding access to the tree of life. 

Although they sinned, God was still their ruler, revealer, and provider.



Application of God’s Sovereignty over rebellious man

The second story was of Cain’s sin. We noted how there was a difference between Adam and Cain in that Adam clearly stated what took place while Cain attempted to conceal his deed. Cain’s pretended ignorance led to God pronouncing a curse that put a separation between Cain and the others (Genesis 4:12). So Adam brought his actions to light by telling what he did, but Cain obscured the truth by trying to hide his actions. Obscuring the truth is what the serpent did with his deceptions. Thus, Cain was following the serpent’s path and, as a result, God established an enmity between him and the others (see Genesis 2:15).

It occurs to me that another difference between the two men is that Adam feared to stand in God’s presence whereas Cain didn’t seem to mind. Perhaps we could say that Adam feared God and Cain did not?

We saw that God honored Cain’s choice because He did not immediately destroy him. Cain rebelled against God’s authority and rejected God exposing his sin; God could have put an end Cain’s choice by putting an end to his life. Instead, God preserved his life and allowed him to continue down the path he had chosen. Thus, although God has authority over man, not only does He permit man the choice to disobey, but He allows a man the freedom to continue in that choice for as long as he lives.

But notice what God did with the one who rejected His revelation of sin – He placed enmity between him and the others. That is, God instituted a division among mankind, separating those who walked the serpent’s path of darkness and those who accepted the light of God’s revelation.



Conclusion

The first day of the history of mankind teaches us that God exercises sovereignty as a Provider.

Within the role of Provider, He has authority over mankind. But, although He gives commands, He does not compel obedience. Furthermore, He allows true freedom to choose between obedience and disobedience, for He does not cut life short when people choose the wrong thing.

He also reveals good and evil to mankind. As with the freedom of obedience, He also allows people the freedom to disregard His revelation. But those who choose to reject are in darkness and, in God’s kingdom, He establishes a division between them and those in the light.

Footnote: If you’ll permit me to say so, it seems that the first day of the history of mankind had some similarities to the first day of Creation (Genesis 1:3-4).