Caleb Bulow's Blog, page 4
August 29, 2019
Revealer of Evil
showing to mankind the evil of their state
And He said,
“Who told you that you were naked?
Have you eaten from the tree of which
I commanded you
that you should not eat?”
Genesis 3:11
In the previous post, we noted how God was the revealer of good and evil to man. In those first days, there was nothing to hinder God’s dispensing of wisdom for Adam had not yet sinned. However, as we see in Genesis 3, the time came when Adam sinned against God – an action that adversely affected their relationship. But did it affect the relationship to the level that Adam could no longer receive revelation from God?
The Fall
Genesis 3 opens with the serpent conversing with the woman. What he said ended up diverting her attention from her responsibility of obeying God’s word to a desire for self-improvement. His claim that she could gain wisdom and become like God (Genesis 3:5) persuaded her that eating the fruit would benefit her. Without realizing it, she became confused about what was truly good for herself, thinking it was in her best interest to eat the fruit. After she ate, she offered some to Adam, who also concluded that eating from the tree was a viable choice. And in eating, they surely died as God had warned (Genesis 2:17), although not in a physical sense (see this post for why I believe they died when they ate).
It is interesting to note that they actually received the knowledge of good and evil (see Genesis 3:22). However, we see it was not a perfect knowledge because when they heard God in the garden, they became afraid and thought it would be in their best interest to hide (Genesis 3:8). But the grace God showed them proved that their fear was unfounded.
Clearing the Muddied Waters
With only a few statements, the serpent introduced great confusion to Adam and his wife. But with one simple question, God restored clarity to the situation. The phrasing of His query showed that the core issue was not about the opportunity to gain wisdom, but the responsibility to obey. God asked, “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat? (Genesis 3:11).” His choice of words illuminated the fact that their Creator had given them a command. Thus, at the fundamental level, eating of the tree was not an act of enhancing their lives, it was an act of disobedience. God’s question made plain that, regardless of any benefits they received from eating the fruit, it was ultimately a bad thing for them to disobey their Creator.
Adam agreed to God’s evaluation of the situation, not trying to argue that his disobedience was justified by the end result of gaining wisdom. Ultimately, he admitted that he had eaten from the tree and disobeyed (Genesis 3:12). Likewise, his wife confessed to eating of the tree (Genesis 3:13). Thus, God’s question caused Adam and his wife to recognize that their situation was evil not merely because they were naked, but because they had disobeyed. God revealed to them the true evil (badness) of their situation.
Genesis 3 shows us that God continued to provide the knowledge of good and evil after man had sinned. Furthermore, it shows us Adam and his wife grasped what God revealed and accepted the truth of it.
Summary
In an earlier post, we noted that man had the fundamental responsibility to obey his Creator. In Genesis 3, we see that all other activities are secondary to that primary responsibility, no matter what benefits the activity may appear to bring.
In another post, we learned that Man was created without the knowledge of good and evil. We saw that God’s intent was for man to rely upon God as his source of wisdom.
Now, in Genesis 3, we see God continues to be their source of the knowledge of good and evil.
I think the scriptures show us that God has continued revealing the true state of sinful man throughout all of history. Wasn’t the Law given to show sin (Romans 3:20)? Even in the present age, God reveals to sinful hearts the reality of their sin; we call this, ‘conviction of sin.’ It is a gracious work of God – revealing our guilt to produce confession and repentance.
July 19, 2019
Good and Evil
the wisdom that comes from above
The Lord God commanded the man, saying,
“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil
you shall not eat…
Genesis 2:16
When God placed man in the garden, He permitted him the freedom to eat of any and every tree with one exception – the tree whereby he could gain the knowledge of good and evil. The passage that follows the above verses will help us discern God’s intent and purpose in withholding this fruit from man. But before we can explore God’s purpose, we need to clarify what this knowledge is.
Knowledge of Good and Evilehtttet h sii thhth ith .
Because we commonly use the term ‘evil’ to speak of wickedness, it’s natural to assume ‘good and evil’ are equivalent to ‘righteousness and wickedness’. However, the Hebrew terms for good and evil have a broader scope than simply moral issues. They also speak of objects ‘beneficial and harmful’ that do not have a moral aspect. For example, in Genesis 1, God used the word ‘good’ to describe components of creation such as plants. When God called plants ‘good’, He wasn’t calling them righteous objects. Another example is in Deuteronomy 7:15, where the diseases in Egypt were called ‘evil’. Diseases are not morally wicked, but they are harmful.
To aid our understanding, it may be useful to think of the tree as the tree of the knowledge of good and harm. This may clarify that it was not a knowledge of morality (righteousness and wickedness) but a knowledge of what was beneficial or harmful in a more general sense. This type of knowledge might be called ‘Wisdom’. Incidentally, that is what Eve believed she would gain by eating the fruit (Genesis 3:6). Understanding the meaning helps us understand what type of knowledge man was lacking when he was created. It was not a knowledge of morality, but a lack of intrinsic wisdom.
Because God did not create man with internal wisdom, man was dependant on external sources to know what was good or harmful. Presumably, God intended to be man’s source of wisdom and, in fact, the narrative will show us two examples of God imparting knowledge to man.
Instruction
The first example is God’s statement concerning the food they could eat (Genesis 2:16-17). God granted the fruit of trees as food but forbade eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, warning that it would lead to death. The wisdom was straightforward: eating of fruit trees was good, eating of the forbidden tree was bad. Notice that God imparted this knowledge using the method of a plain, simple statement.
The instruction was necessary because man would not have perceived the danger on his own. The fruit of the tree appeared good to eat and was pleasant to look at (Genesis 3:6). Without God’s revealing of the consequences, man would have been completely ignorant. Adam needed God to reveal what was good and evil.
Exposing the Need
The next story demonstrates a different method of imparting the knowledge of good and evil. The narrative begins with God using an unexpected phrase: “It is not good…,” speaking of man’s solitude (Genesis 2:18). Unlike the preceding example, God did not simply tell the man this bit of information. Instead, God tasked him with naming the animals (Genesis 2:19). As Adam carried out the task, he noticed he was the only created creature without a companion (Genesis 2:20). Thus, God enlightened Adam by putting him in a situation where he could not help but discover what God wanted him to learn.
Discovering his need through the process of naming the animals made Adam much more conscious of his lack than if God had merely told him of it. We can only imagine Adam’s loneliness when he realized his great personal need. The experience of loneliness, although it was initially painful, turned out to be good because it prepared Adam to fully appreciate God’s provision. If God had presented the woman before Adam knew of his need, his excitement would have been less. But by waiting until Adam saw his situation was not good, God created a situation where the man would more fully share in the joy of woman’s creation.
As with before, it was God’s revelation that gave man understanding. This time, the knowledge came through God arranging the circumstances. Going through the experience prepared man for a full appreciation of God’s provision.
Administration
God created man as a creature who had the capacity to learn and discover but did not have an instinctive knowledge of what was good or bad for life. However, it wasn’t God’s purpose that man would stumble through life, discovering good and evil by trial and error. A significant component of God’s relationship with man was God revealing the knowledge of good and evil in all things pertaining to life. His intent was that man would look to Him for wisdom, and that He would impart wisdom both by instruction and through engineering the circumstances of life.
Conclusion
Throughout history, God has continually revealed good and evil to mankind. Some revelation has been instructional, such as the Mosaic Law (which declared that righteousness was always good and sin was always bad). Other revelation has been experiential, such as the Levitical sacrifices (that taught sinful people of God’s provision of atonement through a substitutionary sacrifice). Even to the present day, God reveals to us using both methods. He instructs us of good and evil through His Word. He also arranges circumstances so we discover our great need in the guilt of our sin and our isolation from Him. He does not reveal our need to condemn us but to create the potential for overwhelming joy when He reveals the full propitiation in His Son.
God’s work of revealing good and evil is a fundamental aspect of His sovereign administration over mankind. Without His revelation, we could not know the extent of our need nor could we know of His provision.
July 8, 2019
Garden Command
the first command
And the Lord God commanded the man, saying,
“Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat,
for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”
Genesis 2:16-17
The second part of Chapter 2 begins to reveal the dynamics of the relationship between God and man. First, we see in Genesis 2:16-17 that God gave a clear and simple command, forbidding man from eating the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The giving of the command shows that God expected man to keep His word. We recognize that God’s expectation is perfectly reasonable since He was man’s ruler (should we say, sovereign?). Of course, it only makes sense that God was the ruler since He was man’s Creator.
Granted, this is a very simple observation, but one that seems overlooked in these days. Mankind seems to often think that keeping God’s word is optional.
Secondly, we see that God gave man the choice to obey His word or disregard it. He could have placed angels with flaming swords to guard the tree (Genesis 3:34) or planted the tree on a remote island, but He placed the tree in the midst of the garden (Genesis 2:9) with no obstacles around it. God designed the setting so that man’s only motivation for obedience was the word of God. From this, I think we can safely conclude God’s intent was that man’s obedience would not be compulsory but would come from a heart willing to keep His word.
It is God’s delight to have man willingly keep His word. I think we who are parents can identify with this delight. We find it is a great joy to have a child willingly decide to keep our commands.
This is why God was well pleased with His beloved Son. Jesus willingly did the will of His Father.
June 7, 2019
Cultivation
working with God to transform the earth
For the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth,
and there was no man to till the ground
Genesis 2:5
The second account of creation begins in Genesis 2:4. It is a retelling of the creation event with an emphasis and focus on man, his creation and development under the care of God. The passage gives us a brief glimpse into God’s intent of how His relationship with man would function.
Man’s Role with God
The account begins by telling us this is the genealogy of the heavens of the earth, then inserts an odd observation. The passage tells us that this portion of history predates the growth of plants in cultivated fields (Genesis 2:5). It is odd because one would expect it is self-evident that cultivated fields came well after the creation of the world. However, not satisfied with the observation, the text continues on to inform us of the reason that there were no plants in fields: because God had not sent rain, because there was no man to till the fields.
This gives us a hint of God’s intent for the planet He created. He did not intend that the planet remain a wild wilderness, but be cultivated. Furthermore, it tells us that God and man would work together in accomplishing the task. Man would till the soil, but he would depend on God to send the rain. Thus, God’s intent was that He and man would work together to cultivate the earth.
God’s Care for Man
God’s method of planting the garden reveals a few things. First, it’s clear God wasn’t dependent on man’s help in planting trees and crops. Secondly, including a river suggests that God was encouraging man to explore the region beyond the garden boundaries. Thirdly, God didn’t create man, place a hoe in his hand, and command him to start turning sod.
From these observations, I see that God created man as a living being with curiosity and a desire to discover. His intent was not a creature under a master/slave type relationship, but a living being discovering the wonders of his Creator.
To be continued…
May 31, 2019
Creation
Blessing and Limitations bestowed on Mankind
Then God blessed them, and God said to them,
“Be fruitful and multiply;
fill the earth and subdue it;
have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
Genesis 1:28
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the Earth. We find a record of this momentous event in Genesis 1-2:2. There are some interesting features regarding this record.
In the first three days of creation, we see God naming the things He created. On day 1, He called the light Day and the darkness Night. On day 2, He made a firmament and called it Heaven. He called the dry ground Earth and the gathering of the waters Seas on Day 3.
The record of the second three days mentions God making or creating things. God made the sun, moon, and stars on Day 4. He created the sea creatures and birds on Day 5. On Day 6, He made land creatures. In my imagination, I can see God rolling up His sleeves and getting His hands dirty as He forms His creation.
The last three days of creation, days 5-7, are days having a record of God blessing His creation. On first of those days, Day 5, God blessed the sea creatures and birds with fruitfulness and population increase. On the last day, after He completed His creation, He blessed and sanctified the day because He rested from all His work. However, on Day 6, He gave a three-fold blessing on Man:
Be fruitful and multiply.Fill and subdue the earth.Have dominion over all other created creatures.
Be fruitful and multiply.
Obviously, this portion of the blessing tells us that God’s intended there be more than one man and woman. God wanted a planet full of people.
Subdue the Earth.
Although God created an uncultivated planet, it was not His intent that wild, untamed wilderness always characterize the earth. He wanted mankind to spread throughout the planet, not as sub-component of nature, but as its master. He blessed mankind with the authority to transform nature, making of it whatever they saw best.
Have dominion over the animals.
Furthermore, God gave mankind power over the animals. Regardless of what men did with untouched wilderness, they would not be obligated to negotiate rights of its use with the animals. In other words, they wouldn’t need to discuss terms with the mice when they converted a meadow into a garden. Nor would the animals be capable of resisting man’s advances in taming the wilderness.
With the blessing to multiply, men would need increasing allotments of real estate. God blessed them with the license to do whatever they wanted with His creation. For better or for worse, there were no restrictions on what they could do – even the animals were placed under man’s dominion. He granted mankind free reign to do as they wished.
These blessings gave mankind abilities and freedoms unknown to the angels. The angels were not given the ability to multiply (Matthew 22:30). Evidently, they were not given the authority to bring order to an untamed universe, for we do not observe unexplained modification to the physical universe. Lastly, they were not granted dominion over men and animals – although they can control people (demonic possession), it is only if they are given permission. God’s administration over man differs significantly from the angels.
Man is a creature to whom God has given free reign to multiply and do as he wishes within the realm of Creation that he occupies.
God bestowed on mankind both blessing and a key limitation. Unlike the angels, man’s life is not self-sufficient. He depends on external resources to preserve his life. God does not create nourishment daily, but provided a source of natural food from plant life. He gave the green herbs to the animals as food, but to man God gave the seeds and fruits.
Interestingly, mankind generally doesn‘t consider the limitation a curse but a blessing. By granting to mankind the seeds and fruits of plant life, God provided nourishment capable of transforming into rich feasts.
Incidentally, but not coincidentally, food points to a key component of human life – fellowship. God designed mankind to thrive on fellowship (i.e., sharing in the good things of life’s experiences). In giving mankind nourishment that is enjoyable, God created an environment for man to thrive – a life of continual sharing the experience of good food.
Ultimately, God’s purpose was a creature with whom He could share the good things of life. Simply put, God created a creature with whom He could fellowship.
When God blessed and sanctified the seventh day, He certainly didn’t need to recuperate from His work of creation. But the time of rest gave opportunity for God to share with man the enjoyment of what He had made.
It would appear that the seventh day of creation is a foreshadow of God’s agenda and purpose for mankind. He intends that one day, all His people will enter a rest of enjoying the results of the work of His Son. Already, mankind can begin to enter that rest.
