Genesis
Just like every year, my new year resolution is to finish reading the Bible in a year. But this time, I found a very interesting yearly Bible reading plan - that is to read the Bible in a chronological manner. So, beginning with Genesis, here's what I've discovered in Genesis chapter 3 regarding 'The Fall of Man'.
Since I've been working on my dissertation regarding the power of music, naturally when I read the Bible, I tend to notice the creation and beginning point of music mentioned in the Bible. In verse 8 it says:"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, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden." (Italics added) I wondered what kind of sound did they hear or what sound did God make while He was walking. I don't think God had such heavy footsteps. Neither did the Bible say that He was jogging through the garden of Eden in search of Adam and his wife. The Bible doesn't say that God was humming or whistling or calling out Adam's name. Moreover it was in the cool of the day... Where birds were chirping and the animals were well alive and happily hopping around. Everything was peaceful and calm. Even with this, Adam and his wife heard the sound of the LORD. Okay, maybe, just maybe Adam and his wife had really sharp ears that they could distinguish God's footsteps from the rest. But yet, the Bible does not say that they heard the 'footsteps of the LORD...'; it says they heard the sound of the LORD. Revelation 1:14-15 describes the Lord:"His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters." This is the closest description about the sound of the Lord that is mentioned in the Bible. I was pondering over it and I personally believe God's presence carries heavenly sound, melodies, harmonies that abides with Him wherever He goes. The spheres of harmony surrounding Him. It was the glory of God that surrounded Him. It was also a heavenly music that encompasses the Lord. His presence itself is enveloped by such a sound. Have and think about it... what sound was that?
In the order of creation, God first made the heavens and the earth. Then came the living creatures. And Adam was formed. From Adam came a woman. Notice that Adam did not immediately name his wife Eve. He called her woman. It was only after the fall did he name her Eve, which means living or mother of all the living (v.20). Well, the woman was first tempted and she gave in to the lust of the eyes. She ate the fruit and gave some to Adam. After the fall, this is what God said to the woman in verse 16: To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (Italics added) For a moment, I thought about what woman was created for and what was her initial desire for. Woman was first made as a suitable helper for Adam. Just like Adam, God made the woman to fellowship with Him. With that, her desire was initially for the Lord. Her desire was for God and to help govern the earth. In view of that, Adam and the woman probably had a par level of authority. Equal in many ways.
But verse 16 says that a woman's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her. From a woman's point of view, I would say that there is a constant struggle in a woman's heart to honor the Lord and to desire only for Him and no one else. Be it a young woman or a single woman, or a married woman, or even a widow... we constantly battle between the desire to love and honor God and to love our husbands or the men around us. I realised from creation's point that I was made to desire of the Lord; and not for my husband. In offering Adam the fruit, the woman gave her rights and authority to the man. Thus, God said that he shall rule over the woman. The punishment is this, that the authority that was once the woman's is now under the headship of the man. She is to submit to his ruler-ship. And as a man who first received the command of the Lord in Gen.2:16-17: And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die", he failed to keep that command. And now, God wants him to rule over his wife and not give in to her blindly. God wants Adam to protect and secure the command that was first spoken and given to him, by being the head over the woman.
Gen.3:17-19 (v.17) To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life... In Adam's fall, he now have to toil the ground and he will return to the ground when he dies. Notice the process of creation that begins with the earth, Adam and then the woman. Now that Adam and the woman have lost their authority, the 'curse' is a reverse of the direction of creation. The woman has to now submit to the man. And the man is bound by the law of earth. Everything was first placed under Adam's feet. But now, Adam has to sweat and toil the ground. The chain of authority is broken.
After all these, in verse 20, Adam names his wife Eve. 'In dying you shall die...', a process of continuous death was the price to pay. And Adam named her Eve, to be the mother of all the living which brings about life and hope to all creation.
All in all, God is still Almighty and the Ruler of all creations. He is the Life above all life.
Since I've been working on my dissertation regarding the power of music, naturally when I read the Bible, I tend to notice the creation and beginning point of music mentioned in the Bible. In verse 8 it says:"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, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden." (Italics added) I wondered what kind of sound did they hear or what sound did God make while He was walking. I don't think God had such heavy footsteps. Neither did the Bible say that He was jogging through the garden of Eden in search of Adam and his wife. The Bible doesn't say that God was humming or whistling or calling out Adam's name. Moreover it was in the cool of the day... Where birds were chirping and the animals were well alive and happily hopping around. Everything was peaceful and calm. Even with this, Adam and his wife heard the sound of the LORD. Okay, maybe, just maybe Adam and his wife had really sharp ears that they could distinguish God's footsteps from the rest. But yet, the Bible does not say that they heard the 'footsteps of the LORD...'; it says they heard the sound of the LORD. Revelation 1:14-15 describes the Lord:"His head and hair were white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters." This is the closest description about the sound of the Lord that is mentioned in the Bible. I was pondering over it and I personally believe God's presence carries heavenly sound, melodies, harmonies that abides with Him wherever He goes. The spheres of harmony surrounding Him. It was the glory of God that surrounded Him. It was also a heavenly music that encompasses the Lord. His presence itself is enveloped by such a sound. Have and think about it... what sound was that?
In the order of creation, God first made the heavens and the earth. Then came the living creatures. And Adam was formed. From Adam came a woman. Notice that Adam did not immediately name his wife Eve. He called her woman. It was only after the fall did he name her Eve, which means living or mother of all the living (v.20). Well, the woman was first tempted and she gave in to the lust of the eyes. She ate the fruit and gave some to Adam. After the fall, this is what God said to the woman in verse 16: To the woman he said, "I will greatly increase your pains in childbearing; with pain you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you." (Italics added) For a moment, I thought about what woman was created for and what was her initial desire for. Woman was first made as a suitable helper for Adam. Just like Adam, God made the woman to fellowship with Him. With that, her desire was initially for the Lord. Her desire was for God and to help govern the earth. In view of that, Adam and the woman probably had a par level of authority. Equal in many ways.
But verse 16 says that a woman's desire will be for her husband and he will rule over her. From a woman's point of view, I would say that there is a constant struggle in a woman's heart to honor the Lord and to desire only for Him and no one else. Be it a young woman or a single woman, or a married woman, or even a widow... we constantly battle between the desire to love and honor God and to love our husbands or the men around us. I realised from creation's point that I was made to desire of the Lord; and not for my husband. In offering Adam the fruit, the woman gave her rights and authority to the man. Thus, God said that he shall rule over the woman. The punishment is this, that the authority that was once the woman's is now under the headship of the man. She is to submit to his ruler-ship. And as a man who first received the command of the Lord in Gen.2:16-17: And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die", he failed to keep that command. And now, God wants him to rule over his wife and not give in to her blindly. God wants Adam to protect and secure the command that was first spoken and given to him, by being the head over the woman.
Gen.3:17-19 (v.17) To Adam he said, "Because you listened to your wife and ate from the tree about which I commanded you, 'You must not eat of it,' "Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life... In Adam's fall, he now have to toil the ground and he will return to the ground when he dies. Notice the process of creation that begins with the earth, Adam and then the woman. Now that Adam and the woman have lost their authority, the 'curse' is a reverse of the direction of creation. The woman has to now submit to the man. And the man is bound by the law of earth. Everything was first placed under Adam's feet. But now, Adam has to sweat and toil the ground. The chain of authority is broken.
After all these, in verse 20, Adam names his wife Eve. 'In dying you shall die...', a process of continuous death was the price to pay. And Adam named her Eve, to be the mother of all the living which brings about life and hope to all creation.
All in all, God is still Almighty and the Ruler of all creations. He is the Life above all life.
Comments
any idea how God sounded like? Angels around Him singing praise?