FBCD_FaithEssentials_June_FlipBook

Faith Essentials

wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it” (Genesis 3:6). Flush with land, money, talent, the respect of his subjects, and, best of all, the anointing of God, King David looked from the palace roof and spotted one of the few things that didn’t belong to him: Bathsheba—the beautiful wife of one of his soldiers. Abusing his power, he committed adultery and arranged for the murder of her husband. And though he sought and received God’s forgiveness, this episode certainly contributed to the dysfunction in his family. Like David, Adam and Eve were surrounded by a sea of yeses but still chose no. They had everything and then lost it by letting Satan con them into perpetrating the one act God forbade. This one bad tree propagated into a dense forest that served to alienate man from God – separate but not sever. Like the crucifixion that came several millennia later, this dark hour in the Garden did not catch God by surprise. And rather than turn away from the crown jewel of creation, He tracked Adam and Eve down and implemented His punishment and plan. Notice God’s curses , the first of which He inflicted upon the serpent. “Cursed are you above all the livestock and all the wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life” (Genesis 3:14). The creature had lent its body to the evil one and must then pay the price. God then established animosity between the serpent and the woman, a gulf that would extend into their respective offspring. Eventually in the lineage, as we’ll discover in later chapters, a male child appears that strikes a death blow to the serpent – “he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Genesis 3:15). GOD’S RESPONSE

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