TEXT: GEN. 3: 9-10 – And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
Dear reader, I would like to welcome you to the 4th in our series on the theme of the month which can be summed up in one word; appraisal. Brethren, I would like to ask you if you are still hearing from God. Or better still, have you been hearing from God? In our passage we read that Adam said, I heard you in the Garden. This tells us one thing which is that inspite of the sin committed by Adam; he was still able to hear from God. The fact that he was still able to hear from God means that God is still interested in him and that he also still has the Spirit of God in him. If we look at Adam’s response to God’s question, it would confirm to you that Adam still have some level of reverence for God which is why he was afraid. There are some people that would commit sin against God and yet would not have any iota of regrets and reverence for God. In other words, they commit sin with impunity; without any remorse. They have gotten to a level where they no longer fear God or his prophets. They are totally deaf and can no longer hear Him; rather they now hear from the devil. Their case have become like that of King Saul, who totally lost his ability to hear from God. Of course, if you do not hear from God then you are most likely to seek communication with the devil.
One of the things that King Paul had in common with Adam is that just as fear took over Adam after he committed the sin against God, King Saul also was taken over by fear. According to 1 Sam. 28: 5, the bible records that “When Saul saw the Philistine army, he was afraid; terror filled his heart” (NIV). This is similar to what we read in Gen. 3: 10, where Adam said “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid” (NIV).
However, while Adam was still able to hear from God, King Saul was no longer hearing from God. We read in I Sam. 28: 6 that King Saul “inquired of the LORD, but the LORD did not answer him by dreams or Urim or prophets” (NIV). Of course, how terrible it must be for anyone who has been hearing from God to suddenly loose such an intimate relationship. Because God has always ordered his steps in the past, it means that King Saul is now on his own and with associated consequences. Of course, that is the same situation that Adam found himself. While God was his Source of sustenance before his sin, his punishment from God is that Adam would now have to take care of himself. God would no longer supernaturally meet his needs as it was in the past. God pronounced judgement upon the Serpent, Eve and Adam in Gen 3: 17 – 19. We read,
To Adam he (God) said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.” (NIV)
I pray that you would not be cursed in Jesus name. The ground would not produce thorns and thistles for you in Jesus name. I am sure you know that thorns and thistles (plants with prickly stems and leaves; that is, full of thorns) is not comfortable to hold. It suffocates and harms anything that comes in contact with it, and as such it is generally not loved by humans; and so people avoid any fellow whose life is full of thorns. I pray that your life would not put away people from you in Jesus name. Amen. You would not toil painfully before you can eat in Jesus name. Amen. But these are just some of the few things that can come upon a fellow who sin against God.
However, comparing the experience of King Saul and Adam, you would find out that Adam’s punishment was still with mercy because Adam can still hear God and God was still mindful of him. For instance, we read in Gen. 3: 21 that “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (NIV). I pray that God would not allow you to be naked in Jesus name. I am sure that you know that anyone who is naked is at the mercy of the weather and nature. The fellow is prone to attack and can easily be harmed.
Brethren, what is the message of today? Our message today is found in Rev. 3: 2 “Wake up! Strengthen what remains and is about to die, for I (Paul) have not found your deeds complete in the sight of my God” (NIV). May the Lord found your deeds complete in His sight in Jesus name.
Shalom.
HYMN: GUIDE ME, O THOU GREAT REDEEMER
Dr. Yinka Okude
Pastor-in-Charge
RCCG Jesus Sanctuary, Northampton
