A Talking Serpent vs. A God Who Tells the Truth

Walking in the Truth

Today's Scripture:

"For the word of the Lord is right and true; He is faithful in all He does." Psalm 33:4

Today's Devotional Thoughts:

When you promise someone by saying, "I give you my word," why should he or she believe you?" If you are known as a man or woman of his or her word, it means that others respect you, because you do what you promise you will do.

God the Father promised He would send His Son to pay the terrible price for the rebellion of the human race, first committed by the first humans He created. He made that first promise to Adam & Eve perhaps only a few minutes after they directly disobeyed the first commandment He gave them. [Don't blame God! They had a choice! Read one of the saddest chapters of the Bible, Genesis 3:1-24.] *

It seemed like a simple enough commandment. "Don't eat the fruit from that one tree." I mean, after all, He was their Creator. It seems to me that He was entitled to make the rules, wasn't He? Thank about it. Of all the commandments He could have given them, He gave them one rule to follow. "Don't eat the fruit from that ONE tree." They rebelled. They chose not to follow that one, single, solitary command.

It could have meant instant death, the total annihilation of the earth, the end of the human race, the end of our future. Thanks, Adam, Thanks, Eve. **

Instead, the very first promise of the Messiah--literally the "Promised One"--is found in the earliest chapters of the Bible. (Look again at Genesis 3:15.) *** The promise comes true thousands of years later in the birth, life, death, & resurrection of Jesus Christ, God's only Son. That promise still holds true today.

Every other promise ever made by God in Holy Scripture has come true, except one--His promise to return on the Last Day to raise from the dead all who have died as His believers; to take them & all who are still alive as believers to live with Him forever in Heaven. That's called Eternal Life!

The Word of the Lord is right & true, because He is faithful in all He says. Because He has been & always WILL BE faithful in all He says. His Word is Truth.

Today's Prayer Thought:

Ask the Holy Spirit to open your mind & heart as you read the 3rd chapter of Genesis. Consider the Lord's great love for us all in promising a Savior thousands of years before the fact.

* Do I believe in a talking serpent? A literal Adam & Eve vs. a Creation Myth? Yes, as a matter of fact I do. Why? God is a God of His Word, & His Word is Truth!
** Let's not kid ourselves. Go back & read Genesis 3 again. What was the temptation? All the serpent had to dangle in front of them was the notion that they could eat the fruit & BE LIKE GOD! Isn't that we all secretly crave? To be like God? To be a law unto ourselves?
*** If you read this verse several times & still scratch your head, join the club. "Enmity between you & the woman...between your offspring & hers?" God is foretelling the eternal battle between Satan & His evil plans and God & His plans for our good. "He will crush your head...you will strike His heel?" Jesus God's Son will pay the price for our sins by dying on the cross, but it will be a hollow victory for Satan, as Jesus will rise in triumph from the dead, crushing Satan and conquering sin, death, & Satan on our behalf.