July 25, 2022 8:00 pm
Many years ago, Joni Mitchell wrote a song called “Woodstock” in which she saw the human race trapped in a “bargain” with the devil. Urging her listeners to seek a simpler, more peaceful existence, she sang of a return to “the garden.” Mitchell spoke for a generation longing for purpose and meaning.
Mitchell’s poetical “garden” is Eden, of course. Eden was the paradise God created for us back in the beginning. In this garden, Adam and Eve met with God on a regular basis—until the day they made their bargain with the devil (see Genesis 3:6–7). That day was different. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (v. 8).
When God asked what they’d done, Adam and Eve engaged in a lot of blame-shifting. Despite their denial, God didn’t leave them there. He “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (v. 21), a sacrifice that hinted at the death Jesus would endure to cover our sins.
God didn’t give us a way back to Eden. He gave us a way forward into restored relationship with Him. We can’t return to the garden. But we can return to the God of the garden.
YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE
Running to Win
Erwin Lutzer
Core Christianity
Adriel Sanchez and Bill Maier
Running to Win
Erwin Lutzer
Wisdom for the Heart
Dr. Stephen Davey
Core Christianity
Adriel Sanchez and Bill Maier
A New Beginning
Greg Laurie
Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread. Our reading titled, God of the Garden, was written by Tim Gustafson. Many years ago, Joni Mitchell wrote a song called Woodstock, in which she saw the human race trapped in a bargain with the devil. Urging her listeners to seek a simpler, more peaceful existence, she sang of a return to God.
Mitchell spoke for a generation longing for purpose and meaning. Mitchell's poetical garden is Eden, of course. Eden was the paradise God created for us back in the beginning. In this garden, Adam and Eve met with God on a regular basis, until the day they made their bargain with the devil.
That day was different. Genesis 3.8 reads, He was walking in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. When God asked what they'd done, Adam and Eve engaged in a lot of blame shifting. Despite their denial, God didn't leave them there.
He made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them, a sacrifice that hinted at the death Jesus would endure to cover our sins. God didn't give us a way back to Eden. He gave us a way forward and to restored relationship with him. We can't return to the garden, but we can return to the God of the garden.
Today's Our Daily Bread devotional scripture reading is from Genesis chapter 3, verses 8 through 13. 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. But the Lord God called to the man, Where are you? He answered, I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid. And he said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from? The man said, The woman you put here with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it. Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this you have done? The woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
And I ate. Let's pray. Father, thank you so much for restoring us to a right relationship with you, despite all our failings and sin. Help us to be honest about our faults and failures and not blame them on others. Thank you for using our failings as opportunities to help us grow in our relationship with you. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thanks for listening today! I'm Stephen, and today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread Ministries.
Whisper: medium.en / 2023-03-19 19:23:53 / 2023-03-19 19:25:21 / 1
