As we celebrated in Israel this week the completion of reading God’s Word at Simchat Torah, everyone is beginning their Bible reading cycle anew, starting with Genesis. How about you? Are you reading your Bible every day? Do you have a goal of reading it all the way through? I encourage you to stay in God’s Word—it is filled with great promises that will encourage our lives and give us strength to face each new day. Here’s a magnificent promise to all of us from our reading this week.
When we read in Genesis 3 about the temptation and fall of Adam and Eve, what happened as a result of their sin? Many people might answer, “They were cursed.” But let’s look closer at what God said to them. Genesis 3:14-17 says,
So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, you are cursed…”
To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception…”
Then to Adam He said, “Cursed is the ground for your sake…”
So, we see that the devil, that old serpent, was cursed directly. God did not say “You are cursed” to Eve, but He did punish her. And for Adam, God cursed His beautiful and perfect earth He had created instead of the man. This shows just how much God has loved mankind from the very beginning–that He was unwilling to curse them directly but deflected the curse to the ground.
After the great Flood of Noah’s day, God partially lifted the curse He had placed on the earth. Genesis 8:21 says,
I will never again curse the ground for man’s sake…nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done…
Yet we see that all of creation is still groaning to be fully released from this curse of sin. Look to Romans 8:19-20,
For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope…
In what hope did God curse the earth? In the hope that the mankind He dearly loved would be redeemed from their bondage of sin! But don’t stop there…let’s keep reading,
…because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God…even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in this hope… (Romans 8:21-24)
How beautiful is this promise of God’s love and redeeming grace! He has made a way for not only us to be saved, but for the curse on His creation to be reversed as well when we are brought into His liberating redemption. And this can only be done through Yeshua who took the curse for our sins on Himself and redeemed our lives from destruction.
We think the earth is lovely now; how much more beautiful will it be when all is made right and perfect again by the complete redemption of mankind? God has loved you with an everlasting love since the foundations of the world! Live for Him today. Rejoice in His salvation, and the earth will rejoice with you.
How’s that for a great promise to start your Bible reading cycle?!
–dmrf