Preserver:
God is the preserver of all things. Job 12:10 records that, “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 27:3 refers to the life within us as “the breath of God in my nostrils.” Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” And Psalm 104:29 warns us that “When You [God] hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.” God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His spirit from us, we would perish (cf. also Job 32:8, 34:14; Psalm 33:6; Ecclesiastes 3:19).[13]
Back to Genesis 1-4: We know the story of the Fall, of course, which we touched on briefly earlier, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and were removed from Eden. Even when Adam and Eve disobeyed God so that they deserved even death, God provided for them. As He led them to their new life beyond the garden it records in Genesis 3:21 that, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” He preserved their life and He provided for them, even as they suffered the consequence of their sin.
He then extends that same grace to their children, preserving the life of Adam and Eve’s eldest son, who murdered his own brother in cold blood (Genesis 4). We remember that story, don’t we? Here we have two siblings with more than a little bit of sibling rivalry: some kids just don’t stop fighting. I don’t know if any parents or children here can identify with that at all. Here we have two brothers fighting for the attention of their Heavenly Father. One gets so upset that his offering isn’t as pleasing as his brothers that he actually kills him and then denies that he knows anything about his brother’s disappearance. God calls Cain on it and as a consequence -like his parents before him and like Israel after him- God removes Cain from the land. He removes him from the ground where his brother, Abel, was killed (Genesis 4:11,12). But even in this, where Cain has killed his own brother and tried to deceive God about it, though there are grave consequences for his actions, God has mercy on his soul and preserves his life. Genesis 4:15, “But the LORD said to him, ‘… if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” Like with his parents before him and Israel after him, the Lord preserved Cain. He still suffered the natural and logical consequences of his rebellion, because God loves him too much not to rebuke him but God preserved Cain.
Psalm 104:29, again reminds us that God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His Spirit from us, we all would perish. But John 3:16-17 tells us that God loves the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that whosoever of us believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life for God sent His son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it.
And this brings us to our very lives here today for, when all is said and done, “there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship” (TSA doc. 2). And this God of the universe and beyond loves us, you and I so much that He has provided “the privilege [for] all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (TSA doc. 10). The LORD created us, He governs us and He loves us and he has provided for us so that we all may be even preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
---
[13] Andreas Schuele, 'The Spirit of YHWH and the Aura of Divine Presence', in Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology vol. 66 no. 1, (January 2012) pp. 16-28; cf. also Debra Reagan, ed. Creation Groaning issue of Interpretation: a Journal of Bible and Theology 65 no.4 (October 2011).
God is the preserver of all things. Job 12:10 records that, “In His hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind.” Job 27:3 refers to the life within us as “the breath of God in my nostrils.” Job 33:4: “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life.” And Psalm 104:29 warns us that “When You [God] hide Your face, they are terrified; when You take away their breath, they die and return to the dust.” God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His spirit from us, we would perish (cf. also Job 32:8, 34:14; Psalm 33:6; Ecclesiastes 3:19).[13]
Back to Genesis 1-4: We know the story of the Fall, of course, which we touched on briefly earlier, when Adam and Eve ate of the fruit and were removed from Eden. Even when Adam and Eve disobeyed God so that they deserved even death, God provided for them. As He led them to their new life beyond the garden it records in Genesis 3:21 that, “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” He preserved their life and He provided for them, even as they suffered the consequence of their sin.
He then extends that same grace to their children, preserving the life of Adam and Eve’s eldest son, who murdered his own brother in cold blood (Genesis 4). We remember that story, don’t we? Here we have two siblings with more than a little bit of sibling rivalry: some kids just don’t stop fighting. I don’t know if any parents or children here can identify with that at all. Here we have two brothers fighting for the attention of their Heavenly Father. One gets so upset that his offering isn’t as pleasing as his brothers that he actually kills him and then denies that he knows anything about his brother’s disappearance. God calls Cain on it and as a consequence -like his parents before him and like Israel after him- God removes Cain from the land. He removes him from the ground where his brother, Abel, was killed (Genesis 4:11,12). But even in this, where Cain has killed his own brother and tried to deceive God about it, though there are grave consequences for his actions, God has mercy on his soul and preserves his life. Genesis 4:15, “But the LORD said to him, ‘… if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over.’ Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.” Like with his parents before him and Israel after him, the Lord preserved Cain. He still suffered the natural and logical consequences of his rebellion, because God loves him too much not to rebuke him but God preserved Cain.
Psalm 104:29, again reminds us that God is the preserver of all life. If He were to withdraw His Spirit from us, we all would perish. But John 3:16-17 tells us that God loves the world so much that He sent His only begotten Son so that whosoever of us believes in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life for God sent His son into the world not to condemn the world but to save it.
And this brings us to our very lives here today for, when all is said and done, “there is only one God, who is infinitely perfect, the Creator, Preserver, and Governor of all things, and who is the only proper object of religious worship” (TSA doc. 2). And this God of the universe and beyond loves us, you and I so much that He has provided “the privilege [for] all believers to be wholly sanctified, and that their whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ” (TSA doc. 10). The LORD created us, He governs us and He loves us and he has provided for us so that we all may be even preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
More daily blogs at
[13] Andreas Schuele, 'The Spirit of YHWH and the Aura of Divine Presence', in Interpretation: A Journal of Bible and Theology vol. 66 no. 1, (January 2012) pp. 16-28; cf. also Debra Reagan, ed. Creation Groaning issue of Interpretation: a Journal of Bible and Theology 65 no.4 (October 2011).
Comments
Post a Comment