Why Adam chose Eve -
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1&2.
In part three of the last series posted on this blog entitled "Your Storehouse of Faith", Watchmen Ministries expounded on the steps/tools available to all believers that one can use to prepare himself/herself to be able to face what the very near future holds and "endure to the end". Remember, these step/tools, though fundamental in nature and prescription, must be used by a believer whose desire is to have a more meaningful relationship with God. Every person wishing to "present himself/herself as a living sacrifice" that will be "holy and acceptable to God" must intentionally put these steps/tools into practice, especially in these last days.
This particular message will address, as promised in the last blog, the most important step/tool needed to insure the believer a relationship that goes beyond that of the average Christian. But, unlike the previously mentioned steps/tools, this one can only be administered and imparted into the believer's life by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. That is, the aforementioned steps/tools are used by an intentional decision made by the believer; whereas, this tool is used solely by the hand of God alone. After all, He is "the author and finisher of our faith" - what started in a believer's life originated with Him, and must be completed by Him as well.
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." - John 17:20-24.
This prayer was prayed by our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the night He was betrayed and His journey to the cross began. He prayed it while in the Garden of Gethsemane, a garden right outside of the city that was a favored place that Jesus and His disciples used for prayer and devotional time. The word "Gethsemane" means "olive-press" - a place where olives were gathered, then the precious oil contained within the olives was "pressed" out of the olive under great pressure. How fitting and prophetic that Jesus yielded Himself in that very garden to the "pressing" that would bring forth the precious fluid that would redeem our lives!
Notice that the prayer Jesus made to the Father for the disciples (and us) was so that "they may be made perfect (complete)". Although the disciples had spent the last three and a half years with Jesus - had developed a real relationship with Him - had become the first "believers", their faith was still not "perfect"....still not "complete". Jesus knew what was in store for the lives of His disciples in the very near future. He realized what each would have to endure for making a conscious decision to follow Him. And He also knew that for any believer to endure and his/her faith not fail them, the relationship that they currently possessed would have to transcend to a relationship like the one He had with the Father, namely, the "heart-covenant" relationship.
What is the "heart-covenant" relationship? To understand it....we must go back - all the way back - back to where it all began; and it began, unmistakably, in another garden....the Garden of Eden....where the decision Adam made determined the destiny of all mankind....and Adam made his decision based on a "heart-covenant" relationship. This decision - made by the first Adam in the Garden of Eden - the one that determined the fate of the whole human race - would be the same decision the "second Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45) would have to make in the Garden of Gethsemane - and, incredibly, both made the same choice! Find this too incredible to believe? Then, please, read on....
"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat....And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return....And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." - Genesis 3:1-12, 17-19, 22-24.
....And, thus, was the fate of all mankind decided - by a choice. It has been stated that the most powerful thing in the universe is love. Not true. At least, not the type of love that is conjured up by the means of man....a love that is more emotional, more visceral, than the true definition of love taught within the Holy Word of God. Jesus commands his disciples to love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44)....so it is obvious true love is not an emotion, but a choice. The most powerful thing in the universe, even outside the universe into the realm where God dwells, is choice. And, though it was Eve who first chose....it was Adam's choice that sealed the fate for us all. Why? Because Eve's choice was based on deception; while Adam's choice was not. The scriptures above state, "....The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." (Genesis 3:13)....so, while Eve was "beguiled", Adam made his choice with his "eyes wide open".... knowing what the consequences of his decision would be.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price (value), went and sold all that he had, and bought it." - Matthew 13:44-46.
Adam understood what the cost would be to heed his wife's offer - to choose the eat of the fruit that God had instructed not to eat of - to willingly disobey God's commandment. Still, Adam chose.....chose exile from Paradise....chose separation from God....chose to give up his relationship with the Father. Why? Simply stated....because Adam "valued" his relationship with Eve more than his relationship with God.
The "value" of something depends on the one who possesses it, or has a desire to possess it. It is possible for something to have extreme "value" to one person; and, at the same time, little value to others. And that "value" is directly related to what it costs. The more something costs, the more "value" is placed on it. This holds true for everything - objects, animals, people, lives. One is willing to do almost anything, pay anything, give up anything, sacrifice anything for whatever he/she values. Sadly, the opposite also applies....what we do not "value" gets neglected, forgotten, misused, abused, thrown away....objects, animals, people, lives.
Adam "valued" his relationship with Eve over his relationship with God because the relationship he possessed with Eve cost him more than the relationship he possessed with God. As a matter of fact, the relationship he had with God cost Adam nothing - God had handed it to him on a "silver platter". God formed Adam from the dust of the earth....God breathed into Adam the breathe of life....God placed Adam in Paradise....God walked with Adam in the cool of the day. God had supplied and met everything Adam could ever need, want, or desire....that is, until Adam became lonely.
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him....And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." - Genesis 2:18, 21-24.
The reason that Adam placed more value on the relationship he had with Eve over that of God is because it actually cost Adam something. Adam sacrificed part of himself for Eve. Adam was "scarred" for Eve. Adam bore in himself the "marks" of the price he paid for Eve. And when Eve was brought to Adam and the first marriage took place....at the consummation of the marriage, a "covenant" relationship was forged because blood was shed and now both bore the "marks" of the "covenant" relationship. No so with the relationship Adam had with God - no "marks" had yet been made....no "scars" did either side yet possess....no blood had yet been shed....so it was not a "covenant" relationship.
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." - Isaiah 29:13&14.
There was a relationship between God and Adam; however, just as the one between Jesus and His disciples during the first three and a half years, it was not a "covenant" relationship - it was a "symbiotic" relationship. Webster's Dictionary defines symbiosis as, "the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms (as in parasitism)". Most Christians have this particular type of relationship with God due to the fact that it so closely resembles a "more or less" intimate union that - because it satisfies the needs, wants, and desires of the recipient - the Christian doesn't realize that he/she is has made Jesus the"host" of his/her life - drawing from Him the "nutrients" needed for sustaining a spiritual life - instead of making Him "Lord" where both individuals receive the benefit of the relationship.
Beloved, there is no real "value" in the "parasitic" type of relationship so many Christians have with God. So, just as Adam, when a circumstance, situation, or decision presents itself in the believer's life where the believer must consider the "cost" - that believer's loyalty to the relationship is put to the test and he/she discovers if He is actually the "Lord" Jesus or, merely, the "Host" Jesus. It is the desire of God to develop the relationship He has with His children to the point where it becomes a "covenant" relationship. And this will only be accomplished through the ministry of the Holy Spirit....
"And he (the Holy Spirit) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" - Ephesians 4:11-13.
Because the relationship Adam had with God was a "symbiotic" one - one that cost him nothing; and the relationship he had with Eve was a "covenant" relationship, one of more "value" - Adam made a choice....He would rather give up Paradise than his bride....He would rather live a cursed life with her.... than an eternity without her....Adam chose Eve.
How does one discover if he/she has a "covenant" relationship with God vs. a "parasitical" one?
How is the decision Jesus made in the Garden of Gethsemane similar to the one Adam made in the Garden of Eden?
How does the God cause the relationship most believers have with Him to transcend into a "heart-covenant" relationship?
These questions will be addressed in Part Two of this message - The Cost of a "Heart-Covenant" Relationship with God.
Until then......God Bless!
"Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God." - Hebrews 12:1&2.
In part three of the last series posted on this blog entitled "Your Storehouse of Faith", Watchmen Ministries expounded on the steps/tools available to all believers that one can use to prepare himself/herself to be able to face what the very near future holds and "endure to the end". Remember, these step/tools, though fundamental in nature and prescription, must be used by a believer whose desire is to have a more meaningful relationship with God. Every person wishing to "present himself/herself as a living sacrifice" that will be "holy and acceptable to God" must intentionally put these steps/tools into practice, especially in these last days.
This particular message will address, as promised in the last blog, the most important step/tool needed to insure the believer a relationship that goes beyond that of the average Christian. But, unlike the previously mentioned steps/tools, this one can only be administered and imparted into the believer's life by a supernatural work of the Holy Spirit. That is, the aforementioned steps/tools are used by an intentional decision made by the believer; whereas, this tool is used solely by the hand of God alone. After all, He is "the author and finisher of our faith" - what started in a believer's life originated with Him, and must be completed by Him as well.
"Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." - John 17:20-24.
This prayer was prayed by our dear Lord and Savior Jesus Christ on the night He was betrayed and His journey to the cross began. He prayed it while in the Garden of Gethsemane, a garden right outside of the city that was a favored place that Jesus and His disciples used for prayer and devotional time. The word "Gethsemane" means "olive-press" - a place where olives were gathered, then the precious oil contained within the olives was "pressed" out of the olive under great pressure. How fitting and prophetic that Jesus yielded Himself in that very garden to the "pressing" that would bring forth the precious fluid that would redeem our lives!
Notice that the prayer Jesus made to the Father for the disciples (and us) was so that "they may be made perfect (complete)". Although the disciples had spent the last three and a half years with Jesus - had developed a real relationship with Him - had become the first "believers", their faith was still not "perfect"....still not "complete". Jesus knew what was in store for the lives of His disciples in the very near future. He realized what each would have to endure for making a conscious decision to follow Him. And He also knew that for any believer to endure and his/her faith not fail them, the relationship that they currently possessed would have to transcend to a relationship like the one He had with the Father, namely, the "heart-covenant" relationship.
What is the "heart-covenant" relationship? To understand it....we must go back - all the way back - back to where it all began; and it began, unmistakably, in another garden....the Garden of Eden....where the decision Adam made determined the destiny of all mankind....and Adam made his decision based on a "heart-covenant" relationship. This decision - made by the first Adam in the Garden of Eden - the one that determined the fate of the whole human race - would be the same decision the "second Adam" (1 Corinthians 15:45) would have to make in the Garden of Gethsemane - and, incredibly, both made the same choice! Find this too incredible to believe? Then, please, read on....
"Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat....And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return....And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." - Genesis 3:1-12, 17-19, 22-24.
....And, thus, was the fate of all mankind decided - by a choice. It has been stated that the most powerful thing in the universe is love. Not true. At least, not the type of love that is conjured up by the means of man....a love that is more emotional, more visceral, than the true definition of love taught within the Holy Word of God. Jesus commands his disciples to love your enemies" (Matthew 5:44)....so it is obvious true love is not an emotion, but a choice. The most powerful thing in the universe, even outside the universe into the realm where God dwells, is choice. And, though it was Eve who first chose....it was Adam's choice that sealed the fate for us all. Why? Because Eve's choice was based on deception; while Adam's choice was not. The scriptures above state, "....The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat." (Genesis 3:13)....so, while Eve was "beguiled", Adam made his choice with his "eyes wide open".... knowing what the consequences of his decision would be.
"Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure hid in a field; the which when a man hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath, and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price (value), went and sold all that he had, and bought it." - Matthew 13:44-46.
Adam understood what the cost would be to heed his wife's offer - to choose the eat of the fruit that God had instructed not to eat of - to willingly disobey God's commandment. Still, Adam chose.....chose exile from Paradise....chose separation from God....chose to give up his relationship with the Father. Why? Simply stated....because Adam "valued" his relationship with Eve more than his relationship with God.
The "value" of something depends on the one who possesses it, or has a desire to possess it. It is possible for something to have extreme "value" to one person; and, at the same time, little value to others. And that "value" is directly related to what it costs. The more something costs, the more "value" is placed on it. This holds true for everything - objects, animals, people, lives. One is willing to do almost anything, pay anything, give up anything, sacrifice anything for whatever he/she values. Sadly, the opposite also applies....what we do not "value" gets neglected, forgotten, misused, abused, thrown away....objects, animals, people, lives.
Adam "valued" his relationship with Eve over his relationship with God because the relationship he possessed with Eve cost him more than the relationship he possessed with God. As a matter of fact, the relationship he had with God cost Adam nothing - God had handed it to him on a "silver platter". God formed Adam from the dust of the earth....God breathed into Adam the breathe of life....God placed Adam in Paradise....God walked with Adam in the cool of the day. God had supplied and met everything Adam could ever need, want, or desire....that is, until Adam became lonely.
"And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him....And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh." - Genesis 2:18, 21-24.
The reason that Adam placed more value on the relationship he had with Eve over that of God is because it actually cost Adam something. Adam sacrificed part of himself for Eve. Adam was "scarred" for Eve. Adam bore in himself the "marks" of the price he paid for Eve. And when Eve was brought to Adam and the first marriage took place....at the consummation of the marriage, a "covenant" relationship was forged because blood was shed and now both bore the "marks" of the "covenant" relationship. No so with the relationship Adam had with God - no "marks" had yet been made....no "scars" did either side yet possess....no blood had yet been shed....so it was not a "covenant" relationship.
"Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: Therefore, behold, I will proceed to do a marvellous work among this people, even a marvellous work and a wonder: for the wisdom of their wise men shall perish, and the understanding of their prudent men shall be hid." - Isaiah 29:13&14.
There was a relationship between God and Adam; however, just as the one between Jesus and His disciples during the first three and a half years, it was not a "covenant" relationship - it was a "symbiotic" relationship. Webster's Dictionary defines symbiosis as, "the living together in more or less intimate association or close union of two dissimilar organisms (as in parasitism)". Most Christians have this particular type of relationship with God due to the fact that it so closely resembles a "more or less" intimate union that - because it satisfies the needs, wants, and desires of the recipient - the Christian doesn't realize that he/she is has made Jesus the"host" of his/her life - drawing from Him the "nutrients" needed for sustaining a spiritual life - instead of making Him "Lord" where both individuals receive the benefit of the relationship.
Beloved, there is no real "value" in the "parasitic" type of relationship so many Christians have with God. So, just as Adam, when a circumstance, situation, or decision presents itself in the believer's life where the believer must consider the "cost" - that believer's loyalty to the relationship is put to the test and he/she discovers if He is actually the "Lord" Jesus or, merely, the "Host" Jesus. It is the desire of God to develop the relationship He has with His children to the point where it becomes a "covenant" relationship. And this will only be accomplished through the ministry of the Holy Spirit....
"And he (the Holy Spirit) gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" - Ephesians 4:11-13.
Because the relationship Adam had with God was a "symbiotic" one - one that cost him nothing; and the relationship he had with Eve was a "covenant" relationship, one of more "value" - Adam made a choice....He would rather give up Paradise than his bride....He would rather live a cursed life with her.... than an eternity without her....Adam chose Eve.
How does one discover if he/she has a "covenant" relationship with God vs. a "parasitical" one?
How is the decision Jesus made in the Garden of Gethsemane similar to the one Adam made in the Garden of Eden?
How does the God cause the relationship most believers have with Him to transcend into a "heart-covenant" relationship?
These questions will be addressed in Part Two of this message - The Cost of a "Heart-Covenant" Relationship with God.
Until then......God Bless!
