What is shame? When did it first appear in human history? The text describes the consequences of that deadly sequence in the story of Adam and Eve which brought it about, temptation, enticement, disbelief, grasping, consequence. When Adam and Eve sinned, their eyes were opened to their failure. When they tried to cover their shame, even that was a […]
The Hebrews who returned from exile in Babylon went about rebuilding their homes but neglected the house of God. God sent the prophet Haggai to call them to account. In this the text the prophet conveys to the people key truths about God’s holiness and calls them to examine their own. What they learn about God’s word and […]
Why do we sin? Why do we do evil things? Our text answers with a description of the first rebellion against God and His Word. This historical account is significant not only because it tells of the tragic first sin in a pristine world, but because it reveals to us the nature of the evil desires […]
Does God communicate with man? The Psalmist in our text declares that He does by way of three servants: the created order which displays the glory of God, the written word of God which tells us the truth, and the life of a forgiven sinner.
The trees of the garden in Eden were a mark of God‘s generosity to our first parents Adam and Eve. But doubt in God’s goodness was instilled in the mind of Eve when the serpent deceived her by questioning the veracity of God‘s word and the integrity of His motives. In this text we get a glimpse […]
Unjust suffering such as false accusation is to be expected by those who follow the God of the Bible. In our text, David prays for vindication in the face of a lie, declaring his belief that he is innocent, that his Lord knows the truth, that suffering is not the absence of love, and that in […]
God’s good creation in Eden was all our first parents would ever need or want, but when they were tempted by Satan in the form of a serpent, they caved and set into motion a future world history corrupted by sin. Satan succeeded because he was cunning and able to deceive Adam and Eve. If we are […]
In this final reading of our text we explore three additional purposes for marriage. The first of these is procreation. Children are a blessing from God and together with parents form the family, the first fundamental institution of society. From the family derives two additional institutions, government and the church. All these reflect the glory of God.