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Monday
Read Genesis 1:26-31
What Does It Mean to be Human?
We are in a 5-week sermon series called “Questions God Asks.” This week we are looking at the first question God asks in the Bible, found in Genesis 3, “Where are you?” In the process, we will review the events of Genesis 1-3 and reflect on these additional questions: “What does it mean to be human?” “What was the tree of the knowledge of good and evil mentioned?” “How did God respond?” and finally, “What were the consequences?”
In Genesis 1 we learn how God created and ordered the earth and how that process culminated in the creation of human beings. This first chapter of the Bible helps us answer the question, “What does it mean to be human?” With regard to humans, we learn the following:
We are created in God’s image (1:26-27). An image is a representation, not the real thing. As humans we are like God, but we are not God. We are endowed with intelligence, speech, and the capacity for relationship. There is a spiritual dimension to humans and we are designed to have a relationship with God. In these ways, we are different from the other physical, created things.
We are created male and female (v. 27b). Each man and every woman is made in the image of God. In this passage we see that at the core of their essence there is no qualitative difference. One is not lesser than the other. Both are fully human. (More on this tomorrow.)
We are created for a purpose (v. 28). Together, the humans are given a mandate to fill and have dominion over the earth. The command to fill the earth ensured that life would continue. The second part of the mandate, to have dominion over the earth, highlights our role as stewards of creation. “God entrusted us with the earth, asking us to tend to it, cultivate it, and treat all creatures with care and respect. We are not merely to exist; we are called to lead, manage, and act as stewards of His creation.” (John Hartley) What a blessing and a privilege!
Reflective Questions
How might you better reflect God’s image this week? Is there an aspect of creation or community that God is calling you to steward more intentionally?
Prayers
Baba Ecuador
Lord, we pray that the children Glenkirk sponsors in Baba grow in faith and confidence, knowing they are deeply loved by You. May they find strength through community and Your presence. Bless the local churches and child programs as constant sources of hope and joy.
Tuesday
Read Genesis 2:7-24
Adam and Eve
Genesis 2 provides a more detailed account of the creation of Adam and Eve that helps us see how we are different from the rest of creation. In verse 7 we read that “God formed the man from the dust of the ground and breathed life into him and the man became a living being.” The Hebrew word translated “formed” is often used to describe the actions of an artist, a sculptor, or a potter. God didn’t just speak us into existence like the other creations. God physically shaped and formed Adam, who came to life only after God breathed into him.
After placing the man in the garden God declares, “It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper as his partner” (Genesis 2:18). Then God takes a part of the man’s side while he sleeps and uses it to form a woman. “Side” is often translated “rib,” but “side” is a more accurate translation of the original text. (See the New English Translation, footnote “c”) God uses an interesting Hebrew phrase to describe the woman He is about to create—“ezer kenegdo” (v. 18). Ezer comes from Hebrew root words meaning strength and power and is used more than twenty times in the Old Testament to describe someone who comes to the rescue. Most often it refers to God. The word kenegdo means something like facing, corresponding, or equal to. A more accurate translation might be: “I will make him a strong partner.” The woman was created to be a collaborative partner to the man as they carry out God’s mandate to populate and steward creation.
In this chapter we see that God was very intentional in creating humans, and that we owe our existence to God’s breath of life. We come across the idea of “God’s breath” again in John 20:22. Jesus appears to the disciples after His resurrection and breathes on them, saying, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” In the same way that God breathed life into Adam, the Holy Spirit breathes new life into us, empowering us to live the Christian life.
Reflective Questions
Have you ever thought about the significance of God’s breath in creation? Ask God to renew the breath of life in you today, and allow it to fill you and overflow to those around you this week.
Prayers
Baba Ecuador
God, please protect the sponsored children’s health—guard them from illness and provide clean water and nourishing food each day. With high rates of malnutrition and threats like dengue in rural Ecuador, we ask for Your covering over their bodies and minds. Strengthen healthcare efforts in their community and keep them safe through every season.
Wednesday
Read Genesis 2:8-17
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
In Genesis 1, God had reflected on the whole of creation and declared that it was very good. But within a few chapters, things will go downhill quickly. So, what happened?
In Genesis 2 we learn more about how Adam is to steward creation and about the Garden of Eden where God has placed him. God tells Adam that he may have access to all of the fruit of the trees in the garden, including the tree of life. (Biblical scholars have suggested that this tree may have had the power to extend life indefinitely.) But there is one exception. He may not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil—under penalty of death. In Adam’s case, “obeying God would lead to abundance and the possibility of endless life, but disobeying God would place them under the death penalty.” (Hartley)
Have you ever wondered about this prohibition? Why did God need to set this boundary in the first place? While we can’t know all that God was thinking, we have the advantage over Adam and Eve in that we know the outcome. From our vantage point, we can see that choosing not to eat the fruit would have been an exercise in obedience and would have protected them from harmful consequences (like death!). Choosing to eat the fruit would introduce evil into the world and have serious negative consequences for generations to come.
I can relate to Adam and Eve’s predicament. Over the course of my life there have been times when I have ignored a boundary that God has set for my protection and suffered the consequences. It is an amazing thing that God has given us the freedom to make our own choices! Making decisions that are right and good happens more often when we choose to trust Christ more fully.
Reflective Questions
How do you tend to respond when you come up against a boundary that you are tempted to cross? What makes it easier for you to make choices that are right and good
Prayers
Baba Ecuador
Father, open doors for the sponsored children to receive a quality education and dream boldly about their future. In Baba, where school resources are limited and many children face pressure to leave school early for work, give them perseverance and support. May their teachers, family, and community champion their learning and growth.
Thursday
Read Genesis 3
God’s Response
At some point Eve is drawn into a deceptive conversation with a new character, the serpent, who casts doubt on God’s motives and character. She decides to eat fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil as does Adam, who is there with her. Immediately, they are aware of their nakedness and feel vulnerable before God. This is a dramatic change, since from the text it seems that Adam and Eve regularly walked and talked with God in the Garden of Eden. Now when they hear God coming, they hide and frantically try to cover up their actions and their bodies.
God’s response is not what one would expect—remember the “penalty of death” warning? There is no fire and brimstone falling from heaven; they are not struck down dead instantly. Instead, God calls to them, goes looking for them, clothes them, and shows them mercy.
First, God goes looking for them, asking, “Where are you?” Of course, God knows exactly where they are. But the question seems to give them the courage to come out of hiding—perhaps it was God’s tone of voice? They step out to talk with God and acknowledge their sin. They “fess up” to what they have done (although they both blame others in the process).
Next, God protects them by making them new clothes. Rather than responding in anger and before pronouncing the consequences of their sin, He notices their feeble attempt to cover up and takes the time to provide something better. This simple act will provide important protection when they leave the Garden in the days ahead.
Finally, God shows mercy in judgment. In verse 22 we read that Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden forever due to their disobedience. This is a harsh punishment, but it also reflects mercy. They are not struck down immediately; they will live to see another day. In fact, they will go on to live long lives, and God will continue to walk with them, though in new and different ways.
God responds to us in much the same way He did to Adam and Eve. God seeks us out, wanting to spend time with us and hear our hurts and fears. God provides and protects us. God is always willing to show mercy when we fall short.
Reflective Questions
Take a few minutes to sit in God’s presence and reflect on the ways you have experienced God’s provision, protection, and mercy in your life.
Prayers
Baba Ecuador
With high rates of malnutrition and threats like dengue in rural Ecuador, pray for God’s covering over the bodies and minds of the children in Ecuador.
Friday
Read Genesis 3
The Consequences of Disobedience
This infamous passage is sometimes called “the curse,” although only the serpent and the ground are actually cursed by God. Nevertheless, there are consequences for Adam and Eve that impact all humankind. Before their sin of disobedience, they had an intimate relationship with God; now they fear and hide from God. Before, they had a carefree life with the fruit of the Garden for sustenance; now they will experience struggle and pain (man in his labor to provide food, woman in her labor to produce children). Before, they enjoyed equality and mutuality in their relationship; but now there will be conflict. Before, they had access to the tree of life; now they will experience certain death.
Fortunately for us, that is not the end of the story! This new reality reflects the consequences of sin, but it is descriptive, and not prescriptive. Adam and Eve’s disobedience disrupted God’s good plans, but another plan goes into effect, and God sends Jesus to make things right. Jesus said, “I have come that you might have life, and have it abundantly” (John 10:10). Through the life, death, and resurrection of Christ, we are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17).
Every day we have a choice—we can choose to live under grace, or we can choose to live under “the curse.” We can fear God and hide, or we can choose to trust and obey. We can be brought low by the struggles in life, or we can find strength in the Lord, knowing He will never leave us or forsake us. We can be a part of “the battle of the sexes,” or we can strive to treat each other with mutuality and kindness. We can live as though there is nothing after death, or we can give our lives fully to Christ, knowing we will “dwell in the house of the Lord forever” (Psalm 23:6).
Reflective Questions
Have you ever thought about this daily choice we have—to live under the curse or under grace? Is there an area of your life that needs to come into better alignment with the grace-filled life that Jesus offers?
Prayers
Baba Ecuador
In a region where over 25% of children live in poverty and emotional support is scarce, pray they find strength through community and God’s presence.
Sources
John E. Hartley, New International Biblical Commentary: Genesis (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000).
