Many people look at the first prophecy within the bible and frown. Didn’t God say that we would die the day that we ate of the forbidden fruit? Yet Adam and Eve didn’t die that day. While many claim that God’s mercy gave them a second chance, it seems out of character for God to warn mankind against something, without the predictions coming true when the conditions are met. To put it bluntly, it just doesn’t make sense. Gen 2:16-27 “And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.“
Let us go back and have a fresh look at this piece. We know that man was made from dust. We read this in Gen 2:7 “And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” This piece introduces a second substance. It tells us that we became living souls due to the breath of God being breathed into us. However, in Gen 3 we read the following; Gen 3:19 “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.” Note that the presence of God is missing from the description of human life. We are no longer made from a combination of divine breath and dust. Now it is only the dust which will return unto the ground. Now we know that all life is a gift from God. We also know that when we die our spirit will still return to God. However, it seems like there is something that changed inside of us.
Take note that man was naked from the beginning. Gen 2:25 “And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.” However, before even entering the presence of God, man noticed that they were naked. They were ashamed, insecure and felt incomplete. Gen 3:7 “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.” Something changed inside of them. It was the way in which they looked at themselves. Their identity changed. They were no longer children of the divine God of glory. They were now scared, unsure of themselves and embarrassed by who they had become. Take note that God had not yet cursed man. This was a direct result of our own actions.
Is it possible that they died within themselves? Did the missing piece that was ripped out of their souls that day, leave them dead on the inside? Could the empty shadows of despair that we know today be nothing more than a gloomy echo of death itself? Is this the epitome of a life deprived from the blessings of God? Or is it merely the result of divine wrath and bitterness? Bare in mind, we believe that God is love. We believe that God is passionate, merciful and forgiving. What if the shadows that we live in are nothing but the results of evil? What if God is trying to save us from the nightmares and despair that we call today?
The setting of this prophecy adds light to the puzzle.
Gen 1:31 “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Perfection cannot describe the scene that met our first parents there that day. Yes, perfection is the absence of any error. But this was more than only right. It would not have been wrong of God to create light without the warming, radiance of beauty and grace that the sunlight brings. God would have been understanding and caring if food was created with all the right nutritional value, but had no colour, taste, texture of smell. However, divine wisdom went beyond mere perfection. It infused into every echo of your day, the living fibre known as aesthetic marvel. Every single moment of your day is filled with energy, beauty, passion and a zealous dream to bring to life your wildest dreams. Through out the overpowering currant of majestic grandeur speaks a motivation that far exceeds mere existence. You were not designed to live. You were designed to thrive, and in the glorious grace that brought your world to life, you were designed to find your entire being.
Within the very word used to describe the soul that God breathed into us is found a fitting description to see just how much He wanted to be to us. Not only did He physically breath life into us. But the description of this life is something very special. The word from which the English word is translated is the word nephesh. It is the root word for life, soul, being and existence. We were created to be alive because of Him. He put so much into your life that it became His own. His soul motivation with the glittering rays of sunlight awe was to paint into your heart, the beauty that can never be translated into words. Every detail of today was fashioned, framed and fine tuned into something that could touch your heart. Man was created to be a benefactor, to find within His heart, our life, soul, being and existence.
When man sinned, we found within His being, fear and uncertainty. We lost our lives that day. Mankind died that day. Christ was right. The first prophecy was not merely a warning. It was based upon a very deep, personal understanding of our lives. He knows what is best for you and me.
Traditionally, prophecy is interesting. But friends, there are pieces of a precious plan, hidden within every detail of prophetic writing. Within it, you can find the missing pieces to the empty gaps within your heart. Love foretold the tale of hope that can complete you again, within the arms of Love. His name is Jesus Christ
