“Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’ So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken” (Genesis 3:20-23, NIV).
It is related by motivational speaker that there are two views, when you present a half filled glass of water. One would see the part of the glass that was filled with water and the other one would the portion of the glass without water.
How about in incidents that happen in our life? Do we see the empty part, or the part that is filled?
What about the things that God is doing in life – do we always see the grace He is extending to us?
This time, let’s learn to… PERCEIVE THE GRACE OF GOD…as we focus on our text (Genesis 3:20-23).
So, in what are the instances we could perceive the grace of God?
After man committed the wickedness against the Good God, God continued to display His goodness even in confronting man with his sin.
In verses 8-11, God showed His goodness by displaying His gentleness. In verses 12-13, God displayed His patience. In verse 15, His goodness shone brighter when He gave man the great hope of redemption. In verses 16-19, as God pronounced His judgement, His mercy was implied.
Now, in our text, God continued to display His goodness to the sinful man. And we would try to perceive in at least two instances. In what instances?
I – When God provides for our needs (verses 20-21).
We read verses 20-21, “Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living. The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”
Notice verse 21, “The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.”
That’s grace. Though our first parents deserved ill treatment from God, because of the gravity of their sin, they were provided what they need. God did not just instruct, guide or help them to make a better covering for their bodies. God Himself “made garments of skin” of animals for them.
Man did not make any contribution to have a better clothing. It was not even his idea. It was God’s idea to adorn them. And it was wholly His Sovereign act that our first parents enjoyed such physical favor.
Our first parents in verse 7, in their sin “sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves. In our time, human beings would try to think or exert an effort how to provide for themselves.
Men are contented to have just anything for themselves – sewing fig leaves – or whatever counterpart today that they are doing to make themselves comfortable. They feel that they just need “fig leaves.”
Even in matters of doing things for God, they think that their own standard is just needed to please God. They think that their own righteous work is needed. They think they could just clothe themselves with any kind of belief.
So, saints or believers, do we see the grace of God when He provided us with the righteousness of Jesus Christ? The garments of skin of animals that He clothed Adam and Eve is like the righteousness of Christ that God clothed us, when we become true believers. Our human acts of righteousness are like the fig leaves that are not acceptable in the sight of God.
And in our physical living, do we also perceive that it is the manifestation of the grace of God every time our need is met? And should we not be grateful that God, who is now our Heavenly Father, will work out that our need will be supplied? And when He will provide our need, we ought to be encouraged that it will be better than in our way.
Now, He provides us with His written Word. Let’s make use of it. Let’s not be content with the voices we hear in the world. Let’s enjoy the things that God made for us to meet our spiritual need.
In what other way, that we could perceive the grace of God?
II – When God prevents us to have our wants (verse 22-23).
We read verses 22-23, “And the LORD God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’ So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”
The man was not “allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.’ So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.”
It was also a display of God’s Sovereign grace that the man was prevented to have an access then to the tree of life. If he had eaten it, he would live in perpetual torment of guilt, for no payment yet of his sin was made. In his own human wisdom, in his folly to exercise what is good and what is evil, he would try to eat the fruit of “the tree of life,” so he was driven out from the Garden, where the tree of life was located.
And that’s grace.
It is natural for men to believe that God’s grace is not operational when things they want are not attained. We are always quick to ascribe God’s goodness when we receive the things we desire. But when we fail to have what we want, we could not ascribe it to the goodness or grace of God.
I always tell the incident when I was still looking for a job. It was my desire then to work in Mayon Imperial Hotel ( a five-star hotel in the local area). In spite of my repeated attempts, I failed to be employed.
When I was employed in a local government office, I would still look upon the huge structure of the hotel that was visible in my workplace. After several five or more years, the hotel closed and remained close for many years. Then, I realized that if God allowed me to be employed there, I would already be out of work.
Surely, perhaps, there are things that we would only see the benefit, why God did not allow to enjoy our heart’s desire, after several years. Perhaps, only in the next life.
We, who believers or saints, should we not also count it God’s grace when He withhold something from us?
What are the things or anything that we desire that our Gracious God does not give us?
What is that thing we are longing for a long time that until now we still do not have? It may be difficult for us to accept, but it could be that God is displaying His grace.
In Greek literature, we could read that one receives everything whom gods want to destroy.
But Psalms 84:11-12 declares, “For the LORD God is a sun and shield; the LORD bestows favor and honor; no good thing does he withhold from those whose walk is blameless. LORD Almighty, blessed is the one who trusts in you.”
CONCLUSION:
In closing, after Adam sinned,the tree of life in Eden was not made accessible to man, in order for him to have eternal life. Now, that the sin of humanity was already paid by Jesus, each of us have now an access to eternal life.
As we read in John 3:36, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life; whoever does not obey the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (ESV).
And Jesus said, “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out” (John 6:37).
