God had been giving from the beginning! ...and that includes wise and good commands - keeping us from harm, aiming us toward life… So often, we ask about the tree in the middle of the garden and why God would put it there and then prohibit us from eating from it, as if He was depriving us of something, and then our next thought is that it was His intention that we fall. The fact is, God has been giving from the beginning - His generosity beyond imagination, beyond finding out.
We must come to understand that God was not trying to deprive us of something, neither was he trying to prohibit us from something, but in fact was guarding us from something that he knew would not be beneficial for us – that was His to have and hold, that we would know Him and His, and that we would love, respect, honor Him enough to trust Him and His commands – that they are life and good and good for us – that the fruit of His wisdom is pleasing and good for wisdom.
The fact is, we are not like God that is, having the same constitution – suitable and well-fitting, equal and opposite (thus the man, Adam, needing a more suitable partner – Gen 2:18-19) the same capacity or ability or faculties. In fact, there are things that our Humanity cannot contain or handle or reign in - things that are truly “too wonderful for me”.
God’s been generously giving from the beginning… but, we tend to focus on what we perceive as a slight. What did He give us?
· The Garden - Genesis 1:29; 2:16 (Gen 1:26-31; 2:15-25; Ps 24:1; Ps 115:16)
· “Fruit from ALL these trees”
o 1:29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.
o 2:16 And the LORD God commanded the man, "You are free to eat from any tree in the garden...
· Work that was satisfying and profitable
· Companionship
o First with God
o Then with a good partner… AND God
· The fruit of the spirit “self-control”, enough is enough…
· Safety from His wisdom… do not eat from this, one, tree…
What makes life and relationships good? Is it not when you find someone who is real? Good is real, real is good, good is really good, because it’s really real.
God, our Father, continues to give… good things.
· Matt 7:11 “If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!”
· Luke 11:13 “So if you who are evil know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!"
· Romans 8:32 “He who did not spare His own Son but gave Him up for us all, how will He not also, along with Him, freely give us all things?
· James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, with whom there is no change or shifting shadow.”
What is good? What constitutes good? What does good mean?
What did Jesus say about what was good? Luke 9:25
· “What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self?” NIV
· “What do you benefit if you gain the whole world but are yourself lost or destroyed?” NLT
Or
· Matthew 16:26 and Mark 8:36 “What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world, yet forfeits his soul? Or what can a man give in exchange for his soul?”
Is it not life that we want – life, a good life, a life of good? Jesus knows this! (John 10:7-18)
John 10:10 “The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.” NIV
Life - ”a life active and vigorous, devoted to God, blessed, the portion even in this world of those who put their trust in Christ, but after the resurrection to be consummated by new accessions (among them a more perfect body), and to last forever"
· a happy life and every kind of blessing (Deuteronomy 30:15, 19; Malachi 2:5; Psalm 33:13 () 13; Proverbs 8:35; Proverbs 12:28, etc.): John 6:51, 63; John 14:6; Romans 7:10; Romans 8:6, 10; 2 Corinthians 2:16; Philippians 2:16; (Colossians 3:4); 2 Peter 1:3; 1 John 5:11, 16, 20)
· supplied by God (Eph 4:18)
· obtained in fellowship with Christ, (2Tim 1:1)
· the grace of God evident in the life obtained, (1 Peter 3:7)
· the Spirit, the repository and imparter of life, and which is received by those united to Christ (Romans 8:2)
In abundance - More, greater, excessive, abundant, exceedingly, vehemently…
· "I came in order that they [believers] might continuously have life, even that they may continuously have it all-around -
· beyond what is anticipated, exceeding expectation; "more abundant," going past the expected limit ("more than enough . . . ")
· over and above, more than is necessary, superadded
Luke 12:13-21 (Ecc 2:17-26) Life is not in the abundance of your possessions - the parable of the barns
Life is living and walking within the confines of our good and generous life-giving God
Attributing to God all things good. Will He not give you good things? God’s generous generosity. He is good and the giver of good things - in fact, because He is good, He cannot give anything except what is good. He, God, even gives us permission - to enter into His presence - not only permission, but, a way. (Heb 10)
How wonderful is God? How unsearchable are His good and wise ways?
Job 5:9 the One who does great and unsearchable things, wonders without number.
Job 11:7 Can you fathom the deep things of God or discover the limits of the Almighty?
Job 15:8 Do you listen in on the council of God or limit wisdom to yourself?
Job 37:23 The Almighty is beyond our reach; He is exalted in power! In His justice and great righteousness He does not oppress.
Psalm 36:6 Your righteousness is like the highest mountains; Your judgments are like the deepest sea. O LORD, You preserve man and beast.
Psalm 92:5 How great are Your works, O LORD, how deep are Your thoughts!
Psalm 139:6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
Psalm 145:3 Great is the LORD and greatly to be praised; His greatness is unsearchable.
Proverbs 25:2
It is the glory of God to conceal a matter and the glory of kings to search it out.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the hearts of men, yet they cannot fathom the work that God has done from beginning to end.
Ecclesiastes 7:24 What exists is out of reach and very deep. Who can fathom it?
Ecclesiastes 8:17 I saw every work of God, and that a man is unable to comprehend the work that is done under the sun. Despite his efforts to search it out, he cannot find its meaning; even if the wise man claims to know, he is unable to comprehend.
Isaiah 28:29 This also comes from the LORD of Hosts, who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in wisdom.
Isaiah 40:28 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary; His understanding is beyond searching out.
Romans 2:4 Or do you disregard the riches of His kindness, tolerance, and patience, not realizing that God's kindness leads you to repentance?
1 Corinthians 2:10 But God has revealed it to us by the Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God.
Ephesians 3:8 Though I am less than the least of all the saints, this grace was given me: to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ,
Ephesians 3:10 His purpose was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms,
Colossians 2:3 in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge.
