SOME FUNDAMENTALS - THE FALL OF MAN
God completed His wonderful work of creation, pronounced it very good and looked with pleasure on a perfect scene unmarred by sin, and the man and the woman in happy relations of innocence were in the full enjoyment of that garden of delights. But the scene quickly changed. Instead of God communing happily with Man, we read that He drove him out of Eden and set the Cherubim and the flame of the flashing sword to guard the way to the tree of life. Man had been summarily expelled. What had happened?
Sin had come into the previously fair creation. Man had listened to the voice of the serpent, He had distrusted God, disobeyed His one commandment commandmen, given place to his own desires, and had miserably fallen. Having failed in his responsibility he now had the knowledge of good and evil indeed, but to his own sorrow, for he knew God to be good and himself by his own conscience to be evil. He had become a sinner, and toil and pain and death were henceforth to be the portion of mankind. "By one man sin entered into the world, and by sin death", Rom 5: 12.
Men may refuse the testimony of the Scriptures and subscribe to a theory that man is constantly improving himself and his environment and by his own efforts will eventually arrive at a Utopian state. But around us we see the solemn results of the fall of man: suffering and death and increasing crime and violence and corruption. The thirteen wicked things which proceeded out of the heart of men in the time of Christ (see Mark 7: 22,23) are no less in evidence two thousand years later, nor have the sixteen works of the flesh improved (see Gal 5: 19-21). In spite of a more favourable environment, sin characterises man as much as ever; adherence to his own will and resistance to the will of God. Every human being has the witness in his own conscience, if he gives it place , to sin and death and judgment. The conditions of the last days are upon us and bear witness that man 's fallen state has not changed (see 2 Tim 3: 1 -7).
The whole condition of man seemed hopeless, but God did not wipe out the human race. Whilst pronouncing judgment on the Man and the woman for their sin and the serpent (Satan) for his instigation of all this, He also announced that the Seed of the woman would crush the serpent's head. In the meantime He clothed Adam and Eve with coats of skin to cover their nakedness, in anticipation of the incoming of Christ and His redeeming work. By His own wonderful plan God would completely deal to His full satisfaction both with the sins of man and with man's sinful state. He would also lay a basis for setting the creation free from bondage in the millennial day, followed by a new and eternal scene entirely free from sin , where "death shall not exist any more, nor grief, nor cry, nor distress shall exist any more, for the former things have passed away", Rev 21: 4. What a triumph for God that will be!
W.E.Ellis
THE CHILDREN'S WISDOM
It is remarkable that a man who described himself as very stupid should write about creatures who are little upon the earth but are exceeding wise. Are we as wise as those four creatures in the Book of Proverbs, chapter thirty?
The ants are those who use every opportunity open to them because they provide their food in summer when it is to be had. Do not be like some persons who had to say that the summer of blessing was ended and they were not saved! A statue was once made, called 'Opportunity'. It was of a man standing on tip-toe, with wings on his feet and long hair on his forehead; but the back of his head was bald. It was as if he stayed but for a moment and whoever met him could seize him; but once passed he could not be caught.
The rock-badger, or hyrax, is somewhat like a rabbit and very timid. But these creatures who are called a feeble folk use the protection of the cliffs which they themselves could never make, but which their Creator has made for them. In fact they make their house there. The lesson which the believer learns from this is that the confession of the name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it and is safe. That word means in the older language that he is 'set up on high' which is like a cliff and is a place of safety. The scripture does not say that he ever goes out again!
Then the locusts teach us the importance of fellowship. This does not depend upon having a king who can be seen as their leader. Their God-given instinct gives them a bond together. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit in obedient believers gives them a unity which they have to keep in practice. One great way in which fellowship is proved is by breaking bread in remembrance of the Lord Jesus with those who call upon Him out of a pure heart.
The lizard speaks to us of what we call privilege, which means a favour granted by someone greater than we are. Lizards do not defend themselves but, as the scripture says, they are in the palaces of kings. In actual fact it may be that the kings do not like them there! But the Christian, although little upon the earth, has a right to dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. He is the King of kings.
Do you take every opportunity of confessing the Lord for salvation and of enjoying the favour of true Christian fellowship?
J.C.Evershed