Genesis 3:20-24 God’s anger is for a moment, but His favour is for a lifetime

Genesis 3:20-24 

Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Background

Adam and Eve as a result of their rebellious act are evicted from the garden but not unaccompanied by God’s handmade garments and promises of victory. Adam and Eve’s expulsion from the garden is more reformation than punishment. It is God’s way of regenerating humanity towards a future of enduring peace and prosperity. Today’s devotion teaches us of God’s momentary anger and His lifetime of favour.

Observation

Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living…

Adam designates the name Eve for his wife signifying her as the beginning of hope. This reveals Adam’s restoration towards God by faith in the promise that the faithful woman will bear offspring that will defeat Satan and restore the kingdom back to the righteous: the mother of all the living.

The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

God makes garments of skin in place of the fig leaves as a conciliatory gesture wiping out all notions of irreparable indignation towards man. However, is God displeased with man? Yes. Is He sad and disappointed? Yes. Does He in wrath commits man to eternal destruction? No. This gesture in reality opens up for humanity a new lease of hope for life outside the garden of Eden.

Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil…

Knowing good and evil, (a prerogative reserved only for God) is the ability to create laws and to rule autonomously. God’s self reflection: and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever suggest an existential threat of the rise of a human empire outside God’s jurisdiction. As man has by his act of disobedience ceded authoritative to the devil, it is paramount that the duration of man’s kingdom be limited so that the devil’s influence may be destroyed. Therefore, to ensure that all these come to pass, God drives the man out of the garden of Eden and stations the cherubim to guard the entrance to the garden forever sealing off access to the tree of life.

Truth

God’s anger is for a moment, but His favour is for a lifetime

God’s act of making garments of skin for Adam and Eve does not in reality alleviate the hardship they are about to face outside of the garden of Eden. However, God’s gesture (of making garments) reveals an important truth: that God is not angry or at enmity with man. Man’s expulsion from the garden is executed not in a feat of anger but in a calm and conciliatory fashion. Perhaps, God is aware all long of man’s eventual rebellion and has put in place an era of much needed reformation so that man may learn to love and obey God.

Man’s rebellion attest to the possibility that the attributes required to live a perfect life are not imputed at man’s inception. For God since the beginning has determined that the attributes of love, peace, and joy, kindness, and goodness, patience, and faithfulness etc, may only be nurtured in the human soul through testing and suffering. Thus, it is safe to say that given the circumstances, man’s rebellion is inevitable. While man is created in God’s image, but not all of God’s attributes are imputed at inception, as certain attributes remain as man’s responsibility to acquire; by exercising his moral will while receiving God’s loving discipline. This is not all that surprising given that Jesus Himself suffered in order to be counted as righteous and perfect (see Hebrews 2:10, 5:8).

Therefore, it is indeed for the sake of reformation that humanity suffer, not punishment. Far from utter defeat and shame, Adam and Eve left the garden with new garments made by God and armed with the prophetic assurance to crush the serpent’s head. For it is outside the garden (not inside) where the human spirit can truly be tested and refined. Similarly, it is outside the camp that Jesus is crucified and made perfect, not inside.

Many churchgoers fear to approach God for help when they encounter divine discipline. Such fail to understand that God in reality only cares about them becoming a better person, not how they are being punished for their folly. God introduces suffering as a way of getting our attention so that we may recognise our errant methods and repent. When an individual turn from his errand ways, God’s anger dissipates into favour. God shows His displeasure to Adam for a moment because of his contempt for God’s instructions, but His favour is everlasting. The psalmist says, “For His anger lasts only a moment, but His favour lasts a lifetime.” (Psalms 30:5). Nevertheless, the bible is explicitly clear: God’s wrath is continually postured against impenitent and wicked men who repeatedly reject the truth (see Romans 1:18). Of which Paul makes a list: greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful,.. disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful (see Romans 1:29-31).

While God extends a window of favour and conciliation to all man, that window will one day expire when Jesus returns as the righteous Judge. Bearing that in mind, the apostle Paul admonishes the people not to take the kindness, tolerance and patience of God lightly by continuing with their wicked ways. Adam, having come to terms with his fateful eviction and God’s conciliatory acts, exudes a hint of optimism and hope when he names Eve as mother of all the living. Therefore, having understood God’s propensity towards forgiveness and mercy, let us boldly approach God’s throne of grace so that we may receive grace in time of need.

Application

Are you frequently dominated by thoughts of God’s anger because of your failures? Rather than trying to make yourself more presentable and acceptable to God, why not try talking through with Him about your weaknesses? God wants to help you turn from being defensive (against God’s wrath) to an all out offence against the devil’s devices. Our real enemy is not God, but the devil. God is not looking for perfect behaviour, but a broken and contrite heart, which He will not reject (see Psalms 51:17). Therefore, let us approach God boldly and let His Spirit sanctify us from all self-blame and regrets.

Dear Lord, I have decided to follow your ways wholeheartedly. Forgive me for being selective in following your precepts. I thank you for the discipline that you have introduced in my life. I do not ask you to remove the challenges that I am now facing, but I ask you to strengthen me to take them on. I reject all emotions of self-blame and take on an offensive stance against the accusations and temptations of the devil in the name of Christ. Amen.