GOD IS GOD & WE’RE NOT
Hebrews 6:13
“When God made His promise to Abraham, since there was no one greater than Him to swear by, He swore by Himself…”
“I promise” ten-year-old Cassie said to eight-year-old Shakira.
“Cross your heart and hope to die?” Shakira asked.
“If you keep dropping my pass, I swear I’ll…” ten-year-old Jeremy said to his classmate, Brad, as they played football at recess.
“You’ll what?” Brad wondered.
Swearing by something, and making oaths began after humans sinned. Why isn’t simply stating something good enough? Needing confirmation, corroboration, and verification are strictly human traits. (Kon-fir-MA-shon, kor-ROB-or-a-shon, and ver-if-i-KA-shon) all mean that something is true. The opening Scripture shows that God knows human weaknesses very well. We need guarantees before believing anything.
God also knows that humans need promises. “He swore by Himself” guarantees God’s unchanging character. If God were to change, His swearing by Himself would be pointless. While man’s word is not always trustworthy, God’s Word is absolute. His Word is truthful, dependable—in and of itself. He must have chuckled when swearing on Himself!
God’s ways are far beyond our ways; His thoughts much higher than our thoughts (Isaiah 55:9). As sovereign Creator—Who maintains all things perfectly—God’s got every right to do whatever and whenever He pleases (Psalm 115:3).
But God’s character has many sides. He’s not only demanding; He’s also tender. He put Adam and Eve in charge of His entire creation. Their playground was the Garden of Eden! They feared nothing. They had all good things to eat—except fruit from one specific tree, the tree of knowledge of good and evil (Genesis 2:15-17).
After they ate the forbidden fruit, they suddenly understood. They were wrong. They realized that they were naked. They hid. They lied to God. They blamed others, rather than accept responsibility for the deed. Does the scene of God confronting them in Genesis 3:8-19 remind you of when someone caught you doing something bad?
Now, check out Genesis 3:21. Our Father made garments of skin for Adam and Eve, and clothed them. Then, verses 23-24 shows how they were banished from paradise.
This is the very picture of mercy (refraining from giving us what we deserve) and grace (giving blessings that we don’t deserve).
God isn’t always easy to understand.
Take Home Nugget
While silly humans love to challenge and play games, our Father does, too. Remember, we’re created in His image (Genesis 1:26). The thing is, He ALWAYS gets His way. He always wins. Know that Scripture will say stuff that we don’t always understand, or won’t necessarily agree with.
Holy Father, In Jesus’ Name, help me accept Your goodness, while agreeing that You always have the final say. Amen.
J.D. Griffith
A personal, private lesson experience with our staff
Written for http://www.biblestudyforkids.com/
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