Eve – Praying Pint

35.p. “Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds”

Genesis 4:1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.” And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering, but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.”

Hebrews 11:4   By faith Abel offered to God a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And through his faith, though he died, he still speaks.

Numbers 18:12   All the best of the oil and all the best of the wine and of the grain, the firstfruits of what they give to the LORD

Isaiah 3:10-11    Tell the righteous that it shall be well with them, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds.  Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, for what his hands have dealt out shall be done to him.

Jeremiah 2:5    Thus says the LORD: “What wrong did your fathers find in me that they went far from me, and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?

Ecclesiastes 8:12-13  Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and prolongs his life, yet I know that it will be well with those who fear God, because they fear before him.  But it will not be well with the wicked, neither will he prolong his days like a shadow, because he does not fear before God.

The offerings of Cain and Abel were different. Cain showed a proud, unbelieving heart. Therefore he and his offering were rejected. Abel came as a sinner, and according to God’s appointment, by his sacrifice expressing humility, sincerity, and believing obedience. Thus, seeking the benefit of the new covenant of mercy, through the promised Seed, his sacrifice had a token that God accepted it. Abel offered in faith, and Cain did not, Heb 11:4. In all ages there have been two sorts of worshippers, such as Cain and Abel; namely, proud, hardened despisers of the gospel method of salvation, who attempt to please God in ways of their own devising; and humble believers, who draw near to him in the way he has revealed. Cain indulged malignant anger against Abel. He harboured an evil spirit of discontent and rebellion against God. God notices all our sinful passions and discontents. There is not an angry, envious, or fretful look, that escapes his observing eye. The Lord reasoned with this rebellious man; if he came in the right way, he should be accepted. Some understand this as an intimation of mercy. If thou doest not well, sin, that is, the sin-offering, lies at the door, and thou mayest take the benefit of it. The same word signifies sin, and a sacrifice for sin. Though thou hast not done well, yet do not despair; the remedy is at hand. Christ, the great sin-offering, is said to stand at the door, Re 3:20. And those well deserve to perish in their sins, that will not go to the door to ask for the benefit of this sin-offering. God’s acceptance of Abel’s offering did not change the birthright, and make it his; why then should Cain be so angry? Sinful heats and disquiets vanish before a strict and fair inquiry into the cause. (Henry)

Note in one word that we have here at the beginning of human history the solemn distinction which runs through it all. These two, so near in blood, so separate in spirit, head the two classes into which Scripture decisively parts men, especially men who have heard the gospel. It is unfashionable now to draw that broad line between the righteous and the wicked, believers and unbelievers. Sheep and goats are all one. Modern liberal sentiment-so-called-will not consent to such narrowness as the old-fashioned classification. There are none of us black, and none white; we are all different shades of grey. But facts do not quite bear out such amiable views. Perhaps it is not less charitable, and a great deal truer, to draw the line broad and plain, on one side of which is peace and safety, and on the other trouble and death, if only we make it plain that no man need stop one minute on the dark side. The foundation of a righteous character, determines the acceptableness of worship. Cain’s offering had no sense of dependence, no outgoing of love and trust, no adoration,-though it may have had fear,-and no moral element. So it had no sweet odour for God. Abel’s was sprinkled with some drops of the incense of lowly trust, and came from a heart which fain would be pure; therefore it was a joy to God. So we are taught at the very beginning, that, as is the man, so is his sacrifice; that the prayer of the wicked is an abomination. Plenty of worship nowadays is Cain worship. Many reputable professing Christians bring just such sacrifices. The prayers of such never reach higher than the church ceiling. Of course, the lesson of the story is not that a man must be pure before his sacrifice is accepted. Of course, the faintest cry of trust is heard, and a contrite heart, however sinful, is always welcome. But we are taught that our acts of worship must have our hearts in them, and that it is vain to pray and to love evil. Sin has the awful power of blocking our way to God. (MacLaren)

35.j. “So that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs”

Genesis 3:2 He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

Genesis 2:16-17   And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, “You may surely eat of every tree of the garden,  but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.”

Job 19:21   Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has touched me!

John 8:44    You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Psalms 10:11   He says in his heart, “God has forgotten, he has hidden his face, he will never see it.”

2 Corinthians 2:11     so that we would not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his designs.

2 Corinthians 11:3  But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Acts 26:18   to open their eyes, so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.’

Demonic spirits evidently have the ability, under certain circumstances, to indwell human or animal bodies (Luke 8:33). On this occasion, Satan chose to indwell the body of a pre-curse serpent. “An immaterial spirit must be invisible; and therefore he must embody himself in some way or other before he can be seen. That Satan has power to enter into living bodies is clear, for he did so upon a very large scale with regard to men in the days of Christ…(Spurgeon)

Satan will often attack a chain at its weakest link, so he gets at Adam by tempting Eve. The stronger ones in a “chain” must expect an attack against weaker links and support them against those attacks. Satan’s first attack was leveled against the Word of God. If he could make Eve confused about what God said, or to doubt what God said, then his battle was partially won. From the beginning, Satan has tried to undermine God’s people by undermining God’s Word. He can undermine just as effectively by getting us to neglect God’s Word as by getting us to doubt it. (Guzik)

When Satan attacks we are not to have a discussion with him about it, but rather say, “The Lord rebuke you”. He is cunning and crafty in his speech and thoughts. When the Holy Spirit gives you discernment about such an attack then it is prudent to not have a discussion about it but rather rebuke it immediately. Why is it when we hear and know what God says about certain sins and temptations to avoid, that we want to get close enough to it to touch it and even eat of it? All of these will be exploited by Satan for sure, and only those grounded in His Word and that have a desire to wholly honor and glorify Him will be able, through the leading and strengthening of the Holy Spirit, to discern it and turn away from it. Satan’s attacks come at us through our minds. It is here where the battle begins. Fiery darts shot singly or in multiples are flung at us from every possible angle. They can come in the form of lust, greed, pride, etc… They can be subtle or obvious. They can come from within our minds or planted there by another person being used by Satan. This is why we must always be on guard. Having an overwhelming desire for God’s Word and feeding upon it with an equally deep desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we think, say, and do, and with a heart seeking to be led by the Holy Spirit, and with ears open to the quiet whispers of leading, it is then we will have the discernment to see all of the cunning and crafty attacks of Satan in our lives. It is good for us to have a Christian community with other believers, for where we might be deaf and blind they hear and see the fiery darts of temptation and strengthen us in our resolve to fight it off. No one is immune to these attacks, and for certain no one in their own power is able to stand against them. It is only through the indwelling Holy Spirit and our openness to listen and obey that we are able to stop the attacks. Oh, that we would have hearts and minds like David when he said; thoughts: “Examine me, O God, and know my mind; test me, and discover my thoughts. Don’t let me follow evil ways, but lead me in the everlasting way.”

35.i. “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light”

Genesis 3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made.

Matthew 10:16    “Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.

2 Corinthians 11:3    But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

2 Corinthians 11:14    And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.

Revelation 12:9   And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world—he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him.

John 8:44    You are of your father the devil, and your will is to do your father’s desires. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he lies, he speaks out of his own character, for he is a liar and the father of lies.

Satan, before his fall, was an angel of the highest rank and prominence. Satan’s fall had to do with his desire to be equal to or greater than God, to set his will against God’s will.

We may not understand everything involved in the way Satan used the body of a serpent, but we can know it was true and this is no mere fable. “It is idle to call the narrative of the Fall a mere allegory; one had better say at once that he does not believe the Book… There was a real serpent, as there was a real paradise; there was a real Adam and Eve, who stood at the head of our race, and they really sinned, and our race is really fallen. Believe this” (Spurgeon).

There are beings who desire to draw men away from God, and they are influenced directly by Satan and his followers. We may walk in innocence but when temped we are no longer innocent when we intentionally choose disobedience.

Satan assaulted our first parents, to draw them to sin, and the temptation proved fatal to them. The tempter was the devil, in the shape and likeness of a serpent. Satan’s plan was to draw our first parents to sin, and so to separate between them and their God. Thus the devil was from the beginning a murderer, and the great mischief maker. The person tempted was the woman: it was Satan’s policy to enter into talk with her when she was alone. There are many temptations to which being alone gives great advantage; but the communion of saints tends very much to their strength and safety. Satan took advantage by finding her near the forbidden tree. They that would not eat the forbidden fruit, must not come near the forbidden tree. Satan tempted Eve, that by her he might tempt Adam. It is his policy to send temptations by hands we do not suspect, and by those that have most influence upon us. Satan questioned whether it were a sin or not, to eat of this tree. He did not disclose his design at first, but he put a question which seemed innocent. Those who would be safe, need to be shy of talking with the tempter. He quoted the command wrong. He spoke in a taunting way. The devil, as he is a liar, so he is a scoffer from the beginning; and scoffers are his children. It is the craft of Satan to speak of the Divine law as uncertain or unreasonable, and so to draw people to sin; it is our wisdom to keep up a firm belief of God’s command, and a high respect for it. Has God said, Ye shall not lie, nor take his name in vain, nor be drunk, &c.? Yes, I am sure he has, and it is well said; and by his grace I will abide by it. It was Eve’s weakness to enter into this talk with the serpent: she might have perceived by his question, that he had no good design, and should therefore have started back. Satan teaches men first to doubt, and then to deny. He promises advantage from their eating this fruit. He aims to make them discontented with their present state, as if it were not so good as it might be, and should be. No condition will of itself bring content, unless the mind be brought to it. He tempts them to seek preferment, as if they were fit to be gods. Satan ruined himself by desiring to be like the Most High, therefore he sought to infect our first parents with the same desire, that he might ruin them too. And still the devil draws people into his interest, by suggesting to them hard thoughts of God, and false hopes of advantage by sin. Let us, therefore, always think well of God as the best good, and think ill of sin as the worst evil: thus let us resist the devil, and he will flee from us. (Henry)

Satan can come as an angel of light and deceive any man left alone to his own thoughts, wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. This is a warning to be regarded with importance. If we are to stand against the lies and temptations of Satan and all the methods he may deploy, we best be on our guard. We we are left to our own and out of communion with God and other christians, surely Satan will have from fertile ground with which to sow seeds of lies and plant temptations within our minds.

Being able to discern Satan’s lies and temptations requires a close walk with God, communion with Christians, and continued time in His Word with a desire to grow in understanding, wisdom, and knowledge so that in all we say, think, and do our hearts desire is to honor and glorify Jesus Christ. There is no discernment without wisdom, knowledge, and understanding. There is no discernment without the leading and direction of the Holy Spirit. There is no growth in discernment apart from God’s Word richly dwelling in our hearts, minds, and souls.

31.j. “For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light”

Matthew 6:22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light, but if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness!

“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.

2 Corinthians 11:3    But I am afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his cunning, your thoughts will be led astray from a sincere and pure devotion to Christ.

Ephesians 4:18    They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

Ephesians 5:8    for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light

Isaiah 5:20-21    Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!  Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight!

Jeremiah 4:22   “For my people are foolish; they know me not; they are stupid children; they have no understanding. They are ‘wise’—in doing evil! But how to do good they know not.”

Revelation 3:17   For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind, and naked.

Either our eye is directed at heavenly things (and therefore full of light) or it is directed at earthly things (and therefore full of darkness). It is all about the intentional choices we make every day. What is the first thought that comes to mind when we wake up each morning? What is the last thought in our mind when we go to bed? What fills our thoughts throughout the day? Do we wake up with the thoughts of praise, worship, and rejoicing to and in Jesus Christ? Do we walk up ready and willing to be led by the Holy Spirit? Do we wake up with a desire that wants to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all we say, think, and do? Do we awake in hunger and thirst for His Word? Are we desiring to see the day the Lord has made? I know answering these questions seems easier or harder than others days, but it is a learned and practiced discipline of our own choice(s). When our heart is divided between the cares of this world and those heavenly we are in darkness. It is in this darkness that nothing seems to make sense. Confusion, anger, hate, fear, conflict, and despair are their byproducts. How foolish does it sound to say; “I intentionally choose to think and live like this”? We choose to live in darkness, a place void of an intentional choice to honor, glorify, worship, and praise Jesus Christ. We sometimes think we can give lip service toward this goal but in fact, it is just words of our mouth and not from our heart and soul. We intentionally choose to be in darkness rather than humble surrender to and trust, faith, obedience, and reliance in Jesus Christ. This humble surrender to and trust, faith, obedience, and reliance on Jesus Christ. It is not a one-and-done decision from sometime in the past, it is an intentional way of life, moment by moment each and every day. Look around, read and listen to news outlets and other media sources and you will see and experience the life of darkness. They would have you believe this is how life is. It is not meant to be this way for the believer. No, our life should be filled with love, grace, mercy, kindness, peace, joy, and hope which can only be found in the light of Jesus Christ and humble surrender to and trust, faith, obedience, and reliance.

Intentionally choose to wake each morning with a desire and expectation (for every moment of that day) to honor and glorify Jesus Christ.