Pentecost 3 - Deception
_-_Adam_and_Eve-Paradise_-_Kunsthistorisches_Museum.jpg/640px-Lucas_Cranach_(I)_-_Adam_and_Eve-Paradise_-_Kunsthistorisches_Museum.jpg)
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.
Deception is a regular part of our lives. We must be alert to the possibility that the person contacting us is a scammer. We must judiciously guard our myriad usernames and passwords so that we do not get hacked and someone steals our identity and money. We learn to read and listen to the news with a certain skepticism. We ask, what is the hidden agenda here? We learn to read the fine print and to question what is said as well as what is left unsaid.
The Bible attests that deception has been with us since the near beginning. In the lesson from Genesis, we see the after effect of deception. I went back and looked carefully at what Satan did through the serpent. One of the first things we should observe is how God’s name is used.
As you were reading along in the text while the lesson was read, you noticed God’s name is partly capitalized. 3:8 says, “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden…” A number of our English translations, choose to use the capitalized name LORD for the Hebrew word “Yahweh.” This follows the ancient Hebrew practice of when seeing God’s revealed name in the text, the reader automatically substitutes the word Adoni. Adoni is Hebrew for Lord. Then, every letter is capitalized to let us know that the word is not Adoni but Yahweh.
God reveals a number of names about himself to us through Holy Scripture. Each name carries a particular meaning or nuance that should not be lost on us. The combining of LORD and God in Genesis 3:18 is significant. For both speak of different aspects of God’ nature and character. Prof. Dean Wenthe observes that “the LORD God unites two aspects of God’s relationship to humanity and to the world – namely, the personal and covenant name “Yahweh” with Elohim,” the name that denotes God’s majesty and relationship to the cosmos.”
Adam and Eve know the LORD God. They know Him personally. They know Him covenantally, meaning that the LORD has a deep commitment to them. Adam and Eve also know God as their creator. And, certainly, they are aware that God created the paradise in which they dwelled so happily. Until, that is, the serpent was used by Satan to lead Adam and Eve to question God’s Word and lead them into temptation.
As I looked back at the dialogue between the Serpent and Eve, I was struck by the fact that the serpent does not use God’s full revealed name of LORD God. The serpent uses only the word Elohim, God. “Did God actually say…? Then the smooth-talking serpent says to Eve, “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.”
As part of the con game, the serpent chooses to use only God’s name that conveys God’s majesty and creative power. He does not want Eve or Adam to be reminded that God is also Yahweh, the one who cares deeply about them and knows them personally. Satan is happy to admit for his diabolical purposes that God created the world and all that dwells in it, but he does not want to reinforce the fact that God desires to always be in a trusting covenantal relationship with Adam and Eve.
It is just fine to admit that God is a creating entity. It is another matter altogether to confess that the LORD God is deeply invested in the one part of His creation that bears His Image. So, the serpent doesn’t lie exactly, he just doesn’t tell the whole story. Saying God’s full name, the LORD God, would remind Adam and Eve to trust in the one who visits them every day and provides for their every need because He loves them. So, it’s best to leave that out of the sales pitch.
In the serpent’s words, we have the first misuse of the LORD God’s name. Sadly, for us, Eve, then Adam, who was standing right there, fell for the deception, and as a result, they knew fear for the very first time in their lives.
The serpent’s deception and misuse of God’s name led to sin. Adam and Eve fell far short of God’s instruction and expectation. When they disobeyed, they brought upon themselves certain death. Out of fear, they hid from the LORD God. The Hebrew verb “to hide” occurs 34 times in the Old Testament. 26 of those times describe people, including Adam and Eve, who are hiding from the threat of death. Certainly, when they heard the LORD God coming, they remembered clear as a bell, what the LORD God said in the starkest terms possible back in Genesis 2:17, “you shall surely die.”
So, they hid. The proverbial dominoes are falling, one into another, right on down the line, until it comes to its end. The regular visit from the LORD God that they relished just the evening before, they now fear. Delight and joy are replaced by dread and deadly seriousness. Did Adam and Eve cringe when the LORD God sought them out? Did they already feel the gulf of separation between them and their beloved caretaker and creator?
The LORD God says, “Where are you?” Professor Wenthe writes, “an ancient rabbi observed about God’s question that it was not that God needed to know where Adam was, but Adam needed to know where he was in his relationship to God.” Lost is where Adam was. Lost. The cord of trust that bound him to the LORD God is cut. Adam and Eve are adrift. They are afraid. So, instead of running to the LORD God, they run from Him. All because Adam and Eve fell for the false promise of power offered them by the deceiver. Their eyes may be wide open now, but they are in darkness.
One of the great gifts of God’s Word is that as we are told Bad News, we are also told Good News. The LORD God is omniscient. He knew before He stepped into the garden what had happened. But, instead of accusation and yelling, our Gracious LORD and God asks a question. Where are you? He invites conversation. He invites confession of sin. This is a display of mercy, as is what happens next. As Adam and Eve choose not to take responsibility for their own actions and point the finger somewhere else, the LORD God listens. More deception. More lies. Yet, even in the midst of their lies and deception, the LORD God renders a merciful judgment.
Life will continue, but it will be much harder. The free ride is over. In addition, this tragedy will be reversed in the fullness of God’s time. In his judgment, he gives a promise. The Lord God says to the serpent in verse 15, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” The Hebrew word that is translated “her offspring” is zera’. This is literally “her seed.” This word is unique in the Old Testament. This is the only occurrence of the Hebrew word with a feminine suffix. Martin Luther, following the early Church Fathers, believed the virgin birth of Christ is being promised here.
In his mercy, as Adam and Eve are reeling from the impact of their deception and their now ongoing sinful behavior, the LORD God gives them a promise. A Savior is coming. A descendent of Adam and Eve will crush the head of that wily serpent. Even as Satan works his deceptions and lies behind the scenes to orchestrate Jesus’ suffering and crucifixion, the Lord Jesus chooses obedience. Where Adam and Eve fell for the lies and deception, Jesus does not. In obedience to the will of the Father, Jesus never waivers in his trust as he dies in our behalf. He dies so that we may have life, eternal life in paradise with the LORD God.
Deception and lies continue. It is a part of our lives whether we want it or not. It is the way of the world. It is just there. Yet, we know that Truth also persists. The one truth that we cling to is that Jesus Christ dies on the cross so that we can live in the promises of the LORD God. We own up to our sins. We own up to failures before God. We repent and we ask for the Lord’s forgiveness. On the merits of the crucified Christ, we are forgiven. The promise of paradise is ours. We take Him at His Word.
The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
___
I was greatly helped by Rev. Dr. Dean Wenthe through his article on today’s texts in the Concordia Pulpit Resources, Volume 28, Part 3, Series B, 2018.
Comments
Post a Comment