Wednesday, May 13, 2009

Banished. Burdened. Bereaved. Blessed.

One of the salient, encouraging points from this past Sunday's sermon was that of the amazing grace of God. Pastor Benji shared with us that, in spite of the losses and sufferings Eve experienced, she still credited God for bringing joy to her heart once again: "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him" (Genesis 4:25).

In the face of having one son murdered and one son an exiled murderer, Eve received the gracious gift of a third son to be in the household. We don't have too many direct quotes from Eve in scripture, but this we do have: her testimony of God's role in the children she bore. The beginning of Genesis 4 has the same testimony as its end. Eve says, "With the help of the LORD I have brought forth a man" (Genesis 4:1).

Eve. Banished from the garden, burdened by the curse of pain in childbirth, bereaved of two sons, yet still able to praise God for one blessing: the life of the third son Seth. We often comment on Eve having been deceived by the serpent, but this past Sunday we were reminded of her more noble characteristic: she gave God the praise that was due to Him.

Friends, in spite your sorrow over what was lost, I hope you'll find a way to praise God for what you've gained.

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