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January 3 - Morning
"To Adam he said, 'Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’
'Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.' "
- Genesis 3:17 |
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| The Ground is Cursed, but Man is Punished and Promised Redemption |
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God’s word and God’s command had clearly been given to Adam in the beginning when the Lord God (Yahweh Elohim) said to Adam,
“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
Instead, the Lord states that the man “listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you , ‘You must not eat from it.’ ” The Lord even quotes his own Word to Adam when he says, “I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it.’ ” As is always the case God holds man accountable for the Word that was spoken and revealed to him. And, likewise it is this Word that Satan attacks and that man must decide to obey or disobey.
Man’s punishment is “painful toil.” The word “painful,” or “pain,” is the same word used for the woman’s punishment – issabon. The Lord told the woman:
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful (issabon) labor you will give birth to children.” - Genesis 3:16
Even in English this issabon, or pain, is called similar terms for both men and women: the man’s work is called “labor” and the woman has “labor” in child birth.
It is important to notice that the ground is “cursed,” as was the serpent (Gen. 3:14), but the man and the woman are not cursed. The man and woman are punished and disciplined as part of the plan of salvation that is revealed in the Lord’s words to the serpent (3:15) and in his action of providing clothing and teaching Adam and Eve the sacrificial system (3:21). |
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"Remember always that your work or ministry or position dare never keep you from
your family. If you fail them, you fail your greatest responsibility – and you
are a failure in life."
- Ted W. Engstrom |
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| In 385 Ambrose, the bishop of Milan, refused to leave his cathedral and give it to the Emperor Valentianian and his mother Justina, even though imperial troops were sent and surrounded the church. Later, in 390, Ambrose refused to give communion to the Emperor Theodosius for a massacre of citizens in Thessalonica. The Emperor eventually repented, wore sackcloth to the cathedral and knelt before the bishop seeking repentance. A power shift had occurred where for the first time the government sought to obey the church and not vice versa. |
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Sheqer (Hb) - Falsehood (Eng) - sheqer is the Hebrew word translated "lie," "deception," "fraudulently," "wrongly," and "falsehood." Sheqer appears 109 times in the Hebrew Old Testament.
In Exodus 20:16 sheqer is used in the ninth commandment,
"You shall not bear false (sheqer) witness against your neighbor."
And, the Lord says to Jeremiah,
"The prophets prophesy falsely (sheqer), And the priests rule on their own authority.
And My people love it so!" (Jeremiah 5:31 |
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Around 1005 BC David told his troops, "Whoever would strike the Jebusites, let him get up the water sharft to attack."
General Joab the led a detachment of soldier into the Gihon Springs and crawled up a water shaft into the Jebusite city of Jebus to begin the Israelite attack on the city.
This account is recorded in 2 Samuel 5:8 and this water shaft has been discovered.
(See diagram here.
See photos here.
More info hereand here.) |
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Do I realize that God's original plan for man included work, labor and production?
It was only after sin that work, labor and the pursuit of production became painful
and hindered by things like weeds.
I will work, labor and pursue a productive life because this is what man was created for.
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"My son, do not forget my teaching,
but keep my commands in your heart,
for they will prolong your life many years
and bring you prosperity."
- Proverbs 3:1-2 |
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| Food and healthy diet |
Grow in love for God |
Military Generals |
International terrorism |
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| A Roman aqueduct at Caesarea with the Mediterranean Sea in the background. (click on image for larger size) |
A map of John's seven churches of Asia from 96 AD. The island of Patmos, where John was exiled and wrote Revelation, is off the coast southwest of Ephesus.
(click on image for larger size) |
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| Details and Explanation of Sets & Reps Devotional System Here |
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| Reps & Sets is a daily Bible devotional for Christians from Generation Word Bible Teaching used each morning and evening. |
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