A blessing is placed on an individual and remains until it is changed into a curse. -- Dietrich Bonhoeffer
The first blessing occurs after God created man and woman.
"The God blessed them and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28)
The first curse occurs after the serpent intervened in the way of God and Eve and Adam listened and reacted, choosing their own desires over God's preferred way.
God cursed the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:14-15)
God cursed the woman: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)
God cursed the man: "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you And you shall eat the herb of the field In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)
This curse affected all of mankind from that day forward and continues to be so.
God asks, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?" (Genesis 4:6)
"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." (Genesis 4:7)
"Where is ... your brother? What have you done?" (Genesis 4:9-10)
We follow our own personal thoughts, we listen only to our needs and desires. We do not seek guidance from the Lord God. We seek any and every means of personal gratification. The Lord punishes us and we are filled with remorse and fear .. for a moment. The Lord is merciful. He seeks our fellowship all along the path of life we lead. We are grateful ... for a moment. We return to ways of before. The days of darkness and evil escalate. God responds. He is grieved. Some find grace in the eyes of the Lord Almighty. Some walk with God. Violence does not falter, but continues. Death and destruction are imminent. It will come. The end is near. God is. He is who and what and when and where. His response. His answer. It is near. It will come.
What should be our response?
"Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:6-7)
The first blessing occurs after God created man and woman.
"The God blessed them and God said to them, Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth." (Genesis 1:28)
The first curse occurs after the serpent intervened in the way of God and Eve and Adam listened and reacted, choosing their own desires over God's preferred way.
God cursed the serpent: "Because you have done this, You are cursed more than all cattle, And more than every beast of the field; On your belly you shall go, And you shall eat dust All the days of your life. And I will put enmity Between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, And you shall bruise His heel." (Genesis 3:14-15)
God cursed the woman: "I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you." (Genesis 3:16)
God cursed the man: "Because you have heeded the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying You shall not eat of it: Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you And you shall eat the herb of the field In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return." (Genesis 3:17-19)
This curse affected all of mankind from that day forward and continues to be so.
God asks, "Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?" (Genesis 4:6)
"If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it." (Genesis 4:7)
"Where is ... your brother? What have you done?" (Genesis 4:9-10)
We follow our own personal thoughts, we listen only to our needs and desires. We do not seek guidance from the Lord God. We seek any and every means of personal gratification. The Lord punishes us and we are filled with remorse and fear .. for a moment. The Lord is merciful. He seeks our fellowship all along the path of life we lead. We are grateful ... for a moment. We return to ways of before. The days of darkness and evil escalate. God responds. He is grieved. Some find grace in the eyes of the Lord Almighty. Some walk with God. Violence does not falter, but continues. Death and destruction are imminent. It will come. The end is near. God is. He is who and what and when and where. His response. His answer. It is near. It will come.
What should be our response?
"Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, And the unrighteous man his thoughts; Let him return to the Lord, And He will have mercy on him; And to our God, For He will abundantly pardon." (Isaiah 55:6-7)
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