Author Archives: ilmaarts

GENESIS 3 SHAME AND BLAME

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January 2

GENESIS 3

8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coolof the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” – Genesis 3:8-13

GENESIS 3 SHAME AND BLAME

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

God’s purpose for man is to be in relationship with him

Desires and longings make us disobey God which leads to sin

Sin is a turning away from God’s love; it results in shame

Then we begin to point to others and start the blame game

Because we were designed to bring glory to God

We experience shame because we aren’t fulfilling that goal.

This chapter on the fall of Adam and Eve gives us a very clear understanding where shame and blame come from. The part of this chapter happened after they ate of the forbidden tree. Let’s focus on the event and what happens after they partook of the devil’s lure. Notice what they did as soon as they heard the sound of the Lord walking in the garden. They hid. Hiding is the result of the guilt and the shame that sin brings about. The shame is the consequence of our going against what we were designed to do: to have intimacy with God and to bring him glory. Sin distorts that purpose. Instead of bringing glory to God, it leads us to bring glory to ourselves. The priority becomes self-pleasing instead of God-pleasing.

In verse 9, God asks Adam where he is. We know that God sees and knows all things. Why did he have to ask this? He didn’t ask Eve, just Adam. Remember that Adam was given dominion over all God’s creation (Genesis 1:26-28)? God asked this to make Adam accountable for Eve who is under his care and his authority over the serpent. God asked this question expecting Adam to take responsibility for their disobedience since he was the one given authority to rule over the earth and all living creatures. Instead, he made all excuses and declared his guilt and shame by hiding.  In verse 11, God was expecting Adam to confess his sin and be accountable for it but he didn’t. In verse 12, the blame game starts. Adam blames the woman for enticing him and also blames God for giving him the woman who got him in trouble. When God asked Eve “What is it that you have done?” It’s not like he didn’t know what they did. It is also expecting Eve to confess and admit their sin. But she also replied with a blame towards the serpent. No one took responsibility for what they did. They both engaged in shame and blame.

REFLECTION

  • Share insight how this shame and blame become results of sin in our current setting.

GENESIS 3 SEDUCTION IN THE GARDEN

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January 1

GENESIS 3

Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘Youshall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 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.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 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. 7 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 3:1-7

GENESIS 3 SEDUCTION IN THE GARDEN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Sin begins with desires that was meant to trap you

It appears to be good for you but is really very harmful

As soon as the seduction becomes very appealing

You are about to embark in the matrix of sinning

Once you get a taste of the craving, you will want more

That will bring you on a cycle of addiction and obsession

Sin is designed to veer you away from God’s love and grace

It deceives you and questions the identity you have in Christ.

The third chapter of Genesis narrates to us how sin came about. The characters in this story are: the serpent (the devil), Adam (the husband) and Eve (the wife). Let us take a good look at each of the characters and observe the seduction in the garden as it happened.

The serpent was described as crafty in this chapter. King James bible dictionary defines “crafty” as cunning; artful; skillful in devising and pursuing a scheme, by deceiving others, or by taking advantage of their ignorance; wily; sly; fraudulent. From verse 1, we can deduce that the serpent is one of the beasts of the field. Many scholars have been intrigued if the serpent used to have legs because his crawling on the ground was an aftermath of this first temptation he plotted against Eve and Adam in verse 14. We will witness in this chapter how crafty this beast is. Eve was the main target of the serpent here. He probably thought that if he could get to her, it would not be as hard to take the husband down next because he will do as his wife does.

We don’t hear much of Adam here except in verse 6 where he was also given a part of the fruit. In other words, he was present when this seduction was happening. He just allowed Eve to be victimized by this creature. It is interesting to watch that God’s magnificent creation in man now became tarnished by the temptation that they succumbed to.

REFLECTION

  • How did the seduction happen in this chapter? How was it manipulatively hidden?

HOSEA 12 PRIDE GOES BEFORE SIN

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December 31

HOSEA 12

7 A merchant, in whose hands are false balances, he loves to oppress.
8 Ephraim has said, “Ah, but I am rich; I have found wealth for myself;
in all my labors they cannot find in me iniquity or sin.”
9 I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt;
I will again make you dwell in tents, as in the days of the appointed feast.

10 I spoke to the prophets; it was I who multiplied visions,
 and through the prophets gave parables– Hosea 12:7-10

HOSEA 12 PRIDE GOES BEFORE SIN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Those who boast about their wealth and riches

Are deceived because every good gift comes from God above

The wicked does not acknowledge that there is a God

They manipulate others so they can profit well

The proud thinks that his wealth is his own doing

He doesn’t recognize God’s provision and blessing.

In these following verses, the prophet Hosea presents the manifestations of the wicked and the proud. He describes a merchant who has false scales to trick people into thinking they got a good deal. They actually deceive the buyers so they could earn more profit. During the time this was written, the market was the shopping mall. The vendors could easily do something with the scale to trick the weight of the goods they are buying. Even in our online shopping, we could still find dishonest sellers. They could easily pay someone to write dishonest reviews so they could sell their product and then deliver a much inferior item to their customer. Another way to cheat consumers is to put false promises of the product that it cannot truly deliver.

In verse 8 the self-made man who thinks that it is his own hard work and effort which made him wealthy. They forget that every blessing they have is from God. They become proud and self-reliant and do not thank or acknowledge God’s provision for them. It is foolish to think you can do anything without God’s hand in it. Everything comes from him.

REFLECTION

  • How are self-sufficiency and deceitfulness both sins that stem from pride?

HOSEA 12 FEEDING ON THE WIND

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December 30

HOSEA 12

Ephraim feeds on the wind and pursues the east wind all day long;
they multiply falsehood and violence; they make a covenant with Assyria,

and oil is carried to Egypt.2 The Lord has an indictment against Judah

and will punish Jacob according to his ways; he will repay him according to his deeds.
3 In the womb he took his brother by the heel, and in his manhood he strove with God.
4 He strove with the angel and prevailed; he wept and sought his favor.
He met God at Bethel, and there God spoke with us—
5 the Lord, the God of hosts, the Lord is his memorial name:
6 “So you, by the help of your God, return, hold fast to love and justice,
    and wait continually for your God.”– Hosea 12:1-6

HOSEA 12 FEEDING ON THE WIND

In the first verse of this chapter, the prophet reiterates his words in Hosea 8:7 when he said that if you sow the wind, you will reap the whirlwind. All of the things they chased such as their idols resulted in nothing. They were sowing unfaithfulness, so they reaped violence and more deceived minds. They began to rely on Assyria which cannot truly give them assurance.

In Proverbs 11:29, we hear again about the wind. It says “Whoever troubles his own household will inherit the wind, and the fool will be servant to the wise of heart.” The wind symbolizes things that we chase that cannot satisfy us because the wind is something we cannot hold on to. John 4:14 on the other hand, tells us to drink the living water because if we do, we will never be thirsty again. Unlike feeding on the wind which does not result in life, the living water brings us eternal life. A commentary says “The point is actually fairly simple. Wind is not filling. It cannot satisfy. No matter how much you eat of it, you will never be full. It has zero nutrition.” The phrase “pursue the east wind all day long” has almost the same meaning as Solomon states in Ecclesiastes 1:14 when he said “I have seen everything that is done under the sun, and behold, all is vanity and striving after wind.”

Hosea reminded God’s people of Jacob’s fight with Esau even in their mother’s womb and we know that Ephraim and Judah all came from Jacob’s tribe. It is not hard to deduce that the sinful nature of Jacob could have been passed on to the next generations after him.

REFLECTION

·       What do people usually chase that make them feed on the wind?

HOSEA 11 GOD’S COMPASSION & MERCY TO HIS BELOVED

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December 29

HOSEA 11

8 How can I give you up, O Ephraim? How can I hand you over, O Israel?
How can I make you like Admah? How can I treat you like Zeboiim?
My heart recoils within me; my compassion grows warm and tender.
9 I will not execute my burning anger; I will not again destroy Ephraim;
for I am God and not a man, the Holy One in your midst, and I will not come in wrath.

10 They shall go after the Lord; he will roar like a lion; when he roars,
his children shall come trembling from the west;
11 they shall come trembling like birds from Egypt,
and like doves from the land of Assyria,

and I will return them to their homes, declares the Lord.
12 Ephraim has surrounded me with lies, and the house of Israel with deceit,
but Judah still walks with God and is faithful to the Holy One.

                                                                     – Hosea 11:8-12

HOSEA 11 GOD’S COMPASSION & MERCY TO HIS BELOVED

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If God has chosen you as his beloved, you will be loved like no other

God loves unconditionally but for your own sake stay steadfast

Loyalty to God is your protection against the systems of the world

It will equip you with discernment and help you see what is wrong.

In verse 8, God wanted to spare his people what he did to those lands that were utterly wicked. Deuteronomy 29:23 mentions the different lands that God overthrew and destroyed out of his anger. Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim were among these lands. According to sources Admah and Zeboiim were the little towns outside of Sodom and Gomorrah, which were burned up with the larger cities when the sulfury fire of God fell from heaven in judgment on them. In verse 9 he manifests his mercy on the sinfulness of his people. Another source says “To be made like Admah and treated like Zeboiim is not only to pass out of existence but out of memory. In the riches of his grace it is abhorrent to the Most High God to drop his people into the flames of the memory hole, as they deserve.”

REFLECTION

  • Cite instances when God has shown his compassion and mercy to you?

HOSEA 11 GOD’S LOVE REPAID WITH IDOLATRY

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December 28

HOSEA 11

When Israel was a child, I loved him, and out of Egypt I called my son.
2 The more they were called, the more they went away;

 they kept sacrificing to the Baals and burning offerings to idols.

3 Yet it was I who taught Ephraim to walk; I took them up by their arms,
but they did not know that I healed them.
4 I led them with cords of kindness, with the bands of love,
and I became to them as one who eases the yoke on their jaws,

and I bent down to them and fed them. They shall not return to the land of Egypt,
but Assyria shall be their king, because they have refused to return to me.
6 The sword shall rage against their cities, consume the bars of their gates,
and devour them because of their own counsels.

7 My people are bent on turning away from me,
 and though they call out to the Most High, he shall not raise them up at all.

                                                                        – Hosea 11:1-7

HOSEA 11 GOD’S LOVE REPAID WITH IDOLATRY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

Do you know that I watched you as you were formed?

I knit you inside to be like me in your mother’s womb

I love you without bounds and gave you mercy and grace

And yet you repaid me by bowing down to other gods.

In this account, God reminds his people how he loved them so much. He took both the roles of a mother and father to them.  He took care of their safety and also provided for all their needs. He led them out of slavery from the Egyptians and ensured they would not starve and die in the desert. God guided them towards the Promised Land, but how did the Israelites repay God’s kindness and love? They served the gods of Baal and completely forgot all the manifestations of the love  he had for them.

Humans can easily forget the things that they were rescued from as soon as they are in safety and needs are met. We tend to forget how God pulled us out of the predicament we were in as soon as we get comfortable and out of danger.

REFLECTION

  • How can we resist the temptation to repay God with idolatry?

HOSEA 10 BECAUSE YOU HAVE TRUSTED IN YOUR OWN WAY

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December 27

HOSEA 10

11 Ephraim was a trained calf that loved to thresh, and I spared her fair neck;
but I will put Ephraim to the yoke; Judah must plow; Jacob must harrow for himself.
12 Sow for yourselves righteousness; reap steadfast love; break up your fallow ground,
for it is the time to seek the Lord, that he may come and rain righteousness upon you.

13 You have plowed iniquity; you have reaped injustice; you have eaten the fruit of lies.
Because you have trusted in your own way and in the multitude of your warriors,
14 therefore the tumult of war shall arise among your people, and all your fortresses shall be destroyed, as Shalman destroyed Beth-arbel on the day of battle;
mothers were dashed in pieces with their children. 15 Thus it shall be done to you, O Bethel, because of your great evil. At dawn the king of Israel shall be utterly cut off.

                                                                     – Hosea 10:11-15

HOSEA 10 BECAUSE YOU HAVE TRUSTED IN YOUR OWN WAY

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If you continually rely on your own understanding and strength

You will exhaust yourself and still feel inadequate

Because you have trusted in your own way, you will fail

But if you trust only in the Lord, you will conquer them all.

Kidner explains about threshing which was mentioned in verse 11. He says that “Threshing was a comparatively light task, made pleasant by the fact that the creature was unmuzzled and free to eat . . . as it pulled the threshing sledge over the gathered corn.”

Some commentary also said that “Ephraim had abandoned this comparatively light service in preference for becoming yoked to sin.” When we choose to trust in other gods or even in our own understanding and strength, we are provoking God’s wrath and it will definitely bear consequences. Wood comments that “Judah” refers to the South Kingdom and Jacob to the Northern, using the name of the patriarch that stresses this ancestor’s rebelliousness. Or possibly “Jacob” refers to all 12 tribes. As punishment Yahweh would yoke the people of both Northern and Southern Kingdoms to an enemy who would greatly restrict their movements and force them to do hard work.  When we trust in our own ways, we are competing with a God who knows all things and is All-powerful.

REFLECTION

  • How is trusting your own understanding a form of idolatry and pride?

HOSEA 10 ASSURANCE FROM GOD ALONE

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December 26

HOSEA 10

6 The thing itself shall be carried to Assyria as tribute to the great king.
Ephraim shall be put to shame, and Israel shall be ashamed of his idol.

7 Samaria’s king shall perish like a twig on the face of the waters.
8 The high places of Aven, the sin of Israel, shall be destroyed.
Thorn and thistle shall grow upon their altars,
and they shall say to the mountains, “Cover us,” and to the hills, “Fall on us.”

9 From the days of Gibeah, you have sinned, O Israel; there they have continued.
Shall not the war against the unjustovertake them in Gibeah?
10 When I please, I will discipline them, and nations shall be gathered against them
when they are bound up for their double iniquity. – Hosea 10:6-10

HOSEA 10 ASSURANCE FROM GOD ALONE

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

If a believer truly serves the Lord God Almighty

He will only trust in God and not in any other authority

Not kings, princes or human masters can give you assurance

Only the One true God who truly loves and cares for you can.

According to sources, the Assyrians would carry the golden calf to their land in honor of their king. Israel would then feel great shame because the Israelites had decided to trust in a foreign alliance with the Assyrians for their security instead of trusting their God. James Pritchard comments: “In those days the secular state did not exist, and so in practice it was impossible to distinguish between a state and its gods. In an extant treaty of peace between Rameses II of Egypt and Hattusilis the Hittite king it is a thousand of their gods on either side who are the witnesses to and guarantors of it.” Ellison also comments “Even a treaty on equal terms with a neighboring country would have involved for Israel a recognition of the other country’s deities as having reality and equality with Jehovah. To turn to Assyria or Egypt for help implied of necessity that their gods were more effective than the God of Israel.”

History has proven that rulers of nations who do not acknowledge God will naturally be wicked and evil. We become slaves to whoever we serve, their idols become ours.

REFLECTION

  • How is Psalm 1 reiterated in the following verses?

ISAIAH 9 FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN

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December 25

ISAIAH 9

6 For to us a child is born, to us a son is given;

and the government shall be uponhis shoulder, and his name shall be called
Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end,
on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it
with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore.
The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.– Isaiah 9:6-7

ISAIAH 9 FOR TO US A CHILD IS BORN

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

One silent night a son is given and to us a child is born

The Lord God loved us so much so He gave his Only Begotten Son

He rules over all kingdoms and he is the Prince of Peace

He makes sure that justice and righteousness reigns on earth

Praise the Son of God who is the Only Way to the Father

Believe in Him so you can have a life that is eternal.

What a privilege and honor it was for the prophet Isaiah to be given this revelation about our Prince of Peace, Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God and Everlasting Father thousands of years ago before we were born. Scholars and bible experts calculate Jesus’ time at the same time of King Herod which was between 6 and 4 BC. The Father gave us a resume of Jesus before he was born. Isaiah became God’s spokesperson to give us the identity of his Son Jesus Christ.

In this account we hear of different attributes of God: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Just and Righteous God. The Old Testament books of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel contain much of God’s promises to his people. These two verses hold a big chunk of those promises. It assures us of good counsel from the Lord Jesus Christ, unending peace and strength, assurance that He is the one in control and that anyone who believes in him will have everlasting life. It brings comfort and security for the believers who live in a very corrupt world. It gives them hope and expectancy.

REFLECTION

  • What among these traits of God mentioned in these two verses are the most significant to you and why?

HOSEA 10 THE DIVIDED HEART

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December 24

HOSEA 10

Israel is a luxuriant vine that yields its fruit. The more his fruit increased,
the more altars he built; as his country improved, he improved his pillars.
2 Their heart is false; now they must bear their guilt.
The Lord will break down their altars and destroy their pillars.

3 For now they will say: “We have no king,
for we do not fear the Lord; and a king—what could he do for us?”
4 They utter mere words; with emptyoaths they make covenants;
so judgment springs up like poisonous weeds in the furrows of the field.
5 The inhabitants of Samaria tremble for the calf of Beth-aven.
Its people mourn for it, and so do its idolatrous priests—

 those who rejoiced over it and over its glory—

 for it has departed from them. – Hosea 10:1-5

HOSEA 10 THE DIVIDED HEART

A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses

When a believer serves two masters, his heart will be divided

He will surely have a bias towards one and neglect the other

When one is unfaithful, he will betray one and love the other

A divided heart can never please God since he is an adulterer.

Matthew 6:24 says that no one can serve two masters. For you will hate one and love the other; you will be devoted to one and despise the other. In this account, Israel continues to defy God by building more altars and worshiping other gods. The more the Lord blesses them, the more altars they build. The more they continued their unfaithfulness, they grew in pretense and deception.  The book of James in chapter 1 verse 8 explains what a double mind is. It is unstable in all its ways. It is two-faced and its loyalty is divided, making him more confused and sinful. They say things that they don’t really mean because there is no truth in them. All they want is to cater to their own desires and satisfy themselves instead of truly serving their master. There is no honesty in them, it is all lies and deception that occupy their minds and hearts.

REFLECTION

  • Why are integrity and honesty very important in a Christian’s life?