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July 25, 2022 8:00 pm
Many years ago, Joni Mitchell wrote a song called “Woodstock” in which she saw the human race trapped in a “bargain” with the devil. Urging her listeners to seek a simpler, more peaceful existence, she sang of a return to “the garden.” Mitchell spoke for a generation longing for purpose and meaning.
Mitchell’s poetical “garden” is Eden, of course. Eden was the paradise God created for us back in the beginning. In this garden, Adam and Eve met with God on a regular basis—until the day they made their bargain with the devil (see Genesis 3:6–7). That day was different. “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden” (v. 8).
When God asked what they’d done, Adam and Eve engaged in a lot of blame-shifting. Despite their denial, God didn’t leave them there. He “made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them” (v. 21), a sacrifice that hinted at the death Jesus would endure to cover our sins.
God didn’t give us a way back to Eden. He gave us a way forward into restored relationship with Him. We can’t return to the garden. But we can return to the God of the garden.
Welcome to today's encouragement from Our Daily Bread are reading titled God of the garden was written by Gustavus and many years ago Joni Mitchell wrote a song called Woodstock in which she saw the human race trapped in a bargain with the devil urging her listeners to seek a simpler, more peaceful existence. She sang of a return to the garden.
Mitchell spoke for a generation longing for purpose and meaning. Mitchell's political garden is Eden. Of course, Eden was the paradise God created for us back in the beginning. In this garden, Adam and Eve met with God on a regular basis until the day they made their bargain with the devil that day was different. Genesis 38 reads then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the cool of the day and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. When God asked what they'd done Adam and Eve engaged in a lot of blame shifting despite their denial. God didn't leave them there.
He made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them a sacrifice that hinted at the death, Jesus would endure to cover our sins. God didn't give us a way back to Eden. He gave us a way forward into restored relationship with him. We can't return to the garden but we can return to the God of the garden. Today's Our Daily Bread devotional Scripture reading is from Genesis chapter 3 verses eight through 13 then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden, but the Lord God called to the man where are you he answered. I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked so I hid and he said, who told you that you were naked.
Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from. The man said the woman you put here with me. She gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it. Then the Lord God said to the woman, what is this you have done.
The woman said the serpent deceived me, and I ate. Let's pray father, thank you so much for restoring us to a right relationship with you, despite all our failings and sin help us to be honest about our faults and failures cannot blame them on others. Thank you for using our failings as opportunities to help us grow in our relationship with you.
In Jesus name we pray.
Amen. Thanks for listening today I'm Steven. And today's encouragement was provided by Our Daily Bread ministries
