SERIES A --- YHVH’S PIONEERS -- LESSON 3
TWO TREES
FORBIDDEN FRUIT
From Genesis 3
Of all the creatures YHVH made, the serpent was the most cunning. [Did YHVH Command you not to eat any of the fruit in the garden?] he asked the woman one day. [Oh, no,] the woman answered. [Only the fruit from the tree in the centre of the garden is forbidden. YHVH warned us not to eat that fruit or even touch it, for if we do, we will die.] [YHVH knows that is not true,] said the serpent. [He knows that your eyes will be opened when you eat that fruit, and then you will have His power to know good from evil.] The fruit looked beautiful. The woman was sure that it would be delicious, and convinced by the serpent that it would make her wise, she picked some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, and he ate it, too. But as soon as the man and woman had eaten the fruit, they realized that they were naked, and they were ashamed. So, they sewed fig leaves together to make clothing to cover themselves. In the cool of the day the man and woman heard the sound of Adonai walking in the garden, and they were afraid. They quickly hid themselves among the trees of the garden. [Where are you?] Adonai called to the man. [When I heard You coming, I hid, because I was ashamed for You to find me naked,] the man answered. [Who told you that you were naked?] Adonai asked. [Have you eaten the forbidden fruit from the tree that I warned you not to eat?] [It was the woman You gave me who brought the fruit to me,] the man argued. [Then I ate it.] [Why did you do that?] Adonai asked the woman. [The serpent deceived me,] the woman answered. Then Adonai spoke to the serpent and told him of the punishment He was sending: [Because of what you have done, You are cursed more than all animals, Both the wild and tame animals of the earth. As long as you live You will crawl on the ground, Making your way through the dust. I will cause you and the woman and your offspring and hers to be enemies. While you strike at his heel, He will crush your head.] Adonai also spoke this punishment to the woman: [I will bring great pain to you when you give birth to children. Yet you will still desire your husband and he will rule over you.] To Adam YHVH gave this punishment: [Because you listened to your wife and ate the forbidden fruit the fruit which I warned you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; you will labour and struggle to earn a living from it as long as you live. While you sweat and toil to grow plants to eat, the soil will also grow thorns and thistles for you. Until the day you die you will sweat and toil to earn your daily bread. Then you will return to the ground from which you were taken; for you were made of dust, and to dust your body will return.] The man named his wife Eve, which meant [The One Who Gives Life,] for she became the mother of all people who were born on earth. Adonai made clothing from animal skins for Adam and Eve to wear. [The man has become like one of us,] Adonai said, [because he knows good from evil. Now he must not eat from the tree of life and live forever in this condition.] Therefore, Adonai drove the man out of the Garden of Eden and made him cultivate the soil from which he was made. At the eastern entrance to the Garden of Eden Adonai stationed cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction, guarding the path to the tree of life.
COMMENTARY
THE GARDEN OF EDEN
The Bible tells the story of human failure as well as of YHVH’s Love. Frequently, a tree plays an important part. Here we read of a forbidden tree, and of the disobedience which brought sin and death into our world. Later in the Bible we will read of a tree called [the cross,] where YHVH gave the gift of eternal life. Even in this tragic first story of sin, we catch a glimpse of a tree of life. Almost anyone who reads the account of Adam and Eve wonders about the Garden of Eden. What was it like? What kind of plants grew there? How large was it? Where was it located? What has become of it? The Bible is the only guidebook to Eden, and it gives only a few clues. The Genesis account says the river that flowed out of the garden divided into four branches that became the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Pishon and the Gihon. Two of these rivers are known today. The Tigris and Euphrates flow through the modern countries of Iraq, Syria and Turkey. But the Pishon and the Gihon remain a mystery. Some have suggested that they are branches of the Nile River in Egypt. Others say that they are smaller branches of the Tigris and Euphrates. The exact location remains a secret. What has happened to this marvellous garden? Nobody knows. Some believe it withered and died when YHVH expelled Adam and Eve. Others say it was destroyed by the waters of the Great Flood in Noah’s time. Some think the garden may still exist, hidden from men’s eyes. Many have searched for Eden, but no one has found the exact location. However, it would seem that the juncture of the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers may be close. For modern man, the importance of Eden does not lie in its foliage or its location, but in the events that happened there and the lessons to be learned from them.
Thought for Today: Tuesday November 29:
May YHVH prove Himself to be strong on your behalf. May He show you how to wisely and strategically stand in this place. May you rise your shield of faith, and block every fiery arrow the enemy sends your way. May you point your sword and dismantle every enemy scheme fashioned against you. May you know YHVH’s Loving and intimate Presence today. May you experience first-hand how mighty, how powerful, and how faithful He truly is. YHVH is mighty to save, He is with you in battle and He equipped you to win.
I am trying to find a nice 7 branch Menorah? Does anyone know of a good place?
https://firstcenturychristiani....ty.net/prophecy-outl
New from 119 Ministries! We continue our verse-by-verse study through 2 Peter. In this teaching, we cover 2 Peter 1:16:21. Hope it is a blessing to you!
There will be tribulation and distress for every human being who does evil, the Jew first and also the Greek, but glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, the Jew first and also the Greek.
Romans 2:9-10
God assigns rewards and penalties based on your actual, real-life conformity to his standards of behavior. Some will be given in this life and some after the resurrection.
SERIES A -- YHVH’S PIONEERS -- LESSON 2
LIFE
THE BREATH OF LIFE
From Genesis 2:4-25:
For some time after Adonai Elohiym created the heavens and the earth there were no plants, because Adonai Elohiym had not yet sent rain to water the land or placed man upon it to cultivate it. There was no moisture, except for the mists which rose from the ground and spread across the land. Then from the dust of the ground Adonai fashioned a man’s body and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person. Then Adonai planted a garden toward the east in a place called Eden, and in this garden, He placed the man He had created. There were many varieties of trees in the garden, all beautiful and filled with good fruit. In the middle of the garden were two unusual trees. One was the tree of life. The other, the tree that helps one knows good from evil. A river flowed out of Eden through the garden, watering the plants and trees. As it left the garden, the river divided into four branches. One branch was called Pishon, which flowed through the land of Havilah. This land was known for its fine gold, bdellium, and onyx stone. The second branch of the river, called Gihon, flowed around the land of Cush. The third, the Tigris, flowed east of Assyria. The fourth branch was named Euphrates. Adonai placed the man He had made in the Garden of Eden to care for it. [You may eat all you wish from any tree in the garden, except from the tree that helps you know good from evil,] Adonai said. [If you eat the fruit of that tree, you will certainly die.] Then Adonai said, [Man should not live in the garden alone. I will make someone to help him.] From the ground Adonai created the animals to roam the fields and the birds to fill the skies. He brought all these creatures before the man so that he could name them, for Adonai gave that responsibility to him. Thus, the man gave each animal and bird its name. But still the man Adam did not have a helper. Then Adonai caused a deep sleep to come upon the man. While he slept, Adonai removed one of his ribs and healed the opening from which it came. From the rib Adonai fashioned a woman and brought her to the man. [This is one of my bones and part of my flesh,] said the man. [She will be called woman, for she was taken from man.] This is why a man shall leave father and mother and become one flesh with his wife. And the man and woman were both naked, but they were not ashamed.
COMMENTARY
THE FERTILE CRESCENT
The other planets in our solar system are sterile and empty. Our earth is joyfully alive with plants, trees, fish, birds, animals, and people. Life too is a gift from YHVH. Living things, made to enjoy YHVH’s Creation, are a vital testimony to His great Love. Rugged mountains, far-reaching expanses of desert, and lonely wilderness consume thousands of miles of the Middle East. This is land which stubbornly resists settlement. Cities and villages, flocks and herds, and the people who care for them need water. Farmers and vineyard keepers need not only water, but fertile soil in which to plant their crops. The wilderness has little of either water or fertile soil. But in the midst of this vast stretch of lonely land there is a great crescent of water and fertile soil. On a map of the world, this crescent of rich land may seem small, but it stretches for about a thousand miles. Since this great arc of land was a fertile, crescent-shaped plot of land in the midst of the wilderness, it was often referred to as [the fertile crescent.] The soil of the fertile crescent was capable of producing food for growing populations, often clustered in or around earliest cities and their satellite villages. Wheat, barley and beans grew in abundance and cattle thrived on the plentiful pasture. Thus, it is not surprising that earliest civilizations spread along this fertile land, stretching from the Persian Gulf on the eastern side to the land of Canaan, later Israel, on the west. The crescent was watered by some of the great rivers of the Bible; the Tigris, Euphrates, Orontes, and the Jordan. In addition, there were numerous lesser-known rivers. These rivers not only provided water for fields and vineyards, pastures and gardens, but offered travel and communications as well. They connected the isolated cities of the Mesopotamian plain, and helped create one of the earliest great empires. Here the Sumerians, early empire builders, reached great heights of power and achievement. They built great cities and developed the earliest known system of writing. Abraham’s roots came from the Sumerians, for he grew up in their important city of Ur, near the south-eastern base of the fertile crescent. In his pilgrimage to Canaan, he moved along the fertile crescent and not straight west across the hostile desert. Sumerian culture was more advanced in early Bible history than the culture of Canaan and Syria to the west. It was not until many years later, when the Israelites conquered Canaan and settled the land, that the western side of the fertile crescent developed its resources and gained its place in world power.
He will render to each one according to his works: to those who by patience in well-doing seek for glory and honor and immortality, he will give eternal life; but for those who are self-seeking and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, there will be wrath and fury.
Romans 2:6-8
Eternal salvation cannot be earned by good works, but if you think that means God won't judge you for your works, whether good or evil, then you need to get past your Sunday School level theology and into the actual Scriptures.
So I made a nesting box yesterday from the leftovers of the doors. Its 37.5"W x 12"H x 12"D. 12 inch spacing for each partition. I was going to do two 18" partitions but the wife wanted a last minute design change lol.
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