When God the Creator created man, he had a plan with great expectations for him. God would teach the man to know His love, be a doer of good works, and encourage him to trust wholly in His Creator (Prov. 3: 5-6). With this commitment from the man, God assured him that nothing would ever separate their love for one another (Rom. 8: 38-39) and the man would always have the ability to accomplish all things through the bond between them (Phil 4: 13).
Unfortunately, however, as a result of the deceitfulness of a fallen angel, Satan, the man would destroy this perfect relationship with his Creator in the Garden that the heavenly Father had provided for him to live and care for. Because of the creation’s newly developed nature for self autonomy and self-direction, his descendants would likewise follow this nature (Gen. 6: 5). Mankind’s first great achievement was erroneously planned as an accomplishment to “make a name for themselves rather than to glorify their Creator (Gen. 11). The people would be driven by their pride professing independence from the Creator and his promised plan of abiding favor (John 15: 5) would be lessened when the Lord God stated, “apart from me, you can do nothing”.
Creation would continue to regress from seeking God’s guidance and favor filling the earth with extreme corruption, violence, and evil thoughts. The people were completely engrossed in everyday life, ignoring warnings of judgment. Widespread immorality, sexual perversion, and potential demonic influence consumed much of the choices of behavior (Gen. 6: 5).
The Creator had in times past, “winked at man’s actions because of ignorance but no longer (Acts 17: 30). Enter Noah “who found grace in the eyes of the Lord God” (Gen. 6: 8). Approximately 120 years later, Noah had constructed an Ark for sustaining creation’s regeneration for the Creator. Following God’s plan and guidance for the Ark, the Heavenly Father had a sustainable vessel for creation to “try to get it right this time”. After 40 days of persistent rain from the “Windows of Heaven” (Gen.7:11-12), Noah and a second generation of creation rode the Ark for 371 days leaving the first world behind with nothing (Gen. 6, 7, 8). There had been ten generations between Adam, the first man, and Noah.
Fast forward ten more generations, and Abraham, “the father of many nations” (Gen. 17: 4-5) would be born in the city of Ur of Chaldea or modern-day Iraq. Abraham alone, believed in one God as contrasted from all the other people there in Ur worshipping many gods. Receiving a commandment from God to “get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee”, Abraham left the people and the city of Ur with nothing of his faith for them to remember (Gen. 12).
Fourteen generations later, David, the shepherd boy and Israel’s greatest King, would reign for 40 years through God’s guidance and favor because God, Himself, told Samuel the prophet that “David was a man after his own heart” (1 Sam. 13: 14). David would become renowned for many qualities that would please his heavenly Father. David was a warrior who slew lions and bears with his shepherd’s staff and Goliath the giant with a stone and a sling (1 Kings 17). David’s greatest weapon, however, was nothing more that the name of his Lord God (1 Kings 17: 45).
Fourteen generations after David, an angel was sent from Heaven to herald “good news of great joy” to shepherds in a field, “Fear not: for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you, is born this day, in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2: 10-12). With this announcement, the world would be changed forever. During the next 30 years more or less, this “Christ the Lord”, reconnected Creation to the Creator through a few chosen disciples who turned the world upside down (Acts 17: 6) with the preaching of this Jesus the Christ (Acts 4: 12). This realization of being born again by water and of the Spirit would bring God’s creation full circle from the Garden of Eden to a place of eternal joy and peace “where eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor entered into the heart of man, what God hath prepared for them who love Him (2 Cor. 2: 9).
The plan for redeeming mankind to the Father would be one long, treacherous, and painful path to Calvary costing Heaven everything! Creation’s contribution would be nothing to add except to accept it. This selfless act of the “innocent dying for the guilty” is the greatest proof of existence of a Supreme Being that is Love (1 John 4: 8). Hope that was lost in the Garden of Eden was rekindled in the Garden of Gethsemane and finalized on a hill called Calvary. Satan’s demons, utilizing all weapons of evil deceit and warfare, had accomplished nothing to prevent the majestic plan of salvation for creation. The final stamp of “it is finished” became apparent when Mary Magdalene found the stone at the entrance to Christ’s tomb on that first Easter morning gone, and inside there was nothing to see! As Magdalene wept, two angels calmed her (John 20: 13). Turning away from them, she is the first to see the risen Lord. Go tell my disciples that they may tell others. Have you been told this story? Go and tell the story yourself to someone else. Hallelujah!
Sower's Field by L. Michael Schoonover 