Episodes

  • [Genesis 3] And the LORD God clothed them

    [Genesis 3] And the LORD God clothed them
    Jun 23 2022
    Welcome to Reflection on Plumb. In this episode, I talk about Genesis 3 where sin enters the world through one man, Adam, and God’s response.Genesis 3 brings us to what is called The Fall. It’s the introduction of sin into the world through that one man, called Adam. We don’t know how long Adam and Eve lived in the paradise of the Garden of Eden, but we learn here that it came to end, and how it ended.In verse 1, we are immediately introduced to the serpent. What’s the first thing you thing of when you hear serpent? A pretty green snake, dangling from the branches of the tree from above? A lot of people have a problem with this chapter precisely because they have the same view. They dismiss this event as myth or folklore, because, seriously, who ever heard of a talking snake?So, let’s talk about this snake for a minute. First, let it be known, that I have never had a problem with the idea of a talking snake in the Garden of Eden. Remember what I said in Genesis 1? God created. If God created the world, the universe, everything in it, than He most certainly could have created a talking snake. Quite frankly, after the sun, the moon, and the stars, oh, and man, I feel like a talking snake would be no big deal.But what we also learn, as the chapter progresses, is that this serpent isn’t your ordinary garden variety snake. While it’s compared twice in this chapter to beasts of the field, meaning that it probably did have some sort of animal form, we also learn that this snake is also known as Satan.This serpent has also been compared to the serpent of Revelations 12:9:And the great dragon was thrown down, that ancient serpent, who is called the devil and Satan, the deceiver of the whole world--he was thrown down to the earth, and his angels were thrown down with him. (ESV)So here’s the question. Was the serpent in the Garden of Eden actually a dragon? It would make more sense when God gives the curse: “on your belly you will go,” if the serpent were a dragon as opposed to a snake which already goes on it’s belly. And Revelations isn’t the only dragon mentioned in the Bible. Job 41 talks about Leviathan, which is described as a sea monster, but look at how else it’s described:His sneezings flash forth light,    and his eyes are like the eyelids of the dawn.Out of his mouth go flaming torches;    sparks of fire leap forth.Out of his nostrils comes forth smoke,    as from a boiling pot and burning rushes.His breath kindles coals,    and a flame comes forth from his mouth. (Job 41:18-21, ESV)I don’t know about you, but that sounds like a dragon to me.Now I say all that, only to say, it isn’t really important as to what kind of serpent, physically, we’re talking about. At least I don’t think so. It’s the cunning part. The part that says, this is Satan. The enemy.So Satan convinces Eve that eating the fruit of the tree will not kill her, and that she’ll be like God, knowing good and evil. And let’s face it. Who doesn’t want to be like God? I mean He has all the answers, He’s immortal, and I bet His knee doesn’t ache on a daily basis!Now people like to blame Eve for what happened in the Garden, but throughout Scripture, it’s made clear that Adam ultimately bears the responsibility for sin and death entering the world.Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- (Romans 5:12, ESV)Why does he bear responsibility? Let me speculate for a minute, and if someone has a better explanation, let me know!First, Adam is told in Genesis 2:17 that he shall not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, but it’s not until verse 22 that God makes Eve. So the question is, did God tell Eve the same thing, or was that Adam’s responsibility. Scripture doesn’t say, but she obviously knew because she told Satan in Genesis 3:3 that it was off limits.Second, when God discovers their transgression, He confronts Adam:Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? (Genesis 3:11, ESV)Is Eve blameless? Of course not! But the responsibility lays at Adam’s feet, and that’s where we need to keep it as well.So what are the consequences? Well there are four things that occur next. First, God curses Satan. I already mentioned the part about “on your belly you will go” in the earlier discussion about dragons. But the second, and more important part, at least to me, is what people have termed, The Protoevangelium or "First Gospel." It’s one verse, 15, but it’s made up of two parts. Part one says:I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspringNow I did a search on Bing and there appears to be two main thoughts about this. There are those who say “her” refers to Virgin Mary, since part two refers to her son Jesus. But there are also those who say “her” refers to Eve, and that’s the camp I fall into. As we ...
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    8 mins
  • [Genesis 2] And They Shall Become One Flesh (podcast)

    [Genesis 2] And They Shall Become One Flesh (podcast)
    May 29 2022
    In this episode, I give a quick summary of Genesis 2, with a focus on God's creation of man and woman.TranscriptGenesis 2 opens with the Seventh Day, and the first thing we’re told is that God rested from the work he had done; in other words, he rested from the work of creating, and set the day aside as holy.The rest of Genesis 2 returns to Day Six where we are given more details about what occurred on that day, specifically regarding the creation of man and woman, as well as the Garden of Eden. Here I’m going to focus on the creation of man and woman.Created from dirtAt this point we’ve been told that bushes and plants and been created, but had not sprung up. They had been waiting on the rains to come, but more importantly, there was no man to work the ground.then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature. (Genesis 2:7, ESV)So from the ground, God created man. He then created the garden in the east of Eden, and placed the man in it. It was the man’s job to work and keep the garden, or in other words, work the ground that he had been created from. Now out of the ground the Lord God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. (Genesis 2:19, ESV)So there are two things going on here. First, we’re reminded that man was not the only living thing made from the ground. All the beasts of the field and the birds of the heavens were as well. Now at the same time we’re reminded of the common origin, we’re reminded of Genesis 1:26, 28 where God had said that man would “have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” God lives up to this promise by bringing every living creature to the man to be named.Notice that man names the animals. Animals did not name themselves, and there was no discussion between man and the animals over what the name would be. “And whatever the man called every living creature, that was it’s name.”Can you imagine the amount of time it must have taken to name every living creature? There’s a lot of work there. But in the end, I think there’s an important point being made. We’re told that among every living creature that was brought before man, not a single one was suitable to be a helper. We might think, “well duh,” but don’t overlook this. It drives home the point that despite the common origin, we are not like the animals. Animals are not like us.Created from ManUp until this point, all the living creatures on the face of the earth had been created from the ground, but God did something different when he created a helper for the man.So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought her to the man. (Genesis 2:21-22, ESV)So the woman, instead of being made from the ground, was made from the rib of the man. This made her unique among all living creatures. She was special! And when the Lord God brought her to the man, he knew it right away:Then the man said, “This at last is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. (Genesis 2:23, ESV)The woman was literally bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh. She was created by God specifically to be man’s helper. The Amplified Bible expands on the word helper with the word complement, which Bing defines as: a thing that completes or brings to perfection.Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. (Genesis 2:24, ESV)I think it’s interesting that when God took the man’s rib, he replaced it with flesh, not bone. It’s almost as if by taking the woman out of man, man is left incomplete. I also find it interesting that we’re told that a man shall leave his father and mother for a wife. Not the other way around. The man will hold fast to his wife—his one wife—and the two will become one flesh: complete: perfect.So ideally at this point, man and woman, together as one flesh, are supposed to have dominion over all living things, work and tend the garden of Eden, be fruitful and multiply, fill and subdue the earth. Still wondering why we’re here?Unfortunately, this ideal doesn’t last very long. In fact, the two of them, together, screw it up in the very next chapter.Don't forget to Subscribe, Rate, Review, Like, whatever it is, depending on where you listen from, because that helps get the word out about this show. If you have questions or comments, you can contact me directly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. If you're a paid ...
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    5 mins
  • [Genesis 1] In the Beginning (podcast)

    [Genesis 1] In the Beginning (podcast)
    May 20 2022

    In this episode, I give a quick summary of Genesis 1, and talk about that foundational statement, "In the Beginning, God created..." I also talk about a couple of life's biggest questions: how did we get here, and maybe more importantly, why are we here? But the biggest takeaway from this episode isn't just In the beginning, but God created.

    Link mentioned: Lord of Spirts



    Get full access to Reflection on Plumb at onplumb.substack.com/subscribe
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    8 mins
  • Introductions (podcast)

    Introductions (podcast)
    May 11 2022

    Reflection on Plumb is a new podcast aimed at going through the Bible and looking at what it actually says. This is the short introduction to the podcast, and the host. I set some of what to expect going forward.

    Articles mentioned: The Astonishing Achievements of our Ancient Ancestors, and Ten Things the Ancients Did Better than Us



    Get full access to Reflection on Plumb at onplumb.substack.com/subscribe
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    8 mins