The First Garden

From the very beginning, gardens have been a place of fellowship:

Genesis 3:8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Some commentators speak of “the cool of the day” as the “breeze of the day,” that the word “cool” is more accurately translated as wind or breeze: Heb. Ruwach meaning breath or wind. It is a word that also describes the Holy Spirit. He is the wind of God – the prophetic breath.

The "cool of the day" can also refer to a time in the evening when the sun is setting, and the dew begins to rise. This produced a special atmosphere that was conducive to intimacy in fellowship. It was at this special time that the Lord came to fellowship with man. Dew also speaks of revival. It comes silently and covers everything that is exposed. Today, we can set apart and prepare a place--within us, and a special area in our home, to be as this "cool of the day." The Lord will respond and knock on the door of this "set apart place."

So, this does not just describe the time of day in the garden, but the person of the Holy Spirit filling everything and everyone in the garden. Adam and Eve walked with God surrounded by the evening breeze – the power of God flowing around them and into them.

Let us seek him NOW!

The word "seek" in Hebrew is a very strong word:

Strongs: 1875. darash pronounced-daw-rash'; a primitive root;

- to tread or frequent

- usually to follow (for pursuit or search)

- to seek or ask

- to worship

- care for

- diligently inquire

- make inquisition

- question

- require

- search

- seek

Think about the meanings of all these words – seeking Him involves a diligent, careful, inquiring and seeking of His presence. It even means to require His presence. You might think it is disrespectful to talk to Him like that, but He invites us to speak in such forceful terms. The Lord requires that we seek Him - we are called on to tread this path frequently - like the sheep in New Zealand that go over the same paths time and time again until they wear ruts into the sides of the hills. Let us make a rut out of seeking His face - this happens as we run into Him again and again - we make a well-worn pathway into his presence.

Gratuitas photo of NZ sheep

Is. 55:6

Seek the Lord while He may be found,
Call upon HIm while He is near.


More on gardens and weeds HERE 

7 Things - Seeking God

Here are seven keys for seeking God:

1. Seek Him with all your heart and soul

Jer. 29:13 And you will seek Me, and find Me, when you search for Me   with all your heart.

Also: Deut. 4:29; 2Chr. 15:12–13,

2. Seek Him when He is Near

Is. 55:6 Seek the Lord while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near 

3. Seek Him through fasting

2Chr. 20:3–4 And Jehoshaphat feared, and set himself to seek the Lord, and proclaimed a fast throughout all Judah. So Judah gathered together, to ask help from the Lord; and from all the cities of Judah they came to seek the Lord.

4. Seek Him early

Ps. 63:1 O God, You are my God; early will I seek You; my soul thirsts for You, my flesh longs for You in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water.

5. Seek Him through prayer

Zech. 8:22 Yes, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the   Lord of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the Lord.

6. Seek Him diligently

Prov. 8:17 I love those who love me; and those who seek me diligently will find me. 

Hebr. 11:6 But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.

7. The Zacchaeus principle—Run, climb higher, look

Luke 19:3–4 And he sought to see who Jesus was; and could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he ran ahead, and climbed up into a sycamore tree to see Him, for He was going to pass that way.

Four things hinder us from coming up higher:

• Handicaps—he was short. Natural disadvantages

• Obstacles—the crowd. Even those who mean well can drain us. We can lose focus on the Lord if we spend too much time with people – not that we shouldn’t be with people, but don’t let them rob you of your personal time with God

• Appearances—his reputation as a tax collector.

• Opportunities—the timing of Jesus' visit. He had to respond - Opportunities have a lifetime. If we wait too long, the time can pass for us to move

More on Seeking God: HERE

Book Of Proverbs - Part 6

Just a little more about the fear of the Lord and wisdom....

Proverbs 1:7 is the central statement that summarizes all of the wisdom books. It is the thesis of the wisdom literature in the Bible:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
but fools despise wisdom and instruction.

The "fear of the Lord" is mentioned nearly 20 times in Proverbs alone. Again, by "fearing" God, I am not talking about cowering and recoiling from Him, but rather adjusting the whole way we think about Him and act towards Him in our whole lives. Correct fear of the Lord lays the foundation for every aspect of our relationship with Him, and all people.

When Solomon says that the fear of the Lord is the "beginning," he is not saying that this concept is the first and then we progress from it to other things. Rather, he is is saying that this is the primary foundation. We never move away from the fear of the Lord, as it is needed at every step into wisdom and good judgment in every field of life for all of our days. The fear of the Lord must be woven into the fabric of our character, and affect every-day life and all-day living. Wisdom is a life-long pilgrimage.

We never progress from the fear of the Lord, 

we must continually grow in the fear of the Lord.

The wisdom that God lays out for us is distinct from wisdom found in other cultures and ages because of the personal relationship with the Lord that is required in correctly "fearing the Lord." It is through relationship that we grow in wisdom and understanding - not through the acquiring of human knowledge or skills. Therefore, the greatest wisdom of the universe is available to the simple minded, the poor, the broken and sick, the young and even those who are just beginning their relationship with the Lord.

It is interesting to me that the first time the word "wisdom" is used in the Bible is in Exodus 28:3 and then Ex. 31:3, 6, where the Lord gave artists supernatural wisdom to create the priestly garments and beautiful vessels needed to worship the Lord as He desired. This is the same word that us used in much of the Proverbs.

The Hebrew word for this wisdom is chokmah which is an ethical and spiritual wisdom. It also means "to make one strong and sound in character."

Proverbs, then, will strengthen the Believer in character and spirit; it will energize us in our relationship with the Lord. It is this focus on character and spirit rather than the intellect that makes the wisdom in this book so appealing and accessible. 

This is the choice God gave mankind from the beginning - develop the soul (mind, will, emotions) by eating from the tree of knowledge of good or evil, or develop the spirit through relationship with the Father and through feeding on His wisdom.

Proverbs 3:13-18

Happy is the man who finds wisdom, and the man who gains understanding;

For her proceeds are better than the profits of silver, and her gain than fine gold.

She is more precious than rubies,

and all the things you may desire cannot compare with her.

Length of days is in her right hand, in her left hand riches and honor.

Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

She is a tree of life to those who take hold of her, and happy are all who retain her.

The Book of Proverbs Part 5 HEREThe Book of Proverbs Part 7 HERE