Adam's Heart - Raised v. Fallen (5)

The third consideration to determine if Adam blamed either God or Eve has to do with Adam and Eve's resulting countenance following God's discipline. Were their countenances raised up or cast down after God pronounced their respectful consequences? In comparison, did Cain's countenance fall even further after God pronounced Cain's consequence? These questions can be answered if what Adam and Eve did after the fall is compared with what Cain did after Abel's murder and God's banishment.

Adam in Genesis 4:1 did what God commanded in Genesis 1:28. He procreated. Eve also praised the Lord for His help in Genesis 4:1. Adam and Eve both produced obedience to God's words.  

It is written that obedience comes from faith, Romans 16:26, while faith comes from hearing the words of God, Romans 10:17. God spoke to Adam and Eve in Genesis 3:11. They heard God's words and produced obedience.

Now compare this with Cain's actions recorded in Genesis 4:13. First of all, Cain was told to master evil so that his countenance would be lifted up. But, Cain caves in to evil and God casts his countenance down. Next God confronts Cain who then declares with his own mouth that he is unable to bare up under God's commands even though God does not give us more than we can bear, John 16:12; 1 Corinthians 10:13.

God spoke to Cain in Genesis 4:7 but Cain hardened his heart and disobeyed God's voice by murdering Able. Cain continued to harden his heart when he lied to God in Genesis 4:9. We also see that Cain's act of murder was a direct result of Cain's fallen countenance after God confronted Cain, Genesis 4:5-7.

Numbers 6:26, Job 9:27, Psalms 4:6, 42:5-11, 43:5, 89:15, Proverbs 25:23 all indicate that the countenance of the wise man is raised up while the countenance of the wicked is down-cast by God. This is the exact result to Cain's disobedience in Genesis 4. The fruit of blaming anyone after God's reproof would be evidenced by a fallen countenance.

Had Adam blamed either God or Eve in Genesis 3:12, Adam's countenance would have been cast down by God and not lifted up, Genesis 4:7. The fruit of obedience is evidenced by a heart raised up in gratitude for God's salvation, Hebrews 12:11. Adam knew that he deserved to die in the very same day that he ate the fruit because God said so. But, Adam did not die. Instead, the father of flesh died, is still dying, and will continue to die until somewhere around the end-times persecution when God can no longer be found.

 
 
Copyright © 2011 by Diane Pebley
(All rights reserved, no use granted without the express written permission of the author, Diane Pebley)

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