Sin and the Separation from Nature: A Genesis Devotional

Hello friends! Today I wanted to share something that hasn't left my mind since I read it - a thought about the separation from nature being a consequence of sin.

22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[a] of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life. 

In Genesis 3 (above), Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden of Eden as punishment for their sin They are separated from an incredibly fruitful, complete, bountiful piece of God's creation.

10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. 11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”

In Genesis 4 (above), Cain is punished by having the ground refuse to yield crops for him as punishment for killing Abel. His livelihood is taken from him, and the thing he loved and was proudest of is taken from him. He begins the next part of his life looking ahead at living without the fruit of his hands.

21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind. 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.

In Genesis 7 (above) Noah, his family, and the animals God commanded he take with him are shut into the Ark and the rain begins to fall. As a consequence of the sins of man, nature is destroyed. Man also dies, so there are multiple consequences in this instance, but the occurrence of separation from God's creation appears once again.

My study Bible had a bit of commentary that this separation from nature as a consequence of sin happens over and over in scriptures.

The thing I can't let go of is this: how often are we choosing to separate ourselves from nature when, so often, in God's eyes, it's a consequence of sin? How often do we choose to stay indoors because the weather is uninviting, or we don't like to sweat, or don't like to be cold, or don't think outside is interesting, or a million other reasons? 

I'm guilty of this. I feel sick if I spend too long in the sun or the heat, so I sit inside in the air conditioning during the hotter months of the year. But God gave us nature, with all of its ups and downs, to hold dominion over. 

Nature provides an opportunity to accomplish work, which the Lord has always set before man as a purpose while on earth. It also gives us a chance to open our eyes and appreciate the creativity and provision of our Almighty God. 

Are we, safe in our air-conditioned homes, separated from nature because we sin, and we aren't realizing the separation as the consequence it's intended to be? Are we sinning in choosing separation from nature? Maybe because our reasons for staying inside leave our hearts with a sinful attitude? 

Or maybe we're just...comfortable. Ignorant of the gift we choose to ignore, and neither sinful nor facing a consequence because of it. Maybe we just need to be nudged in the direction of the backyard, the hiking path, the beach or the mountains, or wherever we choose to step out and appreciate God's gift to man.

I haven't settled on concrete opinions for this thought path yet. I'm open to all of your ideas if you'd like to leave them down in the comments section! And as for me and my house, we'll be stepping outside a little more intentionally from now on.

All the love,

Emily

P.S. Feel free to contact me at admin@tulipsandbasil.com!