Forced out of Home
January 3, 2019
January 3, 2019
Read: Genesis 3
He drove out the man. (v. 24)
What do you do when you find yourself outside the only home you know? I always found leaving home difficult. I was the homesick kid at summer camp. I cried myself to sleep the first week of college. And two pastoral moves brought exceptional challenges in new surroundings. I’m always up for adventure, but leaving home proved hard.
We may not have flaming swords blocking our way, but we all “leave home” at some point: a child goes to college, a job calls us to a different city, a couple retires to the lake. Sometimes leaving is more painful: when divorce breaks a family, death takes a spouse, or old age sends us to the nursing home. Some of you reading this must make prison your home.
Genesis 3 explains how sin came into the world, but it also offers clues about what life is like when we leave home. Notice what God says and does. God makes a stunning promise that the woman’s offspring will crush the serpent’s head (v. 15). That’s the first prophecy of Jesus! And before sending them away, God clothes them with garments of skins (v. 21). God promises a future and provides for today. Notice, too, that Adam and Eve get back to work. Adam starts naming again. He calls his wife “Eve,” and they reestablish their home life and start a family (4:1).
When life finds you a new place, listen for God’s promises, look for God’s provision, and do God’s kingdom work. —Jon Opgenorth
As you pray, ask God to help you live wherever you find yourself.
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