The Gospel for Every Day
Each day, we slow down to align our hearts with God’s Rhythms of Grace.
This series, we turn our ear to God’s Call to Go
This week, we meditate on the theme of God’s mercy throughout Scripture.
Today’s Scripture
Man’s fall into sin came with ruinous consequences. If we read too quickly, we’ll miss, however, that something came before judgment: God’s merciful plan for one to come and save us from the serpent. This is why verse 15 is called the “protoevangelion,” or “First Gospel.”
Reading slowly, let God convict you by his truth and overwhelm you by his grace in Christ.
Genesis 3:1-15
3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
Gospel Meditation
Prayerfully meditate on the Scripture you just read using the rhythm Look Up, Look In, Look Out:
Look Up: What does this reveal about God?
Look In: What does this reveal about me?
Look Out: Where is Christ leading me today?
Closing Prayer
Inspired by Jonah 1:1-16
Merciful Lord,
You are the God of all heaven and earth, who made the sea and the dry land
All I have is yours
When you speak, I will listen. When you tell me to get up, I will go
Where you lead me to proclaim your mercy, I will follow.
And if I stumble today, I trust that your mercy will be there too.
In the name of Jesus, who was led the farthest and lowest by mercy,
Amen
