Following the One Who Calls Your Name

God placed Adam in the garden to teach him how to subdue, to have dominion, and bring creation under God’s word. Adam would start out small in a controlled environment and grow from there. The next step in Adam’s training was to name the animals. The would follow Adam as he called them by name in the same way that sheep follow shepherds today in the Holy Land. Israel is one of the few places on earth where shepherds still practice leading their sheep by calling, rather than driving them with a stick. Adam was taught to lead in the same way he was being led; by word.

         We do the same today with pets. The first thing you do is to give your pet a name. One reason is so that your pet will come when you call it by name. Dogs, horses, and sheep seem to still have a faint knowledge of this, but cats seemed to be one of the first to have forgotten who was to be in the lead; just saying.

         When a husband and wife have a child, they give the child a name. In doing this they have a special relationship with their baby. As the child begins to grow she learns her name from her parents and begins to learn manners, language, and the culture of the family in a loving relationship. She will learn to respect authority and follow instructions. In so doing, she will learn personal leadership, following her parent’s instructions even when they are not around. All of this starts with a name. So it was from the beginning.

         Jesus described this special relationship with these words, “The sheep hear his voice, and he calls his sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes before them, and the sheep follow him for they know his voice…My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me.” John 10:3 – 4, 27. God has kept the shepherd/sheep relationship in the Holy Land as a continual parable of the way he created us to follow Christ and so learn to give leadership to ourselves, our families, our churches, communities and world.

         One of the reasons you are encouraged in this book to develop a daily time of reading and praying a psalm, a small piece of Proverbs, some from the gospels, the New Testament letters, a section of the law, the history, and the prophets is so that you will learn to follow the Lord according to his word. As God’s word becomes more and more a part of the beginning of your day, the more you will be aware of his voice throughout the day. You will hear him more and more clearly leading you by his word. This is how God created you to lead from the beginning; by following his word.

         Today, memorize and meditate on Psalm 119:73, “Your hands have made and fashioned me; give me understanding that I may learn your commandments.”

Trust and Eat

Genesis 1 – 2 is definitive in understanding our origin and purpose. God created you in his image, to follow his word, and to give leadership and meaning to your surroundings.

The third word that God gave to Adam is the most well known from the creation account; “And the LORD God commanded the man saying, ‘You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.’ ” Genesis 2:16 – 17. Much has been written and discussed about these verses and this command. One thing is for sure; the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was not to be eaten. God had a different purpose for the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It had another purpose.

Leaders make decisions. Leaders need discernment, wisdom, and knowledge. Here was a tree that seemed to fit the bill, and yet God had another purpose for it. It was not for obtaining wisdom and discernment. Adam was about to need wisdom for naming the animals, but it would not come from a tree.

God’s word is clear, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge…” Proverbs 1:7. “My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you, making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding; yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding, if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures, then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God. For the LORD gives wisdom; from his mouth come knowledge and understanding…” Proverbs 2:1 – 6

Adam would receive wisdom, understanding, and knowledge by eating God’s word, not the fruit of a tree called knowledge. Trusting what God said as true and following what God said with grateful respect and awe would lead to wisdom, understanding, and knowledge from God in his word. Wise choices according to God’s word would follow, giving creation direction and meaning. The same is true today.

This, as we know, was the point of attack by Satan in Genesis 3, trusting God according to his word. The strategy of the world, the flesh, and the devil has not changed. Once God’s character is questioned, his word begins to lose credibility. When confidence in the truth of what God has said weakens, the world, the flesh, and the devil take over with new directions and leads. The problem with the new directions is that they all lead to death and the grave. And the greater problem was that everyone following Adam and Eve were enslaved having followed this deadly lead. “There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.” Proverbs 14:12.

The choice is still given today; life or death? Who or what will you follow? How can you know who or what to follow? God’s word invites you to “…taste and see that the LORD is good.” Psalm 34:8. As you trust and eat his word, receiving it into your inner most being, you will begin to see, to know, and to understand, but only if you trust God. You will not eat what you do not trust. Parents have to teach this to small children. They put anything and everything in their mouths. You can trust what God has said as true and good. God is trustworthy.

Memorize, pray, and meditate on Psalm 119:103 today, “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” And know that as you do, God will give you wisdom. He has promised. He is faithful. He will do it.

Tending and Keeping Your Garden

In Genesis 2:15 you read how God began leading Adam to become a true leader. The Lord had already given Adam his first command, “…Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” Genesis 1:28. Adam would lead by following God’s word. This same is true for you. Adam was given dominion over creation (his domain to rule), and was told to subdue it (bring it under submission; there would be hostility and opposition). The same is true for you. God has not changed his plan. We are his representatives on earth, made in his image and given the responsibility to lead by following his word.

         And now, in chapter two, you see how Adam began to learn to lead. God planted a garden on the earth for Adam to learn leadership. This is such a touching picture of a good, good father teaching his son, leading his son to mature into manhood. How much more does God love us and nurture us into maturity. Adam was placed in the garden of Eden and given his second command, tend and keep the garden. “The LORD God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to work it and keep it.” Genesis 2:15.

         The word “work” is the Hebrew word abad, which means to serve, to worship, to labor. The word “servant” is ebed, which is a derivative of this word. This word is used extensively in the Old Testament. In the prophets it is used to describe God’s promised Messiah, his servant (Isaiah 42:1 – 7, 49:1 – 6, 50:4 – 9, 52:13 – 53:12). The Hebrew understanding of work comes from this word. As the children of Israel would enter the Promised Land and work it, they would always be servants of the Lord, who owned the land and had entrusted it to them.

         Adam was to tend the garden, bringing it under submission to bear fruit, 30, 60, 100 fold, for the Gardener, God. Adam would lead by speaking God’s word to the garden. Before he sinned, Adam did not sweat when he worked, he spoke God’s word. This is the way God created and this is the way Adam would lead creation, by speaking God’s word. AMEN.

          The second word used in this verse is “keep it,” which is the Hebrew word shamar. This, too, is a word that is used extensively in the Old Testament. It means to exercise great care over something, to watch, to guard, to treasure, to protect, to have charge over something, to keep within the bounds of something, to restrain.

This is a rich word and is used describing how God keeps us, “The LORD is your keeper…the LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. The LORD will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 121:5 – 8. AMEN. It is used in the Aaronic blessing, “May the LORD bless you and keep you…” Numbers 6:24. It is used to describe the protection of God’s word from reckless living, “How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” Psalm 119:9. In Adam’s case the meaning is clear; keep a close watch on the garden, guard it, treasure it, keep it within the limits of God’s word, manage it with God’s word. God was teaching Adam, leading him to lead according to his word.

Did you know that you have a garden? Jesus told a parable about four kinds of soils and the relationship between the soil, the seed, and the production of fruit (Matthew 13:3 – 9, Mark 4:3 – 9, Luke 8:4 – 10). Jesus said that the soil is your heart and the seed is the word of God. You receive God’s word by hearing it, then tend and keep your heart with all diligence by being obedient and serving the Lord according to his word in order for the seed to grow and bear fruit. You keep a close watch over your heart, not allowing what is evil to influence or distract you from staying tuned to his commandments. And you speak what you hear and so give direction to your own life, to your family, in your church family, community, and world. AMEN.

Today, memorize and pray Psalm 119:9, “How can a young man (or woman) keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word.” In praying this word, God will guide your way in his way, which will provide a clear path for those following behind you.

To Subdue Means You Must First Be Subdued

God created you in his image, which means he created you to lead by following his word. The first command God gave to Adam and Eve was to “…Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it…” Genesis 1:28. The Hebrew word kabash, means to subdue, to make submissive. It assumes hostility and has in it the understanding of resistance.

This word is used in Joshua 18:1 describing the Promised Land after Joshua and the army had fought to subdue it. It is also used in 2 Samuel 8:11 describing how David conquered the lands around Israel. Again, it carries in it the meaning of a victorious fight. God knew that Adam and Eve would be challenged and so gave them what they needed before they needed it; the powerful blessing and authority of his word. Being a leader means being prepared for resistance, because there will be resistance and a fight.

The first step in being prepared and learning to subdue is to first be subdued under the mighty word and operation of God. Another way to say this is to stay humble before God. Humility is recognizing God’s greatness over you and the powerful authority of his word to you, through you, and for you to proclaim. Humility is seeing and operating under a greater power than you are, freely, willingly, and victoriously, which assumes resistance.

Adam and Eve were given the blessing and power of God’s word to bring all of creation under the operation of his word. Wow, what a blessing! But in order to fulfill this command they had to first bring themselves under the operation of God’s word. Only when they were subdued under God’s powerful blessing would they become the powerful blessing to the rest of creation, and so fulfill the command to subdue.

The same is true for you; you are blessed by God in order to be a blessing of God. But before you can bless (lead), you must first be blessed (be led) by God under his mighty word. The powerful authority of God works in you before it becomes operational through you and as you. When you submit (humble) yourself under God’s mighty blessing, you become a powerful blessing for good, which overcomes evil.

Notice as you read and pray the psalms each day how much resistance God’s people must face and overcome. Take note of the expressions of praise (humility) in the face of opposition and the victory it brings. Memorize Psalm 29:11 and declare it today as the victorious leader that you are becoming under God.

Created to Lead

            God created you in his image. One of the many things this means is that you and I were created to lead. God leads. He gives direction and guidance with his word. God created you to do the same.

In Genesis 1:26 states, “Then God said, ‘Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps.’” One of the ways of God is that first he says it, then, he does it. Every time. He is faithful. As you read Genesis chapter one you see this happening over and over again. But when you get to Genesis 1:27 something new appears in the text. In that verse you see a three-fold description of the action of God creating according to his word; “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” The first clear description of the Trinity is seen in this verse. The detail of how God created Adam and Eve will be seen in chapter two, but in 1:26 – 27 you see that first God said it, then, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Sprit did it.

In verse twenty-eight you see God carrying out his plan from 1:26 by giving Adam and Eve dominion, “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

The Hebrew word for “have dominion” is radah. This word has the meaning of ruling. It is used throughout the Old Testament to describe human rather than divine rule. One of the places this word is used is in the companion passage to Genesis 1:28, Psalm 8:6 – 8, “You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet, all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.” From the beginning we were the representatives of God on the earth. We were created to give leadership to God’s creation, according to the word of God.

By God giving man dominion over his creation, God was also giving man the way to rule; according to his word. Adam and Eve were the only ones of creation that God spoke directly to. He said the animals were to be fruitful and multiply in Genesis 1:22, but he did not speak that word to them as he did to Adam and Eve.

The message for us is clear; we lead and give direction by listening to God. As God leads us by his word, we lead others according to his word. And we lead by speaking as well as by our actions, which follow our words and also speak, sometimes clearer than our words.

But the question is this: Do you believe that God created you to lead by following his word? Did you know that the words you speak give direction and that your actions reflect that direction? They do because God created you to lead.

Today think about the direction of your words and actions. Do your words strengthen and build up, or do they discourage and tear down? Do they reflect what God has said, or do they echo the world, the flesh, or the devil?

Begin the day by memorizing this verse and then pray it throughout the day, even out loud when you can, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O LORD, my rock and my redeemer.” Psalm 19:14.