HUMAN INVOLVEMENT

HUMAN INVOLVEMENT

“And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel” (Gen. 3:15).

The devil is not omniscient! He knew he was cast down to earth but he didn’t understand God’s ultimate plan. Nobody did until God revealed it! Even the prophets who predicted the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow, searched intently with the greatest care but still didn’t understand it. Even the angels longed to look into these things but were not able (1 Pet. 1: 10 - 12).

The news, however, that the devil’s head would be crushed by the “Seed of woman” convinced him to target humanity. He deceived Cain into killing his brother, and Lamech into killing a young man who wounded him (Gen. 4:23, 24). The devil, as you know, was a murderer from the beginning (Jn. 8:44). Since the devil didn’t know which human would spell his doom he targeted all of humanity.

As you also know, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal (2 Cor. 10:3 — 5). While our weapons are not carnal, we are! Angels do not use the “sword of the Spirit”, we do! Angels do not preach the Gospel, we do! Angels didn’t build the ark, Noah did! Since humans have flesh and blood Jesus Himself also became flesh and blood. Jesus even experienced death that He might destroy him who holds the power of death, that is the devil (Heb. 2:14). Jesus did this, not to help angels, but to help Abraham’s descendants. Because Jesus was made like us in every way He is a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God (Heb. 2:17, 18).

But let us return to our theme of human involvement. God could have taken care of Eden by Himself, but He didn’t. He chose to let Adam do it. God could have named the beasts and birds by Himself, but He didn’t. He chose to patiently wait for Adam to give them names (Gen. 2:19, 20). Thus Adam was privileged to pioneer in science as the world’s first taxonomist. God could have created billions of people in the same way He created billions of stars. He didn’t! He chose to let Adam and Eve fill the earth with people by means of human birth. While we may not be able to explain all the reasons why, it is evident that the eternal plan of God involves humanity.

Yet God is a Jealous God Who will not give His glory to another (Is. 48:11). When wicked King Herod didn’t give glory to God an angel smote him and he died (Acts 12:23). Yes! God used Moses to bring the Hebrew slaves out of Egypt, but the Song of Moses didn’t glorify Moses, it glorified God (Ex. 15:1 — 18). It is not by accident that when we get to heaven we too will be singing the Song of Moses (Rev. 15:1 — 4). The fact that God permits us to be laborers together with Him does not in any way give us the right to boast. Only to God is the glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ (Jude 25).

Paul wrote that our boasting is excluded by the law of faith (Rom. 3:27). Remember! Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God (Rom. 10:17). The Word of God comes first and then man decides whether he is going to believe it or not. If man does believe, then he manifests what he believes by the “obedience that comes from faith” (Rom. 1:5).

Since Abraham believed that he would have a son by Sarah, he did something about it. Isaac was not virgin born. By faith Abraham did not consider his own body as dead though he was about a hundred years old. Neither did he consider the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not stagger because of unbelief but was strengthened by by his faith and was fully persuaded that what God had promised, He was able also to perform. This is why it was credited unto him as righteousness (Rom. 4:18 — 22).

Do you see how the law of faith excludes boasting? Physically speaking it was impossible for Abraham and Sarah to have a son. A miracle had to take place for the promise of God to come true. This miracle did not, and could not come from Abraham. Consequently all boasting on his part was eliminated. The birth of Isaac was not a “wage” that Abraham earned by working, it was a gift from God beyond the reach of mortal man. The words “it was credited to him for righteousness” were not written for him alone, but also for us who believe that God raised Jesus Christ from the dead (Rom. 4:23, 24). God wants to involve you in His plan! If you want Him to, you’ll have to get involved!