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Mercy and comfort are inextricably linked. The same God who is the Father of mercies is the God of all comfort. As evidence of these facts, the following is cited: “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort…” (2 Corinthians 1.3). Today we will begin an overview of comfort and mercy, but with an initial emphasis on comfort. Through out this series our focus will continually be on the fact that God is the God of all comfort!

When God made man and woman, He placed them in a beautiful garden in which every need of life was abundant and available. As most Bible readers are aware, this first pair sinned by eating the fruit of the one forbidden tree. After their transgression, the Divine record says, “And they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day…” (Genesis 3.8a). I admit that I don’t know everything about this event that I would like to know, but there are some observations that can be made. First of all, they recognized the presence of God in a serene and blissful setting. I take it that this was not the first time they had been privileged to witness His presence in the garden.

To continue this snippet a bit further, we want to notice how the original couple reacted to God’s presence and the voice they had probably heard many times before. “Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.” (Genesis 3.8b). This was unusual activity for them. There is every reason to believe that this is the first time they had attempted to hide from God. Previously they had no reason to hide. In fact, the presence of God – God coming to their side to help and strengthen – constituted the highest form of comfort that man could ever experience. Imagine, if you can, what it would mean to have God Himself address each and every fear and uncertainty that might come into your mind! This was the kind of one-on-one comfort that this original pair had. But now – now after they had sinned – they realized without being told that something had to change! He could no longer treat them as He had before. Hence, they hid themselves out of shame, guilt, and fear. Their need for comfort still existed, but they had cut themselves off from their ONLY source of comfort.

Everyone needs comfort. Even the hardest of hearts see times when reassurance and consolation are welcome. So it was with Adam and Eve. They needed comfort, but they recognized that their actions made them unworthy of God’s comfort. They were right in this belief and in their conviction that something terrible was about to happen to them. They had been warned of dire consequences should they violate the prohibition that was placed on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; they could only expect that God would be true to His word and bring punishment upon them. They were also right in believing that God would honor the word of warning which He so aptly communicated.

“To the woman He said: ‘I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.’ Then to Adam He said, ‘Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you, saying, “You shall not eat of it”: ‘Cursed is the ground for your sake; In toil you shall eat of it All the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, And you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread Till you return to the ground, For out of it you were taken; For dust you are, And to dust you shall return.’” (Genesis

The warning of sorrow hung heavy in the air! But comfort – mercy prompted comfort - was also spoken on that day. Tomorrow we will hear God’s message of merciful comfort that was uttered on that day.

Questions:

1. How are mercy and comfort inextricably linked?

2. How did God comfort (come along side) Adam and Eve before their transgression? In what ways might the first couple have need comfort?

3. How do you think they knew that it was the presence of God they were witnessing? Do you think this was a regular occurrence, i.e. God appearing and speaking with them? Why or why not?

4. Compare the message of sorrow that God delivered on this occasion with the messages of comfort which they had heard before? Try to imagine the feelings that must have fallen on them!

"God's Words For US" from Cecelia Lester

Trusting God Yields Happiness