Day 14: Genesis 2:8-9
Devotional
READ GENESIS 2:8-9
Milton, my oldest son, is majoring in French Horn Performance at the University of Alabama. His dream is to play in a symphony orchestra one day. Why go to Alabama to study French Horn? I thought the only thing they study there is national titles in football! Turns out, the horn professor and director of the school of music is Skip Snead, an internationally recognized teacher and clinician of the French Horn. Who knew?
When you want to learn something, it makes sense to learn from the best. Throw a football: Tom Brady. Invest in the stock market: Warren Buffet. Design something cool and modern: Joney Ive. Steal signs in baseball: the Astros! Learn moralit:, who else to learn from but God? Good and evil must be learned. The Hebrew words tov and ra are used throughout the Old Testament and are seen as a sign of maturity (Deuteronomy 1:39, 1 Kings 3:7-9. Isaiah 7:15-16). Learning good (tov) and bad (ra) is not a bad thing. It is essential for maturity. The question is who will we choose to learn tov and ra from?
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the creation account represents our different sources for learning tov and ra. Will we learn from God and His infinite knowledge, or will we decide to learn this for ourselves? Unfortunately, Adam and Eve decided to take from the tree and learn it for themselves. Not much has changed over the years. I find myself often choosing my own “wisdom” over God’s. It has been fun to hear about Milton learning from the best over the last couple of years under Skip. I need to follow his lead and learn from the best when it comes to wisdom and morality: God Himself!
Milton, my oldest son, is majoring in French Horn Performance at the University of Alabama. His dream is to play in a symphony orchestra one day. Why go to Alabama to study French Horn? I thought the only thing they study there is national titles in football! Turns out, the horn professor and director of the school of music is Skip Snead, an internationally recognized teacher and clinician of the French Horn. Who knew?
When you want to learn something, it makes sense to learn from the best. Throw a football: Tom Brady. Invest in the stock market: Warren Buffet. Design something cool and modern: Joney Ive. Steal signs in baseball: the Astros! Learn moralit:, who else to learn from but God? Good and evil must be learned. The Hebrew words tov and ra are used throughout the Old Testament and are seen as a sign of maturity (Deuteronomy 1:39, 1 Kings 3:7-9. Isaiah 7:15-16). Learning good (tov) and bad (ra) is not a bad thing. It is essential for maturity. The question is who will we choose to learn tov and ra from?
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil in the creation account represents our different sources for learning tov and ra. Will we learn from God and His infinite knowledge, or will we decide to learn this for ourselves? Unfortunately, Adam and Eve decided to take from the tree and learn it for themselves. Not much has changed over the years. I find myself often choosing my own “wisdom” over God’s. It has been fun to hear about Milton learning from the best over the last couple of years under Skip. I need to follow his lead and learn from the best when it comes to wisdom and morality: God Himself!
Personal Reflection
- In what ways do you choose your own wisdom or that of the world?
- How can you grow in God’s wisdom and His teaching of tov and ra?
Posted in The Beginning Devotionals
1 Comment
Thank you for the reminder Russell. I need to always go to God before I go to anyone or anything. He loves me more and wants to comfort and teach me.