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If we would allow ourselves to try to understand what our relationship with God was like before the fall of man, what would we see? If we could see that any change God made to reality as it was then, I think we would have to agree that such change would make God vulnerable, in that, he quite naturally accepts responsibility for all that occurs for the things he did. Therefore, when creating mankind God became, or more accurately, God made himself responsible for us—his creation. I believe this is one of the many things that John reveals to us in the Prologue to his Gospel (John 1:1-18).
Scripture tells us that we were created for God’s pleasure (Revelation 4:11). God had/has a desire to share, but before the beginning there was no one beside himself to share with. Therefore, he created us for his good pleasure of sharing life with—others! Our part in this relationship was that we would see him. That is, God wished to be known and loved. He wanted us to serve him or to satisfy his need! What—God has a need? Well, yes, God does have a need, because he chose to love us. Originally, he was self-fulfilled. However, once he desired or decided to share himself with **others**, he created a need in himself to be loved. Otherwise, how could love be real for God? Love needs to be loved in return in order to be satisfied. While it is true that one is able to love the ungrateful as long as one lives, in such a case one’s love could never be satisfied. Love is satisfied when love is returned by the beloved.
In the beginning, therefore, before the fall of man, God loved and satisfied all of man’s needs. He was all man could ever need or desire. In return man loved God, desired to know him and, in effect, satisfied God’s own need, created or deposited in himself, because of his desire to share himself with man, whom he created for that specific pleasure. Loving us and providing for all our needs gave God pleasure (Revelation 4:11).[1]
What happened? If God supplied all of what man could ever desire, why would he rebel against his Creator? Well, when a man and a woman love one another, are supremely devoted to one another, but one of them begins to wonder about what life would be like elsewhere, a change occurs. It may go unnoticed at first, but something has entered the relationship to change it to some degree. Everything is not as it once was. If more change is brought in as one fantasizes about life without one’s mate, divorce will ultimately become a consideration and a real possibility. At times the innocent one is even caught totally by surprise. In effect, this is what occurred between God and man. Of course, God cannot be caught by surprise by anything we do, but this does not mean he wouldn’t continue in the relationship indefatigably offering himself to us as though he were in the end caught by surprise—as it appears in Genesis 3.
God was just as vulnerable as the naive lover who continues to innocently offer himself or herself to the beloved who has betrayed their love and their relationship. Knowing this, how would God act towards us after the divorce (the fall of man or his rebellion toward God), since he has created us for his pleasure? The simple astonishing answer is: God has not changed at all! Long after man had forgotten what the true God was like, God revealed himself to Moses as Yahweh[2] (YHWH) or I AM… The name is technically a verb, but an incomplete phrase, having no object. I AM… what? Well, to Abraham about to sacrifice his son, Isaac, God was the One who provided the substitute (Genesis 22:14) or I AM your Provider. To Israel who had become discouraged at war, he became I AM your Banner, around whom they could rally, for their war became his war (Exodus 17:15). When Israel was banished to a foreign land, because they continually broke covenant with God, and their iniquities grew to the point where there was no remedy, he became the remedy—he became I AM your Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:6). In the fullness of time, God sent his Son into the world, calling him Jesus—I AM your Salvation (Matthew 1:21)!
God has never changed his mind toward us. We have divorced him. He has not divorced us. He is still yearning to share himself with mankind and has already taken responsibility for what we have done, and proof of this is found in Jesus. Jesus is I AM… whatever we need—whether it be wisdom, sanctification, righteousness, redemption (1Corinthians 1:30)—whatever our need, Jesus, who is the great I AM (John 8:58), will be what we need him to be! Mankind has forgotten what kind of God our God is, and what life would really be like in full surrender to his love. May God help us to understand our need to repent of our rebellion (divorce) and return to him.
[1] This blog was inspired by my reading a book entitled We Would See Jesus by Roy and Revel Hession; Christian Literature Crusade; Fort Washington, Pennsylvania 19034; Copyright 1958. I bought the book years ago and have read it several times. At the writing of this blog, I am reading it again. Although I don’t believe I have merely put down the authors thoughts, some similarity is inevitable. I have used some of the Scripture references used by the authors, but not all, and all the Scriptures I have used are not contained in the book. Moreover, there are some doctrinal difference between us that would prevent the authors from concluding everything I have in my blogs. So, while there is some similarity, my blogs are not copies of the authors’ material. Anyway, I wish to be as honest about this as I am able, so let this disclosure inform the reader as needed.
[2] Some say Jehovah, but there is no letter J sound in Hebrew. In any event, Yahweh or Jehovah means I AM. This is the meaning of the name, and I have chosen to apply its meaning rather than the specific name itself to make my point in this blog.
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