Keep

Keep

8/10/19

What seems like a small verb that has a simple message actually forms an eternal law from God that stretches from the Garden of Eden until this very day.  Not many people would argue the fact that this verb holds an item in the care of a person or group but at another time or position can be given away when something else arrives to distract or divide.  It is vital that we understand that this small word is a command that when held is one of the greatest promises that a human can imagine but when given up results in a devastating loss that becomes an eternal mess.  God does not wish and has never wished that His prized Creations suffer on any level and that our lives be perfect in every way.  But over time, through our own choices we have given up this vital word and Law of God and until we place God back in our lives as number one we shall continue to see this loss grow and further divide our existence.  God beckons us to return to Him and His Ways and we need to once again realize that His Word is the source of everlasting peace and life.

I remember when I was a young tyke that I had a few specific toys that I held onto closely.  It did not matter when we moved to another house in town or across the country those toys of mine were coming along with me.  I held onto those things for years and after a while, I began to lose interest in them for I had grown a bit more and the toys that I desired to “be around” grew proportionally.  My parents saw the need for some of my toys to be thrown away because they had become raggedy as well as a safety hazard, but my intentions were to keep them as long as possible and in my small child-like mind keep them until the day I die.  Even though I had no idea what death meant that was how long I was going to keep those precious filthy items.  Of course, as time passed and I became older I completely changed my attitude concerning those toys and another issue appeared in front of my eyes, girls.  I was quickly taught that girls were not an item to toy with and to nurture them as much as possible, placing on the equal pedestal that Genesis 3:16 states that men should do; I had an excellent role model for this for my eyes and heart heard how my father treated and still treats my mother. 

How important to you are the things you keep within or extremely close to your heart?  We all realize that whatever we decide to keep to ourselves in this manner we deem important enough to defend.  But what substance do we keep hidden within our hearts and how deep is that substance affecting our lives?  It does not matter what the circumstantial evidence may be and the content thereof, but whichever kingdom these keepsakes are do run deep within and are continually translated into the public eye.  The two passages that we will be using in this article bring out such treasures of the heart and when you place these examples side by side one will notice the grave differences between the two.  I wonder sometimes if we recognize just how the things we hold within our hearts come to pass in our lives through contemporary measures we believe to be worthy of vocally demonstrating.  Let us now take a detailed look at the word keep that is used in both passages and hopefully understand that this word holds the key to what lies within our hearts and how we deal with situations either eternally or selfishly.  In other words, are God and His Ways more important to you than a cheering heart for a score by the sports team you support?

How many problems in this nation and around the world could be avoided or not even considered if we (men) would have followed this single verse in the Bible correctly but instead we continued to treat women as idols and markers, ones to be conquered and manipulated, a toy.  We see this pattern change in Adam and Eve from the time of our creation until Genesis 3:1 rolls around and it is this aspect that harms us still today.  One of the great mysteries of our lives can be answered in a few passages of Scripture that deals with the word “keep” and the importance that we understand and follow such a command from God.  It all starts in Genesis 2:15-17 focusing on verse 15 where it states: “And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.”  This verse is the command that God gave to Adam how he should work and live each day of his life, in all areas of his life and in all ways of his life.  It was God who gave this command and since God is a Spirit and an eternal Being with no beginning His command is just as He is, eternal.  From the day that God spoke those words to Adam until this day it is a Law that humans need to understand and follow for when we obey this command we have a beautiful and glorious future ahead of us. 

What type of leadership profile comes to mind when we read this usage of the word “keep”?  Adam and Eve knew that God was perfect in every way for they saw this Truth through His Garden and through His words to them as they continually conversed between each other.  There was nothing to inhibit such dynamic productivity in the tasks and mannerisms that God gave them to complete, the Law was simple, direct, and to the point and it was easy to obey if they only kept their hearts in tune with God’s voice.  We also find out that as long as Adam and Eve kept the single law willfully intact, there would not be any consequences or troubles, in fact, the Law that God placed over them actually was alive and would demonstrate this life growing process IF they obeyed it.  Life is a direct message from God and one that is still present over our lives today as well but just like in the days of Adam and Eve the choice is also still present to obey God or not.  The entire intention of God in giving us this Law is to protect us and to show us that we must be increasingly aware that even though things are going in the direction we wish that there is still an enemy out there waiting for us to slip up and give him a door to enter through which is exactly what played out and then changed our lives forever.

There have been many guesses as to how much time passed from when Adam and Eve were forced out of the Garden of Eden until Cain and Abel was born but since the new lifestyle regulations had been put onto humanity there had to be some time gone by.  Whatever this time frame maybe it is obvious that the desires of the human heart had changed enough that we see the pattern of “self” being presented through the offspring of Adam and Eve.  Hard laboring studies of methodical work are presented as reality in the second passage along with the division of labors between the two sons.  While both work ethics had direct relationships with the ground the incorporations of both jobs differed greatly with resentment rising because of certain patterns of obedience or in this case disobedience.  The second passage of Scripture being used in this article comes from Genesis 4:8-10 with the focus on verse 9 which states as follows: “And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?”  A huge statement coming from a mere mortal addressing the eternal Creator of everything but one that reflected what was within the heart of Cain and according to Cain what he truly cared about, himself and his immediate setting.

Over my lifespan, I have heard a few sermons about this phrase that Cain used when answering God and they have made me think a bit about how he responded.  But when you understand that the manner in which Cain answered God one cannot ignore the content of Cain’s heart when he responded.  There was no love in his answer and through the words he used it is clear that he had no respect for God nor his brother which is exactly what we read happened when Cain’s sacrifice was completed in disobedience and not through humble contemplation of the eternal meaning of the act.  With the completion of this second setting we come to the frame between the connection of these two passages and more specifically the single word “keep”.  It is a fascinating one and one that when put into the forefront of our hearts will give us a huge clue when we hear others developing such institutions toward our beliefs.  God’s Word shall always give you the complete picture when it comes to the pure and the non-pure and while God shows us this He does not force us to take His side for He knows that through our choices, we have the opportunity to make an unconditional keeping of surrender to Him and to His Ways.

The word “keep” that is used in Genesis 2:15 comes from the Hebrew word “ulesamerah” which means to keep, guard, observe, give heed, to have charge of, keep watch and ward, retain, treasure up, to be on one’s guard.  This is really not too unexpected for it goes with the content that God was making to Adam when He was telling him what to do from that point forward.  Adam knew his responsibilities and had no excuse to delay or diminish them because the rules were simple and as long as his job was done correctly everything would remain perfect, this is not only just a condition of existence but it is a command from God which places this word into an original state from God.  Remember, God is a spirit and He is eternal in all things so when He uses a word for any reason that word that He speaks cannot be used for any other purpose than for eternal references.  God wanted nothing but happiness and purity for humanity but He did not force this condition or life upon them for if He did we would have a more direct representation of what our “demands” are today written in the Bible.  However, God knew that these types of “demands and regrets” would eventually appear due to the choice of disobedience that Adam and Eve chose just a few short verses later and accumulating in their sons’ lives.

Genesis 4:9 tells us of another view of the word keep and this time it comes from the heart of Cain who has just killed his brother.  The word “keep” that is used here is the Hebrew word “hasomer” which is translated as to keep, guard, observe, give heed, to have charge of, keep watch and ward, retain, treasure up, to be on one’s guard.  We see that this word is the exact same defined word as the word “keep” that God used when describing to Adam his responsibilities in the Garden of Eden.  However, at this juncture, we see that Cain has perverted the meaning of this word to suit himself and to deny the truth about where his brother was located.  It is clear that God is just as precise in the direction that He is pursuing the line of questioning to Cain that He was in the Garden of Eden when directing Adam but we have another form of usage in that it comes from the human and not from God, and when a sinful human who does not care about what comes from their heart the perversion of such a holy word is therefore instituted and if not repented from shall grow into a horrific category that will be shed on countless generations to come.

It is clear that God was inquiring about the exact same conditions concerning life in both of these passages, yet while God proved to the consistent Creator His Creations proved otherwise.  In neither case did the human live up to or fulfill their eternal obligations concerning their charges and in both cases proved that their selfish desires from the influences surrounding them won the day.  In both instances the falling down of such a single word had grave consequences that all of us continue to experience today and it seems that we have taken the side of the world because we now desire brokenness and division to rule our lives rather than healing our differences and telling the truth for repentance’s sake.  Oh, how I wish I understood these two usages of this word a long time ago, but as you can probably guess, up until a few months ago I really did not take into consideration how words used in separate passages would come together and explain in detail what is actually transpiring in each of the passage.  Amazingly, if one studies these passages (words) they are more than just coincidences they are fact and when placed together bring the Word of God alive, not only for the people which are described but for us as well today.

If we could only get it through our thick skulls that every time we disobey God and live without His Ways in our lives that this act of Cain will be displayed over and over again.  Disobedience is sin, plain and simple and as long as we continue to disobey there will be no good result that our lives shall encounter.  The world will disagree with that statement but one should expect that response from a defeated ruler and one that can only provide death as an end result.  Think about this for a moment, if someone can only produce bad results then, of course, they are going to make that result seem worth wild for if they did not no one would keep it within their lives as a basis of belief.  There is a pattern here that most either do not recognize or do not understand and that is what lies within your heart, you automatically reflect, thins includes all aspects of your heart.  If one truly lives for God their actions will continually produce the fruits of the spirit and they will do so in such a manner that it becomes a natural state to the point where they do not even know that they are living in such a manner.  The same holds true for those who project the world as their kingdom stance its lifestyle will embed itself so deeply and firmly that its behavior will become just as natural; in fact, it will become “more” natural since we are all born into sin, to begin with thus making its acceptance path easier to believe and to convince others.  To be fair, it is these two passages that define why Jesus says that even the thought of looking at another woman with lust that the person has already committed adultery.

The purpose of obedience is to keep what God has put into place so that our lives may understand, know, and live in perfect peace and harmony with our eternal Father.  The only way possible for this to occur is if we obey the word “keep” that God used in the Garden of Eden, nothing has changed from that issuance and it is still a simple command that when we embrace shall change our entire presence on this earth.  However, if we continue to use the word “keep” in the tone, shape, and manner that Cain used it our lives shall be filled with disappointment, destruction, and death.  Just as peace and eternal life are promised from God when we obey His Word so will the wretchedness of sin that riddles our spirits when we do not.  So, the question that remains is how are we doing in the obedience department when it comes to us keeping the command of God and His Son, Church?  We know the answer to how the world sees and believes in god so are we following God or are we following the god of this world?

Oh, boy, how far have we fallen away from God Church?  That is the single and most eternal question that God calls us to answer.  It does not take too much thinking to realize that Cain had fallen away from his upbringing and received words from God and his parents, but what these two passages do tell us is that somewhere down the road Cain’s heart turned from God far enough not to care about his brother nor the consequences that were about to be set upon his life.  His faith and trust in God had diminished far enough that he actually became snippy with God and gave Him a flippant answer of self-service.  The question posed by God was in direct line with the word “keep” He spoke to Cain’s father in the Garden of Eden which prompted Cain to sarcastically respond by using the same word but in another tone.  Do we realize that we are responding to God in this same manner as Cain did when God asks us how we are following His commands? 

Do we not care enough to at least be honest with the one Being that knows the Truth about all things and everyone anyway?  How foolish we have become in believing that we can get away with such selfish verbiage and cocky attitudes toward the One who holds the key to eternity.  A verse to close this article out and it is one that Jesus spoke to the ones around Him on one of those special days that the earth was granted the presence of His feet and that is John 14:15 where Jesus says that if you love me you will keep my commandments.  Now, the word keep here is obviously not Hebrew in origin but is Greek in nature and when you look up this word you will find that it has the exact same meaning as the word “keep” in both of the Genesis passages.  We also see that God’s message still rang true in His Son’s life and it should continue to do so in our lives today.  Church, repent and let’s start fulfilling the commands of God once again and bring in the harvest that God so desperately deems as being ready.  Obedience is the best condition to live under for it has all of the blessings of the first command of God after humanity was Created.

DLB