And God Said…

 

 

And God said:

Eight times followed by ‘let’,

Go to Genesis chapter 1 and see

If you’ve not done so yet.

 

From “Let there be light”

To “Let us make man”

Seven commands you will find

In His creation plan.

 

The seventh, however,

Was not a command,

Rather, God made the decision

To create man.

 

“Let us make man”

He was the crowning piece

Whereupon on the sixth day,

God’s creating ceased.

 

Seven times He spoke

Creation into being

However, on the eighth occasion

God did the forming.

 

 

 

Formed from the dust

And quickened by breath,

God offered to him eternal life

But man chose death.

 

And God said,

Ought to be the key

But Satan entered another

Rather craftily.

 

“Hath God said?”

Satan had countered

Which discombobulated Eve

And she floundered.

 

Floundered and fell

Ignoring what God said

And the moment they disobeyed

They both were dead.

 

“Hath God said?”

Only once in the Word,

Adam and Eve were diverted;

How absurd!

 

From “And God said,”

To Satan’s “Hath God said?”

To Eve’s erroneous “God hath said,”

The lie was fed.

 

God’s word was altered

By both Satan and Eve

To the extent she disobeyed God

Having been deceived.

 

Thus, many today

Are emulating Eve

And not heeding what God said,

Are being deceived.

 

Neglecting His Word

They are led astray

Or in the words of a famous song,

They do it their way.

 

 

 

What God has said

Is where we ought to be

And so, I reiterate as I conclude,

God’s word is key.

 

Let the Word of God

Dwell in each of us;

The Word that was personified

In His Son, Jesus.

 

Stewart Russell © October 24, 2025

 

Was Adam There?

 

 

If Adam was there

When Eve was tempted

Then, why from deception

Was he exempted?

 

Adam was first formed

And then Eve

But Adam was not deceived

Like was Eve.

 

Was Adam privy

To the conversation

Between the snake and Eve

In Eden Garden?

 

And if he was

Why was it not shown

And why under the bus

Was Eve thrown?

 

 

She faced the music;

To me that’s clear,

So why did Adam not speak

If he was there?

 

Some do believe

That Adam was there

While others will contend:

“Not even near.”

 

The serpent was subtle

The Bible points out

And that Adam was there

Might be in doubt.

 

 

Why would he let Eve

Be challenged alone

And allow the willy serpent

Disrupt their home?

 

It is a senseless thing

The first man did,

No wonder Cain killed Abel

And then hid.

 

 

Adam hid too

Along with his wife

After they had disobeyed

And were in strife.

 

The weaker vessel

It is clear was she

But was he not also weak?

Wasn’t he?

 

She gave him to eat

And he did eat,

That surely is an indication

He too was weak.

 

 

Else, why did he yield

To the crafty snake

Such that when Eve offered

He would take?

 

An indirect ploy

Was the devil’s plan

Thus, causing Adam and Eve

To forfeit Eden land.

 

Was Adam there?

He must have been

And thus, he supported Eve

In Satan’s scheme.

 

What if he’d held firm

And did not eat?

To this matter, let me say,

I cannot speak.

 

The fact of the matter

Is that he did eat

And from the garden of Eden

Had to retreat.

 

 

Adam was there

Though not deceived

However, he was so besotted,

He succumbed to Eve.

 

You would recall

Samson did similarly

When Delilah took his heart

In captivity.

 

That Adam was there

Is clear to me

But there is a bigger issue

We all should see.

 

 

Adam and Eve

Turned from the way

When the instruction of God

They disobeyed.

 

Stewart Russell © November 21, 2024

 

Revelation and Reason

 

 

Revelation and reason

Which of the two came first?

Here I believe it is right

And not in the reverse.

 

Men change it around

So that reason comes first

But based on the Scriptures

Reason first is in reverse.

 

Humans reason about God

Without His Word,

Straight up as you can see

This is absurd.

 

Reason comes into play

Only because God has revealed

Some things about Himself

He chose not to conceal.

 

That which He has revealed

Is for our own understanding

And this is by no means

A result of our demanding.

 

Some believers will argue

They can command God

And they demand and declare

As though they were God.

 

 

 

However, it’s time we know

God cannot be wagged,

Neither does a tail wag a dog

As some will brag.

 

Revelation and reason-

Revelation came first,

God revealed himself to humans

Then came the curse.

 

Eve reasoned with the serpent

And she was deceived,

Satan was smarter than she

And got her to disbelieve.

 

It is not ours first to reason

But to believe what God reveals,

Anything less or anything more

And we will be deceived.

 

 

God’s revelation is truth

And His truth is Jesus Christ,

Satan’s truth is truly not truth at all

And is sugar coated to entice.

 

Jesus is the Living Word

And of him was the Word written,

Thus, all who believe in Jesus

Have their sins forgiven.

 

It is not ours first to reason

But ours first to believe,

Revelation precedes reasoning-

Reasoning does not reveal.

 

It matters not how brilliant

We cannot reason out God,

That Eve would become like God

Was created by King Fraud.

 

Her reasoning led to the Fall

And disinherited all mankind

But God in His mercy restored all-

A lamb was the first sign.

 

 

A ram was caught in a thicket

And the young Isaac was spared,

To the Lamb on that rugged cross

Of whom the Gospel is shared.

 

 

The Gospel of eternal salvation

Revealed to every man,

To the world and the whosoever

Sums up redemption’s plan.

 

For God so loved the world!

What a revelation!

That He gave His Son, Jesus!

What wonderful salvation!

 

Stewart Russell © August 16, 2023

No Plan B

 

 

 

God doesn’t have a Plan B

After all, He is not a man,

Though Satan tries his worst

He cannot thwart God’s plan.

 

Breaking News!

Mrs. Adam ate the fruit!

What a huge surprise for God!

He had to give them the boot.

 

Plan B is utter nonsense

Which God are you talking ‘bout?

Certainly not the Almighty

For in Him is no doubt.

 

God was not testing Eve

To see whether she would pass,

God knew both she and Adam

Would fail the devil’s class.

The serpent did the testing

And Eve fell for Satan’s trick

But God knew this would happen

And already had the fix.

 

Actually, it was not a fix,

I just used ‘fix’ to rhyme,

God was not in the repair business

Then or at any time.

 

It was not a ‘fix-it’ Plan B

But redemption’s plan unfolding,

It wasn’t man waiting to see

But God who is all knowing.

 

Ours is usually post vision

That’s the best that we can do,

God sits in eternity

And has a flawless view.

 

He knows all beforehand:

Not an event on time’s line can He miss,

It’s all spread out before Him

Like an everyday shopping list.

 

Plan B infers uncertainty

Or an alternate just in case:

If Plan A doesn’t go as planned

Then put Plan B in its place.

 

 

There’s no Plan B for the Jew

As some seem to suggest,

As though Plan A did not work out

Since Adam made a mess.

 

This was God’s expectation

Crazy as that may sound

But crazier still was the devil

If he thought he’d won that round.

 

For every round he has lost:

After all, Satan is a loser!

To have had all he had and lost it,

He had to be a poor chooser.

 

Like Satan, we have a choice,

Nothing is forced upon us,

Satan can’t make us do anything

Even when we feel we must.

 

 

 

 

God’s one and only plan

Has been always to redeem man,

Even before He created time

This was his unfailing plan.

 

One plan for Jew and Gentile:

Believe in Jesus Christ!

One in the Father, Son and Spirit

And no other plan can suffice.

 

Stewart Russell © August 14, 2021

 

Lies in the Bible

 

 

The Bible is full of lies

And this may be considered true,

But not truly full of lies

Is my considered view.

 

It would be wise to ask

What people mean, though,

By the Bible is full of lies

Whenever they say so.

 

Is it in its history?

Is it in promises unfulfilled?

Is it in its incredible claims?

Tell me if you feel so still.

 

Many a person says this:

The Bible is full of lies,

And often without explanation

They are apt to criticize.

 

In the very first line

I said that this is true,

That there are lies in the Bible

Is more than just my view.

 

As early as in Genesis

The biggest lie was told,

The serpent lied to Mother Eve-

Boy, wasn’t he bold?

 

 

He even implicated God

Saying that God also knew

And Eve was horribly deceived

Into accepting Satan’s view.

 

Abraham twice and Isaac

Lied because of fear,

Stalwarts they certainly were

But lies they also shared.

 

It surely ran in the family

For Sarah also lied,

When denying she had laughed

And unbelief was implied.

 

Jacob did also lie

Being a grandchild of Abraham,

His sons too, to cover their tracks,

Lying was their plan.

 

 

Laban, Jacob’s uncle,

Deceived the love-struck Jacob

Giving him Leah instead of Rachel

Whom Jacob had not loved.

 

Potifar’s wife had lied to him

And Joseph did implicate,

He had given her a resounding no

And she was full of hate.

 

Rahab misled her country men

To protect the Israelite spies,

As a result, her life would be saved;

What a blessing in disguise!

 

Saul had promised David

Merab, his daughter to wed

But recanted on his promised word

And gave her to another instead.

 

Also, the husband and wife

That lied to the apostle of God,

It was through the Holy Spirit

They were exposed as frauds.

 

 

They had lied to Peter

But weeks before Peter had lied,

When he said “I know not the man,”

It was Jesus he had denied.

 

There are lies in the Bible

As shown in the foregoing proof

And the very fact that there are,

Substantiates this truth.

 

Do note that people tell lies

And in the Bible people lied

But the saving truth that's in the Word

Should never be denied.

 

Yes, there is a greater truth:

Jesus is the Word of God,

He’s the Way, the Truth, the Life;

Go spread this truth abroad!

 

Stewart Russell © May 9, 2021

Not the Apple on the Tree

 

Not the apple on the tree

But the pair on the ground,

The homonym might be wrong

But the concept is sound.

One bite was all it took

Of what is believed to be an apple

And immediately thereafter

The whole world was in trouble.

I’m not sure if it was an apple

Or maybe some other fruit

But what I came to find out was…

Disobedience was the root.

Not the apple on the tree

But the pair on the ground

And the extremely subtle beast

That turned them around.

God’s focus was the pair

But the pair’s focus was the fruit

And together they twain did eat

And therein was sin’s root.

 

Not the apple on the tree

But the pair on the ground,

Adam and Eve were the first sinners

On whom God frowned.

God had established His Word

But the pair took the offshoot

That the wily serpent presented

And partook of the fruit.

This was the first sin

And with it, the resulting decline

That followed after this pair

As to sin all were inclined.

 

Not the apple on the tree

But the pair on the ground:

They were the problem, my friend

That turned the world upside down.

So, whenever you reflect

On why sin abounds,

Remember!

It was not the apple on the tree

But the pair on the ground.

Stewart Russell © July 2020

No Lot o’ Long Talk

 

“Did God really say?”

What an introduction!

And with that, Eve’s brain-gears

Spun into action

God had spoken clearly

Eve had clearly understood

But that wily serpent, the devil,

Got under Eve’s hood.

“Did God really say that?

I wonder why would He,

Considering the fact

That it is He who made the tree?

“Why would He, pray tell me,

In this beautiful garden put a tree

And then instruct you and Adam

To see and don’t see?

It doesn’t make sense to me

And it doesn’t sound like God,

Unless of course...”

More doubt injected the fraud.

“Unless of course... of course

He wants to toy with you.

Why else would he tell you, don’t

And then put the tree in plain view?

I will tell you something

It will do you well to believe.

God is hiding something from you

That He has and you don’t, Eve.

God knows if you eat of that tree

You will become like God.”

You see, Satan had tried it and failed

But after all he is the Fraud.

If only Eve had known

What Satan knew,

She would have obeyed God

But she hadn’t a clue.

Why didn’t God warned her

About this subtle creature?

Surely it would have helped

If she had seen the whole picture.

But God held back information

That was important to Eve

And the devil capitalized on it

And Eve was deceived.

So, the devil outsmarted God

To the detriment of Eve

And then God punished Eve

After she was deceived.

So God must take the blame

For Eve’s mistake

Even though the news Satan brought

Was the kind they call fake.

We made the same blunder

Maybe even today,

God gave us an instruction

And we disobeyed.

Next we blamed God

For the trouble that came

And accused the Holy Spirit

For not playing our game.

Eve was given a clear directive

She should have obeyed

But like us, she spent time with Satan

Day after day.

Which brings me to the point

That I really want to make,

That we throw words at God

But the devil we won’t forsake.

Our conversations with the devil

Originate in our heart

And while we give God lip honor

We never bid Satan depart.

  

The heart is the principal thing

When we talk to God

But more often than not,

That’s how we engage the Fraud.

Eve spent too much time

Talking to him

And with that came

The all embracing sin.

It is not for us to understand why

When God gives a directive

 But obey it to the letter

And let it be instructive.

Satan does what he has to do

Because he has limited time,

And he is not as smart as you think

For his tricks are one of a kind.

It’s the same old trick he put to Eve

It’s getting us to doubt

But we need to put him in his place

By simply saying, “Get out!”

Get out of my conversations!

Get out of my life!

Get of my home

And away with your strife!

Get out of our schools

And out of our churches too!

Jesus is our Saviour

And there’s nothing you can do.

 No lot o’ long talk

Neither from the lips nor the heart,

And when you get tired saying, “Get out!”

Just simply say, “Depart!”

Stewart Russell © October 2019