30 Days - an Overview of the Bible in Just Thirty DaysSample

Loneliness

Loneliness is in essence a homesickness for God. It is a feeling of not counting, not mattering to anyone and not being significant. Glenda Jackson, British actress and politician said, ‘It is very lonely being a human being – even when you are in a crowd.’ Thomas Wolf, the novelist and playwright said that loneliness is the ‘central and inevitable fact of human existence’. Mother Teresa said, ‘The greatest disease today is not starvation but loneliness.’ We are now the most connected generation ever, yet surveys reveal we are also the most lonely. The UK government even appointed a minister for loneliness. What is the cause of this loneliness? And what is the answer?

Genesis 3:1-13

Some may be surprised to find that the devil is one of the first characters we are introduced to in the Bible, seen in the account of the snake. The image is obviously not literal. Snakes do not speak. This image rightly reveals that the devil is both crafty and poisonous. He is real and he is the main opponent of God and of Christian people. Here we see how he tries to change our lives for the worse.

First God gives a wide-ranging permission: ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden’. There is one prohibition: ‘but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil’ and God warns of the penalty, ‘for when you eat of it you will surely die’. In the verses that follow, we see an exposé of how the devil tempts human beings.

Step 1 – Doubt

The devil ignores the permission. He wants you to doubt God’s love and goodness. Adam and Eve had been given permission by God to eat from any tree in the luscious garden of Eden, except one. The devil ignores the far-reaching and liberal permission.

The devil wants you to believe your doubts and doubt your beliefs. Instead, doubt your doubts and believe your beliefs.

Step 2 – Temptation

There is nothing wrong with being tempted. Even Jesus was tempted. Temptation is not sin.

The devil concentrates on the one prohibition (v.1), that they should not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Even then he exaggerates, saying that God has banned the fruit of all the trees. It is still the same today. Who do you think upholds the image of Christianity as a restrictive list of rules? He conveniently forgets to portray the enjoyment of knowing Jesus: the peace and freedom, the love and joy.

Step 3 – Deception

Finally, Satan denies the penalty of disobeying God. By saying, ‘You will not surely die’, he is suggesting that Adam and Eve will come to no harm if they go against God.

All temptation is a form of deception. It is a big lie and an effective one. Tragically, our society is living under that lie. It is easy to think that we are missing out on something good if we obey God, but the opposite is true. It is disobedience which causes us to miss out on so much of what God has intended for us, and it is disobedience which ultimately leads us to ruin.

In the verses that follow we see the consequences. They are psychological, theological and social:

1. Psychological

So often we wear masks to hide our true selves.Sin affects us by causing an alienation within ourselves. Adam and Eve ‘sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves’ . After their sin, they felt shame and embarrassment about being themselves. Having gone astray from God, they were not at ease within themselves.

2. Theological

Sin affects our relationship with God as we become alienated from him. Adam and Eve ‘hid’ from the Lord God. Fear entered the world (Adam says, ‘I was afraid’. They were living in God’s world without a relationship with him. That is why loneliness is a kind of homesickness for God. There is within every human being what is often referred to as ‘a God-shaped hole.

3. Social

Sin affects our relationships with others, and we experience alienation from our fellow human beings. Adam blamed Eve, Eve blamed the snake and the breakdown in human relationships began. We see the continuation of this now in the breakdown of marriages, family life, community life and on a global scale in war.

Right from the start God is looking to restore the relationship. He calls out, ‘Where are you?’. There is a hint of the ultimate resolution in Genesis 3:15: ‘he [Jesus] will crush your [the devil’s] head and you [the devil] will strike his [Jesus’] heel.’ Jesus was nailed to a cross without even a fig leaf to cover him. On the cross, Jesus paid the penalty for sin. Jesus took on our guilt and our shame and died in our place. He made forgiveness possible and removed the barrier between us and God. Colquhoun, Anglican author and theologian, said, ‘When Christ saves a person, he saves them not only from their sin; he also saves them from their solitude.’

Once you have entered a relationship with God, your solitude is over. For every person who puts their faith in Christ will one day see him face to face and be with him eternally. Even now, by his Spirit he is always beside you. As you go through the day remember he is with you always.

Prayer

Lord, thank you that you are with me always and I am never alone. Help me resist doubt, temptation and deception and live in a close love relationship with you and this beautiful world you have created out of your love for us.

References

© Nicky Gumbel, 2024

This reading plan is adapted from the book 30 Days by Nicky Gumbel. It is published by Hodder and Stoughton in the UK, and by HarperCollins Christian Publishing in the USA.