The Sentence
For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return. Genesis 3:19
Read Genesis 3:16-21
Anxious moments can be experienced at the end of a court case. What will the judge’s verdict be? To be honest, the situation in Genesis 3 does not look good, especially when we consider what the Lord had told man already before his fall (see Gen. 2:17). But here again God reveals His pity and grace. Adam and Eve did have to leave the Garden of Eden. They would experience the consequences of their sin in various ways, but their lives were spared. What the psalmist wrote in Psalm 103:10 was true of them, “He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.” Have you ever been impressed with this?
In the meantime, a dark cloud hangs above Adam’s head. Death may not be immediate, but it will come. There is no doubt about it. This is not a pleasant thought, especially when you are young. Who wants to be reminded about the reality of death, the grave and eternity? Yet it is important to consider these things. How terrible if you would suddenly be taken by death to appear before an unfamiliar Judge Whose grace you never sought. To be truly wise you also need to memento mori, that is, consider your death. You shouldn’t become depressed by such thoughts, but you should seek safety with Him who was dead, but lives forevermore. “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 6:23).
Thought: Communicate often with God about your dying hour.
Psalter 444:6 (based on Psalm 103) Lo, as for man, his days are like a shadow, Like tender grass and flowers of the meadow, Whose morning-beauty fadeth with the day; For when the wind passeth lightly o’er it ‘Tis gone anon and nothing can restore it; ‘Tis found no more, it vanisheth for aye.