Lesson 1 April 3, 2022

A FRIEND OF GOD

Is there a God? Who is He? What is He like? And what does He want from us? At one point in
human history, man could answer each of these questions with absolute certainty. Adam and Eve
knew God personally. They talked with Him regularly. They even took evening strolls with Him in
the garden which He had made for them.

But, it only took one man to begin to create confusion about God in the minds of His highest creation
on earth. Adam and Eve listened to Satan’s lies about God’s character — that He wanted something
less than the best for them. In doing so, sin launched all of humanity on a path away from the
knowledge of God.
Today, there is great confusion about God and His nature. Some people do not believe that
God exists at all. Others think of Him as a kind, grandfatherly figure — ready to give gifts but
unwilling to punish. Some think of Him as unholy, amused, or even pleased, at man’s sinfulness. Still
others view God as a harsh taskmaster, ready to hurl a lightning bolt of affliction at anyone who does
not follow His rules or the rules of a certain religious movement.
So, how are we to find the answers to these most important questions for our  lives? The best place
to start is in His Word, the Bible. Throughout the 66 books that make up God’s message to man, we
find countless examples of God in action. By observing what God and Jesus did, we can piece
together a fairly clear picture of God.
In addition, there are a few tantalizing passages of Scripture in which biblical authors actually wrote
in the first person, or in the voice of God. While these passages are fewer in number and often shorter
in length than those dedicated to action, they give us a special spiritual glimpse into what Adam and
Eve experienced in the flesh. By boiling down God’s most basic characteristics, we get a small
preview of what those who “believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
him,” will someday know with perfect certainty.
GOLDEN TRUTH: (Heb. 11:6)
“But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is,
and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”
LESSON COMMENTARY

I. SEPARATED FROM GOD (Genesis 3:23, 24)

23 Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from
whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a
flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
These have to be two of the saddest verses in the Bible. The result of Adam’s disobedience marks
the end of man’s perfect fellowship with God and the beginning of sorrows related to disobedience.
Can you imagine how Adam and Eve felt, standing outside the garden and beginning to realize what
they had lost? No wonder God had to put an armed guard at its entrance. They would surely have
found their way back in, eaten from the tree of life and been condemned to live in their sinful state for
eternity.
 Because of Adam’s sin, we are born standing on the outside of God’s kingdom looking in, but it does
not have to stay that way. We can listen to God’s voice and find our way “home.”

II. FINDING OUR WAY HOME (Genesis 17:1, 7)

1 And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the LORD appeared to Abram, and said unto
him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect.
7 And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed…for an everlasting
covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee.”
Exodus 3:14, 15
14 And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the
children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.
15 And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The
LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath
sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.
God’s friendship with man may have been damaged by sin, but it was far from over. By the time of
Abram, or Abraham, God was actively working His plan which was from “before the foundation of
the world” (1 Peter 1:20), and would eventually lead to Jesus, His crucifixion, death, resurrection and
salvation for “whosoever will.” He began by selecting Abraham as a single friend. From Abraham,
God created the nation of Israel and, over the centuries, God revealed Himself to this chosen nation in
a way unheard of since Eden.
When God promised Abraham that He would be God to him and to his family forever, it was not in
jest. He was revealing His desire to be our Father and to bring us home where we belong.

By the time of Moses, God’s revelation of Himself to Israel was reaching a “fever pitch.” God told
Moses His forever name — “I AM.” This spoke not only of God’s timelessness (note the present
tense) but also of His ability to meet man’s every need. God was speaking to His children on a first-
name basis. Again, God was making a way to gather together the people whom He had created and
bring them home.

God’s name was not the only thing that He revealed to Moses and, also, to the children of Israel. For
the next several lessons, we will study specific things which God wanted His friend, Moses, to know
about: who He is and what He is like.
CONCLUSION

Man may have failed God, but God has never given up on man. Since the time of Abraham, He has
been actively seeking out a people who will follow Him in the way that the first of His creation failed
to do. As part of that process, He began revealing His nature to His people, Israel, specifically
through His friends Abraham and Moses.

God wants to reveal Himself to us today, as well. He has given us His Son, His Word and His
Church. If we are listening, we can clearly hear the voice of God.