The Perfectly Dreamed Up Plan: Spring Advent Study

Snow still covers the ground, this morning, inches and inches of it. As I went about my morning chores, sipping coffee, I looked out the window at its perfection. The bright sun glimmered of the spotless, undisturbed white drifts and mounds of the sparkling white landscape.

A thought came to mind: Could it be that a snowflake is the only perfect creation that still exists?

Have you ever looked at a snowflake up close? Advent study

I’ve seen snowflakes that were large enough to make out the delicate, perfectly formed and unique crystal artistry. It’s fascinating to witness the beauty and perfection that surround us when the world is blanketed with the remnants of the most recent winter weather.

A close-up of a delicate snowflake emphasizes the beauty and intricacy of nature, accompanied by an inspiring quote about winter's promise and creativity from The Way of the Word.

For a few moments, days, or even weeks for those in the north, winter brings the promise of the Creator's presence in the smallest, often easily dismissed, and quickly disappearing snowflakes.

Psalm 147:16 beautifully captures this:

“He gives snow like wool; He scatters the frost like ashes.” Psalm 147:16 (NASB 1995)

In this upside down, crazier than ever, human existence a snowflake feels like a reminder that God always has a perfect plan, and He works it out, every time. His dreaming, planning, designing and executing are always perfect and always unique.

Snow can also quickly remind us how God’s perfect plan can be spotted, stained, and muddied up when humans take their place in it. Think about how quickly a beautifully laid blanket of snow is cast aside for convenience’s sake by a snow shovel or plow.

A few days mingling with man and snow ends up trampled, piled, dirty, and even despised. God’s perfectly executed offering, poured directly from the storehouses of heaven, meets man.

Job 37:6 reminds us:

“For to the snow He says, Fall on the earth,’” Job 37:6 (NASB 1995)

It has happened over and over throughout; it’s still happening. We read story after story in scriptures and, we’ve lived it over and over in our world. For whatever unknown Yahweh-ordained law or reasoning that I certainly don’t understand, God has chosen to partner with us-

me and you and every human who willingly invite Him.

And we (humanity) have been destroying things from the beginning.

And He always has a rescue plan. Advent study

From the moment He dreamed up humanity, He knew He would need a rescue plan.

He would need infinite rescue plans.

Definition of "kalal": the verb signifying the act of bringing something to its intended end or state of wholeness.

And He dreamed us anyway.

The dream was perfect.

The plan was perfect.

The heart that dreamed the perfect plan, was perfect.

In Hebrew the word is "kalal"; it's a verb.

The plan was "to bring something to its intended end or state of wholeness"

Perfectly executed, perfectly completed in six days. On that sixth day, after He created the pinnacle of His creation, the man molded together with perfect soil, He announced “It is “towb meod!”. All that he had made was exceedingly, wholly, and fully, good.

But not “good” like you and I understand “good”.

When He announced, “Behold! It is very good”, He felt the deepest joy burst out from His infinite being. All that He dreamed, designed, and knit together by His Word and His Spirit was beautiful, bountiful, joyful, precious, marvelous-there really aren’t enough adjectives.

We would say, “Look! It is perfect!”

Then He sat back on the seventh day (“Sheba”. Seven. The word means “perfection”) and He rested.

Perfection is hard work. (Can I get an “Amen!”?)

Did He think about where it all would lead?

Did He look down in time and sigh with sadness when He saw the day to come?

The moment when His perfectly created-out-of-perfect-love human would destroy perfection with one breath? The moment that human self met his greatest enemy?

When perfection, eternal communion with the Creator, was shattered?

Or did He smile?

Because the plan was perfect.

He would not abandon His beloved humanity to the pursuit of self and the destruction laid out before them. He knew His adversary was shrewd in the laws upon which He had built the foundations of the universe so the plan would have to be, what it is was, perfect.

Deuteronomy 32:4 declares:

“The Rock! His work is perfect, For all His ways are just; A God of faithfulness and without injustice, Righteous and upright is He.” Deuteronomy 32:4 (NASB 1995)

It must be a perfect exchange.  The curse brought onto creation by the first perfect man’s fall to self could only be canceled by the perfect blood of a second perfect man. But perfection in humanity had become impossible.

Even if a perfect man could be found, he must then be willing to give his life and take the place of humanity for eternity outside of the presence of God. Literally, Hell for eternity.

The second perfect man must willingly give up his eternal soul so that every other human to be born throughout the millennia could be reconciled back to the perfect presence of the perfect Father’s heart.

Impossible.

Humans had discovered self. It couldn’t be done.

But what if it could be done?

What if that one perfect man could be found, convinced to give up his eternal soul to abandon the presence of God for eternity to save all of humanity?

That wouldn’t ensure the reconciliation of man to his place with the Father. Even if the one perfect human could be found and willingly gave his life and soul for humanity, it would be wasted. He would be in Hell and humanity would join him there because man must choose to be reconciled.

The redemption of man relied on man’s willingness to return to the Kingdom of God. And if the first perfect man had given away perfection, eternal presence walking with God, for self, the adversary would see to it that no human would give up self for a distant promise of existing for eternity in an unseen, unfelt, unexperienced kingdom that was unattainable without first turning away from self.

The adversary believed humanity was eternally separated from the Father.

He believed he had executed the perfect plan of retaliation.

Centuries past, the world-wide flood had been a set-back to be sure.

Genesis 6:5-8 recounts:

“Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  The LORD was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.  The LORD said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I am sorry that I have made them.”  But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.” Genesis 6:5-8 (NASB 1995)

One man, who walked with God, found favor in the eyes of God, obeyed God, and thwarted the adversary's plan to destroy the seed of humanity.

But Noah was not perfect.

The adversary successfully regained humanity’s infatuation with self. To be sure there were a few, very few, who still clung to the stories of the events surrounding creation, the garden, the flood. A handful even seemed to have a special connection to God. He seemed to talk to them, and through them.

Then the humans began speaking about a coming king whose throne would never end. They were announcing an eternal ruler, a messiah. They were saying, “The Lord says”.

Genesis 49:10 prophesies:

“The scepter shall not depart from Judah, Nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, Until Shiloh comes, And to him shall be the obedience of the peoples.” Gen. 49:10

What was He doing?

They were waiting for something, someone.

What was coming? Advent

The Advent of perfection.

(to be continued…)