GENESIS 3

I think God must love chess. I see Him as the ultimate chess player, the Grandmaster of grandmasters. He sees the whole layout of the board, knows every piece, knows every possible move. Not only does He know every possible move, but He knows every possible outcome of every possible move, and He knows every counter move available to Him to keep the game on track.

Hold up. Were you thinking just now that I was likening our existence to a game in which we’re simply pawns? Nothing could be further from the truth! We’re not the chess pieces. Each of us is the other player. We're not on the board; we're on the other side of the board. We're not being moved; we're making moves. That's right. In our relationship with God, we are making moves that affect the “game,” just as He is.

People, sometimes we make stupid moves.

In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve made some pretty stupid moves. In fact, their moves have affected every single game since. But none of this limits God. Remember, not only does He know every possible move, but He knows every possible outcome of every possible move, and He knows every possible countermove He can use to keep our relationship on track.

Genesis 3 is a prime example of this. Adam and Eve have really blown it. They have both made the decision to eat fruit from the tree God warned them to stay away from.

And here’s an interesting tidbit. When it says, in verse 7, that they knew they were naked, the Hebrew word for naked is taken from a word that means to be subtle, be shrewd, be crafty. So, saying they were naked wasn’t just a physical description. Rather, they knew they had totally blown it. They knew they had made a stupid move.

Even more interesting is that this word which means to be subtle, be shrewd, be crafty is the same word which is related to the description of the snake in verse 1. This is exactly what the snake was like!

In siding with the snake, they had inadvertently taken on his likeness. Adam and Eve rejected God's nature—the image they were originally created in—and put on the nature of the snake instead.

The bad news is that the nature of the snake is lies, sin, and death.

Totally stupid move.

All would be lost if it wasn't for the fact that God is the Grandmaster of chess! He is totally responsive to every move we make, and He will do whatever is necessary to keep the game viable.

When Adam and Eve chose something other than the perfection He had created, when they rejected Plan A, God responded with a move that offered them Plan B. And if they rejected Plan B, He would have a Plan C. He is not limited by any moves we make… He is only limited if we are ultimately unwilling to continue in the game.

Good moves, bad moves, stupid moves, it doesn't matter. God is a Grandmaster who can handle any move we can throw at Him. He just enjoys sitting across the table from us.