Not Forgotten
- AfraOpoku
- October 19, 2025
- Uncategorized
- 0 Comments
You will surely die.1
That’s a scary statement as a stand-alone.
Coming from God, it’s no less than terrifying.
When the creator says you will die, there is no room for negotiating.
Surely means surely.
Except…
They ate the fruit and…2
They didn’t die.
Not immediately anyway.
I’ve always wondered why?
Maybe I’m more used to the Ananias and Sapphira story.3
One strike and you’re out.
In this case they stayed alive long enough to hide.
They lived long enough to be expelled.
They had enough time to have kids; and multiple kids at that.
We’re used to death so we don’t see it as out of the ordinary when it happens after a long life.
Adam lived to more than 900 years and considering that at age 1 he was a full-grown man, that’s impressive.4
It tells me a couple of things.
When God says He’s going to do something… He doesn’t necessarily mean immediately.
After almost a thousand years on planet earth, God didn’t forget the consequences of their sin.
As long as it took, it did happen.
When God says He is going to do something. You can bet on it.
This works for good and not so good promises.
God showed great mercy when He stays His hand for a season but we serve a God who keeps his word.
Translation:
If God has promised you something and it has tarried, do not assume He forgot… even when it’s been decades of waiting.
When judgement tarries, it doesn’t mean it will not happen.
At age 900, Adam probably didn’t think God intended for him to pay for his sin with his life, but almost half a century later, he bumped into a non-negotiable destiny.
The good news is God is a good God.
He would rather reward than punish.
For most parents, punishing children is far from a pleasurable activity, but the opportunity to do good for those same children is a powerful and pleasurable motivator.
God came through with Isaac at a time when Sarah was long overdue for social security. Jesus the promise was given when Adam sinned.
Jesus the baby appeared 4000 years later.
While the author of time remains strategic, those of us who live in time grow impatient.
Like the kid in the back seat, our constant refrain is are we there yet?
God doesn’t give us tracking codes on His promises, making it easy to assume He’s forgotten or He’s moved on.
Our Lord’s return was promised 2000 years ago but considering the gap between Jesus’ promise and Jesus’ birth, we really haven’t had to wait that long.
His timelines may not fit ours but waiting is a major way our faith muscle gets stretched.
He will make it happen.
The good He has promised us because of His Son’s sacrifice.
In the fullness of time, He will fulfill His promised best.
Trust.
1Gen 2v 17
2Gen 3 v 6
3Acts 5 v 1-11
4Gen 5 v 5