I Am

I AM

By Richard Francis

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2014 Richard Francis Broodryk

Smashwords Edition, License Notes

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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Chapter 1. I Adam

Chapter 2. I Noah

Chapter 3. I Abraham

Chapter 4. I Moses

Chapter 5. I Joshua

Chapter 6. I Deborah

Chapter 7. I Gideon

Chapter 8.I Samson

Chapter 9. I Ruth

Chapter 10. I Samuel

Chapter 11. I Saul

Chapter 12. I David

Chapter 13. I Solomon

Chapter 14. I Elijah

Chapter 15. I Elisha

Chapter 16.I Esther

Chapter 17. I Job

Chapter 18. I Isaiah

Chapter 19. I Jeremiah

Chapter 20. I Ezekiel

Chapter 21. I Daniel

Chapter 22. I AM

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I ADAM

He smiled at me and I sensed His love and compassion as I opened my eyes and beheld my Creator for the first time. My first thoughts were this: Do I resemble Him? but then understanding came and I corrected myself and spontaneously said out loud, No, I look like I AM!

What joy, what happiness as He stooped over me and reached out His hand to take mine. He said: Come Adam let Me show you the world. Swiftly we moved from mountain to valley, from one beautiful oasis to another. I saw and felt, His touch, His splendor in all that was shown to me and my eyes devoured it all! Then He brought me to Eden...ah, Eden, glorious Eden, how my heart yearns to experience your calm wondrous embrace just once again…

Eden, the dwelling place of my happiness, had the most beautiful and majestic trees. The cypress, sycamore the ash and the oak, tall and strong they stood, a symbol of the strength of my Creator. Everywhere I walked, the abundant flowers spread their sweet smelling fragrance of Him. The birds, to numerous too count, sang songs in splendid harmony to Him who had created them, and I, I Adam, was given the task of naming them all. They gently settled on my outstretched hands and arms as they noisily beheld me and received their names. Time meant nothing, for I did not know then what time was, but now…now I know.

I laughed, played and danced with all the animals, joyously studying one then another. There was the elephant with it’s amazing trunk, the giraffe proudly stretching out it’s long neck, there was the shy smiling koala which always wanted to sleep and the outrageous bouncing kangaroo! However there was also one that always eluded me. I was later to understand why. It was early morning when the Creator walked in Eden. I ran to Him, as I was prone to do, to embrace Him for I delighted to be in his presence. As I reached Him, His smile washed over me. A great heaviness enveloped me and suddenly I knew nothing. Soon the same heaviness left me and I found myself lying on my back amongst the beautiful flowers of Eden. I looked up and a wondrous sight stepped into my line of vision. Before me was the most gorgeous creature I had ever seen. Love overwhelmed me as I leapt to my feet and awkwardly stumbled towards her. She laughed and stepped towards me. My heart flooded with thanksgiving towards my Creator. I knew He had created her for me! Understanding came and I softly whispered her name… Eve, yes…you are Eve, for you have been taken out of me.

Our love was more beautiful than Eden’s entire splendor and deeper than Eden’s deepest valley. How her eyes sparkled as I happily taught her the names of all the birds and the animals. We enjoyed our walks with our Creator and to our delight; He taught us and instructed us concerning all the trees of the garden. All the fruit was good to eat, except the fruit of this one particular tree. We were never to eat from this tree. To our Lord’s pleasure we enthusiastically responded by tasting all of the fruits of Eden, except of course, the fruit of the one. There was another tree in the garden that we were not allowed to touch, but this tree remained hidden from us.

How foolish I had been just to stand and watch! Did I not recognize the one animal that had always eluded me? Yet, there I was, standing next to Eve, and allowing the animal to lie to her, to deceive her! She listened to all the lies of the animal and reached out and tasted the forbidden fruit. The very thing our Father had commanded us not to do! To my surprise she did not die and handed me some as well. What was I thinking! I reached out, took it and ate it. The fruit was quite good to eat. Grins turned to horror as Eve and I watched each other die! This was not death of our bodies but it was the death of our spirits! We died then stood there, both naked and empty. Shame, confusion, anger and fear poured through us. We were shocked, what…how…suddenly realization came…we had disobeyed our Creator. How were we to face Him again?

In our shame and anguish we did face Him. Although His love surrounded us, Eden would never be the same again. Our sin separated us from Him…though He promised that it would not be forever. Eve was to suffer in childbirth. I was to toil the land. No more would we pick and eat the fruit of Eden. We were outcast, left desolate. His mercy alone spared us and His loving kindness allowed us to live off the land. Eventually Eve called out to me and our firstborn opened his eyes. We named him Cain and taught him all that the Creator had taught us concerning the plants, trees and animals. My despair and sadness since Eden somewhat lifted and soon Abel joined us. Abel loved the animals. He gently danced among them, first playing with this one then with that one but always he, ever so gently, cradled the Lamb.

Trouble came to my household…murder was the cry! Cain had extinguished Abel’s fire. Oh Eve, my beautiful Eve, don’t cry, don’t let your tears stain your lovely face. There will be others to take Abel’s place in your heart.

Seth was born and then others, many others. I taught them about their Creator. I told them about our great sin. They had to know they had to beware of the evil one whose head we had to continually crush. They understood, for they were of Adam. Seth was a joy to me because he was the first to be exactly like me my image and my likeness. He was a beginning of a new hope that slowly rose up in my soul. Maybe someday I would walk in the shade of the trees of Eden again.

Death has come into the world through my disobedience and all now die. However, there will be another and all who obey Him and believe in Him will live as I had lived in Eden. As the last of my energy is poured out like a drink offering into this cruel earth, know this…there will be a second Adam…follow Him!

I NOAH

They laughed, they mocked, they cursed and then they laughed all over again. My strength mingled with my sweat and both evaporated as I struggled under the heavy load of hewn cypress wood. The wood’s splinters pierced my hands and aching back as it had done countless times before.

I paused and set down the heavy burden; stopping to rest for a while and to warn. Wide grins remained plastered to their glistening faces as I took yet another opportunity to address them. The words came easily as they had done in just as many countless times as I had carried wood. I said, I am not drunk as you suppose, for it is only nine in the morning. Listen to these words. Fear God. Leave this corrupt way of living and do not be an adulterous people. Turn and be healed so that you can be spared from the hour of wrath which has nearly come… The shout rang out… Who has made you spokesman for us? You are nothing but a madman! The cry, now so familiar, rang hollowly in my ears only to remind me of that first encounter…

Noah! He called. There was no mistaking that voice. Yes, my Lord, I quickly answered, prostrating myself in His presence. Noah, I am going to make an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. So make yourself an ark of cypress wood… So had begun the endless chopping, cutting and trimming of trees. My sons helped as best they could or wanted but the fear of the Lord was on me and not upon them. I ended up doing most of the work.

I was five hundred years old and did not know what an ark was, but He instructed me. Carefully and methodically He laid out all the plans and guided me as the work progressed. Noah, He said, I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. But I will establish My Covenant with you… Not only did He speak to me concerning these things; He also showed me. That day I trembled like a little child. I was like a young deer just wanting to dart off! Yet there was going to be no running from Him. No place to go too but to Him. He is God.

I saw the raging waters as it burst forth from out of the Deep. I saw and heard the lashing storms, the fearsome lightning and the boiling of the oceans. The world had gone mad…but this blind generation called me mad. A sharp pain in my side reminded me that the task was not finished yet. Amidst the mockers I picked up the load of wood and laboriously plodded on to where the ark stood. The black pitch on the ark’s sides clearly marked it out against the backdrop of a brilliantly clear morning.

I lowered my gaunt and haggard frame onto a much, chipped stump of a tree, a tree chopped off almost a year ago. I was so tired. How long were we still to build? I asked myself. His