Genesis

I’ve probably read through Genesis 100 hundred times, if I’ve read it once. Whenever I resolve to myself to be more fastidious and diligent about Scripture reading and want to complete the reading of the entire Scripture, I inevitably start at the beginning, you know, it seems logical. I have to say, I never get bored of the narrative of Genesis. In this most recent reading (and corresponding 10-week Beth Moore study on the Patriarchs), I have to admit that I was completely caught up in the stories and the human characters. Although, not as absent-minded as my girlfriend who was reading along with me, who, while reading the story of Abraham, glanced ahead to the chapter/section titles and was momentarily devastated by the one that read, “Sarah Dies”. As if we didn’t already know that, but like my friend, I too feel the characters are real; they seem alive and well, personable.

When something becomes so familiar to us, it’s so easy for us to miss the significance and lessons therein. The writer in Hebrews writes that the Word is living and active, and as such there is always something more to learn. I always have to approach familiar Scripture with such a mindset and so with fresh insight, I’ve come away with a few main ideas that have been rolling around in my mind. As Eugene Petersen describes, I’ve been gnawing on the Scripture like a dog gnaws on a bone. The main thoughts are:

• God introduces himself to humanity
• Man’s propensity toward evil is not gradual
• Hang on until you receive the blessing
• Godliness is not generational


All I Ever Needed to Know about God, I Learned in Genesis

Several years ago, Robert Flughum wrote a book of proverbs and wisdom, titled, All I Ever Needed To Know I Learned in Kindergarten. It was a best seller and all the hardest people to buy for on your Christmas received a copy of the book that year. After the popularity of the first book, Robert Flughum naturally saw the financial potential in the franchise and subsequently extended his brand to include specific lessons learned from the dog, or cat, or Sunday School teacher, etc. Without trying to oversimplify an infinite God, we can borrow the title to say, “All I ever needed to know about God, I learned in Genesis.” Genesis is the beginning of the story we can know about God. He shows us his character, sometimes directly and sometimes we infer God’s character by the way he interacts with his people.

First, we learn that before anything, God was. I needed to pause for a moment to let that sink in again. God was, God is, and God will forever be. There was never a time, nor will there ever be when God isn’t or wasn’t. The first verse in Genesis starts, “In the beginning, God…” God spoke everything into being and therefore, God is before all things, including me, including the person(s) I am having difficulty getting along. This perspective calms me, because like many women/mothers/wives, I really feel like I’m the one that keeps it all together and running smoothly. When I can step back, and remember that God was before me, I can let go a little (yes, a little – I am still learning, after all).

Second, God is not bothered by chaos. To be sure, the beginning being described in chapter one, verse one is not the beginning, but a beginning, namely beginning of the world as we know it. From other references in Scripture, we know that angels were already created and were with God as he created our world, and presumably Lucifer’s expulsion from heaven happened at a time before Genesis 1:1. So there was evil already and a distinction between holy and unholy existed before the creation of humanity. But here’s the kicker for me, Genesis 1:31 says, “God saw all that he had made and it was very good.” Really? Everything? All of it? Including Lucifer? It’s hard to understand, and indeed I don’t. I simply file it away under the section, “God’s ways are higher than my ways”. Just because I don’t understand, doesn’t mean it’s not true. Humanity, myself included, try to eradicate evil, as something that wasn’t part of God plan. Christian believers are particularly prone to want to explain evil away. We desperately want everything to tie up in a nice little bow, because we justify that God’s will and plan wouldn’t have included **whisper** ‘other gods’.

In the ancient world, great significance was given to names. To know someone’s name, meant you knew their character. This theme plays out again and again throughout Scripture and I’ll pick it up again later, but for know, I’m speaking only about God. He introduces us to several of his names in the book of Genesis and each one is special and significant. Beth Moore says that in a culture of many gods with one name, God introduces us to himself, who is one God with many names. The first name besides LORD (covenant Jehovah) that is introduced is El Elyon, the God Most High.

Until now recently, I haven’t spent a lot of thought on why God would introduce his first name as the God Most High. Most High of what? Since Scripture records it, then it’s worth examining. To be the ‘most’ of anything, means there must be something to make a comparison. And following the thought, we go back what happened prior to Genesis 1:1, where Lucifer wanted to be like the Most High and thereafter he was expulsed because there can only be one Most High. Thus enter chaos, as we call it, but God said all that he was made was good. Throughout Scripture, God is continually affirming that there is no one before him – he is the Most High, and so we have nothing to fear. Our God is the Most High God, all others fall under his authority and ‘highness’. We don’t have to be afraid to admit that there are other gods, lower case ‘g’ because there is only one Most High God, upper case ‘g’.

How does it play out in our own realities? A good friend has had a tumultuous relationship with a man, whom she eventually married. Shortly after her marriage, they were separated. Both of them involved need transformation and as long as they are open to God’s leading, they are moving forward, although separately. Their church rallied around and supported them in counselling, but the powers that be in the church were very persuasive about expressing their own opinions regarding how reconciliation would look and what form it would be. By doing what they are doing, no matter how well-intentioned they were, they limit God, as if he isn’t the Most High God. This example is very, very fresh and my friend and her husband are still living separately but working on fixing themselves and therefore the relationship, it just doesn’t look very traditional.

Third, God is detailed and orderly. I, myself, tend to lean more towards order than all out chaos so I’m encouraged by God’s sense of organization. There was definite order and a pattern to the creation of the world. It’s like when I clean the house, first I have to ‘clean up to clean up’. I have to create the space necessary to fill in the gaps and get down to the details. God’s creation was similar; first he created light, then sky and waters, then land, then time, then filled the air and waters. All of that organization was in preparation to host living creatures and the crown of his creation – man, who bears the image of God.

Four, God is personally interested in humanity and faithfully and relentlessly pursues a relationship with humanity. In chapter 3, Genesis records that God came into the garden in the cool of the day, looking for Adam and Eve. I have to pause right now, because I’m a little emotional at the thought. It is too wonderful for me. God is too wonderful for me. God entered the garden for the purpose of communicating with Adam & Eve, after the Fall. Sin has consequences but doesn’t prevent God from seeking us.

This pattern of God pursuing humanity is modelled again and again in the book of Genesis. He collected Noah from among his peers, he signalled out Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He even saved Lot more than once. Each one of these characters are a lesson of what not to do at many turns in their life, but God’s pursuit of us is not about our ability to do good. No, instead, the gospel is that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, so that we might have perfect fellowship with the Father.

As part of his pursuit for us, God already put into place a plan that would restore full fellowship and to reverse the consequence of the Fall. Within the curse, God provides a little insight into his ultimate plan, that eventually, the serpent (i.e. Satan) will be crushed on the head by the offspring from [a] woman. God affirms his plan for mankind first by the blessing he gives Abraham in chapter 12 and also by the covenant he cuts with Abraham in chapter 15.

Closely related to point four is this, God is always present with his chosen ones. Jacob testifies, “Surely the LORD was in this place, and I was not aware of it.” God is so good, that we don’t even have to acknowledge or know his presence for it to be true. Later Jacob (I love Jacob, he’s my favourite character in the book of Genesis), testifies again, this time to God’s faithfulness, “God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has delivered me from all harm.” Joseph’s narrative also records the presence of God with him. Wouldn’t that be the only way to explain how Joseph was able to restrain himself at the hand of Potiphar’s wife?

Speaking of Joseph, I see a parallel between his dilemma with Potiphar’s wife and the Adam & Eve’s ill-fated decision in the garden of Eden, except this time we see a different decision. In the garden, Adam & Eve were given access to every kind of tree, with the exception of the two trees in the middle. The temptation was too great, and they succumbed to the beauty of the tree and the delectability of the fruit. In parallel, Joseph was given everything in Potiphar’s house except the wife. Joseph makes an impassionate reply to her sexual advances and yet, in contrast to Adam & Eve, he acknowledges to act on his desire would be a sin against God. Don’t tell me he wasn’t the least bit interested. A young hormonal man, who’s just been offered “no strings attached” sexual pleasure? Yeah, you can be sure, he was tempted. The very fact that Joseph was able to say no to the temptation, gives us hope that we can also resist temptation.


Propensity Toward Evil

Not only does Genesis provide insight about God and his character, we also gain some self-awareness. For those that would argue and say that humanity’s decline is gradual, hasn’t read Genesis lately. Cain and Abel were second generation, and Cain progressed toward murder at the first sign of trouble. How much more sudden can it be? Murder? That’s pretty much the top of the list of heinous crimes. Also among the top, sexual deviance would also rank up there and Genesis records it all – rape, homosexuality, incest, fornication.

Humanity’s propensity toward ungodly behaviour is immense. Paul is correct when he writes in Romans, “I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, my sinful nature.” Since the Fall, we are born under the dominion of sin (and death). In the case of Adam & Eve, they chose to do evil, but we who have come after them, must choose to do good, and that only by the power of the Holy Spirit. The good news is the gospel, in which God had a plan that would, and indeed it did, break the dominion of sin. Although humanity is strongly conditioned towards sin, God, who is the Most High (higher than the dominion of sin), has offered an alternative.


Hang On Until the Blessing

If there is anything I’d want to proclaim to the other believers who are losing or who have lost faith it would be this, “Hang onto until the blessing comes.” Oh, that we would have the tenacity of Jacob, the faith of Abraham and Isaac, the long-suffering of Job and the love of Christ, to be able to see the promise of blessing through to completion.

I believe with all my heart that God is faithful. He can and will do all that he promised to for Abraham, which was to bless him so that through him all peoples would be blessed. Last time I checked, all peoples included me and anyone else I know. If there is a blessing, there is no way in hell (and I do mean that literally), that I am going to purposely do anything to jeopardize it, and yet, all around that’s exactly what I see happening.

Boo hoo. Life is hard, get over it. A friend tells me that she doesn’t know how to love her husband, that he’s impossible to love. She’ll be better off without him, and as for the children, they would be better off too, without the constant negative influence of their father. She tells me that it wasn’t supposed to be this way. My first instinct is to smack her upside the head, but thankfully that’s not what I do. Instead, I counsel her and tell her there is a third choice and that would be to stay and watch God do a miraculous thing because that’s what he does. He takes things that are dead and brings them to life. He breathes his own spirit, ruah into the thing. And then it not only revives, but thrives.

I know because God did that for me and my marriage. I still can’t believe God put peace, joy and love into a marriage that was all but destroyed. It wasn’t without personal injury or pain, but I held on. I didn’t let go, I thought to myself, “If only we could make it to the 7th year, then God would give us rest.” And he did. It still brings tears to my eyes, remembering the pain but living the goodness of his blessing.

Jacob wrestled with God, and afterward, when he had overcome, yakol, he held on and begged the angel to not go until he had blessed him. Prior to Jacob begging for a blessing, God touched his hip, which caused Jacob to have a physical reminder of the pain he went through to get to the blessing. So often, too often, people let go in the midst of their pain. As if they alone are the only ones that God meant not to bless. The blessing is not whether or not we experience or exist with pain, but it’s found in our new identity, just like for Jacob. His blessing was a new name. I just finished writing about the significance names had in the ancient world. Jacob means deceiver – not exactly the kind of legacy you’d want to carry around with you. But, then God gave him a new name, Isra-El (emphasis mine). It wasn’t an accident that in part, he is identified with God, El. Israel was just one man then, but he became a nation that was known as Israel, and God himself said, “When my people, who are called by my name…”

I digress, and went down my own rabbit trail but I just can’t help myself with Scripture – each piece fits seamlessly with another, it’s incredulous to me that more believers aren’t scouring the Word, finding the ways God makes connections throughout Scripture. He is so consistent with himself, nothing is left out.

So, back to the blessing that comes to those who overcome the pain, hold on and wait for the blessing. Why? Oh why? Would anyone let go at the height of the pain? You’ve come this far, you might as well carry it on. Childbirth is painful, but at no point during the labour of my son did I want to quit. No, I knew that there was a purpose to the pain. Likewise with the pain of abuse, addiction, divorce, death – all of it will result in blessing if we hang on long enough. God will bring glory to his name and those that are called by his name will be blessed.


Following after God is not generational

This one causes me a bit more anxiety and unease than the others. Genesis is a sampling of humanity, I see myself in so many aspects of the people are make up the stories, so when I see how a generation that comes after a God follower fully & completely turn away from God…well, it makes me nervous for my son and grandchildren that will come after him. The most intriguing example is Abraham’s sons, Ishmael and Isaac. Ishmael is considered the father of Islam and Isaac was the chosen one. Isaac had two sons and one was chosen, the other went his own way. Jacob had 12 sons and most of them turned away in his lifetime but over the generations, all but one turned away from God. Only those that God chose followed after him.

I suppose it’s another one of those thoughts that I have to file under, “God ways are higher than my ways”


Genesis opens up a whole host of other questions and themes that I’m on the lookout for:

• Holy War, the dissension among brothers
• How God continually chooses the younger over the older
• Names of God
• How and why God chooses to change the names of people
• How God continues to restore what was lost in Eden

The journey is just beginning and presently, I have the rush of adrenaline I always have at the beginning of something new. Oh, I pray that in this, I will hang on until I receive my reward, my inheritance, which is Christ. I want more, I want more, I want more.