About Genesis

Many of you will have read through Genesis. It is a remarkable book containing the origins of what we believe as Christians.  Here we read how sin and death came into the world.  We read about God’s love and justice, about faith and obedience, about the purposes of God for Israel and the world.

With all this we read a lot of very strange things!  We read about human weakness and depravity.  Against this we read of encounters with mysterious beings like Melchizedek.  For someone with little or no faith in God this book is a minefield; a disaster area – even plain nonsense!  However, through eyes of faith – through knowing Jesus Christ – everything comes into focus. 

First we need to see that Moses wrote this book.  Where did he get his information?  Well in Exodus chapter 24 we read that Moses spent 40 days and nights up a mountain communing with the Lord. In Deuteronomy chapter 10 we discover that Moses spent a second 40 days and nights in God’s presence.  This second time was to do with interceding for the people because they had sinned.  During one or both of these times, Moses received all kinds of information from God that we call “the Law”.  Moses was commanded to write these things down.  We have 5 books written by him [the PENTATEUCH].  The first of these is Genesis [meaning BEGINNINGS].  Moses writes what God showed him about the origins of Mankind, the development of Covenants with God and the emergence of the nation of Israel (among many other nations).

Moses did not see everything – nor was he able to describe everything he saw in ways that would suit us 21^st Century people.  All through the Bible God speaks through the limitations of human beings who have faith in him.  He does not make them into robots.  He does not give them words to say that they did not know or understand.  It would be remarkable for Moses to have described the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah as an “atomic blast” or “laser beams of destruction”.  He describes what he was shown in words that he knew.

It is wonderful and amazing to read the accounts of ordinary people in that ancient world.  They show the same weaknesses and sins that dominate our modern world.  Yet, we see God working with them and through them because of their faith in him!  He is not fazed by their weaknesses and his purposes stay on course in spite of Abraham’s “ups and downs”, Isaac’s wilful ignoring of God’s word about Jacob and Esau, Jacob’s wheeling and dealing, the attempt to do away with Joseph and the various sinful things that might have messed up the pure line of Israel.  And why did God want to keep Israel “pure” and special as a nation? His purpose was to produce the Saviour of the World through that nation.  All this is seen in a nutshell in the experience of Joseph.  This is all made clear in Genesis chapter 45 [and chapter 50 v.20].  God was behind everything so that Israel would have a safe place to last out the famine and, later become a distinct nation. 

Genesis has several covenants made by God.  These are promises (or oaths) that God made with people of faith.  Some have conditions others do not.  All of them remain because they are God’s Word.  We may be weak and changeable but God does not change and his word endures for ever.

·  Genesis ch.3 – several promises here – the main one being that the seed of the woman will crush Satan.

·  Genesis ch’s. 8&9 – here the word covenant is used and the promise relates to preserving and honouring life – signified by the rainbow.
·  Genesis ch.12 – here and elsewhere are covenants made with Abraham.  These all relate to a chosen nation out of which would come the Saviour of the World [MESSIAH].

The covenant with Abraham extends through Isaac and then Jacob.  One might feel that these men did little to help the promises along!  However, God remained faithful and his word stayed steady and true.  God could bless all Abraham’s children yet remain on course to bless the world through Isaac.   Right up to today we have trouble in the world because of Abraham’s children.  Not just the enmity between Ishmael (Arabs) and Isaac (Jews) but other nations like Iraq and Iran are descendants of children of Abraham. All the strife seems only to highlight the power and promises of God.

Let us take courage and hold on to faith in the Lord knowing that serving him is a privilege and that his grace will see us though.  We may feel weak, or silly, or sinful BUT GOD is able to lift us up and strengthen us for his work.  We must not worry about weakness but realise that his strength can be perfect in our weakness [2 Corinthians 12.9].  Just look at what God did in the Book of Genesis!