Heyya, Folks!
Throughout these last few weeks, the Father has taken me on a bit of a roller-coaster ride in my personal time with Him. A couple days after we got to the house in Romania I finished up what I had been studying at Launch and I started praying about what God had next for me. The answer was quick (as it usually is) and I clearly heard that I needed to read through Genesis and I needed to do so three times. When I heard this, my stomach fell. Genesis has been a book I’ve had a hard time reading in the past, especially the first few chapters. I wouldn’t say I doubted what we find in chapters 1-11, but I definitely have a hard time reading this section without an overload of skepticism. Were the seven days of creation symbolic for a greater amount of time? If God is all knowing, why didn’t He foresee the evil of humanity? We are His creation, so why does it seem like He doesn’t understand us and is just trying out different methods of dealing with us in the beginning? These were my questions. They existed, but do not mistake my heart at this point. I was not doubting the Father or His character. I wonder many things about Him, but this I know: He is loving, He is all-knowing, and He is Just. I know that He does not make mistakes or decisions in haste. He is not rushed or caught off guard. His character is consistent. In essence, then, my problem was not that I doubted things about God or his character, but more that I could not see how His character fit with some of the things that took place in Genesis. So, I began to pray. I prayed that God would reveal himself but also that He would lift the veil that Satan had cast over my eyes, which kept me from connecting the pieces here. That I would have a desire to dig in and find real truth rather than pick and choose, taking away the parts that were pleasing to me.
The next morning I got right to it. It probably took me twenty minutes just to get through that first chapter. I am still amazed by just how much these chapters contain about the nature of God, humanity, and the Devil. All motives are laid bare and we can clearly see the truth behind what drives the three parties above. The first truth that really hit home was that God seeks relationship with us… relentlessly. He designed us, not only to sing His praise and glorify His name, but also just to dwell in intimacy with Him. The scriptures depicts multiple instances in the beginning where God literally came down just to walk with us. (Genesis 3:8 “Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as He was walking in the garden”, 5:22 “…and Enoch walked with God…”) He has sough us out since the beginning. He was satisfied with us. (Genesis 1:31 “God saw all that He had made, and it was very good”) We were not satisfied with him. As soon as Adam and Eve ate of that forbidden fruit they gave in to the lie that there was something better than the Father to be had. In our belief that we can supply our own happiness, we began a campaign of searching for that counterfeit thing that we were sure would lead to our fulfillment. (Hosea 13:6 “When I fed them, they were satisfied; when they were satisfied, they became proud; then, they forgot me…”) In the midst of all of this stands an accuser. One who planted the lie that caused us to doubt God. Satan is his name, and mankind has struggled with identity ever since he first came on the scene. Because of his schemes, and man’s pride, we were separated from our Heavenly Father, cursed to struggle through life in enmity with that crafty serpent. However, even from the very beginning, God had a plan and He vows that one day there will come one who will defeat the Accuser once and for all. This defeat comes at a cost as the serpent will also make a critical blow to the one prophesied. (Genesis 3:15 “[to the serpent] I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; He will crush your head; but you will strike His heal.”) The story from there takes a bleak turn as mankind’s desire to find fulfillment apart from the Father leads to unthinkable evil. Within a generation, we have the first murder (Genesis 4:8). Within a few more generations, we have corrupted cities and men hoarding wives, boasting about the wicked things they have done (Genesis 4:23). We spiraled out of control to such an extent that we actually grieved the heart of the God who created us for a Father/Child like intimacy with Him (Genesis 6:6). We brought Him pain because we rejected Him, but also because He knew the consequences of our actions. Let’s take a brief digression back to the beginning of the story where God first places the humans in the garden. He warns them to stay well clear of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. He gave them a choice. To trust that He is good and that His command was the best thing for them, or to go out on their own, trusting in themselves to find the right path. The stakes were actually quite high as God reveals that eating from the forbidden tree will open up a path that ultimately leads to death (Genesis 2:17 “… but you must not eat from the tree of knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it, you will surely die.”) He gave us the free choice way back then and He continues to do so now, but we repeatedly pursue a life separate from Him. Now, back to the story… the grieving heart of God. Remember, earlier I said that there were three big things that God has shown me about His character in my walk with Him: He is loving, He is All-knowing, He is just. By these characteristics, then, there is a bit of a problem. How can God respond to mankind’s evil in a way which stays true to these characteristics? The answer, scriptures tells us, was through a great cleansing of the Earth we now call the Flood. Through the Flood He is able to be completely just by giving the humans the consequences that their actions deserve, yet also show His quality of being all loving by providing a way for humanity to continue through the family of Noah. Noah was unique. The Bible describes Him as an upright man, blameless before the people of his time and, like Enoch and Adam, he walked with God (Genesis 6:9). Like Adam, Noah had to make a decision that would have a major impact on mankind. Unlike Adam, Noah chose to trust in the things that God said, no matter how crazy they sounded. Mankind was spared because of his obedience. So, the humans have a new beginning through the family of Noah and the future looks pretty bright. Surely with this fresh start we would give up trying to do things on our own… right? Obviously, the answer is one huge resounding no, as it does not take long for mankind to go back to following their own desire to be in God’s place. This desire reaches its height in Babylon where we decide to make a name for ourselves by building a tower that would literally reach to God (Genesis 11:4). When God himself examines this tower He says that if people are unified through language no sin will be impossible for them to commit, so He confuses their languages, ultimately bringing the work to a halt.
So what now? That had always been my question after reading of Babel as I had never been able to see the way the story up to it connects with what comes next. God made it abundantly clear this time around. At the end of chapter eleven we are introduced to a pivotal character in the story of the Bible. His name is Abram. I love the way a note in my Bible explains the shift in the story here. “…(Here) the story of God’s way with human kind shifts focus from universal history to the history of God’s relationship with a particular person and people.Here begins the history of His saving work in which human sin is not only judged (the flood) or restrained (Babel) but forgiven (through atonement) and overcome (through the purifying of human hearts).” Through Abram’s family, God begins to fulfill His promise from Genesis 3:15 that one day a man would come that would defeat the enemy for good, making a way for us to once again be connected to the Father. It is here that the Father sows the scarlet thread of redemption that ultimately led to the Cross!
I think the biggest problem I had previously had with Genesis was in understanding the main theme of it’s text. In light of the Father’s character, it just seemed to contradict all reason. After all, if God is always just, how could He let the humans live and corrupt His world? If He is all loving, why would he create a situation in which He would have to bring catastrophes like the flood on His creation to maintain His justice? The Bible is filled with situations like the fall, the flood, and Babel where God repeatedly gives us a chance to do things right and then we completely blow it. This led to my final question. If God is all knowing, why did He get caught up in this seemingly pointless cycle of love-judgement-love-judgement in the first place? Didn’t He foresee what would happen? Why even waste His time? Earlier, I said that God made us to glorify Him and to dwell in intimacy with Him. Is this enough reason to justify God’s relentless pursuit of fallen, traitorous man? Before this study, I don’t think I had never come to terms with the overwhelming magnitude of God’s love for us. If there is one thing that the Father emphasized through this study it was the way He repeatedly goes out of His way to bring us back into His fold. When I began, I was convinced that the Father would open eyes to mind blowing theological themes or to some deeper understanding of these stories. However, in the end He just wanted to show me the way I can never truly comprehend how great His love for mankind is. How deeply He desires that we be reunited with Him in intimacy. I can’t think of a better message to start my race on! It’s the overarching anthem of every Bible story. The Father pursues us relentlessly!
I want to end this little study by saying that the Father loves to surprise us in ways that we thought impossible! When He told me to read though Genesis I was not too excited about it. I realized that lack of enthusiasm sprung from my lack of faith in God’s ability to teach me something new from something I’ve heard all my life. I knew my questions and doubts, but God was determined to teach me something even if I tried to close my eyes and cover my ears. I still have as many questions about the beginning as the next person, but through this study God gave me one more piece that helps the puzzle make sense. Praise God for His faithful answers to prayer!
In other news, we are in Ukraine! Life has been going awesome for our first week as God gave us a great deal of downtime to regroup, heal from sickness, and really just bond as a team. Keep your eyes peeled for another post in the next few days explaining more of what ministry and life in general looks like!
Thanks for all the love and support!
Through His Grace,
Colby
