The Great Story... "…which in their seeds and weak beginning lie intreasured."

The Message of Genesis

The Great Story... "…which in their seeds and weak beginning lie intreasured."

Five Studies in the Books of the Law (#1)

Mark Dever

1/20/02

 

           Is it possible that a careful study of history allows you to know the results of an event before it actually happens?  Shakespeare thought so.  In 'Henry V' the king is recalling a prophecy, to which his advisor responds that the king can look to history to determine the events of the present.  The events of the present are rooted in the past, hence '…which in their seeds and weak beginning lie intreasured.'

           Is it truly possible to know the results of an event before it happens?  Beginnings are portentous.  They carry the seeds of the outcome within them.  Fearing God is a good way to begin anything.  Show me how you spend your morning hours, and I'll tell you how your day will be.  Genesis is the beginning of the Bible.  Within it are the seeds of the outcome.

           Genesis can be divided into four main sections--chapters 1-11 chronicle the beginning--the Creation, the Fall, Adam, and Noah.  Chapters 12-50 chronicle the life of Abraham and his descendents, mainly Jacob and Joseph.  The camera zooms in to look at one family through whom God will choose people to redeem for His glory.  It is important to note that the early chapters of Genesis speed by--they cover vast amounts of time compared with the later chapters of Genesis.  Genesis prepares us for the exodus in this way.   The key lessons that we can learn about God and ourselves in both halves of the book are God's holiness & judgment on sin, God's mercy, God's sovereignty, and our response.

 

I A God's holiness and judgment on sin.

           God's character is displayed throughout the whole world in the first eleven chapters of Genesis.  Most of the world's history is also written in these first chapters--the Creation, fall, tower of Babel, Flood, and so on.  It is clear that God is self existent, that He is independent, and that we were made by Him.  This is the assumption, not the focus, of the chapters.  It is also acknowledged that God will be our judge. 

           In chapter seven we read about the flood.  This is one of the four great judgments of God on man.  The judgment on Adam, the flood, the cross, and the final judgment are God's great judgments.  The flood is not a plaything--it is not something we should think of as cute and decorate our nurseries with.  It covered the earth in an expression of God's death dealing wrath.  Why?  Because every inclination of man's heart is evil from childhood. 

           There is a God, and He made you.  No wonder these ideas are under attack.  If we were created by an impersonal process, we may feel free to do whatever we want--we reject the notion that humans are sacred.  This adoption of naturalism allows us to feel that humans are only as special as we want them to be--so when human life can be sacred when we feel like it and not when we don't.  That abortion and euthanasia are 'okay' are lies of this world--God will judge us for these things.  As a church we must be ready to see the good of Creation, but we must also be ready to see our own sins.  God is good and holy and He will judge us for our sins. 

I B.  God's mercy

           Yet surely we see God's mercy in these first chapters as well.  Even as God is judging Adam and Eve for their sins, we gives them (and us) hope by promising that he offspring of Eve will crush the head of Satan.  Even in judgment He remembers mercy.  When the Bible says God 'remembered,' this is another way of saying He shows His mercy.  This is a basic part of the Bible's picture of God.  Such examples are still witnesses to the world.  It lets us stand faithfully and publicly for righteousness as Noah did.

           Early Christians used the ark with the cross as a symbol.  The same is true today--the cross must always be at the center of our lives.  Genesis presents no hope for humans except through the mercy of God.  There is no hope but that which is in Christ.  What a marvelous truth. 

 

I C. God's sovereignty

           The creator of all is sovereign over all.  The author of the world has authority over the world.  Is there any doubt about that authority?  How, after reading chapter seven, can that doubt remain?  God has power to show mercy.  Christ said the same thing.  Not only did He have the power to give up His life, He had the authority to do it.  And He had the authority to take it up again.  God is the sovereign Lord who arranged the conspirators and God has the power to keep the promises He made.  He is able to do what He says. 

The sovereignty of God is not just something to argue about.  We must remind ourselves that He is the real and sovereign God.  That we desperately need to know the truth of God's greatness--that He is holy and sovereign.

 

I D.  Our response

           Our response should be obedience and faith.  Noah stand as a counter-example.  In the days of Noah before the coming of Christ Noah stuck out--his righteousness was prominent.  Consider the days he was living in and Noah seems very obedient indeed.  Was Noah sinless?  No.  In 8:21 we are told that the hearts of all men are evil and we see some of Noah's sins recorded later in Genesis.  Noah's comparative obedience is noted--it is the same way we should be living as Christians.  Your life, Christian, should be godly and comparatively holy.  How could Noah do this?  Was he naturally better than other men?  No, he had faith in God's word--had faith, trusted, obeyed, and believed in the truth of the Word. 

We are called to heed God's word--to turn from our sins and to turn to Him.  We are called to trust and obey as Christ did.  In the Garden of Gethsemane the second Adam chose obedience.  We are called to do the same--to choose life.  And we need churches that work--committed churches that are backed up by holiness and discipline. 

 

II A.  God's holiness and judgment on sin

           In chapter 12 we see the crucial event between the fall of Adam and the birth of Christ--that is, the Lord calls Abram.  That call sets off the story for the rest of the Bible.  God displayed his character in His chosen people.  His holiness, purity, and righteousness are displayed in His people--God's people would be holy because He is holy. 

           In the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah we see that we have no rights by creation.  Our inalienable rights are inalienable only in this world.  The Creator can also destroy. 

           The Israelites were forbidden to inter-marry, that is, God would not let them marry those who were not His chosen people.  Why was He so concerned about that?  Because they would lead His people to worship foreign gods.

           To be a fallen human is to be sinful.  Jesus was human and sinless.  We are called to lives of purity.  At CHBC, we encourage you to live lives of purity--to examine your self.  As His special people, must not allow unrepentant sin to continue in our lives. 

 

II B.  God's mercy

God's holiness intensifies the presentation of his mercy.  The only way to be special is to listen and trust God.  Anything else is not special.  God's covenant is not dependent on Abraham but God.  In chapter 22 God provides the sacrifice.  And we must understand that this is nothing that we deserve. 

In chapter 39 we read the sordid story of how Judah slept with his daughter-in-law.  Out of that sinful liaison comes the line of Jesus.  God is amazingly merciful.  He is able tot take the worst situations and lives and work them for good.  We cannot save ourselves.  We are special because He has called us out of our sins.  Know that you deserve to die for your sins.  Praise God that He has sacrificed the sinless one.  Jesus died on the cross for all those who turn from their sin and trust in Him.

 

II C.  God's sovereignty

           God's sovereignty continues to be emphasized and specific.  We see this in stories about Sarah and especially in Joseph's life.  All of these chapters line up so perfectly--it is clear that God arranged all the events of Joseph's life carefully--even now he lines things up to display His glory and remember His promises.  In 50:20 the double causation is written--Joseph says that 'you intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.' 

           Do not underestimate God and His power.  We may temporarily ignore Him, but we may never permanently avoid Him.  If you know Him, be encouraged in your service--do not approach Him but reverently, out of joy and confidence. 

 

II D.  Our response

The same God who called out of chaos the world called out of the chaos of our soul obedience.  Nowhere in the Old Testament does faith appear so clearly but in Abraham.  In Genesis 15:6 we see the beginning of our faith--Abraham believed in the Lord and it was reckoned to him as righteousness.  So accurate was Abraham's knowledge and so amazing was His faith that he offered his son Isaac as a sacrifice.  Abraham reasoned that God could raise the dead.  He knew His God so well he knew that God could give his son life again.  That is knowing God.  That is the faith that alone saves.  You have not yet experienced God's judgment as you one day will.  Unless you turn from yourself to God's word, you will not survive.  Trust Him and find life.  When we could not heal ourselves, God sent Christ to heal us, to save us.  We have seen the beginnings--the world, the problems and the faith. 

Notice that only three women in Genesis are barren--Sarah, the mother of Isaac, Rebekah, the mother of Jacob, and Rachel, the mother of Joseph.  God opened their wombs.  Is God up to something?  The blessing will not come through you, but through Himself alone.  He is up to the task--He will complete His promises.  He is the one to be trusted and obeyed. 

Genesis begins with Creation and ends with a coffin.  God knows what He is doing--the stage is set for redemption.  No one could stop His plans for His people.  God's business is not finished yet.  Is there a circumstance in your life which makes you fell that it is finished for you?  Thank God that He is not finished yet.