Genesis, with the name meaning beginning, is indeed a book of beginnings. The foundation of all of the teaching of the Bible can be found in the beginning chapters of Genesis. God's perfect creation, our rejection of Him, the promise of a Redeemer, the necessity for the shedding of blood, the temptation both within and without, the creativity and ingenuity of man (made in the image of a Creator, after all), and the devastation of righteous Divine judgment.
The editor of Genesis is accepted to be Moses, inspired by God to collate and write this book, quite possibly on Mount Sinai itself. It also seems apparent from the style of some of the early stories particularly that they were recorded by people close in time to the events, and so there was definitely a history handed down through the generations perhaps orally, perhaps in written form. We don't know the details of the means of human authorship, but as with all the Bible, we can be sure of the Divine authorship.
I have always enjoyed reading the story of Creation. Trying to picture what the earth would look like 'formless and void', trying to visualise the stretching out of the heavens and the separation of waters! They are unknowns in many ways, because we have no real experience to compare them to. Yet they show us the hands-on nature of God's approach to Creation, while other aspects show the instant nature of His power. Sometimes He hovers over the water, sometimes He gathers land together, other times He speaks and it is done. His power and Majesty are on display, preparing a home suitable for man, whom He makes in His own image. There is order and regularity - He could have 'snapped His fingers' and everything could have been done instantly. He could theoretically have done it over millions of years - here a bit, there a bit. But He chose to do it in six days. He sets an example for us to imitate in designing and creating. He sets a pattern for us to work for six days and rest on the seventh day. He shows satisfaction at a job completed - all was good at the end of each day, but only when all six days and thus the whole of Creation were complete was everything 'very good'.
In the second chapter we get further insight into the sixth day of Creation. Here we see the importance of relationships established - the relationship of God with man, the insufficiency of animals or the rest of Creation to fill that position as 'complement and help-meet to male human'. God always intended to make a women - so why didn't He make them a pair like He seemed to all the others? I think it was to make that point that relationship with other people is a good thing. The joy at seeing that perfect match for himself was all the greater for knowing the absence of it. We see God's care, in His forming a garden and making the trees that bore fruit to eat grow in the garden. We see His sustaining hand under all of Creation, especially humans, through the life breathed into man's nostrils. We see the perfect equality of male and female, and yet a distinctness between them - they are complements, not clones - the material that formed Adam was taken to form Eve, and yet she was formed very different. Just on the subject of one formed from the other, I was thinking of an old quote when I read this passage, and thought I should share it here for others to enjoy:
“Eve was not taken out of Adam's head to top him, neither out of his feet to be trampled on by him, but out of his side to be equal with him, under his arm to be protected by him, and near his heart to be loved by him.”
Continuing into chapter three, we see all the good from before broken. The relationship between husband and wife becomes one where the temptation is to conflict - the wife to usurp rule of the husband, the husband to abuse authority and power. The relationship between man and the ground is broken - where work was previously easy and pleasant (for there was still work before the curse), it now required hard labour and sweat and pain. Pain also comes to the women through childbirth, and yet the blessing of a promises comes through also, that her seed would be their Redemption. Most importantly, the relationship between God and man is broken. He was in the habit of walking with them in the garden, having a close and intimate relationship with them, but with their sin - their rejection of Him - His holiness and righteous justice would destroy them just by His presence. They are evicted from the specially crafted garden, and blood is shed to cover their shame - yet again a promise in a way, a sign of Christ coming to cover the shame of the world with His blood.
Moving on a bit quicker now, as it is getting late! We see in the story of Cain and Abel the unfortunate consequences of the evil of their parents - imperfection cannot produce perfect, and so sin is handed down the generations. Cain, though warned of God that sin 'desires to have him' - incidentally the same word for desire as in the curse pronounced on Eve - still listened to his sinful nature rather than God, and committed the first murder. Again, we have a story of fall, and then hope - at the end of the chapter, Eve gives birth to Seth, and after the story of Lamech who broke the design set by God of one man with one woman, we see his descendents as the fathers of nomadic life, of intricate musical instruments and tools - no bronze age or iron age here!
In chapter five, we have the all important record of history - generations. A means to trace ancestry back. It is sobering to think that each of the names recorded in this chapter was my ancestor. It is also enlightening to realise that the dates in this chapter tell us that this covers about 1/4 of Earth's history! We have that snippet of info about Enoch - a Godly man, who was taken by God, because he walked with God. Oh to have that simple testimony of one's life - "........... walked with God"!
In chapters 6-9 we have that well-known story of the Flood. Again a sobering read. I remembering watching the Titanic when I was maybe 12 years old. I had read in history books and in school work about the sinking of the Titanic, and I wasn't bothered at all. Seeing it brought to life on film was another thing, though. Fortunately I had grown out of my tendency for nightmares, but that film gave me many nights before I went to sleep contemplating the reality of so many people dying and being helpless to do anything about it. How much more terrifying to know that the whole world was going to perish! Noah preached to the people, as we learn from the New Testament, but only his sons and their wives joined him and his wife on the ark. God's intolerance of evil comes out clearly in the passage - and the horrific nature of judgment from our rejection of Him. It is coming again - not by water, but by fire. Like Noah, we are God's witnesses to a perverse world. Unlike Noah, we are not alone, and there are people listening, by the grace and work of God.
Just a few more comments on Noah - obviously we have the type of Christ seen with the ark as a protection from judgment - protection from sure death through trust in God. We also have God's control seen and ownership of the situation - He shut the door, not Noah.
Also, we see that even the most righteous people on earth also fall prey to sin. Noah falls prey to drunkenness - some have called it survivor's guilt, perhaps it was, we don't know. Ham disrespects his father by mocking him, sinning also. Shem and Japheth remedy the situation instead, trying to minimise consequences, and are blessed for it. It is curious to note that Ham is not cursed, but Caanan is. An interesting commentary I heard on that recently explained that Ham was a believer in God - evidenced by his willing presence on the ark, and with Ham 'protected' by his genuine faith in God, the curse fell on his descendent who did not believe in God.
So to sum up, we have God manifesting His Creative goodness and design in making the world, His forming personally man and wife in a private garden, with great stress laid on the importance of relationship between humans and between humans and God. Our rejection broke the goodness that He created, and began suffering, but hope and promise of redemption was provided. We see man's creativity, the majority of men rejecting God, and a few choosing to walk with God. We see the just devastation of the world, and the mercy of God in saving those who accept His salvation. Praise the Lord for His bountiful goodness towards us all!
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