PART 2 - Because when I started this series, I thought I would only be choosing a segment rather than speaking on the book at large - which is how I handled every book since. So here is the second post on Genesis, for the sake of integrity.
The first reflection of Genesis centered around the story of Cain and Abel, but this broad book of the beginnings of time covers much, much more than a message about giving God our best and avoiding hatred to the point of murder...
For instance, we also about the creation of the world. God spoke and all things came to be.
We also learn about Obedience. When Adam and Eve obeyed the Lord, they were joyful and childlike - lacking any pain, shame or worry. But when they chose to follow the voice of the enemy - to see the world and gain knowledge that The Lord deliberately told them to keep away from - they became susceptible to evil in the flesh, essentially dooming mankind to sin. It appears to have been an irrevocable decision - that we would have to experience the world and all of it's torture because of this decision made so long ago. Even wiping out the entire human race would not keep us from reverting to bad behaviors - because we had become exposed to too much already.
For a long time, the human part of me had not been able to let go of the simple question: "why would The Lord make this tree of knowledge of good and evil accessible to them?" to which Holy Spirit seemed to respond "because He granted them freedom under ONE RULE, yet He also gave them freewill." They had a choice, and they chose to disobey their creator.
Sidenote(s): Now, I will reiterate that I am an infant and I know little to nothing in terms of what/why/how/when/where the Lord makes His decisions. I have gotten in the habit of acceptance rather than upset because these are obviously things we were never meant to experience, let alone understand. But since we're here... We should at least be grateful for the Word, and in this day, for Jesus Christ, and attempt to make better choices than our ancestors. No matter the generation, we lose access to God's glory when we choose to follow the world's way and/or the enemy's voice over what The Lord has told us so plainly. For instance: later, when The Lord introduces The Covenant to his chosen people (the Israelites) through Moses, He said they would be covered by his grace as long as they did not break it. He was (is) a very forgiving God, for as they broke the covenant time and again, he would always come back to save them when they came to him in earnest. And while the circumstances are much different now, the same effect applies. If I understand at least this part correctly, eternal life/paradise is accessible to EVERYONE under one condition: faith in Christ.
So boom. Adam and Eve sin. Their eldest child murders his younger brother, who'd found favor with the lord. And a third son is born - his name is Seth.
Years and generations later, The Lord is upset and completely over the dealings of fresh, fleshy humans. They are despicable. And so the Lord plans the great flood and instructs Noah to build the Ark. The hallmark lesson from Noah's story is not only that he and his family were obedient to God's message - despite how crazy he must have seemed at the time - and therefore blessed with the opportunity to "be fruitful and multiply" (Genesis 9:1-4) but also that of the way we should honor our parents. Noah curses his son's lineage because when Ham could have chosen to quietly take care of his father, he chose to dishonor him by exploiting his nakedness. This was the curse of the Canaanites (Genesis 9:18-27), the clans of people who would be in opposition to God's Chosen people down the line.
The Tower of Babel is addressed here (Genesis 11:1-9) as well as the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. During this destruction, we learn that Lot's wife is another one who doesn't listen and she turns into a pillar of salt. Then, his daughters get Lot drunk and become pregnant with his children - Moab and Ben-ammi - the ancestors of the Moabites and Ammonites (Genesis 19:1-38). (FYI, Lot is a nephew of Abraham's.)
The final major message I will share is (some of) the story of Abraham. He was first called "Abram" and his wife Sarah was first called "Sarai".
"The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your native country, your relatives, and your father's family, and go to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation. I will bless you and make you famous, and you will be a blessing to many others. I will bless those who bless you and curse those who treat you with contempt. All the families on earth will be blessed through you."
- Genesis 12:1-3 (NLT)
Abraham was counted as righteous because of his faith. He'd asked God what good were all the Lord's blessings when he didn't even have a son, to which the Lord responded that Abraham would have as many descendants as there were stars in the sky (Genesis 15:2-6).
Now, Sarah had done some weird things in the interim, but The Lord most certainly kept his promise and Sarah became pregnant in her old age, bearing Abraham's second son about 14 years after Ishmael (born to Sarah's Egyptian servant Hagar). She was 91 and Abraham was 100. Her son was named Issac (which means "one who laughs or rejoices). Abraham's faith would be tested in a way most would not pass - but he was faithful, so he did everything the Lord had commanded, and was blessed even more for it. Jacob later married Rebekah and fathered Jacob, who was later called Israel.
The Lord also presented the responsibility of circumcision upon Abraham and all of his male descendants (and his servants) as a new term of His covenant - a mark of everlasting covenant (Genesis 17:9-14). He obeyed; clearly, circumcision is still a very regular practice today.
And that's all folks... Wow. Genesis is quite a book. If you've never read it I highly recommend that you do because I still only covered a fraction of the details.
