Before I share with you my introduction to the book of Genesis, I wish to share two short pieces that are important as we approach our reading of the Bible. Both pieces were also written about twenty years ago.
Things to Remember as we Confront Negative Images of God in the Bible
You will not be reading the Old Testament for very long before you are confronted with some very negative images of God. He may be raging, handing out threats, ordering people to be slaughtered, etc. Such images of God could be very destructive as we try to relate to God in a positive way. When confronted with negative images of God remember the following six things.< p>
The Bible as Religious HistoryThe Scriptures of the Old Testament were written 3,000 years ago in a culture very different from ours. People express themselves differently in different cultures. For example, we say 'it rained cats and dogs', an expression that would need explanation in another place and time.
The Hebrew mind didn't distinguish between the direct will and the indirect will of God. Where we would say the Lord permitted such and such, the Hebrews would say he caused such and such. The Hebrew mind saw God as the direct or principal cause of everything. If we win the war, it was God who won the war for us. If we lost the war, God was punishing us.
The Hebrew mind often took natural happenings and gave them a theological meaning. Example - the Flood, a natural event, was seen as God cleaning up his sin-filled universe. Or today such people would see the Aids virus as God's reaction to sexual promiscuity.
The Old Testament represents Israel's gradual growth in their understanding of God. Because of their pagan backgrounds and surroundings they often thought their God was, in some ways, like the gods of their neighbors. If present-day tribes that are half pagan, half Christian, wrote down their understanding of God, it would, be rather distorted. Israel's growth in understanding could be compared to our own growth in our understanding of God.
When you read a passage or verse that portrays God in a very negative way - don't forget to use your common sense. For example, if someone told you Mother Teresa committed some murders, would you readily believe the reporter? At least see God as being as good as the best person you know. So when you read some passage that seems uncharacteristic of God, ask: would the best person I know behave like this? Is this the behavior of an unconditional lover?
Yet in our attempt to redeem God's good name - as a God of love - we must remember that God like any good parent is a God of 'tough love' as well as 'tender love'. Without tough love we do not grow and mature. But the purpose of God's tough love is not to punish us but to purify us and help us to grow in a whole variety of ways. Also in trying to protect God's good name we should avoid the temptation to water down the 'hard sayings' of Jesus.
The authors of the Bible had very little concern about how events happened, how the world was created, how the Israelites crossed the Red Sea, how the walls of Jericho came down, etc. Their concern was that God was the One behind all those events. Scientists can better inform us about how the world came to be. The concern of the Genesis author was not how the world was created but God created it and created it good. Nothing was a coincidence; nothing was just a purely natural phenomenon. Everything was guided and brought about by God. He was and is the One guiding history.
Second, the authors of the Bible had very little regard for reporting events with accuracy. They had no problem exaggerating or minimizing some event if it served their purpose. The events of the Old Testament are not eyewitness accounts. The concern is not with accurate reporting. The concern is with building FAITH. The concern is frequently to show how God was faithful and how Israel was faithless. If things are going down the tubes for Israel, it's because they have been unfaithful to their covenant with God. This latter point is particularly the focus of the book of Deuteronomy.
The authors felt free to embellish stories, especially plagues, Red Sea Crossing, Walls of Jericho - in order to highlight God's action in case it was missed- or went unnoticed.
The Book of Genesis - Beginnings, Roots
| Purpose: | This book was written to answer some questions people were asking about "BEGINNINGS" - e.g., the beginnings of the world, people, sin and evil. |
| Chapter Breakdown: | |
| Chs. 1-2: | Two accounts of the creation of the world. |
| Ch. 3: | The Fall - enter Sin and Evil. |
| Chs. 4-11: | 'Sin stories' on the spread of sin. |
| Chs. 12-50: | The Story of the Patriarchs - (Roots). |
| Chs. 12-25: | Abraham - Man of Faith and Trust. |
| Chs. 21-28: | Isaac: The Promise begins to be fulfilled. |
| Chs. 25-36: | Jacob: The Man who wrestled with God. |
| Chs. 37-50: | Joseph - God's Providence thwarts the evil design of men. |
| Key Themes: | |
| Chs. 1-11: | God's goodness, man's sin |
| Chs. 12-50: | God elects individuals to do his work. God promises Abraham a people and a land. Abraham struggles to trust God's promise. |
| Significant Passages: | |
| Chs. 1-2: | Stories of Creation. |
| Ch. 3: | The Fall from grace and its consequences |
| Chs. 4-11: | The Spread of sin and evil. |
| Ch. 12:1-9: | The Call of Abraham - first step towards restoration of friendship between God and man. God promises Abraham, a people and a land. (Canaan) |
| Ch. 15:1-6: | Abraham doubts God. God calls him to trust him. |
| Ch. 16: | Abraham and Sara - a failure to trust God. |
| Ch. 18:1-15: | The blessing that comes with a spirit of hospitality. |
| Ch. 18:16-33: | The power of intercessory prayer. |
| Ch.21:1-7: | Isaac's birth. First fulfillment of promise. |
| Ch. 22: | A radical test of faith - "letting go our Isaacs" |
| Ch.24:27, 56: | Recognizing the hand of God in the events of life. |
| Ch. 25:19, 28: | Birth of Jacob and Esau - their struggle in the womb symbolizes their whole relationship. |
| Ch. 26:1-4: | God renews his promise to Abraham with Isaac. |
| Ch. 27: | Jacob receives the birthright blessing through a lie. God doesn't always choose the worthy and the good to do his work. |
| Ch. 27:41-45: | Jacob pays for his lie - exile, suffering. |
| Ch. 28:10-19: | God (a higher power) breaks into Jacob's life and promises protection. |
| Ch. 29:10-11: | Jacob falls in love - a purifying experience. |
| Ch. 31:1-21: | Flight of Jacob (Exodus anticipated) 31:22, Laban pursues Jacob, just as the Pharaoh pursues Moses. |
| Ch. 31:49: | The beautiful Mizpah Prayer. |
| Ch. 32:10-14: | A good example of honest prayer. |
| Ch. 32:23-32: | Jacob wrestles with God. |
| Ch. 37:28-36: | The selling of Joseph and the attempt to cover up guilt and wrongdoing with a lie. |
| Ch. 39:2-4, 21-23: | God protecting Joseph. |
| Ch. 39:7-20: | Joseph says no to his weak side that seeks to destroy what is gift and blessing. |
| Ch. 42:2-4: | The brothers struggle with their guilt. |
| Ch. 45:1-10, 50:18:21: | Joseph forgives his brothers and reveals to them the inner meaning (God's purpose) of the whole 'Joseph Story'. |
Ten Lessons from the Book of Genesis
1. In the beginning, God created everything good. Therefore, all of God's creation, people and nature are epiphanies (manifestations) of God's handiwork. People and nature should point and lead us to the Creator. Idolatry is becoming excessively attached to any person or thing. Before there was an Original Sin, there was an Original Blessing, i.e., the blessing of all things being created good.
2. The awesome dignity of the human person lies in the fact that he is created in the Image and Likeness of God.
3. The consequences of sin are fourfold: alienation from self/shame (3:7), God (3:8), others (3:12), creation (3:17-19).
4. Faith is our response to God's call (12:1-4). Faith (trusting God and his promise) is a gift that we gradually grow in. Often it means trusting in God to do the impossible.
5. In showing hospitality to strangers, we sometimes encounter angels (18:1-15).
6. The Inner Journey is all about learning to LISTEN to and RESPOND to the voice of God within us.
7. Our God often 'writes straight with crooked lines'. He uses unworthy instruments to do his work (see Jacob's lie, ch. 27.).
8. An important part of the spiritual growth is leaning to wrestle with God. The challenge is to stay with our struggles until they yield us a blessing or gift. Our God wants to turn every struggle into a blessing (32:23-29). Undealt with wounds become a curse for self and others; they yield the pus of bitterness and resentment. Dealt with, healed wounds become a channel of blessing for self and others.
9. Painful experiences contain poison to kill us, or medicine to heal us depending on our response to life's hurts. Joseph made the best of life's hurts and setbacks and so God was able to use him to become a blessing for the Egyptians and for his family in time of need.
10. The Joseph story teaches us that our God always wants to turn over the table on evil (in this case the brothers selling Joseph) and use it to do good. See 45:4-8, 50:18-21, the key verses giving us the meaning of the Joseph story.
Reflection Questions
1. How well do I reverence persons and appreciate God's creation - people and things?
2. How at home am I with my original woundedness, (my lack of belief in God's love for me), with my present woundedness? What are some sources of healing for me?
3. Do I see the spiritual life as a journey? If so, what have been some of the big/bad spots or experiences along the way? Who were important pilgrims I encountered along the way who gave me direction and support?
4. Do I have a hard time keeping faith in the goodness of God, others, myself and life?
5. What "Isaacs" (obstacles to growth) in my life need to be slain?
6. Have I ever wrestled with God about our relationship? How does that make me feel?
7. Can I tell any stories of how God brought some good (growth) out of a bad experience?
8. What are some other questions one could ask to help us connect the Genesis story with our story, our experiences?