Let the "begats" begin.
Genesis 5 gives us a glimpse of the first family tree down through Noah's sons --11 generations, by my count -- and I am stunned anew at how easily we humans abandon the One who made us to live in His love and blessings.
But before I get to that important issue, I just have to comment on something much less important. Please tell me I'm not the only one who noticed that none of the men listed in Genesis 5 started "begetting" until they were more than 65 years old; some were "begetting," in fact, when they were way past 100.
That's weirdly impressive, but I honestly don't want to think about living six or seven hundred years, like those folks did. And I sure don't want to think about "begetting" at the age of 100 ... or 75 ... or even 56. Seriously, let's picture a group of 150-year-old soccer moms sitting in the bleachers. And now let's quickly erase that picture from our brains. Good grief, if I lived back then, I'd only be a relative toddler at my current age. Makes me tired to think about it.
Why did people live so much longer in those days? The explanation I've most often heard is this: the cascading ravages of the fall had not yet affected and infected creation to the extent they now do.
As amazing as our human bodies and the natural wonders of this earth still are, everything in our world is, nevertheless, a broken and distorted version of what God originally intended. I'm guessing that God probably doesn't look upon creation now and still declare, "It is very good," as He did in the beginning.
But neither is He in a panic about what He sees. After all, God has had the blueprints for the glorious new heaven and earth spread out before Him all along. He knows what's coming for those who believe and receive redemption through Jesus Christ, and it is indeed very good.
The other thing I see here in Genesis 5 is the sad, obvious reality that just 10 generations removed from that initial, perfect fellowship between God and man in the Garden of Eden, people who walk faithfully with God had obviously become the exception and not the rule.
The good news is that God's pleasure in those exceptions is apparent and important.
Take Enoch, for example. We may not know much about this fellow, but we do know the most important thing: "And Enoch walked with God, and he was not, for God took him." (Genesis 5:24)
It's pure speculation, doubtlessly intended for effect and not for literal accuracy, but I heard a wonderful description of what might have transpired when Enoch was "taken" by God. Here's how it went:
"Maybe Enoch and God had walked so far together that God just turned to him one day and said, 'Enoch, we're a lot closer to My house than yours, so why don't you just come home with Me?'"
I like that. It may not have gone down just that way, but I like the picture it paints in my mind and the questions it makes me ponder:
"What was it about Enoch that made him so special to God?"
"How was Enoch's relationship with his Creator different from everybody else's?"
"What went wrong with those other guys listed in Genesis 5?"
Out of all the generations mentioned here, only Enoch and Noah (who is praised in the next chapter) apparently had noteworthy relationships with God.
Later on in this journey through God's Word, we'll read in 2 Chronicles 16:9 how God is always looking for hearts that are completely His so that--get this--He can strongly support those people.
That's the heart of God. He's looking for people to support and bless. He longs to walk with those who long to walk with Him.
I want to be one of those. I want to be an Enoch.
Tuesday, July 23, 2013
Monday, July 8, 2013
Genesis 4: Seriously Undeserved Blessings
Let me pause here and say I sure am glad I’m writing a blog, not a Bible commentary.
If I were attempting to write a comprehensive Bible commentary, well, first of all, I'd be crazy, because there's no way I'm qualified to do that.
Second of all, I'd probably never finish it because Bible commentaries are really, really big and long and I'm not getting any younger.
And third of all, if I were writing a big, long Bible commentary, I’d have to try to explain a whole lot of confusing things I don't understand myself, including some questions that pop up right here in Genesis 4.
This is where, for example, we read about the birth of Adam and Eve's kids, Cain and Abel. They're born, they grow up, and then Cain kills his brother, moves away and gets married. Wait ... just a ... doggone ... minute. Cain gets MARRIED?
Who on earth did Cain marry?
And my answer to that age-old question is, "I. Don’t. Know."
I don’t know how there could have been any other people around who had a daughter for Cain to marry.
Furthermore, I'm okay with remaining stumped and mystified about that, and about a lot of other things I may encounter on this journey through God's Word. I figure if I really needed to know, God would have said. He didn't ... so I don't.
So, let's get on with the business of seeing God's heart in Genesis 4 ...
Well, I think it's clear that God still cared passionately for His fallen creatures or there wouldn’t be a Genesis 4. As I said in my last post, God certainly could have wadded up this world like an art project gone awry when Adam and Eve rebelled in Genesis 3, but He didn’t.
That shows me God's committed, loving, merciful, longsuffering heart.
But then we come to that story in the 4th chapter about God preferring Abel's offering of animals over Cain's offering of plants (vegetables? fruits?), and it almost seems like God is playing favorites.
After all, Cain was a farmer, so why wasn’t it okay for him to offer up plants to God?
We know the God of the Bible is not moody, impulsive, malevolent or unfair. In fact, He is perfectly just and righteous in His judgments, so I'm going to trust that God would not have found anything wrong with Cain's offering unless Cain had clearly known he was doing something very wrong when he offered it.
Something about Cain's offering must have revealed a disobedient or begrudging heart.
While it seems like there are more questions than answers in Genesis 4, I do see some clearly wonderful glimpses of God's heart in this chapter ...
I'm amazed that just as He did when Cain's parents went astray in Genesis 3, God came in person to deal with Cain, too, about his sin. He could have sent an angel ... or a lightning bolt ... but He didn't -- He came personally and tried to turn this whole bad-offering incident into a teachable moment.
Even when Cain reacted to God's reprimand by getting mad and pouting, God calmly tried to show him how not to repeat his mistake.
That sounds like a good Father to me.
When Cain went off and killed his brother, I see how much the loss of Abel's life mattered to God. The God who created the whole amazing universe cared immensely about this one human life that had been taken. Sometimes we forget that God's heart is big enough to infinitely love every single person on this earth.
God also still cared about the one who took Abel's life. After passing sentence on Cain, God “appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.”
I have no idea what kind of sign that might have been, but the point is that in spite of everything, God was still looking out for Cain.
God cared about him so much, in fact, that He allowed Cain to live, find a wife (wherever she came from), and have a son.
If grace is getting something good that we don’t deserve, and mercy is not getting something bad or painful that we do deserve, I think Cain got a boatload of each.
Adam and Eve's family tree continued to sprout. Cain had a child who had children ... who had children ... who had children. The first couple even had another son "in place of" the murdered Abel (Gen. 4:25)... although every parent knows no child can ever really take the place of another.
The point is, those first people rebelled, argued, shirked, murdered, and protested ... and God protected and blessed them anyway.
Not because they deserved it, but because they were His.
And finally, after having all that mercy and grace heaped upon their undeserving heads, God's people finally responded. In the last verse of Genesis 4, we find this hopeful turning of hearts: "...Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord."
It's a shame the omniscient God knew what was coming up ahead.
If I were attempting to write a comprehensive Bible commentary, well, first of all, I'd be crazy, because there's no way I'm qualified to do that.
Second of all, I'd probably never finish it because Bible commentaries are really, really big and long and I'm not getting any younger.
And third of all, if I were writing a big, long Bible commentary, I’d have to try to explain a whole lot of confusing things I don't understand myself, including some questions that pop up right here in Genesis 4.
This is where, for example, we read about the birth of Adam and Eve's kids, Cain and Abel. They're born, they grow up, and then Cain kills his brother, moves away and gets married. Wait ... just a ... doggone ... minute. Cain gets MARRIED?
Who on earth did Cain marry?
And my answer to that age-old question is, "I. Don’t. Know."
I don’t know how there could have been any other people around who had a daughter for Cain to marry.
Furthermore, I'm okay with remaining stumped and mystified about that, and about a lot of other things I may encounter on this journey through God's Word. I figure if I really needed to know, God would have said. He didn't ... so I don't.
So, let's get on with the business of seeing God's heart in Genesis 4 ...
Well, I think it's clear that God still cared passionately for His fallen creatures or there wouldn’t be a Genesis 4. As I said in my last post, God certainly could have wadded up this world like an art project gone awry when Adam and Eve rebelled in Genesis 3, but He didn’t.
That shows me God's committed, loving, merciful, longsuffering heart.
But then we come to that story in the 4th chapter about God preferring Abel's offering of animals over Cain's offering of plants (vegetables? fruits?), and it almost seems like God is playing favorites.
After all, Cain was a farmer, so why wasn’t it okay for him to offer up plants to God?
We know the God of the Bible is not moody, impulsive, malevolent or unfair. In fact, He is perfectly just and righteous in His judgments, so I'm going to trust that God would not have found anything wrong with Cain's offering unless Cain had clearly known he was doing something very wrong when he offered it.
Something about Cain's offering must have revealed a disobedient or begrudging heart.
While it seems like there are more questions than answers in Genesis 4, I do see some clearly wonderful glimpses of God's heart in this chapter ...
I'm amazed that just as He did when Cain's parents went astray in Genesis 3, God came in person to deal with Cain, too, about his sin. He could have sent an angel ... or a lightning bolt ... but He didn't -- He came personally and tried to turn this whole bad-offering incident into a teachable moment.
Even when Cain reacted to God's reprimand by getting mad and pouting, God calmly tried to show him how not to repeat his mistake.
That sounds like a good Father to me.
When Cain went off and killed his brother, I see how much the loss of Abel's life mattered to God. The God who created the whole amazing universe cared immensely about this one human life that had been taken. Sometimes we forget that God's heart is big enough to infinitely love every single person on this earth.
God also still cared about the one who took Abel's life. After passing sentence on Cain, God “appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.”
I have no idea what kind of sign that might have been, but the point is that in spite of everything, God was still looking out for Cain.
God cared about him so much, in fact, that He allowed Cain to live, find a wife (wherever she came from), and have a son.
If grace is getting something good that we don’t deserve, and mercy is not getting something bad or painful that we do deserve, I think Cain got a boatload of each.
Adam and Eve's family tree continued to sprout. Cain had a child who had children ... who had children ... who had children. The first couple even had another son "in place of" the murdered Abel (Gen. 4:25)... although every parent knows no child can ever really take the place of another.
The point is, those first people rebelled, argued, shirked, murdered, and protested ... and God protected and blessed them anyway.
Not because they deserved it, but because they were His.
And finally, after having all that mercy and grace heaped upon their undeserving heads, God's people finally responded. In the last verse of Genesis 4, we find this hopeful turning of hearts: "...Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord."
It's a shame the omniscient God knew what was coming up ahead.
Wednesday, July 3, 2013
Genesis 3: He Loves Anyway
It’s easy to project imperfect, unsanctified human frustration and anger onto our perfect God in this pivotal chapter about mankind's fall in the Garden of Eden.
Maybe we picture a stern father stomping up the stairs to angrily tell his kids for the umpteenth time to be quiet and go to sleep. Or standing with hands on his hips, impatiently tapping his foot and snarling, “Come here right NOW! You’ve really done it this time. You are in BIG trouble!”
But that's not God.
There's a whole lot of pure love in this tragic chapter.
Adam and Eve had permission to eat from every tree of the garden except one--the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Every other one.
God is generous.
God wanted to protect the couple from the burden that comes from knowing about good and evil. I watch the news on TV and I sure wish I didn't bear that burden.
Here's the thing that Adam and Eve forgot: When God says “don’t,” He’s always saying, “Don’t hurt yourself, don’t bring death into your heart or your relationships or your life.”
God is protective.
The omniscient God obviously knew Adam and Eve had disobeyed Him and eaten the forbidden fruit, but He came to them in Person anyway. He could have sent a big, scary angel, but He didn't. He came, Himself.
God is personal and relational.
Immediately after the fall, God's first judgment was levied upon the one who had marred His creation and tempted His beloved Adam and Eve into rebellion—Satan.
God loves us passionately and hates the sin that tries to destroy us.
God could have crumpled up His creation like a bad drawing and tossed it in the trash, but He didn’t. He already had a plan in place to redeem it. So, in Genesis 3 we see God adapting to the new, heartbreaking “normal” and making garments of skin to clothe the naked Adam and Eve.
God provides.
God’s next order of business was to make sure that Adam and Eve didn't also eat from the tree of life in their fallen state and get miserably “stuck" for all eternity, so He removed the couple from the Garden and stationed angelic guards to keep that from happening.
God protects.
I’m sure it was excruciating for God to watch this all unfold (even though He knew it was going to happen), but our rebellion didn’t extinguish His love. He found even more ways to express it.
The curses are here and are real … but so is the love of God.
His love doesn't begin or end because He doesn't begin or end. He is love.
Maybe we picture a stern father stomping up the stairs to angrily tell his kids for the umpteenth time to be quiet and go to sleep. Or standing with hands on his hips, impatiently tapping his foot and snarling, “Come here right NOW! You’ve really done it this time. You are in BIG trouble!”
But that's not God.
There's a whole lot of pure love in this tragic chapter.
Adam and Eve had permission to eat from every tree of the garden except one--the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. Every other one.
God is generous.
God wanted to protect the couple from the burden that comes from knowing about good and evil. I watch the news on TV and I sure wish I didn't bear that burden.
Here's the thing that Adam and Eve forgot: When God says “don’t,” He’s always saying, “Don’t hurt yourself, don’t bring death into your heart or your relationships or your life.”
God is protective.
The omniscient God obviously knew Adam and Eve had disobeyed Him and eaten the forbidden fruit, but He came to them in Person anyway. He could have sent a big, scary angel, but He didn't. He came, Himself.
God is personal and relational.
Immediately after the fall, God's first judgment was levied upon the one who had marred His creation and tempted His beloved Adam and Eve into rebellion—Satan.
God loves us passionately and hates the sin that tries to destroy us.
God could have crumpled up His creation like a bad drawing and tossed it in the trash, but He didn’t. He already had a plan in place to redeem it. So, in Genesis 3 we see God adapting to the new, heartbreaking “normal” and making garments of skin to clothe the naked Adam and Eve.
God provides.
God’s next order of business was to make sure that Adam and Eve didn't also eat from the tree of life in their fallen state and get miserably “stuck" for all eternity, so He removed the couple from the Garden and stationed angelic guards to keep that from happening.
God protects.
I’m sure it was excruciating for God to watch this all unfold (even though He knew it was going to happen), but our rebellion didn’t extinguish His love. He found even more ways to express it.
The curses are here and are real … but so is the love of God.
His love doesn't begin or end because He doesn't begin or end. He is love.
Genesis 2: This is My Father's World
God worked. God rested. God formed. God planted. God placed.
God caused. God commanded. God fashioned.
God did all of that. Not us, not man. God.
We want Genesis 2 to be about us because it is, after all, where man makes his grand entrance onto earth’s stage.
But it was God’s handiwork. He was the cause, the Creator, the center. It was about Him.
(It still is.)
Creation started out really good. Where did all that goodness come from? From the One who took His brush to a blank earth canvas and expressed His beautiful heart.
Remember the old Sunday School song: “This is My Father’s World”?
Yeah, well, it always has been. And it always will be.
Some people think men create gods--that we imagine and fashion our gods to be whatever we want or need him ... or her ... or it ... or them ... to be.
And while that's true for all the “little g” gods out there, there is an eternal, untamable, unchangeable “Big G" God Who is infinitely more than a chunk of wood or marble crafted by our imaginations.
Some people also say man is the king of this earth—that it all belongs to us and, for better or worse, its fate depends upon us.
But that’s not what I see in Genesis 2.
Are we important? Yes, as the crowning masterpiece of God’s creation. In relation to Him. As a reflection of Him. Because of Him. For Him. To Him. Through Him.
There is a Creator and Sustainer of this universe, this world, our lives … and it’s not us. God’s goodness and mercy require Him to be at the center of the universe. He’s the only One good enough ... strong enough ... true enough ... God enough ... to bear that.
God did all of that. Not us, not man. God.
We want Genesis 2 to be about us because it is, after all, where man makes his grand entrance onto earth’s stage.
But it was God’s handiwork. He was the cause, the Creator, the center. It was about Him.
(It still is.)
Creation started out really good. Where did all that goodness come from? From the One who took His brush to a blank earth canvas and expressed His beautiful heart.
Remember the old Sunday School song: “This is My Father’s World”?
Yeah, well, it always has been. And it always will be.
Some people think men create gods--that we imagine and fashion our gods to be whatever we want or need him ... or her ... or it ... or them ... to be.
And while that's true for all the “little g” gods out there, there is an eternal, untamable, unchangeable “Big G" God Who is infinitely more than a chunk of wood or marble crafted by our imaginations.
Some people also say man is the king of this earth—that it all belongs to us and, for better or worse, its fate depends upon us.
But that’s not what I see in Genesis 2.
Are we important? Yes, as the crowning masterpiece of God’s creation. In relation to Him. As a reflection of Him. Because of Him. For Him. To Him. Through Him.
There is a Creator and Sustainer of this universe, this world, our lives … and it’s not us. God’s goodness and mercy require Him to be at the center of the universe. He’s the only One good enough ... strong enough ... true enough ... God enough ... to bear that.
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