Tag: CReation

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Fourteen, War in The Plains of Shinar!

[1] And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
[2] That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
[3] All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
[4] Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
[5] And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
[6] And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
[7] And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar.
[8] And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
[9] With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
[10] And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.
[11] And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah, and all their victuals, and went their way.
[12] And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
[13] And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.
[14] And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
[15] And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
[16] And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.
[17] And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
[18] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
[19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
[20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
[21] And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
[22] And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
[23] That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
[24] Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

Commentary on Genesis Chapter Fourteen

As we enter upon the history of the ancient world events found here, it would appear that this chapter is somewhat out of place in the Scriptural narrative . Until this point we have been observing the line of the families which will ultimately result in the earthly ministry of Jesus, The Messiah. Here we find the historical documentation of the first war recorded in the Bible. The kings which set about waging these campaigns number four. They are kings which dwell to the north of the fertile lands which are inhabited by the five cities of the plains that included Sodom and Gomorrah.

As do many of these ancient conflagrations , this one began with rebellion over an annual tribute, a tax if you will, that the subjects of Chedorlaomer had been required to deliver unto him for twelve years. In a rage of fury this king cobbles together an alliance with three other rulers who combine to form one massive army under his command. Of note to us among them there is one king in this text called Amraphel king of Shinar. In the study of Scripture, I often find that God’s people stumble over the lack of knowledge of the many names, which we find listed in a given chapter, because they seem to just be a needless record of people that we care nothing about. That is an unfortunate thing , for these names, like the names in the geneological records found throughout Scripture, are inportant in establishing the truth and accuracy of the Scriptures, as well as identifying the time frames for the existence of the individuals which are so very important in Biblical history.

One such name is Amraphel king of Shinar. For many years some scoffers doubted that this man even existed since there was , they would claim , “no extra biblical evidence” to document such existence. That claim is negated by the tracing back of the origin of this king who , by the way, just happens to be one of the most highly regarded figures in Ancient Sumerian history. The linguistics involved in such a tracing lead us to the name of The Ancient Law Giver, Ḫammurabi! It was he who codified the first set of laws into written form which today is known by those who study ancient history as the Code of Ḫammurabi!

In this chapter therefore we come face to face with the concept that Abram was in fact a contemporary of this man because we are told here that he made war against him! There is also evidence that this man , Ḫammurabi!, was in fact the Nimrod of Genesis ten. He is also therefore the central character in the famed Epic of Gilgamesh, for Nimrod and Gilgamesh are believed to be one and the same ! It all fits together if careful study is undertaken.

These things make for fascinating study in their own right, but what does this have to do with the ongoing revelation of God which is the central theme of The Scriptures? We encounter these wars because Lot, Abram’s kinsman, will be the cause of Abram being drawn into the frey as he attempts to rescue his nephew. We find Lot and his family now entrenched in the city of Sodom as we read this chapter. In setting the stage we find written the following.

“[1] And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel king of Shinar, Arioch king of Ellasar, Chedorlaomer king of Elam, and Tidal king of nations;
[2] That these made war with Bera king of Sodom, and with Birsha king of Gomorrah, Shinab king of Admah, and Shemeber king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela, which is Zoar.
[3] All these were joined together in the vale of Siddim, which is the salt sea.
[4] Twelve years they served Chedorlaomer, and in the thirteenth year they rebelled.
[5] And in the fourteenth year came Chedorlaomer, and the kings that were with him, and smote the Rephaims in Ashteroth Karnaim, and the Zuzims in Ham, and the Emims in Shaveh Kiriathaim,
[6] And the Horites in their mount Seir, unto El-paran, which is by the wilderness.
[7] And they returned, and came to En-mishpat, which is Kadesh, and smote all the country of the Amalekites, and also the Amorites that dwelt in Hazezon-tamar.”

(Genesis 14:1-7)

The success of the kings from the north is evident as you see the listing of the many peoples which they subdued before they even got to their intended targets! The course of attack was directly down a well known route in the Ancient World called the Kings Highway. This was perhaps the most well used trade route in that part of the world. The plunder attained by this approach would have been extensive and massively valuable.

As a defense strategy, it would appear that the five cities of the plain had sought to draw the armies of the north into the murky, boggy, slime pits, which were prevelent in the area between the two armies, and slaughter them as they bogged down in the mire of that land.

It did not work.

We are told the following.

“[8] And there went out the king of Sodom, and the king of Gomorrah, and the king of Admah, and the king of Zeboiim, and the king of Bela (the same is Zoar;) and they joined battle with them in the vale of Siddim;
[9] With Chedorlaomer the king of Elam, and with Tidal king of nations, and Amraphel king of Shinar, and Arioch king of Ellasar; four kings with five.
[10] And the vale of Siddim was full of slimepits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled, and fell there; and they that remained fled to the mountain.”

(Genesis 14:8-20)

It is now told unto us why all of these things are recorded here. Among the spoils of war, which woud have been added to the vast treasure trove that was accumulated along the way , these four victorious kings took the spoils that Sodom and Gomorrah and the other cities of the plain held. Among these were several people who would be either sold or made slaves of the kings who were victorious. One of these was Lot, Abram’s kinsman.

It is written.

“12] And they took Lot, Abram’s brother’s son, who dwelt in Sodom, and his goods, and departed.
[13] And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew; for he dwelt in the plain of Mamre the Amorite, brother of Eschol, and brother of Aner: and these were confederate with Abram.”

( Genesis 14:12-13)

Let us remember that the only reason Lot was there was his lust and greedy desire to expand his holdings as we saw when he chose what appeared to be the best part of the land for himself to the exclusion of Abram. How gracious is the action of Abram in the following verses where we find written;

“14] And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive, he armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them unto Dan.
[15] And he divided himself against them, he and his servants, by night, and smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left hand of Damascus.
[16] And he brought back all the goods, and also brought again his brother Lot, and his goods, and the women also, and the people.

(Genesis 14:14-16)

Two things stand out here. The first is that Abram must have been a very wealthy man to be able to mount an army of the servants from within his own household. Also, as you read carefully the account of his involvement in this war it becomes apparent that Abram, who was in his mid eighties by most accounts , was a master strategist. He defeated the kings which five combined armies could not stop, and he did so with a vastly smaller numerical force of soldiers!

Knowing the things we have looked at is important. It grants unto us the greater abillity to grasp what we are about to observe as Abram encounters two different figures while making his way home. One of these will place a great temptation in the path of Abram. The other I believe to be God Himself who has come to commune with Abram. It is written before us.

“[17] And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley of Shaveh, which is the king’s dale.
[18] And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God.
[19] And he blessed him, and said, Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth:
[20] And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all.
[21] And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.”

(Genesis 14:17-21)

Here we first meet a most mysterious character named Melchizedek. He does not show up in too many other places in the Scriptures , yet I hold Him to be of the utmost importance when read the Bible. He is mentioned in only one other Old Testament Passage which is Messianic by nature. In Psalms 110 verse four we find this written.

“The LORD hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.”

(Psalms 110:4)

I would suggest reading that entire Psalm to grasp this Messianic character of what is there. There is much to say in the New Testament concerninig this mystarious one which can be found in The Epistle to the Hebrews. The seventh chapter in particular speaks of Him. In that passage we discover the following things concerning Him.

  • He is called the Priest of The Most High God again (Hebrews 7:1)
  • He is called The King of Righteousnes ( Hebrews 7:2)
  • He is referred to as The King of Peace ( Hebrews 7:2)
  • Abram gave a tenth of all which he had acquired during this war.( Hebrews 7:2)
  • He was without Father or Mother (Hebrews 7:3)
  • He had no record of descent, that is He had no Geneological record, (Hebrews 7:3)
  • He had no beginning of days (Hebrews 7:3)
  • He had no end of life ( Hebrews 7:3)
  • He was not from the tribe of Levi! (Hebrews 7:9-10)

This listing is only a partial enumeration of what is spoken of this “man” whom Abram encountered. This is a Priest of The High God who appears long before the law under which the priesthood pertaining to Israel under Moses was created. Yet He is titled, and recognized by Abram to be, The Priest of The Most High God. What man could meet all of these characteristics? The obvious answer is none! This is God , in the form of a preincarnate apppearance of Jesus Christ!

Look at the passages relating to this encounter closely and you will see that Melchizedek comes forth to meet Abram bringing the elements of communnion, which were used in the last supper recorded in The New Testament Gospel Accounts , which were bread and wine! Also note that it was Melchizedek which first encountered Abram. The second encounter, with the king of Sodom, was nothing like this first meeting. To understand what was going on here it is important to grasp the following.

It was customary in the days of these events for those who had triumphed in battle to divide the spoils which had been acquired among themselves as they saw fit. This did include people taken captive as well as all else. Knowing that such was the expected custom , The king of Sodom attempted to assert his claim to a portion of the loot, but also shrewdly set forth a proposition which revealed his debauched character. It is written.

“[21] And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
[[21] And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
[22] And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
[23] That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
[24] Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.
[24] Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.

(Genesis 14:21-24)

The King of Sodom wanted the people for nefarious purposes more than he wanted the wealth which was signified by all of the gold , silver, and precious stone or other items within the booty. The filthy, debased, abuse and misuse of people in the history of the five cities of the plains is legendary. Some have said it is beyond comprehenion of the civilized mind. What is before us is something akin to that damnable practice of human trafficking which we fight in this our day. The temptation, which would have been made even more alluring by the presence of the great horde of spoils right before Abram, could very easily have caused a lesser man to cave to such a proposition.

Yet this was God’s man who but a few moments ago we found in close communion with God Himself. The disdain which Abram rightly displayed by refusing this proposition in the way he did was more than warranted. He wanted nothing to do with the Sodomites then or in the future. Recognizing that taking anything, anything at all, from this evil monarch would taint his reputation, by allowing the king of Sodom to claim that he had made Abram wealthy, was enough for Abram to vehemently refuse this offer. Let us be aware that in refusing this deal Abram was affirming his reliance upon, and faith in, The High God. It is written.

“[21] And the king of Sodom said unto Abram, Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself.
[22] And Abram said to the king of Sodom, I have lift up mine hand unto the LORD, the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth,
[23] That I will not take from a thread even to a shoelatchet, and that I will not take any thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich:
[24] Save only that which the young men have eaten, and the portion of the men which went with me, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre; let them take their portion.”

(Genesis 14:21-24)

Here is the secret of the magnificent character of Abram. He was beginning to trust The High God for all which he would receive in this life and not depend upon himself or others. This is a lesson that far too many Christians today never grow to understand as they walk through this life. As surely as Abram depended upon God for these things , we too who are the spiritual descendants of Abraham, ought to lean hard upon God who promises to meet our needs and desires through His magnificent supply!

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Twelve. A Man Called Abram Encounters God.

[1] Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
[2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
[3] And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
[4] So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
[5] And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
[6] And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
[7] And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
[8] And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
[9] And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
[10] And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
[11] And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
[12] Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
[13] Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
[14] And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
[15] The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
[16] And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
[17] And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.
[18] And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
[19] Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
[20] And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.

Commentary On Genesis Chapter Twelve

As we enter this chapter, we find that the world was in rebellion against God once more. The different ethnicities which sprang from the three sons of Noah had dispersed but not before the religion of ancient Babylon had taken hold. In addition to this there was one that had arisen which desired to be the ruler of the human race who was called by the title, Nimrod. The situation was such that it would seem that the worship of the One True God was a rarity among humanity.

Against this background we encounter a man called Abram. It is written.

“Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee:
[2] And I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great; and thou shalt be a blessing:
[3] And I will bless them that bless thee and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.”

(Genesis 12:1-3)

Embedded in these three verses which God spoke unto this man are four great promises upon which hangs the entirety of all of the following Scriptures. Look carefully and you will find the following things promised here.

  • Abram is promised a land which God will show him.
  • Abram is promised that God will make of him a great nation and cause his name to be made great in all the earth.
  • All who bless Abram and his descendants shall also be blessed while all who curse them shall themselves be cursed.
  • All of the families of the earth shall receive blessings which shall come through him.

It is well for one who would know the truths of Scripture to seek to understand in every passage how it relates to these promises. At times the issue will be the possession of the land that was promised. At other times the issue will be how the blessings which mankind has received down through the ages since these words were spoken by God have materialized. There are other instances where the direct context of a passage deals with the nations which have come from Abram. Take this to heart in your quest to understand God’s Scriptures and never forget that in all of these God is in the process of revealing Himself unto mankind.

In response to the calling of God, this man Abram, took action based upon faith and faith alone. This we are told in the epistle written unto the Hebrews. There we find the following written.

“By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.
[9] By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:
[10] For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

(Hebrews 11:8-10)

Take note of several things concerning the exercise of faith by this man. First note that the action he took was not based upon familiarity of the place, nor the circumstances, into which he was venturing. He began his journey by simply believing that as he went God would supply his needs and direct him every step of the way. This is how true faith works my friend. True faith is not dependent upon human rationalization nor sight of what may be instore when we are told to do a thing by God! Lest one might be tempted to place limitations or preconditions upon obedience to God let us examine the life of Abram which he possessed at the time he was called. It is written.

“So Abram departed, as the LORD had spoken unto him; and Lot went with him: and Abram was seventy and five years old when he departed out of Haran.
[5] And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran; and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan they came.
[6] And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
[7] And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
[8] And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.

(Genesis 12:4-8)

This was no man in his youth without any strings attached! Abram was 75 years of age when this call was entertained. Note that he was married and had long standing family obligations and relationships. He also appears to have amassed a certain degree of wealth and possessions which would have needed his attention. This man was certainly well established in a lifestyle of his choosing when God spoke to him. Think for a moment upon the many excuses he could have responded with unto God’s calling and note that he used none of them. We know from additional Scriptures that Abram was actually in Ur of The Chaldees when God summoned him, for in the Book of Acts it is written.

” And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,
[3] And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.
[4] Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.
[5] And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.”

(Acts 7:2-5)

In his marvelous defense before the council Deacon Stephen began with the origin of his people and he clearly states that Abram dwelt in Ur. It was from this point that Abram departed yet when we see the events of Genesis twelve the place noted is Haran. The name of that place, by translation, means “crossroad “. You will note by a close examination of the events we are studying that the faith of Abram was a at first only partial obedience. Look closely and you will see the following things involved here.

  • Abram’s father and much of his extended family went out with him.
  • The entire party stopped at Haran.
  • They did not continue until Abram’s father died.
  • While in Haran they apparently conducted some business, for we are told that they had “obtained souls” and gathered substance there in verse five of this chapter.

Do not be overly critical of Abram. Remember that the prevailing religious practices of the place where he spent the first seventy-five years of life were predominantly that of pagan idol worship which would have been based upon the astrological worship of Ancient Babylon. To obey the voice of this “strange, new God ” was a tremendous act of faith upon his part, running contrary to everything he had been exposed to in his religious life. This is very important to note because this is in reality an action of repentance on the part of Abram. It is necessary to engage in such action if one truly chooses to follow God.

Far too often people attempt to compromise their commitment unto God by bringing some portion of their former religious beliefs into the experience of the new birth which thereby negates that experience entirely. Some claim that they are “Christian ” yet hold unto manmade doctrines which they claim are necessary to hold in addition to what God says. They may claim that a certain book must be adhered to because the Scriptures alone are not complete and sufficient for the task of bringing us closer to God.

Others will claim to be “Christian” but still hold that they must partake of certain rituals in order to be made clean before God. It may be the receiving of a certain sacrament, or the confession unto a priest in a private booth which they claim must be observed. In all of the cases I have noted here it is to be recognized that the origins of these binding things can be traced right back to the worship deployed by the Ancients of Babylon.

Abram left all of that behind and never returned to any such worship. His faith in God was placed solely in God and His revealed word. We are not told of anything which he added unto what God had said nor are we told of anything which he detracted from what God spoke in this encounter. The obtaining of the promises was linked solely unto his actions undertaken by faith alone. In the Scriptures it is written.

  • “What shall we say then that Abraham our father, as pertaining to the flesh, hath found?
    [2] For if Abraham were justified by works, he hath whereof to glory; but not before God.
    [3] For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness.”
(Romans 4:1-3)

it is also written.

“O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
[2] This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
[3] Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh?
[4] Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain.
[5] He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?
[6] Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness.
[7] Know ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
[8] And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.
[9] So then they which be of faith are blessed with faithful Abraham.

(Galatians 3:1-9)

and once more you will find.

” Thou believest that there is one God; thou doest well: the devils also believe, and tremble.
[20] But wilt thou know, O vain man, that faith without works is dead?
[21] Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar?
[22] Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by works was faith made perfect?
[23] And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.”

(James 2:19-23)

Through the exercise of faith, the aforementioned promises made by God were sought as the obvious endowment which Abram was to receive. Has God kept his covenants with this man? Some would say He has not! As we examine the promises made, we find that God did indeed make of him a great nation. God did indeed bless the whole earth through the coming of Jesus, The Christ, who died and was resurrected for our sins. God also blessed the entire earth through giving all families the Scriptures, which came through the Jewish peoples but are for all men everywhere, that we would know His intention and plan for our redemption.

The name of Abraham is revered among three separate belief systems upon the earth to this day! The Jewish religion, that of Islam, and certainly that of Christianity, all hold this name in very high regard. Those who contend that God has not kept His covenants always point to the absence of the Jewish people from the vast land which was promised in this chapter. To do this it is necessary for one to believe that God must operate upon a timeline which they have established. A very important word comes into play when discussing the land which in fact belongs to Israel but is not currently occupied by them. That word is the little three letter word, “yet.“.

God’s timing is independent of ours. He does not answer to me, nor to you, concerning when He chooses to exercise certain facets of His sovereign direction of the universe which He owns by right of creation. When the necessary preparations are made and the circumstances are aligned according to His will, what He has said He will do, He does.

In the case of Abram, it was needful that God call him out of his birth environment. One might ask why this was so and that would be a legitimate question. Consider the conditions of the world of humanity at that time. Mankind had slipped into rebellion against God once more. The worship of idols and things created in place of the Creator Himself was rampant. Lest we forget, Nimrod was on a rampage intent upon world domination during this period. Something new was called for to draw mankind back unto Himself. That something new … was the calling out of Abram through whom He could execute His Master Plan.

Those who question all the historical accuracy of these events were quieted when a Bedouin shepherd boy named Muhammed ed-Dib, who was dwelling in the Bethlehem at the time, threw a rock into a cave in the hills of the Judean desert in the year of 1947. Hearing the sound of breaking pottery, he decided to investigate, and this was the earliest discovery of what are now known as the Dead Sea Scrolls. Among the earliest of these which the scholars were able to acquire and examine is one which contains a commentary written upon chapters 12, 13, 14, and 15 of the book of Genesis. The events which we are reading about here were confirmed by this ancient writing which God concealed for nearly two thousand years.

The truth of the covenants made herein between God and Abram have significant ramifications for the world in which we find ourselves today. The exploration of Canaan by Abram was obviously incomplete, but it is central to the narrative of Scripture. The land of Canaan belongs unto Israel and at the appointed time Israel will dwell therein. Abram, in obedience unto God, walked throughout that land. However, as I have pointed out earlier the faith of Abram, while magnificent to ponder, was at times only a partial faith.

It is written.

“And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
[7] And the LORD appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give this land: and there builded he an altar unto the LORD, who appeared unto him.
[8] And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel, and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east: and there he builded an altar unto the LORD, and called upon the name of the LORD.
[9] And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south.
[10] And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.”

(Genesis 12:6-10)

Abram DID walk to and from in the land as he was instructed. However, there came an incident that caused him to stumble a bit. There came a famine in Canaan. This must have been fairly severe, for in order to maintain the life of his herds, flocks, and his people he reasoned that it was necessary to journey in Egypt. There are two things which ought to be noted in this decision. One was that before making this choice Abram did not consult God. The second is that this man who had left all and gone into a strange land at God’s command, failed to trust the same God for the provision he needed to stay in that land.

It is a good thing to understand that Abram was very much human just as you and I are. He made mistakes and yet God was merciful and gracious unto him. What we are about to see needs to be viewed from the context of that great warfare between the serpent of Eden Satan, and The Creator and Sustainer of this universe. There is more here at stake than the immediate events which occurred. Just as Satan had tried to pervert the line of the coming Messiah before, he would attempt at this point to cause the plans for the redemption of humanity to go astray by the corrupting of that one woman who was to be the mother of Christ’s lineage, Sarai. It is written.

” And it came to pass, when he was come near to enter into Egypt, that he said unto Sarai his wife, Behold now, I know that thou art a fair woman to look upon:
[12] Therefore it shall come to pass, when the Egyptians shall see thee, that they shall say, This is his wife: and they will kill me, but they will save thee alive.
[13] Say, I pray thee, thou art my sister: that it may be well with me for thy sake; and my soul shall live because of thee.
[14] And it came to pass, that, when Abram was come into Egypt, the Egyptians beheld the woman that she was very fair.
[15] The princes also of Pharaoh saw her, and commended her before Pharaoh: and the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house.
[16] And he entreated Abram well for her sake: and he had sheep, and oxen, and he asses, and menservants, and maidservants, and she asses, and camels.
[17] And the LORD plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai Abram’s wife.
[18] And Pharaoh called Abram, and said, What is this that thou hast done unto me? why didst thou not tell me that she was thy wife?
[19] Why saidst thou, She is my sister? so I might have taken her to me to wife: now therefore behold thy wife, take her, and go thy way.
[20] And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him: and they sent him away, and his wife, and all that he had.”

(Genesis 12:11-20)

The beauty of Sarai caused Abram to stumble in that he formulated a lie in which he trusted which he asked her to agree to perpetuate. Is this not the man who is renowned as the rock of faith even now all around the world? Yes, it is he, my friend. Let us not be too harsh upon him for he is human as we are. Remember also that he is in that process of learning about the faithfulness of the God whom he has trusted.

In doing what he did, Abram placed Sarai at risk. He placed Pharoah and all his house at risk. He also placed the entire design of God’s redemption at risk, in a human sense, for this woman was to be the mother of the nation through which would come the tribe of Judah out of which The Messiah was to be born. Yet God saw to it that all of this worked for the highest good of humanity. The designs of God will not be thwarted by any entity which exists. Remember this, for when it looks all is about to be lost, that is the time to expect God to show Himself in might and power.

Pharoah was not to be faulted for his actions here, for he acted in accordance with the customs of that day by bestowing upon Abram what amounted to a huge dowry for Sarai. He did not simply take her as many lesser honorable men would have done. I hold that for this reason God plagued Pharoah and his house in such manner that the cause was evident unto Pharoah.

In his discourse with Abram, once again note that Pharoah reacted with an honorable response. He could have attempted to kill Abram and Sarai and their entire party for this deception which led to the plaguing of his household. He did not, but rather dispatched them on their way while allowing them to retain all that he had bestowed upon them. This was God at work in the heart of even a heathen king. let us note that the Scriptures tell us plainly that God does do this, for it is written.

“The king’s heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.”

(Proverbs 21:1)

It is vital to not lose fact of the truth that when Abram ventured down into Egypt, he acquired among other things a certain slave girl named Hagar. While not mentioned here, she will become vital in coming chapters as we watch God work and as we watch the tendency of humanity, which will be out on display by Sarai, to desire to “help God along by use of our human reasoning and logic at times. However, that is for another time my friend.

For now, let us follow Abram as he journey’s back into Canaan and continues to follow God while he patiently awaits more direction and illumination concerning the promises, faithfulness, and very character of the God which had called him out of the world of paganism.

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Eleven, One language, One Speech, One Rebellion!

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is image-13.png

[1] And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
[2] And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
[3] And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
[4] And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
[5] And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
[6] And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
[7] Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
[8] So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
[9] Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
[10] These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
[11] And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
[12] And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
[13] And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
[14] And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
[15] And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
[16] And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
[17] And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
[18] And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
[19] And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
[20] And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
[21] And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
[22] And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
[23] And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
[24] And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
[25] And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
[26] And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
[27] Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
[28] And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
[29] And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.
[30] But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
[31] And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
[32] And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

Commentary on Genesis Chapter Eleven

The command of God unto those who went forth from the ark was the same as it had been unto Adam and Eve in the beginning of the human race. It is written.

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.”

(Genesis 9:1)

To do this would mandate that a migration in all directions, radiating out from the Ark of God upon Ararat, be undertaken from the outset. So, what do we find mankind doing in the opening of chapter eleven? We are told.

“And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
[2] And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.”

(Genesis 11:1-2)

The Tigris Euphrates valley was a vast, fertile land where there was ample water and fodder for both man and beast to consume as they would. It apparently was so enticing that the whole of humanity which left the ark decided that this place was far enough for them to travel in spite of what God had said. Once again, we have mankind deciding that they would substitute what they thought ought to be good enough based upon their experiences and desires instead of fulfilling the mandate of God.

This is a demonstration of the same inward spiritual condition that crouched within the bosom of Cain when he brought unto God the fruit of the ground instead of the acceptable blood offering. Mark it down my friend, the sin nature of fallen humanity is very much alive and well in all who are born of woman upon this earth.

Far too often in our personal lives, and in the administration of the Church’s carrying out of the Great Commission, we are quick to substitute what we think ought to be done for what God has commanded. We make exceptions based upon emotional or traditional grounds rather than choosing to be in obedience to the clear dictates of God. Note the basis which was the underlying reasons for the actions we are about to see. It is written.

” And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
[4] And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.”

(Genesis 11:3-4)

Their declared intent found in verse four is in direct defiance of God’s command. All the earth was not comprised of the plain of Shinar. Note that they deliberately planned out how they would divert God’s decree. The area in the Tigris Euphrates Valley is a land which is virtually void of stone suitable for building. Neither did they find ample supplies of suitable wood for such a project. In their creative rebellion they employed the very earth and bogs around them to construct what was intended to be the greatest building project undertaken by humanity to that time.

The sophistication of the human race at that time period becomes evident when one considers the task which they undertook. The Tower of Babel was in actuality what archeologists have come to call a Ziggurat type structure. The ruins of several of these massive structures are still visible throughout that land today. This was not in any fashion to be even contemplated to be a stair way by which one might climb up to the abode of God in the heavenlies. That idea has come down to us through the ideas of artists and tellers of tales as well as those who believe this to be a fairy tale for children.

The purposes of this structure were far more complex than any such nonsense as that. First among these was the location of a common monument to which all people would be drawn. Such a huge structure standing alone upon the vast plains of that area would be visible for miles in every direction. It would be a focal point for one to use as a reminder that to the cause which built that structure belonged their allegiances. Much as the flag of a nation causes a patriotic response to rise up in the heart of one from that country, this would evoke emotions of pride and union with all who belonged to that common cause.

The second purpose, which would be just as powerful and just as deadly concerning their direct rebellion against God, was that this structure was designed to be the focal point of a nationalistic religion which would bind the souls of all men together in opposition to God. The Ziggurat was built in the form of a step pyramid with a broad base that grew narrower as one ascended up the sides. There were rampways which allowed for people to do exactly that and there were sections at certain points where those making pilgrimage could pause and rest before going on. It is interesting to note that every brick which was used in building such an edifice was stamped with the impression of the ruler’s name as a sign of approval before being used in a building project.

At the top of these structures was a temple which allegedly housed the gods which were responsible for the creation and maintenance of “The Heavens”. Inside these temples were tables where offerings, and often, sacrifices were presented unto the gods. On the floor of the temple area, in a circle, would be depicted the signs of the zodiac which was meant to honor the gods depicted by those signs. This was a crucial part of the religion of ancient Babylon which God despises. This was the meaning of the phrase, “whose top may reach unto heaven; “

Humanity was constructing a common symbol of “patriotism”. They were constructing a common place and manner of “worship.” They spoke the same “common language.” They also were all in agreement to do these things in order that they might be united as one people. History has repeatedly demonstrated that these things are the glue which hold any particular society together. These are the identifying marks of a people who comprise a unified society. Unfortunately, these are often the same marks of a people who are in rebellion against God under the guise of holding fast to their culture.

Take note that it was apparently the one called Nimrod who was responsible for the leadership of this rebellion. It is written.

“And Cush begat Nimrod: he began to be a mighty one in the earth.
[9] He was a mighty hunter before the LORD: wherefore it is said, Even as Nimrod the mighty hunter before the LORD.
[10] And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar.”

(Genesis 10:8-10)

This “Nimrod” as he is designated was the first human in history to launch a campaign to conquer the entire world and subdue it under his whims and tyrannical rule. By no means will he be the last. The actual word, “Nimrod“, is a title which is derived from Hebrew wording that confers the idea of “The rebellious one.” Once more the seeds of self-aggrandizement have shown that they will bring forth fruit in every human heart left unchecked by the dictates of God, The creator. What was the reaction of God to all of this? It is written.

“And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
[6] And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
[7] Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
[8] So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
[9] Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”

(Genesis 11:5-9)

There are several things to note in the actions of God here which carry tremendous importance. First, God could have simply wiped-out humanity as He had just recently done yet He did not! Also, He could have destroyed their entire habitation which they had bult but again He did not do so. What He did do was take counsel with Himself, as in the entirety of the Trinity in decreeing what the response would be.

Note the phrase in verse seven, “Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech”. Without the ability to communicate freely and clearly, the undertaking which had been begun ceased. This would also have been the beginning of every ethnicity to inhabit the earth, for people would have naturally gravitated toward those who they could understand and thereby naturally, gradually, alliances were formed upon the basis of common language. It would have been at this point that the great and diverse migrations of all ethnicities would have occurred thereby fulfilling the original mandate unto them to fill all the earth.

It is also at this point in the Biblical narrative that God begins to single out one family, and then one individual within that family through which He is going to continue the revelation of Himself through the coming Messiah. It is written.

“These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
[11] And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
[12] And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
[13] And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
[14] And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
[15] And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
[16] And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
[17] And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
[18] And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
[19] And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
[20] And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
[21] And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
[22] And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
[23] And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
[24] And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
[25] And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
[26] And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
[27] Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
[28] And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.”

(Genesis 11:10-27)

To the casual reader of Scripture this is merely one more list of the infamous “begats” which seem so boring and without much value as one reads through the Scriptures. Nothing could be further from the truth my friend, for this listing will be the establishment of an unbroken lineage of the one called The Messiah when He appears in Human history. This lineage is the one which connects Him to God Himself through Shem, Noah, and ultimately Adam who we are told is a son of God in the writings of the gospel accounts. Take note that we are ultimately introduced to three sons of Terah out of which one will be chosen of God to continue the Revelation of Himself through Jesus the coming Messiah. God did not choose Nahor. God did not choose Haran. He did in fact choose Abram. It is of note that Abram was married to Sarai, whose name at this point translates roughly as “Contentious”. It is also of note that she was known to be barren. The reasons for noting this will unfold before us as we walk through the Scriptures, but it is of note now because the meaning of her husband’s name, Abram, is translated as “Exalted Father”

One might easily surmise that the barrenness of Sarah which was apparently known to all about them was an open wound to their souls, for in that day children were seen as a source of favor from on high. As we conclude this chapter, we are given the needful facts concerning an overview of the actions of this man Abram as he began to travel from the land of his birth. God, as He often does, gives here an overview but shortly He will show us the necessary detailed interaction between this man and Himself that continues the revelation which He intends to grant us concerning His grace, His love, and His intention to provide a way of redemption unto humanity which we cannot provide under any circumstances for ourselves.



Posted on

Genesis Chapter Nine. God’s Covenant Sign with Noah Is Established And Set Within The Clouds.

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
[2] And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
[3] Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
[4] But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
[5] And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.
[6] Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
[7] And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.
[8] And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
[9] And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
[10] And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
[11] And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
[12] And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
[13] I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
[14] And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
[15] And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
[16] And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.
[17] And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.
[18] And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
[19] These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
[20] And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
[21] And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
[22] And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
[23] And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.
[24] And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
[25] And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
[26] And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
[27] God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
[28] And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
[29] And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

Commentary On Genesis Chapter Nine

As we look upon the scene before us, we find Noah, his family, and the various creatures which are now beginning to disembark from the ark of God as they enter a radically altered new world in which they shall live. The changes which are implemented are a staggering divergence from the original creation of God. Until now it would seem that man and beast lived together in relative peace without fear of one another. Until now it would seem that the basic diet of all things was vegetables and fruits which God had given in Eden, The Garden of God. Take note of the following commandment of God. It is written.

“And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.
[2] And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.
[3] Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.
[4] But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.
[5] And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother will I require the life of man.
[6] Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.
[7] And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

(Genesis 9:1-7)

The command to multiply and fill the earth is reiterated. God’s desire for man to procreate has never altered. It is for this purpose that the institution of marriage between a man and a woman was first deployed in Eden, The Garden of God. It is noteworthy that the first institution which God ordained upon this earth, and among the societies of humanity, was that of the family. It is the family which has been the basic building block of any and all civilizations which have ever existed upon the earth. It is therefore the family unit which has always been in the crosshairs of The Evil One as he seeks to either usurp God’s place in a society or destroy that which he cannot successfully subjugate unto himself.

One has but to look at the headlines of the day to observe the malevolent attacks which he is behind that are aimed directly at the family unit. The destruction of the lines of authority in this most basic unit of human existence are obvious. Fathers are presented as something akin to the resident village idiot who bumbles his way through every situation which comes up. Mothers are presented either as cunning or quick in their ability to outsmart the man of the home. Should the thought of a woman in subjection to the authority of a husband in the home ever be presented it is wrongfully made to show that subjection equals slavery or that the result of such a position is abuse which is to be endured.

The children of our “modern” societies have been led to believe that they have the authority to declare to their parents what they will and will not do, what they will and will not tolerate from them, and what they expect to be given without the necessity of having to earn it, with impunity. None of these conditions have ever been advocated nor blessed by the God who designed the blueprint for mankind to flourish and be nurtured under His Divine care upon the earth. All of these conditions constitute a direct perversion which is the goal of the Evil One who desires to be worshipped as a god or destroy whatever does not engage in such worship.

The first command of God unto the family coming from the ark was a reiteration to be fruitful. To do so required that the blueprint for the family be followed as it was in the beginning. To facilitate the continued existence of mankind upon the face of this brave new world, other changes were wrought concerning how mankind was now to relate to the other components of God’s creation. Fear was introduced into the animal kingdom. This was fear of humanity, which apparently had not been present before. Certainly, none of the creatures which had been under the control and care of Noah and his family would have possessed fear of these people due to their close proximity and the continued feeding and grooming of them which occurred during the many months which they spent together inside the ark.

This fear was now a necessity for the continued survival of the various creatures which would roam the earth. There was no food source available for the humans due to the indescribable devastation which had been wrought upon the earth. The eating of meat was now to be allowed by God and therefore an animal without fear would be subject to easy slaughter. There is however one particular prohibition connected with this matter. No blood was to be consumed with the flesh of whatever was being eaten.

Take careful note of the fact that God holds the taking of the innocent life of a human to be particularly offensive unto Him. It is so much so that any creature who engages in the taking of human life is mandated to be killed. God does indeed hold to the exercise of capital punishment. It is the right of He who created all things to decree what is to be done in recompense for crimes against human beings and therefore to oppose this mandate is in fact to be in direct opposition to the righteous decree of God. Often, in the name of mercy those who oppose the execution of a murderer take the stand that all life is equally precious and therefore the life of the criminal ought not to be forfeited. In doing so they have frequently quoted one of the ten commandments, or rather misquoted it, so that, ” Thou shalt not commit murder” ” becomes, ” Thous shalt not take a human life.”

The great, glaring inconsistency in this position is that they quote the Law of Moses which was not even in existence when THIS mandate was given by the same God who spoke to Moses. Before us now is the basis of respect for all human life as God Himself sets it forth. Of all the creatures which were created to live upon this earth, only man is referred to as being made in the image of God.

It is this distinction from which humanity draws its dignity. While humanity now possesses a shattered, and distorted, image of The Living God it is still there and for this reason man holds intrinsic value which is not to be ignored without consequence.

Having established this key principle by which the infant society of humanity was to be governed, God now sets out to reassure those who have just come through the deluge which ended the world as they knew it before entering into the ark that He will never again employ this method of worldwide judgment upon the sins of humanity. He did not covenant to never judge the world again. He only promised that this method would not be used. Why would such a covenant be necessary at this time?

To answer this, it is necessary to place oneself in the situational context of those exiting the ark of God. The only previous rainstorm ever to be experienced upon this planet before their emergence destroyed all life. It had been an isolated event in the experience of humanity. Now, however, the deployment of something we know as the Hydrological Cycle was to be made. Rain would be formed as the vapors rose from the surface of the great seas, moved inland to form clouds, and then as the mountain ranges were encountered the water would form droplets which would fall to the earth to return to the seas via rivers and lakes.

This was now to be the normal manner in which the earth, which had been watered by a mist rising from the ground before was to be irrigated, thereby nourishing the plants and animals which it bore. What you think when you saw the sky begin to darken once more overhead if you were among the little group coming from the ark? The answer is obviously that it was about to flood again!

For this reason, God instituted the promise of the rainbow which He placed in the skies to be viewed during, and after, each rainstorm which came upon the earth from that day forward. It is written.

“And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,
[9] And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;
[10] And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.
[11] And I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.
[12] And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
[13] I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
[14] And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
[15] And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.
[16] And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth. [17] And God said unto Noah, this is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

(Genesis 9:8-17)

In many of our “modern societies this symbol of the faithful, unchanging covenant of peace which was established by God with humanity has been perverted into a symbol of something dark and sinister. It has been twisted to convey the hubris of those who not only do things which God detests, but who also demand that the rest of humanity recognize their actions as acceptable and not to be the subject of objection.

The rainbow has nothing to do with the acceptance of perversions foisted upon us. It will forever represent that which is a covenant between man and God regarding the trustworthiness of God Himself. With this assurance established, mankind began to move out from the ark. It is written.

“[18] And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.
[19] These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.
[20] And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:
[21] And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.
[22] And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.
[23] And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.”

(Genesis 9:18-23)

Recorded in these passages is the origin of the various roots of the three main branches of the ethnicities of humanity. Although there are today many nations, tribes and kingdoms, they may all be traced back to this point where the three sons of Noah are noted. Recorded here also is the tragic testimony to the truth that although these are those who came through the judgement of God upon the entire world, they still possessed the fallen, sinful nature of Adam. The drunkenness of Noah and the ensuing degrading events at the hand of one of his descendants leaves no doubt that sin was still very active in the world.

Here is further testimony to the truth that the choosing of Noah and his family by God for deliverance from the deluge was entirely based upon the grace of God Himself. The fact that these events are recorded in Scripture ought to serve as warning unto us that even the “best” among us is still not worthy to stand before God apart from His grace and that grace alone.

The actions of Shem and Japeth are those of men who hold a certain degree of honorable intentions. It would appear that the actions of Ham were not. Noah is without excuse in allowing himself to become intoxicated until he became incapacitated by his drunkenness. In doing this he allowed himself to be placed in a position of extreme vulnerability which was acted upon by one of his descendants. The implication is that there were acts of immorality involved which God chose not to specify but yet note in passing in the Scriptures. It is written.

“

[24] And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.
[25] And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.
[26] And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
[27] God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.
[28] And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.
[29] And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

(Genesis 9:24-29)

The dawning awareness that he had been mistreated by Canaan while in this drunken stupor is evidenced through the severity of the pronouncement of the curses upon Canaan and his descendants. The term, “younger son”, is better translated, “Younger one”. We often speak of our grandchildren as our youngest ones even today.

Take note that we stand at a juncture where the various root cultures of the branches of humanity are being established. Soon we shall see the spreading of these into various parts of the world and note that certain ones will defile themselves before Gods to the point that they will be conquered and removed from the place which they settle in God’s own timing. Take careful note of the fact that it was Canaan which was the forebearer of a cursed race. As we move forward it will become evident that the land which Israel shall be led to conquer and possess will indeed be the land of … Canaan.

When we arrive at those portions of Scripture that deal directly with this, we shall discuss the causes for such actions in more depth but for now, note that it began here, when sin reared its head as the sons of Noah came down from the Mountains of Ararat.

As we leave this chapter in the history of humanity take note that even those who may go through tremendous, supernatural, encounters with God are still capable of actions which one would not think possible given their firsthand knowledge of God’s faithful character and His holy nature. Let us take care to make certain that we, who certainly have not walked as closely with God as did Noah, are ever aware that it is only by the grace of God that we stand before Him!

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Seven, Come Thou Into The Ark.

 And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
[2] Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
[3] Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.
[4] For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
[5] And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.
[6] And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
[7] And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
[8] Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
[9] There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
[10] And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
[11] In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
[12] And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
[13] In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
[14] They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
[15] And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
[16] And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.
[17] And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
[18] And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
[19] And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
[20] Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.
[21] And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
[22] All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
[23] And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
[24] And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.

Commentary On Genesis Chapter Seven

Having preached the pending judgement of God for one hundred and twenty years as he built the ark of God, Noah and his family have come to the point when the grace of God toward those who rejected His warnings was expired. The opening verses of this chapter carry a certain finality concerning the offer of deliverance which God ceased to extend unto humanity other than this one family. It is written.

“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.
[2] Of every clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: and of beasts that are not clean by two, the male and his female.
[3] Of fowls also of the air by sevens, the male and the female; to keep seed alive upon the face of all the earth.”

(Genesis 7:1-3)

At this point in our journey of discovery one must pause to ask the question of why God chose this one family out of all peoples upon the earth to deliver. Certainly, it was not due to any merit upon the part of Noah whereby he could claim that God was indebted unto his family to do this for them. What was it that caused God to choose them?

Indeed, one must ask why God would deliver anyone from the human race at all? There are answers to these questions which I hold to be of great importance to the veracity of the Scriptures and to the character of God Himself as He reveals Himself in those Scriptures. To begin with, God had made a covenant promise with Adam and Eve concerning the redemption of mankind while they yet dwelt within Eden, The Garden of God. God cannot break any covenant which He chooses to commit Himself unto fulfilling. It is written.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.”

(Genesis 3:15)

To this point within the revealed record of Scripture it has been shown that Adam and Eve expected God to abide faithful to this prophetic declaration. Remember that when Eve bore Cain and Able, she declared that she had gotten the man from The Lord. She believed erroneously that one of her male children was the deliverer. In fact, it was Cain that she had expected to fulfill that role! Obviously, that was not the case and therefore The Seed of The Woman had not yet appeared upon the earth.

Had God, in His righteous Sovereignty, chosen to eradicate the entirety of the human race He would have of necessity reneged upon the first prophecy concerning the coming Messiah found within Scriptures. God would have to be untrue to the faithfulness of His own character and therefore no longer be found trustworthy upon any matter. While we would not be around to be concerned with this do not forget that we are not the only intelligent beings that inhabit the created universe of God.

It was this point that Satan chose to employ in his discourse with Adam and Eve in Eden. The trustworthiness of God was called into question. Satan presented God as a liar who was deliberately withholding something good, something better to which they were entitled yet not allowed to possess. A failure on the part of God to honor His integrity would be viewed by the entirety of the Angelic population and therefore justify the claims of Satan to the throne of God for Himself.

The family of Noah was chosen by God in order to keep His integrity intact. There were other reasons which caused God to extend HIs grace unto this man and his household. We are told that Noah was a man of faith. It is written.

“By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.”

(Hebrews 11:7)

We are also told that Noah was a man of righteousness. it is written.

“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.“

(Genesis 7:1)
Be careful in your understanding of this term, righteousness, as it is used here. The meaning of righteousness, as it pertains to God is intended to convey absolute perfection of which no man is capable. What then does this mean when we read that God had seen the righteousness of Noah in that generation upon the earth?

The righteousness of Noah speaks to the right living before God which is demonstrated by unquestioning obedience to the revealed will of God. Read carefully the entire account of Noah’s interaction with God up to this point and you will not find any instance of challenge or disobedience which Noah displayed. It was this which is spoken of here.

Having done as God had commanded, with nothing more to be done by him, Noah and his family were graciously invited to enter into the ark. The ship which they had built in accordance with the plan of God was no mere boat. The ark was 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. There was more than ample room to contain the various species of animals that would be contained within its decks as well as the food which was required.

Now it is important to grasp certain conditions regarding the earth itself at this point in the Scriptural narrative. Rain had never fallen upon the earth prior to the great deluge of God. The land and the vegetation which it harbored was watered by a gentle mist which Gd caused to rise from the earth. In essence the climate of the entire earth was tropical in nature with a great canopy of water filtering out the harmful rays of the sun. It was this massive canopy of water which was poised above the earth that God would use to cover the face of the planet with the waters of the great flood.

In addition, there were massive amounts of water contained within the planet itself which would be unleashed. It is written.

“In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
[12] And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.”

(Genesis 7:11)

Before this event there were no massive mountain ranges which form the backbone of the continents as we recognize them today. Indeed, the first mention of mountains in Scripture is found in the very chapter we are exploring and nowhere before this. The mountains which we are familiar with today arose in the process of literally turning the bowels of the earth inside out to allow the water within to be released. This was by no means a small, limited, local flood as some would suggest.

The entirety of earth’s composition was altered in such a way that the land, which had been in one place, was fractured into the seven continents which we recognize today and began the process known as continental drift. One cannot overstate the enormity of this cataclysmic occurrence. As would be expected, given the universality of this event, nearly every ethnic group to live upon our planet has some form of reference to this thing which God has done in the far distant past.

Among the earliest recognized literary works to ever have been found is the Epic of Gilgamesh which tells that tale of the half man, half god individual after who it is named as he traveled the earth searching for the key to immortality. In this tale the eleventh tablet containing the Babylonian account of it holds a reference to the meeting of the title character and one known as Utnapishtim, the far away one.

In the course of the conversation between Gilgamesh and Utnapishtim the latter tells of his survival in a boat which he and his family had made that was covered in pitch and wherein all of the animals of the earth were kept alive when the gods became angry and decided to destroy the earth with a great, all-encompassing flood of waters. Research which I have conducted has led me to conclude that Gilgamesh did exist and that he most probably did actually meet with one of the descendants of Noah who had been aboard the ark of God.

Time and space would prohibit me from cataloging all of the ancient myths and records from the various ethnic groups of this planet which address the truthfulness of The Scriptures through the means of traditions and myths which have sprung up based upon this one event in the far distant history of planet earth. Remember that when this is done there will be only the family of Noah through which the entirety of this planet will be repopulated. Given this truth, we have no reason to marvel that all of humanity would have knowledge of this. In fact, were this not the case then the argument for the accuracy of Scripture on this matter falls apart.

The time had come to end this matter. God commanded Noah and his family to enter into the ark. Even in this final moment before the judgement of God fell the grace of God is exhibited. It is written.

“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the earth forty days and forty nights; and every living substance that I have made will I destroy from off the face of the earth.
[5] And Noah did according unto all that the LORD commanded him.”

(Genesis 7:4-5)

There was a period of seven days when anyone could have repented and chosen to enter into the ark, but no one availed themselves of this opportunity. There is no need to speculate concerning what the world was doing as they ignored God’s grace. Jesus gives some insight into this when He speaks in the gospels concerning the end of days for humanity yet to come. It is written.

“But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only.
[37] But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.
[38] For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark,
[39] And knew not until the flood came, and took them all away; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.”

(Matthew 24:36-39)

Again, it is written.

” For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day.
[25] But first must he suffer many things, and be rejected of this generation.
[26] And as it was in the days of Noe, so shall it be also in the days of the Son of man.
[27] They did eat, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed them all.
[28] Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot; they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded;
[29] But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all.
[30] Even thus shall it be in the day when the Son of man is revealed.”

(Luke 17:24-30)

The conditions upon this earth will rival the foul, wicked, evil which penetrated the entirety of humanity during Noah’s day. The vile and depraved perversions which are accepted as normal will also rival the conditions of both Noah’s day and Lot’s Day. Yet there is something more which is not to be missed in this, for the conditions described by Jesus here include a rampant and willful apathy towards the things of God as men simply go about their day-to-day business.

God will simply be ignored. Conditions upon planet earth will find no place for the “irrelevant” notion that God is to be granted an audience. Men will just be too busy, in addition to all of the other blighted conditions contained in this warning from our Lord, to care about God. Scripture addresses this in the following passages. It is written.

“This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.
[2] For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
[3] Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,
[4] Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;
[5] Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.”

(II Timothy 3:1-5)

” Knowing this first, that there shall come in the last days scoffers, walking after their own lusts,
[4] And saying, Where is the promise of his coming? for since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.
[5] For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water:
[6] Whereby the world that then was, being overflowed with water, perished:
[7] But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.
[8] But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.
[9] The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
[10] But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
[11] Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness,”

(II Peter 3:1-11)

It is important to note that when God had established the boundaries of His grace in this matter, He maintained His established parameters in order that His character as a gracious God would be upheld. The rejection of Him by all who perished was a sinful deliberate choice on their part. I have heard scoffers decry the righteousness of God by proclaiming they will not accept a God who sends people to hell. In truth, God sends no one to hell, for they must refuse His offer of redemption in order to end up in that place of eternal punishment. It is a choice made by every person who enters that place.

Once Noah, his three sons, and their wives had entered into the ark, God brought to them all of the animals which were destined to survive the cataclysm. It is written.

“And Noah went in, and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him, into the ark, because of the waters of the flood.
[8] Of clean beasts, and of beasts that are not clean, and of fowls, and of every thing that creepeth upon the earth,
[9] There went in two and two unto Noah into the ark, the male and the female, as God had commanded Noah.
[10] And it came to pass after seven days, that the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
[11] In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened.
[12] And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
[13] In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;
[14] They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.
[15] And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.
[16] And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

(Genesis 7:9-16)

Take special notice of the last five words of the above passage. God shut the door. Noah could not have opened it if he had desired to do so. The time of grace had passed. The time for God to demonstrate His faithfulness unto Noah and His family had come. This He would do by not allowing one animal that entered the ark to even come close to getting wet!

We are told that the waters of rain fell for forty days straight as the fountains of the deep were broken up as well. The cleansing of the earth from the putridness of the sin of humanity was about to be complete. The sheer volume of water that is spoken of here is difficult for one to conceive. The great ark of God was lifted up by these waters until it was no longer bound to the earth upon which it had been built. Note that the volume of water in play here would have been more than sufficient to cover the tops of Mount Everest, which many hold to be the tallest mountain in this world, by over twenty feet! We are told.

“And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the waters increased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above the earth.
[18] And the waters prevailed, and were increased greatly upon the earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters.
[19] And the waters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the high hills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered.
[20] Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered.

(Genesis 7:17-20)

The sheer destruction and death wrought by this cataclysmic happening is staggering to those who would try to comprehend it. Every man, every woman, and every child, and all of the creatures which were outside of the ark that moved upon this earth died. Pause for just a moment and contemplate what this would mean were it to occur today. My friend do not be deceived about the brutality of sin as it impacts all of God’s creation. This which we read of was caused by the continued degradation of God’s creation through sin until there was nothing left to do except execute the sentence which had been justly earned by humanity.

We are told.

 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man:
[22] All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died.
[23] And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark.
[24] And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.”

(Genesis 7:21-24)

The cleansing of the earth from the sin of humanity would find Noah and his family safely with the confines of the great ark of God for nearly half a year. Yet in the entirety of that time, we have no record of any unmet need or lack of what was necessary to achieve the goal which God would set to repopulate the earth in preparation for the coming of The Seed of The Woman through whom we find redemption. You see the grace which was extended unto Noah was also extended unto you and I for without that grace we would have no hope and the God of The Bible would not be trustworthy.

Dwell here in the early portions of Genesis for a time. Do not be in a hurry to move on so that the deep riches of God concerning these things of which we speak are glossed over and sadly, missed. As has been mentioned before, the foundation of all which we believe has been set out here in these early chapters of the record of God’s interaction with mankind. I would pose to you the premise that without the record of The Old Testament, one would find it exceptionally difficult to understand the majority of the New Testament. You see this which we examine, The Holy Bible, is one complete testimony to God’s interaction with, and revelation unto, humanity. Let us not be hurried as we allow God to reveal Himself unto us through the pages of this book.

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Six. And God Said unto Noah, The End of all Flesh is Come Before Me.

And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
[2] That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
[3] And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
[4] There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
[5] And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
[6] And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
[7] And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
[8] But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
[9] These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
[10] And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
[11] The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
[12] And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
[13] And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.
[14] Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
[15] And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
[16] A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
[17] And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
[18] But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
[19] And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
[20] Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
[21] And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
[22] Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.

Commentary On Genesis Chapter Six

Upon an in depth understanding of the events which we shall see set before our eyes now, rests a great deal of the ability to grasp what is happening in the world we live in at this very hour. Make no mistake concerning the truth, and historical nature, concerning the worldwide deluge sent by God to cleanse away the filth and depth of depravity which the entirety of humanity had caused to infest this earth. Not far back in the study of Genesis it is noted that God walked in close fellowship with humanity, there was peace on earth, and there was no shame nor fear known among men and women, and no one knew the fear of death. The effects of the outworking of sin within this portion of God’s creation changed all of that so that we now find a world which grieves the heart of its creator.

Sin is never to be laughed at or taken lightly, for it will fascinate you and then without warning assassinate you at the earliest opportunity. In the opening of this chapter, we are given an insight into the depth of the putridness of that which had been perverted away from God’s intention and purposes. It is written.

“And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,
[2] That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
[3] And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
[4] There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.
[5] And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
[6] And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
[7] And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.”

(Genesis 6:1-7)

There are several highly important things to deal with in these passages. First among them is the question of who these are, “sons of God“. There has been much study among many conservative scholars which points to their identity as being creatures of angelic origin and not human. The term, “sons of God” is used in Scripture to identify them as such in passages in the book of Job. there it is written.

  • “Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them.” (Job 1:6)
  • “Again there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan came also among them to present himself before the LORD.” (Job 2:1)
  • Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are the foundations thereof fastened? or who laid the corner stone thereof; When the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?”
  • (Job 38:5-7)

Remember that there was a time when a third of all created angels followed Satan in an unsuccessful coup attempt against the Sovereign God of all creation. It is a grave error to believe these demons as well as Satan himself are now confined unto the fiery pits of hell. They are not. They walk this earth seeking to wreak havoc upon the creation of God wherever and whenever possible. The term in the Hebrew language in which this text was written indicates that these are the type of creatures we see in this chapter.

The offense which triggered God’s countdown to total annihilation of all living creatures upon this earth is indicated to be that of the unholy alliance of angelic creatures with human women. Verses two and three directly connect these two things. There we read the following.

“That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.
[3] And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.”

The perversion of the designed union of men and women, which was blessed by God Himself when He brought Eve to Adam, has been shattered when we get to this place before us. It would seem that we are witnessing a universal and continued perversion by demonic creatures, for that is what fallen angels became, for the purpose of so corrupting the race of humanity that a normal child could not have been produced when they completed their tasks. Remember that Satan had heard the promise of the one, coming through the seed of the woman, who would be the redeemer.

Take careful note of the mention of the offspring from this union. We are told two things about this matter. The first is that during these days there were “giants” in the earth. The second is that there were children fathered by demons and mothered by human women born during this time.

The meaning of that term, “giants”, is literally, the fallen or corrupted ones.”. These were half demon and half human beings who were capable of magnificent feats which became the basis of many legendary figures throughout ancient history and mythology. The names of Hercules, Ajax, and Achilles, as well as the gods who fathered them have come down to us through such channels.

Perhaps the most striking incident of such a man of renown is that of the demigod, Gilgamesh. Scholars hold that the earliest literary record of such epic tales is “The Epic of Gilgamesh“, which some date as far back as over five thousand years when speaking of its origin. Beings, such as this one, have been recorded in the histories and mythologies of nearly every ancient people group to have ever existed upon the earth and many of the attributes and characteristics which one would expect to discover from the descendants of demigods are alluded unto when these are discussed.

The giants mentioned here are known as Nephilim and not Anakim. The difference between the two is that the meaning of then term giant which we use most often today conjures up images of abnormally large and fierce people who tower over all around them. Throughout Scripture such large men are noted but they are always referred to as Anakims, and never Nephilim.

Note the additional information which we are given about the conditions on planet earth when God pronounced this judgement. It is written.

“But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.
[9] These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
[10] And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
[11] The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.
[12] And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.
[13] And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

(Genesis 6:8-13)

Violence was predominant on a worldwide basis. We are not speaking of a few fists fights here and there. We are being informed that the hearts of men were actively seeking manners and ways to destroy themselves. Their minds were filled with immorality connected with violence it would seem. One would think that this situation was particularly dominated with violent, immoral, thoughts connected to the misuse of the bodies of women. Pornographic violence is not new upon this earth. Perversion of children’s innocence was certainly involved in this degradation of humanity as well.

Yet in the blackest of days for man upon the earth, God still speaks of grace being extended unto man. Out of the entirety of humanity, one man and his household found grace in God’s eyes. We are told that Noah walked with God, similar language to that used of Enoch, when we look carefully at this text. We are also told that God set a definitive time limit when His grace would be extended, granting this time to any who would repent and turn back to God. That period was one hundred and twenty years. During this time several things happened,

It was during this time that God had Noah build an ark which would provide safe passage through the coming cataclysmic events for all who were inside. During this time, we are not informed in any fashion that the fallen demonic creatures ceased their perversion of humanity. It was also during this time that Noah preached the coming judgement of God as he built the ark. It is written.

“But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.
[2] And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of.
[3] And through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you: whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth not.
[4] For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
[5] And spared not the old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly;
[6] And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;
[7] And delivered just Lot, vexed with the filthy conversation of the wicked:
[8] (For that righteous man dwelling among them, in seeing and hearing, vexed his righteous soul from day to day with their unlawful deeds;)
[9] The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished:”

(II Peter 2:1-9)

Read this passage carefully. Herein you will find the preaching of Noah of which I spoke. You will also find that what happened in Genesis chapter six is compared unto the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah. The perversion involved in Genesis six was worldwide and deeply infused in the race of men by the demonic assault up women. There is also much to learn here about the character and workings of God Himself. God is a God of judgement upon sin. He cannot tolerate it in His presence, and it separates men and women from His presence.

God gave more than ample witness unto the world which definitively rejected all of it. As has been mentioned there was Noah. Also, in Genesis six there is mention of The Holy Spirit of God striving with men. Take note of this, for it is a hallmark of the ministry of The Holy Spirit that He is the one who calls out unto men wooing them to a point of decision through convicting them that they are sinners and need a redeemer. During the entirety of that 120 years, He was working yet being constantly rejected. The world also had the witness of the man Methuselah. That name means, “when he is dead it shall be sent.”

We shall see in short order as we continue through Genesis that in the year he died, the great deluge came. In addition to all of this there was the preaching of Enoch which is to be included in God’s gracious witness. It is written.

“I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
[6] And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
[7] Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
[8] Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
[9] Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
[10] But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
[11] Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
[12] These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
[13] Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
[14] And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
[15] To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
[16] These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”

(Jude 5-16)

It is clear when one carefully studies these things that God was exceptionally gracious unto humanity right up until the moment that they rejected His final call unto them. The mercy of God does have limits in certain circumstances. Remember that grace is the extension of a favor or gift which one has not earned and does not deserve to receive due to any merit which that one holds. Mercy is the withholding of pending execution of a sentence which one does deserve due to his evil works which have earned such sentence. Both can be seen actively demonstrated in this account before us.

Both are also to be discerned in the fact that God chose one man and His household to be saved from the coming execution of His righteous wrath. The manner in which this was to be achieved is set before us for it is written.

“Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.
[15] And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.
[16] A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.
[17] And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.
[18] But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee.
[19] And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.
[20] Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.
[21] And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.
[22] Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.”

(Genesis 6:14-22)

There have been several attacks from within the realm of academia as well as the realm of the various news media regarding the existence, viability, and dimensions of The Ark of God which is described here. All of which have been demonstrated over time to be debunked. There is, however, a carefully constructed cover up of the facts regarding this ship by those who would eradicate God from the current society of humanity for their own nefarious reasons. As we continue to study The Scriptures, we shall see clearly how God’s command was absolutely, correct and more than sufficient for the task at hand, which was the preservation of the human race through grace extended unto Noah and his family.

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Five. The Beginning of The Reign of Physical Death Upon The Earth.

[1] This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him;
[2] Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.
[3] And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son in his own likeness, after his image; and called his name Seth:
[4] And the days of Adam after he had begotten Seth were eight hundred years: and he begat sons and daughters:
[5] And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died.
[6] And Seth lived an hundred and five years, and begat Enos:
[7] And Seth lived after he begat Enos eight hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters:
[8] And all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years: and he died.
[9] And Enos lived ninety years, and begat Cainan:
[10] And Enos lived after he begat Cainan eight hundred and fifteen years, and begat sons and daughters:
[11] And all the days of Enos were nine hundred and five years: and he died.
[12] And Cainan lived seventy years, and begat Mahalaleel:
[13] And Cainan lived after he begat Mahalaleel eight hundred and forty years, and begat sons and daughters:
[14] And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years: and he died.
[15] And Mahalaleel lived sixty and five years, and begat Jared:
[16] And Mahalaleel lived after he begat Jared eight hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters:
[17] And all the days of Mahalaleel were eight hundred ninety and five years: and he died.
[18] And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch:
[19] And Jared lived after he begat Enoch eight hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[20] And all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty and two years: and he died.
[21] And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
[22] And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[23] And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
[24] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.
[25] And Methuselah lived an hundred eighty and seven years, and begat Lamech:
[26] And Methuselah lived after he begat Lamech seven hundred eighty and two years, and begat sons and daughters:
[27] And all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty and nine years: and he died.
[28] And Lamech lived an hundred eighty and two years, and begat a son:
[29] And he called his name Noah, saying, This same shall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the LORD hath cursed.
[30] And Lamech lived after he begat Noah five hundred ninety and five years, and begat sons and daughters:
[31] And all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy and seven years: and he died.
[32] And Noah was five hundred years old: and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Commentary on Genesis Chapter Five

We have come to a shift in the flow of history regarding humanity when we cross the threshold of this fifth chapter of Genesis. Prior to making this crossing we have been tracking the lineage of the entirety of the race of men. Now we have come to a fork in that venture and have begun to follow the lineage which will eventually lead to the promised Messiah of Genesis chapter three and verse fifteen. Cain, and his descendants who followed his example have, by choice, disqualified themselves from inclusion in this lineage.

From this point forward we shall find that the raging battle between the followers of Christ and the followers of Satan will become intertwined only as the sons of darkness clash with the sons of light. The main theme if the Scriptures is the revealing of God, Himself, through Jesus Christ. Let us never lose sight of that. What we find recorded in the pages of Scripture is all directly related to this singular matter. There is a closely connected secondary theme which is that of the redemption of men from sin and unto Himself by God which also runs concurrently throughout Scriptures. Here in Genesis chapter five let us not fail to see that this is true even though we are about to read of the reign of death upon all humanity which came through the sin of Adam.

Note the opening passages here clearly identify the record as being that of HUMANITY, regardless of gender. It is written.

“This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.”

(Genesis 5:1-2)

The God of The Bible is gracious to both women and men without showing discrimination which would prevent either gender from coming unto Him and being received. As we seek to know more of the nature and character of this Great God through what we read, in even this seemingly gloomy listing of the death of each of those mentioned in turn, let us be reminded that the listing before us is not a complete nor extensive chronological manifest of all who lived during the generations enshrined here. Those who are important to the unfolding of the two major themes noted earlier are called forth to prominence here.

We were introduced unto Seth in the previous chapter. Following him we come to the name of one called Enoch. While the unbroken lineage which leads us to this one is important it is this man to whom we ought to pay close attention. He is introduced with the simple words, “And Jared lived an hundred sixty and two years, and he begat Enoch” (verse 18).

The arrival of Enoch upon the scene brings with it a shift in the attitudes of humanity toward God and Hios revealed ways. Concerning Enoch, we are told that this man was one who began to walk with God after the birth of a son when he was sixty-five years of age. It is written.

“And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:
[22] And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:
[23] And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:
[24] And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him.”

(Genesis 5:21-24)

Note carefully that there is a distinct change referenced in Enoch’s life activities before the birth of Methuselah and all of his days after that event. We are not told that he walked with God before that child arrived. Something caused a change. in how he related unto God with the birth of this child. It is the view of many conservative scholars that the something which so impacted this man was the revealed knowledge of the coming judgement of God upon a world of sin depraved and debauched humanity. Let us examine why this view is held by so many.

Our first key to this is the name which he gave this particular son. Methuselah is translated into, “when he is dead it shall be sent”. What could the “it” be that was to come? This is a reference to the cataclysmic outpouring of God’s righteous judgement upon a world that had become perverted and twisted beyond anything which even God found to be tolerable in spite of His tremendous grace. Remember that as the descendants of Seth were multiplying upon this planet so were the descendants of Cain, who had turned their faces away from God. The fact that Methuselah was the longest living human recorded in Scripture is a testimony unto the truth that God is longsuffering in His extension of grace unto us, for the record, as we shall see, tells us that in the year of Methusaleh’s death the great deluge which destroyed all of humanity, except Noah and his family came upon this earth.

Concerning Enoch, we are told that he was a man of faith. For it is written.

“By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him: for before his translation he had this testimony, that he pleased God.”

(Hebrews 11:5)

We are also told that this man, Enoch, was the first preacher to walk the earth for it is written.

“And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
[15] To execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
[16] These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”

(Jude1:14-16)

It is not beyond reason to conclude that as he walked with God he also preached of the coming judgement upon humanity. It could be held that this was how Enoch pleased God. Let it be noted that Enoch is one of only two men of which it is said that he walked with God before the Great Deluge judgement. The other man, as we shall see a bit further on, is Noah.

In all of recorded Scripture Enoch is one of two men who we are told were taken into the presence of God without tasting death first. The other is the Prophet Elijhah. It is reasonable to hold that God had revealed unto this man that He intended to bring about the destruction of the warped and twisted humanity which had chosen to turn their faces from God as a whole. The naming of his son coupled with the recorded of his preaching support this.

Not only did the Ancients have the warning of the life and ministry of Enoch, as we have demonstrated, but they had the ever-present reminder of Methuselah in their midst right up unto the sending of the great cataclysmic deluge which ripped the earth apart and turned it inside out and wrought the death of all living creatures that walked upon this planet. Listed in this chapter we also find the birth and place in the chronology which we are studying of Noah.

Just as God had raised up Enoch, to preach on His behalf, He also raised up this man to take up the task of warning men and women that the outpouring of His wrath was coming. God is a just God. He will not leave anyone without a witness unto their need to repent and turn from sin unto Him. There will never be a person in the entirety of history who will be able to look God in the face and claim an exemption from His eternal judgment upon the basis that they never had some manner of witness from God. Concerning this very matter, The Apostle Paul speaks unto us in The Epistle to The Romans. It is written.

“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
[17] For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
[18] For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;
[19] Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them.
[20] For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
[21] Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
[22] Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools,
[23] And changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
[24] Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
[25] Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.”

(Romans 1:16-25)

Take note of the revealed truth that God does reveal His intention to judge sin. It is mankind that refuses to acknowledge the truth of that revelation and substitute something more palatable unto themselves, just as Cain chose to substitute what he thought ought to be sufficient and acceptable unto God based upon his own wishes. It was this refusal to honor the God of Scripture as God which caused the record of death upon humanity, found here in Genesis five, to become necessary.

Paul, also writing in The Epistle to the Romans, tells us the following.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:
[13] (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law.
[14] Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.
[15] But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.
[16] And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification.
[17] For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

(Romans 5:12-17)

As we close out our observations which we have taken care to discover concerning God in this chapter, let us think not only upon the sad truth of the death which awaits us at our time appointed, but also dwell upon the revelation of the grace of God as He deals with humanity which is found here. We have spoken of the raising up of people who were to witness unto their peers on God’s behalf. We have also spoken of the orderly transition from one unto another so that there is not a gap in the extension of God’s grace unto people. Something which was not commented upon earlier, which I feel is important in the recognition of God’s graciousness, is the fact that in the wake of the murder of their first-born son, God gave unto Adam and Eve Seth, who was presented in Abel’s stead. It was those who followed the God who had done this whose record we find laid out for us here.

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Three. Paradise Lost! God And Man Separated! Sin Begins A Destructive and Deadly Reign!

 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
[2] And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
[3] But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
[4] And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
[5] For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
[6] And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
[7] And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
[8] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.
[9] And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
[10] And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
[11] And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
[12] And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
[13] And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
[14] And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
[15] And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
[16] Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
[17] And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
[18] Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
[19] In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
[20] And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
[21] Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
[22] And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
[23] Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
[24] So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Commentary on Genesis Chapter Three

Set before us here is what many believe to be the most pivotal chapter in the entirety of the sixty-six books of The Bible. Upon this account of man’s fall from the grace of God, which we are about to examine, rests the understanding of all which follows. Consider the effect upon the understanding of the history of humanity, as well as most certainly the remainder of Scripture, if one were to attempt to make sense of it all by reading Genesis chapter two and then immediately Genesis chapter four as you lay the foundation for all which follows.

In Genesis two mankind stood in the most blessed, peaceful, and uninhibited state, which the race would ever experience upon this earth. There is peace and harmony between all of the creation of God. Omitting chapter three causes the reader to make a mental leap from such a world unto a world filled with murder, greed, avarice, and all manner of evil which spills forth to stain the pages of history without having any idea how such a radical and degrading status was brought about.

To deny the onslaught and consistent advance of evil upon the earth is to deny the reality of our very existence as creatures capable of these things while ignoring the evidence which is all around us on a daily basis.

Let us be careful to note what we are given to know here … as well as what we are not given to see. Ignoring the latter will lead to undue speculation and error which will compound itself as we continue forward. This is foundational in nature and therefore we must get this right to build correctly upon it moving forward. Let us begin. It is written.

” Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?”

(Genesis 3:1)

Immediately we are confronted here with a creature which demonstrates uncharacteristic actions and abilities which are deployed in order to cause mankind to rebel against God, the creator of all things. This was not the slithering, deadly serpent with which we are familiar today. This is an entity which appears unto the woman in shimmering, alluring beauty. The linguistics of this passage indicate that in Hebrew this creature was indeed known as the “shining one”.

The act of this creature approaching humanity as it engages in this type of discourse with Eve indicates that there is something unnatural and unholy transpiring before us. Note that prior to this we have no record of any other creature engaging mankind in this manner. I would point out that it was man which was given a superior status over all other creatures and therefore one should immediately find a lesser creature initiating such a discussion to be suspect. This is the first recorded instance of probable possession of another entity by Satan himself for the purpose of causing the downfall of mankind. How can such a conclusion be reached? The record of Scripture going forward speaks to this for it is written.

“But what I do, that I will do, that I may cut off occasion from them which desire occasion; that wherein they glory, they may be found even as we. For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works”

(II Corinthians 11:12-14)

Again we find written.

“For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders,”

(II Thessalonians 2:7-9)

There are numerous Scriptures which clearly indicate that this technique of possession for deception, in order to cause the downfall of one, is directly attributable to the working of Satan. One such formidable example is that of the coming Antichrist who will be possessed by Satan himself as a tool to deceive the nations into worshipping him.

Note the design of the attack as set forth here in Genesis three. It is written.

 “And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.”

(Genesis 3:2-7)

The first thing to notice is that doubt concerning the words of God was introduced. The second thing to note here is that this doubt was introduced to the woman, not the man. This is important to understand in order that the technique be correctly identified, for Satan will use this tactic upon all of us if he gets opportunity. God had established an order, a hierarchy if you will, whereby it was the man, not the woman who held responsibility for the proper conveyance of His spoken truth unto the woman.

This is not a popular concept in our world of today and some would immediately decry that statement as being misogynistic. Yet it stands according to the word of God found in Genesis chapter three. The purpose for this observation is to note that Adam failed in his responsibility to his wife to convey God’s words accurately. Adam failed to protect his wife from the approach of evil. Adam failed to intercede and stop this conversation and all that resulted from it. It was Adam who bore the greater responsibility for what happened here. It is written.

“Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law). Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.”

(Romans 5:12-14)

“For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.”

(I Corinthians 15:22)

“Let the woman learn in silence with all subjection. But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence. For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression.”

(I Timothy 2:11-14)

Eve responded to the query of the serpent by misquoting the words of God. She added to the prohibition against eating the fruit the prohibition against touching it and thereby opened the door to identify God as a liar. The next step in this assault was to directly attack the good intentions of God toward man. Note carefully that man had no need to eat of this fruit. Mankind was given the fruit of every other tree for his enjoyment and sustenance.

He was not prohibited from partaking of a far more beneficial fruit, that of the Tree of Life, and yet the pride of humanity drove Eve to reject God’s grace and demand equality with God upon her own terms. Those terms were in reality a lie which had been spewed forth by Satan. There are only three basic avenues of attack seen here. These are the following.

  • 1. The lust of the flesh. We are told that Eve saw the fruit was good to eat. It was desirable to satisfy her hunger.
  • 2. The lust of the eyes. Eve saw that this fruit was pleasant to look upon. It thus was desirable to satiate the inner man through producing a spiritual hunger within which ought not to have been allowed to become intensely fixated upon this as the answer to her desire.
  • 3. The Pride of Life. This was the inordinate thinking that Eve deserved to be equal with God and that God had withheld the means to attain what was rightfully hers all along.

In all of this discourse concerning the misrepresentation of God’s intent there is only the disavowal of The Serpent concerning the consequences which would be swift and certain should one partake of what God has forbidden that is causative in nature.This was a direct denial of God’s intent and God’s power.

Having bought into the lie, Eve reached out to touch the fruit which was forbidden to eat. The moment that she did not experience “death” in some fashion God became one who lied unto her, for if He had indeed stated that the mere touch of this forbidden entity would bring death and it did not occur at that moment the view of God which Satan had put forth, was seen as true. Look carefully at the events unfolding next. The question of Adams presence throughout this entire proceeding is settled when we read the following.

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.”

(Genesis 3: 6)

There can be no denying that Adam was there all along. Now it is evident that Eve was trapped in a deception and chose to act upon bad information. However, she is not to be excused for her sin. the essence of sin in every case is that God has set a standard and you and I cross over it to choose our way in opposition to God’s way. Yes, Eve was deceived. Adam however knew exactly what he was doing. Neither of these is to be excused from either the immediate consequences of their actions, or the judgement of God which was attached unto the commission of them.

The unintended consequence resulting from their actions were as follows.

  • 1.The realization of shame.
  • 2.The first understanding of fear.
  • 3.The first efforts at concealment of both their shame and their presence very presence from God Himself with whom they had enjoyed unadulterated joy and fellowship.
  • The need for confession and repentance.

It is written..

And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons. And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?”

(Genesis 3:7-11)

Adam and Eve suddenly were aware of that entity which humanity possesses known as conscience. They knew right from wrong alright, but they did not know how to reverse what they had done. Learn this great truth my friend. There is no way back into fellowship with God which originates from the efforts of humanity. Every attempt to rectify the problem of sin which is manmade will fail. Every form of religion, no matter who originates it cannot provide a clear path back into the lost graces of God. Remember that was the religious people who are to be held accountable for the crucifixion of The Son of God.

The sewing of fig leaves together is indicative of man’s efforts to cover themselves and it was in vain. This is the first glimpse of a religious activity which would demand God accept one due to their own works. God never did so. God never even acknowledged the fig leaves in His exchange with Adam and Eve. The appearance of God upon the scene was an opportunity for Adam and Eve to confess their wrongdoing and repent of it, but they did neither. It is written.

“And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat. And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:”

(Genesis 3:12-14)

The tendency to accuse someone else for our own actions in an effort to justify ourselves is on full display here. Adam blamed God ultimately, for if you look carefully at his response, he states it was the woman which God had given him who caused this evil to transpire. The woman blamed her actions upon the serpent, who did indeed beguile her, but she consented unto the actions which she took and was not to be relieved of the consequence because of the actions of another. There is a great truth in this which will be repeatedly set forth in Scripture. Every person will be held accountable for their own actions when they stand before God. You will not account for me. nor I for you when The Creator of Heaven and Earth demands an account of our actions be given.

The consequences of their sin that God handed out were just, for He had warned them, and God cannot lie in spite of what they had been told. The judicial consequences which were handed out on the scene are as follows.

  • 1. The Serpent was consigned to crawling upon its belly and its shimmering beauty was degraded.
  • 2. Enmity between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent.
  • 3. Sorrow for the woman in childbearing will be greatly multiplied
  • 4.The very ground of the earth was cursed for man’s actions.
    • 1. It would bring forth thistles.
    • 2. It would not yield freely as it had before.
    • 3. It would no longer bear fruit without hard labor of mankind.
  • 5. Physical death was to be introduced unto God’s creation.
  • The requirement of hard labor upon the part of humanity to garner what had been freely bestowed in the way of sustenance before hand.
  • 6. The degradation of man’s physical body resulting in the ultimate return into the ground from which he had been taken.

It is written.

“And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel. Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.”

(Genesis 3:15-19)

It is to be noted that in all of this there is also a great demonstration of God’s grace and His desire to redeem mankind unto Himself. Here begins two great truths which shall be demonstrated throughout all of Scripture. The doctrine of God’s redemption plan which flows throughout the Bible has its beginnings in this chapter of the Scriptures. The acceptable methodology whereby this is to be achieved is set out in this chapter.

Here in Genesis chapter three and verse fifteen we find the first proclamation that there would come one who would be born of a virgin, and who would indeed, crush the serpent’s head. Note the phrase found there, “… The seed of the woman …”. There is a distinct revelation here that man upon the earth will be in one of two great families. One will be at war with the other throughout the entire existence of humanity upon the earth as we know it. While we are all the creation of God, made in His image, we are not all the children of God. On the day of judgement in Eden, The Garden of God, the nature of all humanity changed due to the spiritual death which Adam and Eve immediately experienced as a result of the sin which they committed.

it is therefore necessary for humanity to experience the new birth in order to be reconciled unto a Holy God who cannot tolerate sin in His presence.

It is for this reason that God sent His Son to be crucified, buried, and arise from the dead in order to make such a new birth possible. Without the placement of one’s faith in the work of Jesus, The Messiah of God, as the only acceptable offering unto God to attain reconciliation there will be no transformation from being a son or daughter of the serpent unto being a son or daughter of The Living God!

The difficulty that most people have is that they refuse to accept the truth that one stands before God as a sinner without any merit whereby they can be justified by their own efforts. Just as Adam and Eve attempted to set the conditions that would result in justification through their own efforts, most people begin looking for someone else to blame for their sinful standing before a Holy God. Just as surely as they failed, so will others who do this. It is only by the grace of God that we have any means of access unto Him. He was not bound by any demand humanity would ever make to provide such a means of justification.

To reject His offering is to accept the lie from Satan that there is some other way to be justified, and to incur the wrath of God when ultimately facing Him in an unrighteous state. We have no righteousness of our own when we view ourselves from God’s perspective. It is written.

” But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.
And there is none that calleth upon thy name, that stirreth up himself to take hold of thee: for thou hast hid thy face from us, and hast consumed us, because of our iniquities. But now, O LORD, thou art our father; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the work of thy hand.”

(Isiah 64:6-8)

In closing the study of this chapter, we must note that God Himself reveals the basic concept that justification must be achieved through blood offerings which are acceptable unto Him. Note that God provided skins as a covering for Adam and Eve. This will play a vital role in understanding the remainder of the Scriptures for this magnificent theme of redemption through blood plays a massive part in all that we shall find therein. It is written.

“And Adam called his wife’s name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: Therefore, the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.”

(Genesis 3:20-24)

I have found that it is nearly impossible to obtain the skin of any animal without two things happening. The first thing is that there will be bloodshed. The other thing is that there is death involved. Therefore, it can be clearly seen here that death began to be rampant in the animal kingdom as a result of the sin of Adam and Eve. There is no previous record of any such experience upon the face of the earth in Scripture. This is what God required to temporarily provide an atonement for the sin of Adam and Eve.

As an act of grace and mercy, God drove man and woman from Eden where they had lived in Paradise upon this earth. There was still in that place another tree from which fruit could have been partaken. That would have been a great tragedy for mankind, for had they eaten of that fruit in their now unrighteous and guilty state, they would have forfeited the ability to obtain redemption by God’s design. The curse of sin was now upon them. To eat of that tree would have caused humanity to live forever in that cursed state. It is for that reason God placed an angel in front of the entrance of Eden to prohibit them from ever returning.

In closing let it be noted that we are here introduced to the existence of a sentient being called Cherubims. These are a particular type of being which is always connected with the Holiness of God. This establishes the truth that mankind is not alone in God’s universe. There are Angels among us who cohabit the vastness of the universe of God. This concept will be developed more fully as we move through The Scriptures but for the moment hold onto this concept.

It is a sad ending that we observe in this chapter, for mankind has now become a tiller of the ground and an exile from his first home upon the earth. He is no longer in the state of innocence which he possessed before. There is no longer the full and free communion with God for which he was in fact created. Evil in the universe has been established to exist and man has sided with that evil against God, his creator.

Take heart my friend, for as we leave Eden we have the hope, the assurance, that God will provide a way back into His fellowship. That is the grand proclamation to be found here. God knows our need. He also has the remedy for that need. Despite the now putrid, decaying, condition which humanity finds itself in at the moment, God is willing to receive us unto Himself.

This, then, is the reasoning which causes our understanding to be enlightened. This chapter is the bridge between what we as a race lost through Adam’s sin and what God desires to bring about throughout the remainder of The Scriptures. This chapter answers the question, ” What happened to us?”. Let us ponder what God desires for us as opposed to what we do unto ourselves and in so pondering find God who stands ready and able to redeem us of we will but come unto Him in the appointed manner.

Posted on

Genesis Chapter Two. These Are The Generations of The Heavens And The Earth.

 Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them.
[2] And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.
[3] And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
[4] These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,
[5] And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground.
[6] But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.
[7] And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
[8] And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.
[9] And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
[10] And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads.
[11] The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
[12] And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone.
[13] And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia.
[14] And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
[15] And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
[16] And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat:
[17] But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
[18] And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.
[19] And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof.
[20] And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him.
[21] And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
[22] And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
[23] And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
[24] Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
[25] And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

 Commentary upon Genesis Chapter Two

Having given an overview of the six days of creation achievements in chapter one, The Holy Spirit of God now will visit anew those events and set forth many of these things in more depth. In this is to be found a principle which is to be applied throughout all of Scripture. That principle is called the rule of recurrence or recapitulation.

Generally understood this means that God will set forth a matter in a general overview and then pull from within that matter certain points which He desires to reveal in greater detail unto us at a later moment. We can see this clearly set out when we study this chapter. It is written.

” These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.”

(Genesis 2:4)

In Genesis chapter two the things which are thus placed before us are those which deal primarily with mankind. It is to be noted that certain details concerning the stewardship of mankind over the earth are mentioned here. Look closely and you will discover that there was no rain yet upon earth but rather God watered His Garden through a gentle mist from the ground.

This seems to be such a small concern, yet it reveals the intricate and detailed concern of God for His creation, and for the task of stewardship which the man is about to be entrusted with.

All of this which is described in verse four is set in motion before the making of man who was to be placed into a fully functioning environment which he was to oversee. The principle of preparation of the environment before placing a man into it is one which will be found repeatedly throughout Scripture.

As we begin this second chapter, we are told that God set aside and sanctified the seventh day as a day of rest. This naturally presents a question for us regarding the nature and character of God. Does God grow tired? That is rhetorical in nature for the answer is of course He does not tire or grow weary. God does not need rest but rather He is setting an example for mankind to adhere unto. It is written.

“I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
[My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”

(Psalms 121:1-4)

It is evident from the beginning of all things that God intends man to observe the Sabbath day as He did by His example. It is important to note three things concerning the Sabbath which I believe will assist one in being kept from a wrongful approach to this matter. First of all, one must observe that the Sabbath day was not given unto mankind as a day of worship. Look carefully at this text and you will discover that this was to be a day of rest from the labors which we enter into.

The second thing I would have you note is that the Sabbath Day was given through the example of God Himself before the Mosaic law was ever reveled. The very wording in the text before us concerning this indicates that God ceased His work of creation upon the sixth day. The wording for “rested ” denotes exactly this concept if one studies the Hebrew in which this is written.

God is not now continuing in the process of creation of His universe. That work is done, completed, ceased. There can be no evolution of things from a lower state to a higher state as some would have you believe because we are plainly told that there is no longer any action on the part of God to cause such an ongoing creation effort.

All of the animal and plant life, as well as the non-organic portions of His creation were now in place ready to have mankind introduced into the equation. It is for this reason that we are given the generations of the heavens and the earth.

A third thing I would have you recognize concerning the Sabbath Day observance is that when it is given through the law of Moses it was directly given as a day to cease working. It is written.

” Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.
Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:
But the seventh day is the sabbath of the LORD thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.”

(Exodus 20:8-11)

Concerning this matter, I would consult one voice more. That voice is Jesus Christ Himself who stated the following.

” And it came to pass, that he went through the corn fields on the sabbath day; and his disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Behold, why do they on the sabbath day that which is not lawful? And he said unto them, Have ye never read what David did, when he had need, and was an hungred, he, and they that were with him? How he went into the house of God in the days of Abiathar the high priest, and did eat the shewbread, which is not lawful to eat but for the priests, and gave also to them which were with him? And he said unto them, The sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath: Therefore the Son of man is Lord also of the sabbath.”

(Mark 2:23-28)

You may be wondering why we ought to take the time to examine this matter in some detail. It is in order to lay a solid and proper foundation from which we may move forward into the Scripture that this ought to be undertaken. There are many today who will be bound by a misunderstanding of this matter and will also attempt to bind others due to a misunderstanding of this issue.

In believing that the only proper day to worship The Lord is the Sabbath Day, they will place upon those who gather for worship on Sunday an undue burden of restriction. Do I believe in The Sabbath? Yes, I do. However, I hold that as we can plainly see through The Scriptures themselves that it is to be a day of observance of rest.

At this point I have introduced the person of Jesus Christ into the events connected with this second chapter of Genesis. I would invite you to follow along as we develop more fully His involvement with all of these matters.

In Chapter one we see the trinity of God introduced. There we encounter The Father and The Holy Spirit. Yet one cannot have a triune Godhead without the inclusion of all three personages of such a being. In addition to The Father and The Holy Spirit, we are about to see that the Son of God is also directly, and thoroughly, included in the events of creation.

The ministry of The Son of God as set out in Scripture is directly related to the interaction of God with mankind. It is directly stated that only through the Son of God can we approach God The Father. It is written.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.”

(John 1:1-5)

Again, we find written in John’s gospel account the following.

“And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. John bare witness of him, and cried, saying, This was he of whom I spake, He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me. And of his fulness have all we received, and grace for grace. For the law was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath declared him.”

(John 1:14-18)

We also are told in the epistle to the Colossians the following truths concerning Jesus Christ. There we find it written.

“Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins: Who is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.”

(Colossians 1:12-17)

Clearly Jesus Christ is placed within the events of creation as God, fully equal to The Father, and The Holy Spirit. I hold that all interaction between man and God must involve Jesus Christ as The Son of God in some fashion. We are told that He was directly involved with creation but the question arises, “Where can He be found in the account of Genesis?”

Let us look to the creation of mankind itself for there we find the following.

“And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.”

(Genesis 2:7-9)

Here He is! Note the change in linguistics found in this passage from that employed in the earlier accounts of these things found in Chapter one. Note the phrase ” And The Lord God” found here. It is a subtle difference and yet the ramifications are staggering, for this is Jesus The Christ of The Living God who is about to form man from the dust of the earth. Take careful note of the intimate relationship between God, The Son, and humanity in the matter of creation which we are examining.

It is Jesus who breathes the breath of lives into humanity. It is Jesus who placed man in the garden of God. It is also Jesus who directly communicated unto Adam, the first man, the prohibitions against partaking of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. It is written.

” And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.”

(Genesis 2:15-17)

Take note of the warning given concerning the one tree in the midst of the garden. This is a warning and not to be misconstrued as a threat, for such would be a misrepresentation of the character and nature of God as it is revealed in The Scriptures.

Did man die when he partook of the fruit? The Lord said he would die that day. Yet it is recorded that Adam lived for several hundred years after this, begetting sons and daughter upon the earth. To comprehend what happened when man disobeyed God it is necessary to properly understand the definition of death.

That term indicates separation from something. Physical death is the separation of the soul and spirit from the body. Spiritual death is separation from God. Man being a trinity made in the image of God is bound to die if sin is not dealt with somehow. The final death is to be cast into an eternal hell separated from God and all who have come into the family of God through the new birth.

Having placed man into the garden of God, with the prohibition in place as noted above, God brought each creature before him to allow him to name them. Among the entirety of the animal creations which God had paraded before the man we are told that there was not one found which would be a suitable helper. That term, “help meet” has been misconstrued over time to become one word rather than two as it originally was intended to be.

While the animals of the earth do find usefulness in man carrying out his stewardship the idea which is being addressed here is that not one of them is capable of coming alongside him fully to support his efforts in all ways. There was found to be a need for yet another creature which God was to provide. It is written.

” And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

(Genesis 2:20-25)

God, in creating woman, marked yet another distinct deviation from the methodology which was employed earlier. In doing as He did, He brought about a common bond between all of humanity for which no other can be substituted.

The nature and character of humanity are common traits shared between all women and men so that there can be a oneness which generates understanding and common effort between the man and His wife, for so is the clear indication found here that she is designed to fulfill that role.

God is not just providing man with yet another subservient creature here. God is ordaining the first of three great institutions which are for the continued thriving of society. In this passage is the clear and inescapable teaching that it is God who ordained marriage between one man and one woman.

There are not a number of options in this which God must be made to recognize as some would have you believe. This and this alone is God’s plan for the families of the earth. To refuse this and demand recognition of some alternative which rejects God’s established authority is to engage in perversion.

I would point out that marriage, as displayed here, is not merely a contractual arrangement between a man and his “partner” as some would have you believe. Note carefully that what we see here is a covenant relationship between man, woman, and God. That is the established design from the earliest existence of God’s creation of humanity upon this earth.

In the marriage ceremony, the custom of the father of the bride presenting her unto her groom and declaring that he is the one who gives her unto him is rooted directly in this example before us.

Take note as we conclude this chapter that the proper relationship between a man, his wife, and God as displayed within this context is one wherein there is no shame for any of the three. Existence upon this earth for mankind was originally designed to be one of fully intimate interaction between all three individuals without guilt or shame.

Posted on

Genesis Chapter One. Announcing The Presence of The Almighty One Who Is Before All Things And By Whom All Things Exist.

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.
[2] And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.
[3] And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.
[4] And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.
[5] And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
[6] And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.
[7] And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.
[8] And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
[9] And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.
[10] And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
[11] And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
[12] And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
[13] And the evening and the morning were the third day.
[14] And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:
[15] And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.
[16] And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.
[17] And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,
[18] And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.
[19] And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
[20] And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.
[21] And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
[22] And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.
[23] And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
[24] And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
[25] And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.
[26] And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.
[27] So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
[28] And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.
[29] And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.
[30] And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.
[31] And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Commentary Upon Genesis Chapter One

Within the first two verses of the opening chapter of the Scriptures we are immediately introduced to the eternal God. His chosen introduction unto humanity is not one which argues for His existence nor attempts to offer any proofs of it. We are standing upon Holy, Supernatural ground here and for that reason any and all attempts to prove the existence of God through scientific or logical means will always prove insufficient for the task.

Science is, by its very nature, dependent upon observable, duplicatable, experimentation through which a hypothesis can be either confirmed or denied. What is before us as we enter this study is beyond the reach of such a process, for it will never be repeated and no one was there to observe it as it unfolded.

Here, at the very first revelation unto us of His eternal existence, God desires that He be approached through faith. Note that, for this is a principle which runs through the entirety of the sixty-six books of the Bible. God is to be experienced through faith. In the epistle to the Hebrews, we find the following admonition written.

” Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. “

(Hebrews 11:1-3)

Due to holding a superior status to all of His creation, which surely includes all things human related, God will not be encountered through the exercise of human logic as the primary means of approach. Without His consent, and His revelation of Himself unto us, we cannot come into His presence. All encounters with God must be initiated by Him. The rhetorical question found in the book of Job addresses this. It is written.

 “Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection?”

(Job 11:7)

Obviously, the answer is no you cannot do so. It is therefore through faith and faith alone that we are allowed to understand that God exists. It is by faith that we are allowed to understand that before the existence of anything in our universe, God exists. Learn therefore that the nature of God is eternal and all powerful through that which is revealed in the first two verses of Genesis chapter one.

God has told us what He did in verse one. In verse two He told us how He did it. Out of absolutely nothing God created the building blocks with which He would then proceed to organize the entirety of His creation.

Take care to note a second great truth concerning the nature and character of God as we look upon these two verses. The Trinity of God’s nature is here revealed. Look carefully at the second verse where we are first introduced unto The Holy Spirit of The God Head. Some hold the mistaken view that The Holy Spirit of God came to earth on the day of Pentecost referenced in the book of The Acts of The Apostles. Yet Scripture teaches otherwise.

He has been here from before the beginning of our existence, and He is, in fact, a full and equal participant in that event. Here, at the first, the relationship between The Holy Spirit and the maintenance of God’s creation is set out. Throughout the Scriptures this facet of the ministry of The Holy Spirit is found to be consistently set forth. It is noted in the book of Job where we find written the following.

” By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens; his hand hath formed the crooked serpent.”

(Job 26:13)

“The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life.”

(Job 33:4)

It is noted in the Psalms as well for there we find written the following.

“O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. The glory of the LORD shall endure for ever: the LORD shall rejoice in his works.”

(Psalms 104:24-31)

This is reaffirmed in the New Testament where Jesus noted this unto those around Him. It is written.

” It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.”

(John 6: 63)

When we are told in verse two of Genesis one that The Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters the depiction is that of a mother hen brooding upon her nest until the chicks hatch out. That is the connotation which is intimated in the Hebrew language which was employed by Moses at the command of God to record this event when God chose to reveal all of these things unto us.

As we move into the remainder of this chapter, we observe that God begins to order His creation in a deliberate fashion by first speaking light energy into existence. Take note that this was done before the creation of time itself. The division of light from the darkness found in verses three through five forms the basis of time as we know it.

The phrase, “And the evening and the morning were the first day.“, literally denotes a 24-hour period. This is the time framework employed for each successive creative undertaking noted in the remainder of this chapter. Let us learn another lesson concerning the manner in which God works. There is an order to His actions. There is purpose in His manner of undertaking His work.

With each successive day, God chose to only accomplish His desired achievements within a twenty-four-hour period with definite divisions between each series of creative acts. The obvious question which occurs to one is, “why?”

God could have chosen to simply say, “let it be” and all would have been immediately brought into existence. Yet He sets forth a pattern here which we are given to see. It is for our benefit that we are thus introduced to the orderly, purposeful, character of God. He will bring mankind into existence with certain finite limits which He knows we must adhere to and therefore He is leading by example.

God first prepares the environment to be suitable to the sustaining of life before placing life into it. Especially is this true of His interaction with mankind. Going forward though The Scriptures the principle of a daily interaction with Him as a purpose of man’s very existence becomes apparent.

In line with this orderly, purposeful, methodology employed by God, let us observe that each day brings forth a new and distinct piece of the whole which is carefully designed to sustain the entirety of God’s creation. Observe the following listing of these things.

  • Day one brings day and night, therefore the creation of time and space.
  • Day two brings forth the atmosphere, referred to as the firmament.
  • Day three not only produces physical entities which are non-organic but also brings about plant life of all manner. It is important to note that for the first time we are introduced unto the phrase, “After its kind”. It is written.
    • “And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.
      [11] And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.
      [12] And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good. [13] And the evening and the morning were the third day.”       (Genesis 1: 10-13)
  • Day four saw the emergence of the heavenly bodies of our solar system and the universe as a whole. The stars, The Sun, The Moon, all are set into their proper place to act as bearers of light which can be observed to mark the seasons as they pass before us on an annual basis.
  • Day five brings the fowls and fishes with which the earth is abundantly filled. Note that here also the phrase, “After their kind “ or a variation of it is written into the text.
  • Day six is the final day of the activities of creation as undertaken by God. On this day all land animals were brought forth, once again we are told, to produce after their kind. On this day however there is a marked and distinct separation between all which has come before and the crowning jewel of His creation. When it came to the creation of man God did not simply speak him into existence. Man is formed by the hand of God in His own image.

A separate and clear observation concerning the creation of humanity is absolutely necessary. Once again there is evidence of the Trinity of God found in this account. There is to be noted a strict genetic separation between humanity and all other species of animal life upon this earth. There is a distinct and profound purpose given unto humanity to act as stewards of all else that God created. Note that it is written,

 “And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat. And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so. And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.”

(Genesis 1:26-31)

Note the concept introduced here that we are made in the image of God. This does not infer that we are merely physically likened unto Him, but rather that we are by design creatures who possess three distinct parts to our being. We are given a body which allows us to interact with the environment around us as we journey upon this earth. Think of this as a type of suit which allows us to engage those things around us while we are in a hostile environment much as a deep-sea diver or an astronaut must put on to do their jobs.

We also are given a soul which is that portion of our being which holds our identity, our ability to reason, our ability to experience emotions and our ability to communicate with each other. The third portion of our being is that of a spirit. Here is where we possess the capacity to know and relate to the spiritual things of God’s creation as well as God Himself.

Note the clear separation of male and female genders which God established from the very beginning of the existence of humanity. God commanded mankind to reproduce and fill the earth with their presence and in doing so exercise the authority which He had delegated unto them as stewards over His creation. This is the ordered design by which the creation of God is to be sustained. Any deviation from this is not only a perversion of that design but also constitutes an affront, an insult if you will, unto the Creator of All Things.

Thus, we are presented with an introduction unto not only the Creator and His creation, but also our purposes for existence. We are given to know that God has ordered all of His creation so that all which is necessary for us to fulfill our purposes of communion with Him, and stewardship of that which He has appointed unto us to maintain has been provided unto us in abundance.

As we close this chapter of Genesis take note that God Himself indicates His pleasure in all which He has created, including humanity, at this point in time. It is written.

“And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

(Genesis 1:31)

Translate »