Tag: Genesis 1

Separating

Posted on by jovial_cynic
Genesis 1 and 2 show us God creating through a process of separating: light from dark, land from water, Isha from Ish. I think the pattern here in Genesis 15 is related.

But it’s Abram who cleaves the animals, and we might agree that this is a destructive act, rather than a creative one. However, we see that God dwells even in those separations, shown as a torch that passes between them. It’s quite powerful imagery: God in the spaces between.

I like to think that God healed those animals that were cleaved, and He brought them back to life so Abram could see that God is Lord over death and life as well.

400

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, terror and great darkness fell upon him. Then God said to Abram, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, where they will be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But I will also judge the nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with many possessions.
Genesis 15:12-14 (NASB)

Genesis 15:12-14 echoes Genesis 1:1-3.

The number 400 is represented by the Hebrew letter “tav,” which is the final letter in the Hebrew alphabet. It points to a finality; perhaps captivity in Egypt is a picture of something larger.

It is the past. It is the future. It is now.

The Spaces Between

Posted on by jovial_cynic

When the sun had set and darkness had fallen, a smoking firepot with a blazing torch appeared and passed between the pieces.
Genesis 15:17 (NIV)

When you see this text as an echo of Genesis 1 and 2, you’ll understand that “let there be light” doesn’t have to be a blinding light. It can be a torch, just bright enough to know which direction to look.

And behold: God is in the space between the things that are separated.

Seeds in the Dirt

Posted on by jovial_cynic

And the Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your [a]descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord who had appeared to him.
Genesis 12:7 (NASB)

[a] Lit seed

I’m charmed by the imagery of “seed in the land” that ties us back to the third day of creation.

Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to their kind with seed in them”; and it was so.
Genesis 1:11 (NASB)

After the water was separated from land, plants began to grow.

Yes, “seed” refers to descendants and offspring, but the word choice gives us an echo.

In the Beginning, God.

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Now the Lord said to Abram,
“Go from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
And I will make you into a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing;
And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
Genesis 12:1-3 (NASB)

Genesis 12 introduces us to the relationship between God and His people by way of a Promise that God makes. God makes the promise. God will keep it.

But this isn’t new. It has always been this way. Even Genesis 1:1 starts with “In the beginning, God…”

First, God.

Great

Posted on by jovial_cynic

And I will make you into a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing;
Genesis 12:2 (NASB)

In Genesis 12, God mentions this word “great” twice to Abraham, and if you’ve been following along, you know this means we should look more closely. Perhaps there is something here.

God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also.
Genesis 1:16 (NASB)

The very first time this word shows up in the Scriptures, it also shows up twice: the two great lights. And there is a mention of governing. Ruling. Something you expect a great nation to do well. So this feels related.

And God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.
Genesis 1:21 (NASB)

But in the same chapter, this word comes up again. The great sea creatures. Or perhaps great sea creature, which the rabbis suggest is the Leviathan: the great trouble of God’s people. And yet… given greatness. Authority. Like a kingdom of the sea. Or of darkness.

So we have these links between greatness and authority, and that all makes sense, although some will scratch their head at the Leviathan, unwilling to accept that the Serpent was also created by God. That’s fine.

But it’s the next instance of great that caught my attention.

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to endure!
Genesis 4:13 (NASB)

Cain murdered his brother, and God assigned a punishment: the ground will no longer yield fruit. You will wander forever.

The verse says: וַיֹּאמֶר קַיִן אֶל־יְהוָהגָּדוֹל עֲוֺנִי מִנְּשֹׂא

“My punishment is too great to endure!”

We read this in English, and it feels like a complaint: “You are too harsh!” And then it appears that God provides a protection over Cain, to prevent anyone from killing him.

The rabbis see something else here. Something greater.

The word “punishment” is an odd translation choice. It is the Hebrew word עָוֹן (“ah-vone”), which means “iniquity.” It is almost always translated that way in the rest of Scripture.

So in actuality, it reads: “My iniquity is too great to endure,” and in these words, the rabbis see a question, not a statement.

Cain is not saying that it is too great for HIM to bear. He is asking God: “is my iniquity too great for YOU to bear?”

Cain knows the story: his father Adam brought death to ALL humanity through disobedience, yet God covered him. He continued to bless him. He continued to loved him.

So Cain asks God: Is my sin too great? Can I not also be redeemed?

And in response, God covers Cain, this time with a mark to protect him from death.

Perhaps this is God’s greatness: Even though Adam brought death to us all, God has authority over death to redeem. Even though Cain brought death to his brother, God has the authority to restrain death from seizing Cain.

You have not met someone God cannot redeem. He can save you. He can even save me.

The Gospel

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.

God said “let there be Light,” and there was Light.

God said “enter the Promised Land,” and Abram and the people he brought entered the Promised Land with him.

This sounds like the Gospel. This is very good news, indeed.

Echo of Creation

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
Genesis 12:5 (NKJV)

The text says that Abram brought with him the “people he had acquired.” It is literally translated “the souls he made.”

The rabbis see this as “converts” in the Midrash. I suspect the Christian might see it that way, too.

But what I see is an echo of God creating.

Perhaps Abram was invited to be a part of the creation process – to breathe spiritual Life into otherwise dead people.

Creating Souls

Posted on by jovial_cynic

Then Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the people whom they had acquired in Haran, and they departed to go to the land of Canaan. So they came to the land of Canaan.
Genesis 12:5 (NKJV)

The translators note the word “people” in Genesis 12:5 is not actually “people. ” Rather it means “souls” or “living beings,” which is a strange way to describe people.

But stranger yet is that the word “acquired” here does not mean “acquired.” The word is עָשָׂה (asah). It means to MAKE.

As in, “and God made,” which points us back to Genesis 1.