Genesis

Reading through the Old Testament, one might wonder where this Abram came from.  What is his significance?  Why is he now a main character in this grand story?  Why him?  And every single one of those questions is completely valid.

It appears as if there is nothing special about Abram except for the fact that he was chosen by God.  And that is more than enough.  Abram’s value does not seem tied up in the quality of the called but rather in the quality of the one who called him.

In a genealogy of Noah’s son, Shem, a man named Terah is listed last.  His crowning achievement?  He fathered a son named Abram (Gen. 11:26) who was married to a barren wife named Sarai (Gen. 11:30).  This genealogy from the surviving members of the flood comes to a screeching halt.  Based on the information given, Abram’s family of origin is known and his descendants seem an implausible dream at the moment.  No indication is given if this man is righteous, noble, bold, or innovative.  We are unaware if he is a gifted preacher or a skilled leader.  It is unknown if he is liar, cheat, or a thief.

We just know that he is chosen by God and that is where the story continues.

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Ever since Adam and Eve were tempted to be like God (Gen. 3:5), all subsequent people seem bent to trod down the same path.  They want to prove they are holy.  They want to show others that they are set apart.  In Genesis 11, we read the epitome of the ridiculous notion that Mankind can reach God at Ground Zero of a place called the Tower of Babel.

At the Tower of Babel, Mankind attempts to reach God through their efforts and ingenuity.  The people spoke in only one language (Gen. 11:1).  Their desire was to maintain security, so they built a city in order not to be “dispersed over the face of the earth” (Gen. 11:4).  Their desire was to be praised, so they built a tower to the heaven in order to “make a name for themselves” (Gen. 11:4).  They desired to be comfortable and known.  Instead of listening to God, they wanted to be God.  If they could only build this tower high enough, they could reach the heights of heaven, storm the castle gates, and take over ownership and become the masters of their own fates.

The build was impressive.  It was very high.  Their skills and knowledge had increased vastly so that this tower was ever growing taller.  For all its height and majesty, God still had to humble himself to see such a tiny, insignificant, pathetic structure.  “And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built” (Gen. 11:5).

For all their work to exalt themselves to the place of divinity, God still had to humble himself to behold their best, collaborative efforts.

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With the exile of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden, humankind’s history takes a drastic turn. The first family is banished from Paradise, and this once “good” creation has apparently made some unfortunate self-modifications concerning the original model. One would hope that Adam and Eve would learn from this rebellious episode and warn subsequent generations from revolting against God.

The first children of Creation reveal how severely sin is already corrupting Mankind. Adam and Eve were at least obedient to the command “be fruitful and multiply” (Gen. 1:28) as “Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying ‘I have gotten a man with the help of the LORD.’ And again, she bore his brother Abel” (Gen. 4:1-2).

Within one generation of God making man in his image, man murders that image in his very own brother. Apparently, sibling rivalry began with these first brothers. Abel watched the sheep and Cain worked the ground (Gen. 4:2). At some point, they each brought an offering to the LORD. It was a gift. It was intended to be a sacrifice of sorts to reveal a grateful heart to their Maker. As a farmer, Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground (Gen. 4:3). Shepherd Abel brought a sacrifice from his flock.

While it appears at first glance that both men provided a worthy gift, God does not regard them equally.

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After Adam and Eve’s sin, they try to blame someone else for their mistake.  God has heard enough.  He warned against sin, and because he is a just God, he must give consequences for sin.  Rebellion must be addressed.  To the serpent, his legs are removed forcing him to slither on his belly from that point on causing him to choke upon the dust of the ground from which Man was made (Gen. 3:14).  God curses (arur) the crafty (arum).

In the midst of this depressing scene, hope emerges.  Gen. 3:15 serves as the “Protoevangelium.”  It is the first announcement of the gospel, or good news, in the Bible.  “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Gen. 3:15).  God informs the listeners that Satan will be fighting against this human race for the remainder of days.  He will bruise Mankind’s heel.  He will trip many a people up who are trying to follow God, but there is also a promise of one who will come and not stop at the heel.  One will come to bruise Satan’s head leaving a lethal blow upon the enemy.

Concerning the identity of this attacker, one vital clue is given: he will be the seed of a woman.

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When God created, it was good.  Really good.  Until Satan came along.

Creation’s flawless nature is unable to last very long.  The entrance of a new, crafty being into the timeline changes the story’s dynamic in the blink of an eye.  With basically no introduction, the being known as the serpent slithers into the conversation with impending, disastrous results.  At first glance, all that is known concerning his identity is that he is “more crafty than any other beast of the field” (Gen. 3:1). 

The remaining pages of Scripture will fill in the holes of his identity.  This serpent is none other than the antagonist of the big story.  He is Satan – the Devil himself.  Some of his nicknames include the Accuser, Beelzebub, the Enemy, Lucifer, the Tempter, and other not-so-flattering monikers.  His aliases alone reveal that this is not a being to be trusted, and yet his very tactic is to get people to do that very thing.

To clarify, Satan is the antagonist, yet he is never depicted as having equal footing with the protagonist – Yahweh.

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