GENESIS - ChristianbookGenesis tells how, despite many obstacles, the covenant was established. Genesis 1–11 traces the blessing recorded in Genesis 1:28–30. The genealogies show

10 GENESIS

The purpose of this first book of the Bible is to begin the story of God and his con-

tinuing relationship with his creation, including his disappointments and the actions he takes to overcome obstacles. God showed his mastery as he created order in the cosmos and brought order to his relationship with people through the covenant. Though God created everything just right, sin alienated people from God so that they no longer had an accurate idea of what he is like. This is why God made a covenant with a chosen people, Abraham and his family, a relationship that gave God a means for giving people an accurate picture of what he is like. Genesis tells how, despite many obstacles, the covenant was established.

Genesis 1–11 traces the blessing recorded in Genesis 1:28–30. The genealogies show people being fruitful and multiplying. At the same time these chapters depict the advance of sin, first in the disobedience of Adam and Eve, then in Cain’s murder of his brother Abel, and finally in the esca-lation of violence and corruption that resulted in the flood. After the flood, the people not only con-tinued their movement away from God but also made a vain attempt to reestablish his presence by building a stairway for him to come down from heaven and be worshiped on earth (the Tower of Babel).

Now in addition to the problem of bring-ing people back to God (Eden problem), there was the problem of restoring the lost knowledge of what God is like (Babel problem). Human initiative, first by Adam and Eve, then by the builders of Babel, had devastating results. God’s

covenant with Abraham represents God’s initia-tive to provide a means by which God could re-veal himself to the world through Abraham and his family and how the entire world could be blessed through them. The covenant blessings that served as benefits to Abraham and his fam-ily were extensions of the original blessings in Genesis 1. The patriarchal narratives in Genesis 12–50 trace the advance of the covenant and its blessings and, at the same time, show the many obstacles. As these obstacles were overcome, one by one, God demonstrated his mastery.

Genesis 1:28: Be fruitful and increase in number.

Genesis 12:3: All peoples on earth will be blessed through you [Abraham].

Genesis 50:20: You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish … the saving of many lives.

about

key verses

GENESIS The covenant is God’s program of revelation.

The focus of creation is the establishment and maintenance of order and operation.

The stories in the Bible are stories about God.

key teachings

God established and maintains order in the cosmos.

God overcomes obstacles to carry out his purposes.

God reveals himself to his people.

God’s grace exceeds all logic.

key concepts

spot l i gh t on

GENESIS 2:16 13

was very good. j And there was eve ning, and there was morn ing k — the sixth day.

2 Thus the heav ens and the earth were com plet ed in all their vast ar ray. l

2 By the sev enth day m God had fin ished the work he had been do ing; so on the sev enth day he rest ed from all his work. n 3 Then God blessed the sev enth day and made it holy, o be cause on it he rest ed p from all the work of cre at ing q that he had done.

Adam and Eve4 This is the ac count r of the heav ens and the

earth when they were cre at ed, s when the Lord God made the earth and the heav ens.

5 Now no shrub had yet ap peared on the earth a and no plant had yet sprung up, t for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth u and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams b came up from the earth and wa tered the whole sur face of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed v a man c w from the dust x of the ground y and breathed into his nos trils the breath z of life, a and the man be came a liv ing be ing. b

8 Now the Lord God had plant ed a gar den in the east, in Eden; c and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground — trees d that were pleas ing to the eye and good for food. In the mid dle of the gar den were the tree of life e and the tree of the knowl edge of good and evil. f

10 A riv er g wa ter ing the gar den flowed from Eden; h from there it was sep a rat ed into four head wa ters. 11 The name of the first is the Pi­shon; it winds through the en tire land of Hav­i lah, i where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; ar o mat ic res in d j and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the sec ond riv er is the Gi hon; it winds through the en tire land of Cush. e 14 The name of the third riv er is the Ti­gris; k it runs along the east side of Ash ur. And the fourth riv er is the Eu phra tes. l

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Gar den of Eden m to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God com mand ed the man,

also taught in Ecc 11:5; Jer 10:16; Jn 1:3; Col 1:16; Heb 1:2. The positive, life-oriented teaching of v. 1 is beautifully sum-marized in Isa 45:18.1:2  earth. The focus of this account. formless and empty. The phrase, which appears elsewhere only in Jer 4:23, gives structure to the rest of the chapter (see note on v. 11). God’s “separating” and “gathering” on days 1 – 3 gave form, and his “making” and “filling” on days 4 – 6 removed the emptiness. darkness . . . the waters. Completes the picture of a world awaiting God’s light-giving, order-making and life-creating word. and. Or “but.” The awesome (and, for ancient people, fearful) picture of the original state of the visible creation is relieved by the majestic announcement that the mighty Spirit of God hovers over creation. The announcement an-

ticipates God’s creative words that follow. Spirit of God. He was active in creation, and his creative power continues to-day (see Job 33:4; Ps 104:30). hovering over. Like an eagle that hovers over its young when they are learning to fly (see Dt 32:11; cf. Isa 31:5).1:3 God said. Merely by issuing his royal decree, God brought all things into being (Ps 33:6,9; 148:5; Heb 11:3). Let there be light. God’s first creative word called forth light in the midst of the primeval darkness. Light is necessary for making God’s creative works visible and life possible. In the OT it is also symbolic of life and blessing (see 2Sa 22:29; Job 3:20; 30:26; 33:30; Ps 49:19; 56:13; 97:11; 112:4; Isa 53:11; 58:8,10; 59:9; 60:1,3). Paul uses this word to illustrate God’s re-creating work in sin-darkened hearts (2Co 4:6).

Regardless of whether the “days” of creation were figurative or literal 24-hour periods, this

passage is a truthful description of what took place. It indicates that there is intelligence, meaning and purpose behind all existence. In other words, the word of God directed the method of creation as well as the source of creation (see Ps 33:6,9; Heb 11:3). Yet human beings have been given the privi-lege of exploring, through scientific investigation, how God may have engineered these events and how long he took to do so.

Many understand the six days of creation as representing long periods of time because the sun, which marks a 24-hour day, wasn’t created until the fourth day. And the word day is used in chapters 1–2 in three distinct ways: (1) as approximately 12 hours of daylight (see Ge 1:5); (2) as 24 hours (see Ge 1:14) and (3) as a period of time involving, at the very minimum, the whole creative activity from day one to day seven (see Ge 2:4, where the word that is translated when is the same word that is elsewhere translated day). The light (see Ge 1:3) could not have come from the earth’s sun if the sun was not created until the fourth day. The light could have come from other sources that God provided in the universe prior to the creation of the sun. We can only speculate about what the atmospheric condi-tions might have been at that time. ¦QSB¦

Are these literal 24-hour days?

Q&A

over ev ery liv ing crea ture that moves on the ground. e”

29 Then God said, “I give you ev ery seed­bear ing plant on the face of the whole earth and ev ery tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. f 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the crea tures that move along the ground — ev ery thing that has the breath of life g in it — I give ev ery green plant for food. h” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made, i and it

The Israelite Town and Home (Jer 9)

The Typical israeliTe Town followed The same basic design throughout the Iron Age (1200–600 BC). Examining its layout, a Westerner might feel bewildered by an evidently

unorganized array of walls and streets. But this was no labyrinth; the paths and walls first joined together families and only secondarily connected all the family units into a single community.

Each home probably housed a nuclear family but was also part of an extended family compound. This familial structure, a patriarchal social unit based on patrilineal descent, was based on the concept of a “father’s house” (Hebrew bet av). The larger family unit consisted of the paternal head, along with his wife, his sons and their wives, the grandchildren and finally the slaves.1 When David was a youth his grown brothers were still part of the bet av of Jesse in Bethlehem (see 1Sa 16). Similarly, in Genesis 12:1 God commanded the already aging Abram to leave his bet av.

The four-room house was the most common type of Israelite residence. Most were two-story, rect-angular structures, but the distinctive feature was the layout of the rooms. The main floor was entered through a door at the center of the (short) front wall, which led into a long hallway flanked on both sides by other corridor-like rooms. Across the back of the house was the fourth room. Actually, the four rooms could be subdivided into a number of different configu-rations. Even so, this basic design, along with a modified version called the three-room house, set the standard for Israelite architecture.

Such houses often had internal pillars of stone or wood. Walls were composed of sun-dried mud bricks (with plaster on the outer walls) and were built up on a few cours-es of foundation stones. Wooden beams served as the base for the second story, as well as the ceiling for the ground level. The roof consisted of compressed, mud-caked twigs placed over wooden beams and topped with plaster, a

combination in constant need of maintenance. Win-dows were probably slits in the walls necessary for ventilation, since chimneys were not used, but still kept small for security purposes. The annexes or subdivisions located by archaeologists within some

of these houses may have been “widow’s quarters” for grandmothers. Servants shared the family compound.

The function of the four-room house within Israel-ite culture remains debated, but it was well suited to the agricultural nature of Israelite society.2 The three parallel rooms may have been inspired by the need to accommodate stalls for domestic animals. In the cold-est months livestock would have remained in these stalls, providing some warmth not only for the animals but also for the family upstairs. The cross-room at the back probably functioned as a storage compartment (a house excavated at Shechem included a storage pit in this area). The flat roof served as a kind of summer patio (cf. Ac 10:9), as well as a place to bathe (see 2Sa 11:2).3

Most towns were surrounded by a wall for security. Many had a double or casemate wall, often with homes integrated into it. Sometimes the backs of houses served as the outer defensive wall of the city, an arrangement especially common during the Iron II period. The main gate in the outer wall was not just the place through which people could exit and enter but also the primary meeting place. Inhabitants would continuously see one another going and coming and would meet there after a day in the fields. Travel-ing merchants encountered the townspeople at the gate, which became the site for the city market. Legal issues were discussed there as well. There are countless references in the Bible to “the gate” as the social, commercial and judicial hub of a city (e.g., Ru 4:1; 2Ki 7:1; Ps 127:5).4

The design of Israelite towns and houses in many ways mirrored Israel’s social values and customs. These traditional structures endured through many historical changes. Tragically, the remains of these cities often attest to violent destruction and to chaotic upheavals that brought recurrent disruption and turmoil to a settled, agrarian society. Jeremiah 9 anticipates such a scenario. ¦ASB¦

See also “The Ancient City” on page XXXX.1See “The Israelite Family” on page XXXX. 2See “Food and Agriculture” on page XXXX. 3See “Bathing” on page XXXX. 4 See “The City Gate” on page XXXX.

14 GENESIS 2:18hi

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Storehouse at BeershebaPreserving Bible Times; © Dr. James C. Martin

20 GENESIS 6:14

Like all the Israelites, Joshua began in humble sur-roundings. He was born a slave in Egypt and fol-lowed Moses across the Red Sea to freedom. He first appears in the Bible as a military commander. Soon after escaping from Egypt, the Israelites con-fronted a new enemy, and Moses turned to Joshua to lead their very first battle (see Ex 17:9–15).

A month later, when Moses climbed craggy Mount Sinai to meet with God, Joshua was at his side. He reported to Moses the noise coming from the camp, noise that turned out to be the Israelites reveling around the golden calf, signaling their great spiritual rebellion (see Ex 32:17). Joshua rose to be-come Moses’ trusted number-two man, an assistant who served Moses during almost every major crisis. Moses changed his aide’s name from Hoshea, which meant “help” or “salvation,” to Joshua, meaning “The Lord saves.” (The Greek form of Joshua is Jesus.)

Becoming Number OneOn the verge of entering Canaan, Moses turned to Joshua again, choosing him as one of 12 spies he sent to collect information about the land. Ten came back frightened with predictions of doom. Only Joshua and Caleb had faith that God would keep his promises to the Israelites despite the mili-tary odds.

Joshua learned about the hazards of leadership from that spy trip: On his return, thousands of an-gry Israelites called for his public stoning (see Nu 14). But he stood firm, and God rewarded him. Of all the Israelites who had left Egypt, only he and Caleb were allowed to enter the promised land— not even Moses was granted that honor. As Moses’ death neared, God and Moses made Joshua their uncontested choice for a new leader for Israel. It was time for number two to become number one.

Joshua made a remarkably smooth transition into leadership. In fact, Joshua’s life paralleled that of Moses in many ways. The miracle of crossing the Jordan River poignantly replayed Moses’ crossing of the Red Sea. Moses encountered God directly at the burning bush; Joshua met God’s special rep-resentative, the “commander of the army of the Lord,” and took off his shoes at the meeting as Moses had (see Jos 5:13–15).

Both Moses and Joshua wrote the law on stones; Moses created a permanent record for Israel, and Joshua erected a monument for the nation to pass by on the way into the new land (see Jos 8:32). Both leaders pleaded with God on behalf of their people. And both ended their terms with stirring speeches that reviewed history and challenged the people to make a critical choice.

Well-Rounded Leader

Moses, who grew up in the courts of Pharaoh, obvi-ously received a better education than Joshua. He showed a philosophical bent. Joshua, on the other hand, was action-oriented and pragmatic, a perfect military man. He knew how to follow orders as well as how to give them.

The Bible, which never glosses over its heroes’ flaws, reveals some of Joshua’s mistakes. In one in-cident in the desert, he was rash (see Nu 11:26–30). During the first battle of Ai and the treaty nego-tiations with the Gibeonites, he acted impulsively again, not first seeking God’s advice. And, faced with his first major defeat at Ai, he uncharacter-istically dissolved in fright, earning God’s stern rebuke: “Stand up! What are you doing down on your face?” (Jos 7:10).

Apart from these few incidents, Joshua’s life was marked by unusual faith and obedience. Joshua nev-er let the press of military action interfere with wor-ship and the renewal of the covenant. When Joshua divided up the land (an immense bureaucratic bur-den that takes up the last half of this book), he did so with wisdom and fairness, selecting his own portion only after all others had chosen.

The Bible records this simple legacy: “Israel served the Lord throughout the lifetime of Joshua” (24:31). History would record how rarely that oc-curred in the life of this troublesome nation.

Life Questions

Often when a popular leader— a pastor, a politi-

cian, a teacher— retires from office, something

slips. What made Joshua such an effective

replacement? ¦SB¦

joshuapeople in focus

Filling Moses’ shoes

22 GENESIS 8:4

Job 36:15 “Why me?” Almost everyone asks this question when terrible suffering strikes. An au-tomobile accident, a diagnosis of cancer, a long-term disease like arthritis— each of these raises intense questions about why God allows pain.Over the centuries, suffering Christians have gained help and comfort from studying the book of Job. The book gives no compact theory of why good people suffer. Nevertheless, the following insights into the problem of suffering do come out of the book of Job.

principles from Job

1. some suffering is caused by satan. Chap-ters 1 and 2 make the important distinction that God did not cause Job’s problems. He allowed them, but Satan actually caused the pain.2. God is all-powerful and good. Nowhere does the book of Job suggest that God lacks power or goodness. Some people say that God is weak and powerless to prevent human suffering. Others, called deists, assume that he runs the world at a dis-tance, without personal involvement. In Job, God’s power is never questioned; only his fairness is ques-tioned. And in his final summation speech, God used splendid illustrations from nature to prove his power.3. suffering doesn’t always come as a result of sin. The Bible supports the general prin-ciple that “a man reaps what he sows,” even in this life (see Gal 6:7; also Ps 1:3; 37:25). But other people have no right to apply that general principle to a particular person. Job’s friends tried with all their persuasive power. However, when God rendered the final verdict, he said simply, “You have not spoken the truth about me, as my servant Job has” (Job 42:7). The Old Tes-tament includes other examples of people who suf-fered through no fault of their own, such as Abel (see Ge 4) and Uriah (see 2 Sa 11). And Jesus spoke out against the notion that suffering is caused by sin (see Lk 13:15; Jn 9:1–7).4. God will reward and punish fairly in a final judgment after death. Job’s friends, along with most Old Testament folk, did not have a clearly formed belief in an afterlife. Therefore, they expect-ed that God’s fairness—his approval or disapproval of people— had to be shown in this life. Other parts of the Bible teach that God will reward and punish fairly after death.

5. God does not condemn doubt and despair. God did not condemn Job’s anguished responses, only his ignorance. Job did not take his pain meek-ly; he cried out in anguish to God. His strong re-marks scandalized his friends (for example, see Job 15:1–16), but not God. Ironically, despite his bitter speeches, Job earned God’s praise, while his pious friends were soundly rebuked.6. no one person has all the facts about suf-fering. Neither Job nor his friends had enough facts. Job concluded that God was unfair, treating him like an enemy. His friends maintained that God opposed Job because of his sin. All of them later learned that they had been viewing the situation from a very limited perspective, blind to the real struggle being waged in heaven.7. God is never totally silent. Elihu made that point convincingly, reminding Job of dreams, vi-sions, past blessings (see Job 33), even the daily works of God in nature (see Job 37). God also re-ferred to nature as giving evidence of his wisdom and power. Although he may seem silent, some evi-dence of him can be found.8. Well-intentioned advice can sometimes

do more harm than good. Job’s friends were classic examples of people who let their pride and sense of being right interfere with their compassion. They repeated pious phrases and argued theology with Job. His response: “If only you

would be altogether silent! For you, that would be wisdom” (Job 13:5).9. God asks for faith. God refocused the cen-tral issue from the cause of Job’s suffering to his response. The real issue at stake was Job’s faith— whether he would continue to trust God even when everything went wrong.10. suffering can be used for a higher good. In Job’s case, God used a time of very great pain to win an important, even cosmic, victory over Satan. Looking backward, but only looking backward, we trust God. Job is often cited as an Old Testament picture of Jesus Christ, who lived a perfectly inno-cent life but endured great pain and death. The ter-rible event of Christ’s death was also transformed into a great victory.

Thousands of years later, Job’s questions have not gone away. People who suffer still find ¦SB¦

What Job Teaches about Suffering

insight

GENESIS 10:11 25

The Suffering ServanT W h o i s t h i s m y s t e r i o u s f i g u r e ?

Isaiah’s four songs about a “suffering servant” are among the richest and most closely studied pas-sages in the Old Testament (see Isa 42:1–9; 49:1–13; 50:4–9; 52:13— 53:12). This chapter illustrates

why the servant songs sparked fierce debates among the rabbis seeking to understand them. The first part stirs anticipation for a glorious time when God will restore the holy city and people will shout to Jerusalem, “Your God reigns!” (Isa 52:7). It looks as if Israel will gain revenge on its enemies at last.

But the author goes on to explain how God will redeem Jerusalem by introduc-ing the mysterious figure of the suffering servant, whose appearance is “disfigured beyond that of any human being” (Isa 52:14). Who is this suffering servant? And how will such a weakened person achieve a great victory, even bringing light to all nations?

Jewish scholars puzzled over these passages for centuries. Many considered them the most signifi-cant part of the entire Hebrew Scriptures, yet they could not agree on exactly what the prophet meant.

A Nation or a Person?Sometimes the verses speak of the servant as the nation of Israel as a whole: “You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor” (Isa 49:3). In other places, the servant seems to refer to a specific individual, a great leader who suffers terribly.

Isaiah presents the servant as the deliverer of all humankind. Yet it portrays him as more of a tragic figure than a hero: “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter” (Isa 53:7).

An Answer From the New TestamentThe idea of the suffering servant did not really catch on in the Jewish nation. They longed for a victo-rious Messiah, not a suffering one. The image of the suffering servant went underground, as it were, lying dormant for centuries.

In a very dramatic scene early in his ministry, Jesus quoted from one of the servant passages in Isaiah: “Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, ‘Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing’ ” (Lk 4:20–21).

At last, a link snapped into place for some, but not for all, of Jesus’ listeners. The Messiah had come at last— not as a conquering general, but as a carpenter’s son from Nazareth.

Life Questions If you had been a Jew in Jesus’ day, would you have been disappointed in the Messiah? Why did Jesus choose to come as a suffering servant rather than as, perhaps, a triumphant army

general? ¦SB¦

8 Cush was the fa ther c of Nim rod, x who be­came a mighty war rior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty y hunt er z be fore the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nim rod, a mighty hunt er be fore the Lord.” 10 The first cen ters of his king dom were Bab ylon, a Uruk, b Ak kad and Kal neh, c in d Shi nar. e d 11 From that land he went to As syr ia, e where he built Nin e veh, f Re ho both Ir, f Ca lah

The Hamites10:6-20pp — 1Ch 1:8-16

6 The sons of Ham: Cush, p Egypt, Put q and Ca naan. r 7 The sons of Cush: Seba, s Hav i lah, t Sab tah, Ra a mah u and

Sab te ka. The sons of Ra a mah: She ba v and De dan. w

3:4 You will not certainly die. The blatant denial of a specific divine pronouncement (see 2:17).3:5 God knows. The serpent accuses God of having unworthy motives. In Job 1:9 – 11; 2:4 – 5 he accuses righ teous Job of the same. your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God. The statement is only half true. Their eyes were opened, to be sure (see v. 7), but the result was quite different from what

the serpent had promised. knowing good and evil. See note on 2:9.3:6 good for food . . . pleasing to the eye . . . desirable for gaining wisdom. Three aspects of temptation. Cf. Lk 4:3,5,9; 1Jn 2:16.3:7  they realized they were naked. No longer innocent like children, they had a new awareness of themselves and of each other in their nakedness, which now produced in them

Isa 52

guidedtouR

26 GENESIS 10:12

12 and Re sen, which is be tween Nin e veh and Ca­lah — which is the great city.

13 Egypt was the fa ther of the Lu dites, An a mites, Le ha bites, Naph tu­

hites, 14 Path ru sites, Kas lu hites (from whom the Phi lis tines g came) and Caph to rites. h

15 Ca naan i was the fa ther of Si don j his first born, a k and of the Hit tites, l

16 Jeb u sites, m Am o rites, n Gir ga shites, o 17 Hi vites, p Ar kites, Si nites, 18 Ar vad ites, q Zem a rites and Ha math ites. r

Lat er the Ca naan ite s clans scat tered 19 and the bor ders of Ca naan t reached from Si don u to ward Ge rar v as far as Gaza, w and then to ward Sod­om, Go mor rah, Ad mah and Ze boy im, x as far as La sha.

20 These are the sons of Ham by their clans and lan guag es, in their ter ri to ries and na tions.

The Semites10:21-31pp — Ge 11:10-27; 1Ch 1:17-27

21 Sons were also born to Shem, whose old er broth er was a Ja pheth; Shem was the an ces tor of all the sons of Eber. y

22 The sons of Shem: Elam, z Ash ur, a Ar phax ad, b Lud and

Aram. c 23 The sons of Aram: Uz, d Hul, Ge ther and Me shek. b 24 Ar phax ad was the fa ther of c She lah, and She lah the fa ther of Eber. e 25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Pe leg, d be cause in his

time the earth was di vid ed; his broth er was named Jok tan.

26 Jok tan was the fa ther of Al mo dad, She leph, Ha zar ma veth, Je rah,

27 Ha do ram, Uzal, f Dik lah, 28 Obal, Abim­a el, She ba, g 29 Ophir, h Hav i lah and Jo bab. All these were sons of Jok tan.

30 The re gion where they lived stretched from Me sha to ward Se phar, in the east ern hill coun­try.

31 These are the sons of Shem by their clans and lan guag es, in their ter ri to ries and na tions.

forth or acquired. c 1 Or have acquired d 8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does

a sense of shame (see note on 2:25). they . . . made coverings. Their own feeble and futile attempt to hide their shame, which only God could cover (see note on v. 21).3:8 garden. Once a place of joy and of fellowship with God, it became a place of fear and of hiding from God.3:9 Where are you? A rhetorical question (see 4:9).3:12 The woman you put here . . . gave me. The man blames God and the woman — anyone but himself — for his sin.3:13 The serpent deceived me. The woman blames the serpent rather than herself.3:14 Cursed. The serpent, the woman and the man were all judged, but only the serpent and the ground were cursed —

loveThe best place to begin a good story is at the be-ginning. The greatest story — the truest of all true stories — is no different. Once upon a time, God began telling a story — a true story. Our story. This story begins once upon a time, but not once upon our time. Before time as we know it was even created, there was a Hero: God himself.

Pre-Garden of Eden and pre-world, God en-joyed perfect love within himself. We don’t know what God did during this time when only he ex-isted. But we do know that because God is good, everything was perfect. God longed to share that goodness and love with others. So somewhere in the story, he made millions of mighty beings who served and worshiped him — angels. Unfor-tunately, one angel, Satan, wasn’t content with his magnificent status. A couple of Scripture pas-sages seem to symbolically speak of this ancient tragedy. The angel’s “heart became proud on ac-count of [his] beauty” (Ezekiel 28:17). He rebelled and convinced other angels to join him. God was betrayed. His kingdom’s perfect harmony was destroyed. God cast Satan (also known as Lucifer or the devil) and the other traitors out of his king-dom. But for the sake of sharing his love, he took another risk. He created people.

When we think of God, we tend to see him as the author of the story, the controller of all things. We see him sitting far away, detached, pulling the levers and pushing the buttons and running the stuff of life. But that’s not the case. While God is indeed the author of the story, his heart and emo-tions are involved — because at his core “God is love” (1 John 4:8). And because he wants us to truly love him, and because true love is always a choice, he gives us the freedom to choose him and the freedom to reject him. When the Author makes himself vulnerable to be rejected or loved by the characters in the story, he’s not just the Author anymore. He’s in the story.

God has chosen to be affected by you. Your choices affect him—because he loves you. Deeply.

God grieves when we reject him. Read Genesis 6:5–6.

For your next devotional, go to page 8. ¦TGR¦

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