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This Shabbat
marks the beginning, the starting again of the
yearly cycle of synagogue readings. Genesis is
called in Hebrew B’resheet, because that
is the very first word, not only of this book,
but of all the books, all the words that God has
given to mankind. B’resheet means “in
the beginning” and how you and I deal with
the beginning, with the origins of life, makes
all the difference! Your cosmology is critical!
If, for example, you regard this book as a collection
of mythological tales, you might just as well
pack up and forget everything. You see, not one
other word in all this Book holds any significance,
any authority, unless you believe the first three:
In
the Beginning, God created.
We’ve
just completed D’varim, Deuteronomy, and
have come back around to Genesis. You’ve
just passed “go”. But unlike Monopoly™
your objective is far loftier than merely collecting
another $200 or acquiring more property and rental
income than the other guy. And unlike Monopoly™,
this is the perfect time to stop what you’re
doing. Ask yourself, “Shall I go on with
my life, such as it is? Will it be ‘business
as usual’, or do I take this opportunity
to be renewed in my walk with the Lord, and to
be immersed in His Word?” You must answer
that for yourself.
If our
lives are like a house being constructed, then
it is imperative that the foundation be absolutely
level, and constructed of suitable materials.
Genesis does that for us. If we integrate the
teachings of these early chapters of Genesis into
our world-view, everything else will be strong,
steady and attractive. If your house is well-constructed,
you have the luxury of thinking about colors and
furnishings and window treatments, instead of
wondering whether it’s even going to survive
its first rain storm, let alone a long Michigan
winter. So let’s review some of the foundational
truths of the first six chapters of Genesis.
I.
God exists.
The Earth
and the Universe were summoned into existence
by fiat, simply at the word of an infinitely powerful,
intelligent and good Being we call God. The universe
had a beginning; God did not. While our finite
minds may struggle to comprehend the infinite,
we are capable of believing this truth. In the
beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
These are not just the first words of the Torah,
they are immutable fact. Just as the laws of physics
are unavoidable, which you violate at your own
peril, so the spiritual realm is governed by inviolable
truths, and the well-being of your eternal soul
depends on your conformity to them.
II.
Mankind is the pinnacle of God’s creation
This isn’t
a matter of personal opinion, it is set forth
in Genesis. Everything God made He regarded as
“tov” - good! But only of mankind
did God say, “Let us make (him) in our image,
according to our likeness.” I am personally
in awe of the wild creatures God made, their beauty
and diversity and power. I am saddened when they
are abused, but I recognize the biblically-sanctioned
allowances for eating meat and poultry, and that
the animals were created, in part, for mankind’s
purposes. I love and enjoy domesticated animals
(dogs more than cats, but that’s me). I
love my dog, Harley, and he is the most loyal,
protective, fun-loving, adorable dog you could
ever wish for. But Harley does not bear the image
of God.
I say
this because there are profound implications for
those who would deny mankind’s uniqueness
and highest place in the created order. If, for
example, we don’t believe that man is uniquely
created in God’s image, then the life of
a human being is no more sacred than that of an
earthworm, and that opens wide the door to callous
disregard for human life.
We have,
tragically, gone down that very path, thanks in
large part to the pseudo-intellectuals over the
past century who have convinced our children that
we are descended from the lower species and are
consequently nothing special. If Darwinism is
correct then there is nothing inherently immoral
in killing a baby, in or out of the womb, nor
for that matter killing any other human being
for one’s personal advantage, since there
is no higher law than the survival of the fittest
- no sacredness to human life. Four thousand times
each day, in our country alone, wrong beliefs
result in the taking of human lives through elective
abortion. Four thousand times each day God is
murdered, as it were, in effigy when we murder
those bearing His image. What you believe matters!
III.
Mankind is the object of God’s blessedness and
favor
In addition
to endowing human beings with unique and wondrous
emotional, physical, mental and conceptual capacities,
the Creator set us in a most desirous location,
Eden. He surrounded man with richness and beauty.
He further demonstrated His great love and favor
to man when He created woman to be his wife, his
love and his joy. Small price to pay for giving
up one rib! God then gave mankind complete dominion
over the planet, affording them the opportunity
to act as His viceroys - those vested with the
authority to act on behalf of the King. Understanding
the nature of God’s love and favor towards
mankind is essential to a life of peace and accomplishment.
Anthropologists
who study the religious beliefs of ancient pagan
societies note that most of these peoples were
terrified of their gods, and were preoccupied
with doing everything possible to appease the
never-ending wrath of those false gods. By contrast,
those societies that have had the Bible brought
to them and have embraced Yeshua as Messiah have
enjoyed advancements in science and medicine and
the arts which otherwise would not be possible
when one’s entire existence hangs by a thread
and the malevolent whims of false gods. What you
believe matters!
IV.
Mankind is fallen, spiritually corrupted
Genesis
chapter three, if we will believe it, is the key
to making sense of the world and what is wrong
with it. Genesis chapter three chronicles Adam
and Eve’s rebellion against God, and the
short and long-term consequences of their actions.
God included among the many and lovely trees in
Gan Eden two of particular splendor and with unique
properties. One, the Tree of the Knowledge of
Good and Evil, by God’s prohibition on it,
was designed to prove obedience and trust; the
other, the Tree of Life, was designed to impart
an eternal blessing.
We are
also introduced in Genesis three to the serpent.
On the one hand, just one of the many creatures
God made and put in the Garden. On the other hand,
a willing accomplice to Satan, to bring mankind,
this pinnacle of God’s creation, to utter
ruin. God had warned the man and woman not to
eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and
Evil, or else they would surely die. The serpent
caused the woman to question God’s truthfulness
and kindly intentions, saying “You shall
not surely die! God knows in the day you eat from
it you will become like God...” Faced with
the choice of continuing to trust God and His
word, and the enticement to eat what was forbidden
and acquire divine powers, the man and his wife
ate from the tree, and in that instant were corrupted
and spiritually died.
God proved
His love for mankind by expelling Adam and Eve
from the Garden, before they could eat from the
Tree of Life and be forever sealed in their now-fallen
condition. God covered them with garments of skin
to cover their newfound shame and embarrassment.
Where did He get the skins from? From innocent
animals that had to die in order to cover the
sin and shame of fallen mankind. Thus we learn
even in the early chapters of Genesis that “the
wages of sin is death” - but the death of
a substitute. These things foreshadowed the eventual
death of Messiah Yeshua, who would Himself make
bring about the ultimate atonement for sin and
enable our reconciliation to God and give us the
promise of eternal life. Remember, that Tree of
Life still awaits us in the Paradise of God (Rev.
2:7)!
The effects
of Adam and Eve’s rebellion were immediate
and dire. The very next chapter tells of the murder
of Abel by his brother Cain, and following that
the moral decline of all mankind and the proliferation
of evil. Sin pervaded mankind like a virus, spreading
to every person and to every ensuing generation.
Genesis 3 is the answer for why you need locks
on your doors, locks on your cars, alarm systems,
PIN numbers for ATM’s, sworn oaths in courts
of law and laws governing everything from fraud
to murder. Genesis 3 is the answer for why there
is so much bad news in the world, and also for
why newspapers sell more copies when the news
is bad.
But our
parsha doesn’t end without some hope. In
spite of all the wickedness of the world, chapter
six, verse eight begins, “But Noah found
favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Genesis
also lays the foundation for hope. God intends
to redeem mankind. That, too, is part of the essential
truths of Genesis, part of what is needed to build
these houses on a level and firm foundation.
Shalom,
Rabbi Glenn
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