genesis

Genesis. What a book! I finished reading it for the second time (in full) on the weekend. We had previously gone through all 50 chapters (DHW-style) in YPG Bible Study - over the span of 6 years (or something like that), but this time it was just a read-through rather than a study - and needless to say, it was a lot faster.

Stuff in Genesis is pretty funny. Not only do we have the naming system of the Leah and Rachel's children (e.g. Rachel's handmaid gives birth and then Rachel names the child something that loosely translates into 'take that Leah! I got's me a son!'), but there is also the gold mine of Joseph. Joseph - bless his heart - was just such a character! I love the way he says to his brothers who already despised him for being their dad's favourite son 'Hey guess what?!? I had a dream! And we were all sheaves of wheat, and all of youse guys, bowed down to me! Crazy huh? Oh! And then, I had another dream where we were all stars this time round, and again, youse guys all bowed down to me again!! But then - get this - after that, even the moon and the sun bowed down to me too! How weird is that??!'. Classic - what was he thinking? And then later when Joseph is in Egypt, Potiphar's wife tries to seduce him and grabs his coat. So what does Joe do? He leaves his coat in her hand and runs away! hehe..

What's also great about Genesis is that it is just like reading a novel. There's so much action! So much drama! I mean, how cool would it have been to witness the time when Joseph revealed his identity to his brothers when he was in Egypt and they came looking for food - or when Joseph was reunited with Jacob (who thought Joseph was dead for several years!). There is just so much cool stuff that happens in Genesis - but in the end, the message that we really get from Genesis is just like how Ken Casillas summarises it in EBI 'God is at work to restore His fallen creatures'.

So many times we see in Genesis how God has given a commandment or instruction, how pretty much all the 'stars' of Genesis disobeyed God, and then surely enough, how God fixed up the problem - somehow. In fact, as Ken Casillas points out in EBI, the majority of sins in Genesis are committed within God's chosen lineage of Christ! That's amazing - that's grace.

These people in Genesis did some crazy stuff that we would all (if we were being honest with ourselves) consider to be unforgiveable! Murder, adultery, rape, deception, incest, theft, malice, dishonesty (and this doesn't even include Sodom and Gomorrah) - you name it, someone did it in Genesis. When I take the time to think about God's grace, I am always left wondering how God can respond in such awesome love (by sending Christ to die at Calvary) when we have so blatantly disobeyed, rejected, disappointed, angered, and taken Him for granted.

I stand amazed in the presence
Of Jesus the Nazarene,
And wonder how He could love me,
A sinner, condemned, unclean.

How marvelous! How wonderful!
And my song shall ever be:
How marvelous! How wonderful!
Is my Savior’s love for me!