IN THE BEGINNING GOD

God's Purpose, His Proving, and His People

"...such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ. No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light." (2 Corinthians 11:13 & 14)

Yesterday morning, because I have been dabbling in AI, I decided to see what it might say about population growth before the flood. To my surprise, it provided me with an elaborate explanation, mathematical charts, and reasons why an explosion of people could have been possible halfway to the flood, and why violence, as expressed in Genesis 6, could have hampered growth somewhat, but the figures were still quite staggering. There were data variances, but they were explained. The long and the short of it was that by the time Seth was born, 130 years after Adam was created, there could have been from many thousands at the time of Seth to figures similar to our own day, just before the great deluge that destroyed all but Noah's family. Remember, this is AI's calculations, which I in no way mean to be above question, but it is interesting.

In The Beginning God's Purpose

From the beginning, as we might expect, God made man with a holy purpose. Chapter 1:27 tells us, "God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them." Of course, the race of Adam was an eternal concept in the heart of God. Furthermore, God gave to man, that is, to them, designated authority from Him. "and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth." Remember, all this took place in 6 days. Then in chapter 2:1, we read, "Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts."

I must apologize to my readers that, over the last couple of years, I have revealed a certain degree of anger, for which I have repented to God. I have also been laser-focused on this matter of corruption, which comes from many quarters. This battle is given to me, and I am willing to take ownership of it and not place it on others' shoulders.

The reason for the anger comes from a super awareness of the excessive telling of lies and corruption among God's people. I judge no one's heart, but I can no longer stay silent. What that has to do with verse 1 of Genesis 2 is this. The word hosts (tsaba in Hebrew) means armies prepared for war, not stars, as translators and commentators assert. If you think I am off the mark, consider this: would you or anyone else say, thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their stars, if heavens refers to stars? Why would anyone mention stars twice? In Scripture, tsaba is used to refer to the armies of Israel, but they didn't exist on day six. The Levites, in their service to God, are referred to as tsaba, or an army, and rightly so, because they had to do battle against an unseen army. It is that unseen army and not the stars of heaven to which God refers in 2:1. In the beginning, God's purpose involved military forces to do battle. The reason hosts are mentioned in verse one is that they were not previously. All the material universe is spoken of in chapter one, but the angels are left out. In chapter 2:1, they are mentioned. Why? Chapter two speaks to the specifics of man's creation, as the female part was taken from the man, leaving the male part different from the female. The unseen enemy, made highly intelligent, cunning, crafty, and extremely evil, was going to prey upon the female part, assuming the man would follow.

In The Beginning God's Proving

On day seven, there was rest for God and worship for Adam and Eve and all the heavenly and holy hosts. I say this because God covered Adam and Eve with the blood foreshadowing the sacrifice for their sin. Eve said, "I have gotten a manchild with the help of the LORD." Her awareness of Elohim's identity as (Yehovaw) points to her salvation. We are further told in Genesis 5:3, "When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of [a son] in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth." Eve understood that Seth replaced Abel, not just because Cain slew him, but because, unlike Cain, who rejected a blood sacrifice, Seth became a son in Adam's likeness as a believer; he replaced Abel as a believer, and in his line, Abram was chosen to believe.

In The Beginning God's People

Adam, Abel, Seth, Kenan, Enosh, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah, Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, and Abram were in the godly line of Seth, Abel, and Adam. It was in this line that, by no coincidence, came Jesus Christ, who was supposed to be the Son of Joseph but who was indeed the Son of God. Whether it was Joseph or Mary or Abraham or David, the line originated in Seth, Noah, and Abraham by God's choice, and undoubtedly in many other chosen people not mentioned in Scripture but known to God.

The godly line points to God's choice as surely as the individual within the line points to God as well. It is grace and always grace that allows men to be saved from sin and its penalty. Sin corrupts a person from deep within their heart and fully affects our thoughts, our actions, our emotions, and, most definitely, our wills. Adam was highly intelligent to name all the animals in a single day. How do I know this? Adam and Eve were created on day six, because all creation was completed by day seven. From this, we know that Adam and Eve worshipped on Day seven, and after the fall, when Adam and Eve were restored through a blood sacrifice, they taught Cain and Abel to worship through the blood, but Cain refused, and Abel became the first martyr.

The will is only set free to make godly choices after a person is given a new heart. It is grace that sets the heart free from corruption, but Satan and his army are always on the prowl to capture the children of God who are not being watchful, as we all should be. For what should we watch? Husbands should make certain that they stand on the wall and make the choices that their wives may not steal as a result of Satan's lies. Wives must be focused on being the helpmate their husbands need. Men or women, all need to hear the voice of God and discern between Him and the devil. There is no substitute for intimacy with God in Christ during quiet times in God's Word and being alone with Him in the closet. Sacrifice these times at your own peril.

If these thoughts are a blessing to you, please share them with others.