By: Obed Pineda
When the diligent disciple of the Bible hears the words “in the beginning,” it is very probable that the book of Genesis immediately appears at the forefront of the mind. The high probability of this being true is made likely in great part because Genesis is often referred to as the “book of origins” or the “book of beginnings.” When one brings to memory that in this sacred text one can learn about the origin of creation, the unfortunate introduction of sin by man’s disobedience, and the entrance of death into the world due to sin (Genesis 1-3), it certainly adds clarity as to why it becomes easily recognized as the “book of origins.” Yet, when one takes the moment to make a more careful examination of the content found on the pages of this inspired treatise, Genesis will prove itself to be much more than just a detailed record of historical beginnings. We must not forget about “the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God” (Romans 11:33a, emphasis added) and that “whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope” (Romans 14:4, emphasis added). It is truly magnificent to experience this blessing described by the apostle Paul when we dig deeper into Scripture. Hence, the importance of asking, “What else can I learn from…?” However, when opening the Scriptures seeking to delve deeper into its rich, spiritual profundity with this question in mind, we must be very responsible in our method of study, respecting the sanctity of God’s Word making sure that we are “rightly dividing the word of truth” (2nd Timothy 2:15c, emphasis added). In other words, one must respect the context (both immediate and remote) of the passage being examined and not want to “force” a human opinion upon Scripture’s pure, holy doctrine. As previously mentioned, Genesis does speak about how Adam’s and Eve’s disobedience to Jehovah God’s commandment led to sin, and sin opened the door to death (Genesis 2:16-17, 3:1-24, and Romans 5:12-21). The divine lesson, however, does not end with simply highlighting the origin of sin and death in the world. In actuality, this portion of Holy Writ leads to the true purpose of gaining this knowledge; God’s scheme of redemption for mankind. Although it is true that man voluntarily chose to disobey God, abandon their innocence, and sacrifice their liberty to sin, this was not enough to frustrate God’s plan of redemption prepared in eternity (Ephesians 1:3-10). On the contrary, humanity’s sin provided the Almighty with a unique opportunity to demonstrate to the world His glory through His Son. The apostle Paul states that “we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy, He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:3-7 emphasis added). It is no secret that God’s loving nature is most brilliant when it appears in man’s darkest hour. Consider the fact that immediately after man violated Jehovah’s commandment in Eden, He foretold “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her Seed; He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel” (Genesis 3:15, emphasis added). It is from this Scripture where the primary focus of all of Genesis reveals to be “the promised Seed,” and is repeated thrice more (Genesis 12:1-4, 22:18, and 49:10). The Holy Spirit reveals through the quill of the apostle to the Gentiles that “the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying ‘In you all the nations shall be blessed’” and further explains that “to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, ‘And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, ‘And to your Seed,’ who is Christ” (Galatians 3:8, 16 emphasis added). Although it is curious to learn that the word “redemption” is not used until Genesis 48:16, the concept is greatly reflected in the historical accounts of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Judah. In each of these Biblical lessons, we are able to see the misery of sin and the triumph of obedient faith. Of these five accounts, perhaps the tale that illuminates redemption’s presence the most is that of Jacob. Irrefutably, Jacob proved to be a firm believer in the blessing of the promised seed. His mighty desire to gain this blessing was so ardent, that Holy Writ declares that from Rebekah’s womb he struggled with his twin brother to secure it (Genesis 25:22-26). Even though Jacob valued the blessing that belonged to the firstborn much more than Esau, there was one fatal flaw that often set him back on his quest to obtain it; his high dependency on his own wit and not God. It is righteous not to ignore that his cunning mind was very likely honed by Rebekah, his mother. It was she, after all, who directed Jacob on how to deceive Isaac, his father, into believing that he was Esau (Genesis 27:5-17). Unequivocally, Rebekah’s interference with God’s plan was a horrible mistake that would make her lose her beloved son, put him on the path of misery, and provoked her other son to sprout a bitter root of resentment and hate. Similarly, Jacob’s poor judgment of following his mother’s cruel scheme just to gain the birthright also came at a heavy price. Because he did not trust God to bestow upon him what had been promised from before his birth (Genesis 25:23), Jacob experienced a very difficult and painful life of which he himself expressed, “few and evil have been the days of the years of my life” (Genesis 47:9). Once again, it is wise to mention that his life was complicated because of the poor, sinful choices that he made. Still, this all began to change when Jacob finally decided to return home. On his journey back to his father’s home, God sends an angel to wrestle with him to teach him a crucial lesson (Genesis 32:22-32, Hosea 12:2-4). God’s lesson to Jacob was that His blessings are not obtained by human methods (i.e. physical strength, craftiness, or deceit) and that He has sovereign power over His creation. In other words, He pours His blessings upon those He so chooses and when He so chooses. This undeniable fact is also true in regard to His redemption, a reality that Paul explains to the Romans by using Jacob’s example (Romans 9:6-29). It was vital for Jacob to attain God’s blessing to first accept that he needed to stop wrestling with God and allow Him to work. Once he was able to get out of his own way, he was able to taste the sweet redemption found in God, through Jesus.