Genesis, The Book Of The Beginnings Of Creation And Design

Genesis, the book of beginnings, opens with the beginning of time: “in the beginning God (Elohim} created the heavens and the earth.” There are many theories among Biblical scholars about creation, but only God knows how and when He created. Not being a science, student, I am content with simply knowing that God created the “heavens and the earth.” I agree with Chuck Smith that, “within the universe we can clearly see a design, and you cannot have design without a master Designer” and that master Designer is Elohim, our triune God (1:1). As you visualize each day of creation, you can see God’s wisdom and design. He didn’t start with man and then wonder what to do, or with the vegetation and wonder where to put it. No, as master Designer everything

Because Chapter 2 focuses on the creation of man and his relationship to God, Jehovah (Yahweh), God’s name as our personal, covenant keeping God is used. LORD God, is the title used of God as He relates to man as his Creator and Redeemer throughout Genesis 2. Our Creator and Redeemer “formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed, into his nostrils the breath of life (the Holy Spirit); and man became a living being”, now capable of conversing directly with his Creator and Redeemer. God placed man in the garden of Eden where He provided them with everything they needed. In the middle of the garden He placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The only instructions God gave them was to care and tend the garden; freely eat from every tree in the garden, except the tree of knowledge of good and evil, because “in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die”. After Adam used his God given power to choose, God said it was not good for Adam to be alone, so He caused a deep sleep to come over him, and from his side, God formed woman. One man and one woman (Adam and Eve) coming together as one establishing God’s covenant of

At some point, both Cain and Abel brought and “offering to the LORD”; Cain, the fruit of the ground and Abel, one of his flock for a blood sacrifice. I agree with Chuck that based on Hebrews 11:4, “by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous”. Abel’s was a faith offering accepted by God (Ephesians 2:8-9); Cain’s offering was not of faith and was rejected by God. But God comes to Cain and encourages him to make another offering by faith…do the right thing…and I will accept you. He even is warned that his flesh (sin) was desiring to control him. So often God has warned me, and as Cain, I don’t listen and serve the desires of my flesh! Unable to control his anger, his flesh, Cain murders Abel (Matthew 5:21-28). God comes to Cain, again giving him the opportunity to confess and repent (1 John 1:9), but he refuses God’s offer. We can see over and over that God has given man the power of choice and that God respects and honors that decision. However, we make the choice, but God determines the consequences of our choices (Proverbs 28: 13-14). Cain’s only response when hearing God’s judgment upon him is, “my punishment is greater than I can bear”, never acknowledging his sin…truly a hardened heart! One of the saddest phrases in Scripture, Cain “went out from the presence of the Lord”; thus, responsible for his own destiny. God has