The story of creation is not a primitive attempt at a scientific account. It is God's revelation of the source of the universe and begins to show us its meaning. Questions like the age of the universe are very unimportant from a biblical perspective. Knowing God and His relationship with man are the things we should seek to find out beginning from this story.
The garden of Eden story shows us more about God. One the one hand He is open and generous toward man, giving him everything he needed. He made man with a free will and a real choice along with a loving warning about the consequences of the wrong choice. On the other hand He is a lonely bachelor seeking a bride that matches Him.
If God is as good as the Bible says, where did all the evil, injustice and
sin in the world come from? What happened when man fell?
How did God respond to man's fall?
This story answers these questions and more.
The notion that it doesn't matter how one worships God as long as one does it is popular in this age of toleration. Cain thought the same thing but to his surprise God would not accept his offering. Holding on to his frustration and anger then made him easy prey for the enemy.
The Development of Human Culture
After Cain killed his brother he built a city which became the source of human culture. It had nothing to do with God and produced a society which deteriorated to the point that people were simply living according to the lusts of their flesh.
At the same time those who were seeking the Lord were learning to enjoy and walk with Him. While Satan was corrupting God was gaining His purpose in His loving seekers.
When it seemed like Satan had fully corrupted the human race that God had created for Himself, there was still one man through whom God could accomplish His purpose in that generation. His life and work both rescued his whole family and ushered in a new age.
The Beginning of Human Government
Human government began with Noah after the flood. God established it to represent Him but it soon degenerated into something against God. Mankind was united in declaring their independence from God until in one simple act God frustrated their intentions.
Job was doing his best to please God but everything he was afraid of happened to him anyways. How could this be? His friends thought he must have offended God in some terrible way but he insisted that they were wrong. None of them could understand what was going on.
Abram was just like everyone else at his time until the Lord began to call him to leave his country and people to go to another. His response was not what we would think of as a model of faith but eventually he did arrive at the place god wanted him to be. This is the story of how he answered the Lord's call.
Even after the Lord had appeared to Abram a number of times and he had learned to follow His leading he still did not know how to remain in His presence. Gradually he drifted away from the Lord until he found himself in a place where he was afraid for his life.
While Abram was in Egypt he failed the Lord to an extraordinary degree. But, under the Lord's sovereignty, he was preserved to come back to a proper standing before the Lord. Abram was able to apply the lessons learned in Egypt when he got back to Canaan. He was able to win three notable victories by renewing his relationship with the Lord and trusting in His care.
The Lord had promised Abram that his seed would inherit the land of Canaan but so far he didn't have any children at all. It was also apparent that his nephew, Lot, was not going to carry on the life of faith that Abram was pioneering. So Abram took his wife's suggestion to do something to produce the needed heir.
God was not a stranger to Abraham; in fact, they were friends. So one day the Lord dropped in for a visit and stayed for a meal. While He was there the Lord took the opportunity to confide with Abraham what He was about to do. This gave Abraham the chance to appeal to His righteousness on behalf of his nephew, Lot.
A Defeated Follower of the Lord
When Abram began to follow the Lord he was not alone. He brought his nephew, Lot, along with him. But even though they were following the Lord together, their experiences were quite different. Abram enjoyed the Lord's appearing time after time. This attracted him to pursue the Lord and enter into a living relationship with Him. Lot's relationship with the Lord was much weaker. Mostly, he was simply going along with his uncle. The result was that as soon as Lot was on his own he began to drift into the sinful life in Sodom. He became so snared by it that he was not willing to leave even when the Lord was about to judge the whole place. Eventually, the outcome of Lot's life was tragic.
A Hidden Weakness and Receiving the Promised Heir
Abraham had been following the Lord a long time. He had won many victories and was even considered by God as His friend. But even so, he still had a hidden weakness that traced all the way back to the very beginning of his following the Lord. Once that had been exposed and dealt with by the Lord then He came in to fulfill the promises He had made to Abraham and Sarah.
Genesis begins the story of the Bible. It starts from God's creation of the universe in general and man in particular for Himself. It also shows how God's enemy, Satan, seduced man into taking him, instead of God, into his being. It shows how Satan proceeded to instigate man to forsake God, live according to the lusts of his flesh, and even to conspire together to declare their independence from God.
Genesis also shows God still making a way for man to come to Him, gaining some to seek and follow Him, and His operation in their lives. Each generation of God's seekers learned from those who had gone before so that gradually God was able to gain more and more in the lives of His people.