This Sermon was originally preached on September 11, 2011 in Edmonton.
All of the subjects in this sermon are explored in greater depth in the blog entries from September 5, to September 20, 2011.
INTRO
(reviewing last week's message on Genesis and Creation)
Revelation 4:11
“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
and by your will they were created
and have their being.”
God is worthy of glory . . . because God created all things . . . according to his will . . . and by God’s will all things have their being.
Genesis begins with the stories of Creation, where by the authority of God’s word, all of the cosmos comes into divine order, according to God’s purpose. From the void, God the master conductor directs the symphony of Creation according to his design, a masterpiece of worship that glorifies him. In the second account, he places Man and Woman into his Creation as priests in the garden of his temple, representing God to the world in community.
Here are the main themes from the Creation stories’ narrative theology.
1. God is Sovereign
God is the highest authority
Creation is sustained by God
God gives PURPOSE and FORM to VOID
2. Creation is God’s Temple
All Creation exists for God’s glory.
3. Man and Woman are God’s Priests
We are made in God’s Image (which remains after the Fall – Genesis 9:6)
As ambassadors we rule as God does
As priests we point Creation to God
In relationship we cooperate with his continued work in the world
Genesis 3 ends with man and woman living harmoniously with one another, with Creation, and with God. They have no shame. There is no judgment. There is no sin.
Genesis 3 begins the story of mankind’s fall from paradise.
Like last week, this is narrative theology. The story teaches us about God and man through all of its elements, instead of systematically as we Western thinkers often expect to have truth revealed. We’ll explore the story of the Fall from the garden first, and then look at its themes.
Genesis 3 – The Fall from the Garden of Eden
Two Trees in the Garden
Adam and Eve were placed in the garden, surrounded by trees and plants with good food from God. The garden also had two special trees in it, the Tree of Life, and the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.
The Tree of Life is not forbidden to Adam and Eve. We can assume that Adam and Eve did eat from it, so we know that it did not offer immortality at one bite. The fruit probably offered eternal youth as long as one has access and continues to eat from it. (This interpretation is supported by the frequency of this motif of trees, lakes, and fountains of perpetual youth that work this way in other literature from the Ancient Near East.)
The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil is forbidden by God to Adam and Eve. God tells them that on the day they eat of it, they will die.
Knowledge in this passage has a connotation of intimacy and possession. It is a neutral word. It often connotes sexuality, as in to KNOW in the BIBLICAL sense. In this case, it likely refers to a sovereignty of self, where one possesses for themselves the right to choose what they believe is good or evil, and the right to judge others on that merit. Such judgment is the realm of God alone.
Adam and Eve seek independence from God by eating the fruit, but they do not attain it. Whether we become dependent on God in different maturing ways as we grow in Christ, or are entirely rebellious against him, or do not believe he exists, we are still dependent.
Neo can leave the Matrix and become autonomous in a “real” world. God offers us a “real” world right from the beginning. To seek autonomy from God, which is impossible, leads us to slavery in sin and deception. In Christ, we see the world as it is. God is pleased to share creation and truth with us. He gave Adam the garden to tend. He had Adam name the animals. We need not fight for freedom.
“You shall be like God” - the serpent misrepresents God. God wants us to be like him. We are made in God’s image, and we are to emulate him.
God is sovereign. He need not manipulate or deceive to remain in authority. He condescends to co-create with us. He listens to our intercessions because he loves us, not because we control him.
By being banished from the garden so that they cannot eat of the Tree of Life, God confirms his promise of the consequences of eating of the other tree. This means that for eating of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, Mankind becomes mortal without possibility of eternal youth in God’s presence.
Serpent: You should eat the fruit.
Adam and Eve: Holy crap! A talking snake!
The Serpent, the Seed, and the Curse
The Serpent
The serpent may be Satan, but needn’t be according to the text. (Ancient Hebrews did not have a concept of a personification of evil, or of evil as having a singular cause.) John 8:44, Revelation 12:9 – Eve was tempted of the devil. But this isn’t necessary for our understanding of the text of Genesis alone.
Genesis is still contrasting its story with that of the other nations. God did not have some adversarial being fighting against him, as in the other stories the serpent is just one of his creatures that he himself created, like the Sun and Moon.
In ancient myth, a serpent cursed to crawl on its belly meant that it could not raise its head to strike. It may also be called “cursed to keep its head on the path”. Egyptians had curses for snakes to crawl on its belly to protect them. It means this serpent was rendered harmless. Eating dust was an activity of death the underworld (Gilgamesh and Enkidu), because corpses were seen as being filled with dust. Consider “bite the dust”.
The Seed – Her children. Genesis 16:10 and 24:60 show that once a seed is implanted in a woman, it is HER SEED. There is nothing unusual about a seed of a woman.
This MIGHT be a Messianic promise, but we cannot say for sure that it is based on the text. In Galatians 3:16, Paul refers to the promises to Abraham and his seed in Genesis 12 and 17. However, the only other passage in scripture that refers to this verse is Romans 16:19-20, where it is under OUR feet that GOD will crush Satan.
This promise of God says that Mankind will struggle with evil, and both could potentially strike a mortal blow to the other. The promise includes the certainty that Mankind will ultimately win the battle. Our promise is that the sting of sin and death will be destroyed because of the victory given us in Jesus. He will crush Satan under our feet.
The Curse - The snake is cursed. The ground is cursed. The people are never cursed. Death occurs because they are separated from the Tree of Life, their source of eternal youth. This is not a curse, but a consequence.
What was LOST in the garden was the continual presence of God. The rest of the narrative of the OT does not concern itself with regaining a garden, but with regaining the community with God.
A woman’s desire to be a mother and her inability to do so alone puts man in a position to potentially oppress her. This is a consequence of death, but does not make it right. Another consequence of death is that the entire process of birthing from conception onward will become more anxious for the woman. Her instinct to desire to be a mother carries this consequence because of death. Without fear of death, there would be no anxiety in pregnancy, only joy. This does not necessarily mean that labour was without pain before this point, or that the pain of birthing labour is a curse.
The ground is cursed, but the threat of mortality is what causes working it to be an anxious one. Without fear of death, working the ground would have been only a pleasure.
Man’s Choice and God’s Response
1. Humanity rejects God’s Sovereignty for Sovereignty of Self
(Adam and Eve eat of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil)
2. God deals justly with sin
(Adam and Eve are banished from the Garden. They will not submit to God, and lose his presence.)
3. God patiently describes the consequences of sin, and deals mercifully with humanity
(Telling Adam and Eve the consequences, giving them clothing of animals)
4. God opens a possible way of redemption
(The Seed will prevail)
Sin grows - Cain and Abel and the Cycle of Escalating Violence
Sacrifice – The Hebrew identifies this as minha sacrifice. Leviticus 2 translates minha as “grain offering”. Minha sacrifices were given in honour of deity, and grain was considered acceptable, and was actually more common. This means that the text does not give us a reason for why Cain’s sacrifice was unacceptable. We know that Cain knew what was right, and that is enough.
What matters most is not why Cain’s offering was unacceptable. The point of the story is the murder.
Cain kills his brother because of jealousy. Like Adam and Eve before him, he took for himself the right to judge right and wrong and their consequences, and denied that such authority belonged to God alone.
1. Humanity rejects God’s Sovereignty for Sovereignty of Self
9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
Cain denies responsibility for family, and is then denied his family.
2. God deals justly with sin
11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
Unlike Adam and Eve, Cain himself is cursed for his sin. Let us take serious note and consideration of the fact that God DOES NOT take Cain’s life. Though God directed Noah’s family that a murderer should be put to death by man, and he directs Israel to put murderers to death, clearly he does not take this route in every single case. As terrible as Cain’s actions were, God is merciful. Cain is removed from family, and his punishment is severe, but not even as severe as eye for eye. Capital punishment is not necessarily a Godly biblical response to murderers. God is merciful and compassionate.
3. God patiently describes the consequences of sin, and deals mercifully with humanity
Like Adam and Eve before him, and all of humanity after him, God leaves open the possibility for redemption. The mark of Cain is not necessarily shame. It represents that God is looking out for him.
The Cycle and the Escalation
Lamech - Genesis 4:17-24
For the rest of chapter four, sin and violence are shown escalating in the descendants of Cain.
After the invention of weapons, violence escalates, along with arrogance.
Sin, violence, unjust judgment, and revenge always escalate. They are a cycle that cannot be broken without mercy, forgiveness, and the true justice of a Sovereign God.
Violence follows sin.
Sin leads to death.
God banishes Cain.
God is just.
Sin and violence lead to separation and broken relationships.
Cain is afraid that his banishment will make him vulnerable.
Sin leads to fear.
God protects Cain.
God is merciful.
Adam and Eve have another son.
God redeems and restores to Adam and Eve what was lost.
4. God opens a possible way of redemption.
For the rest of the prehistory of Genesis 1-11, we see humanity descend from the priestly role they share in the garden. The narrative shows mankind habitually preferring to gain control of judgment, authority, and power for themselves rather than submit to God’s Sovereign rule. With each step, God continues to respond with justice, mercy, and the possibility of redemption.
Man’s Fall from Gen 1-11
1. Eat fruit (personal sin – Adam and Eve)
2. Murder of a brother (family sin - Cain)
3. Oppress with power, authority, and politics (society sin – Sons of God)
4. Demote God and promote man (pagan religion sin – Babel)
No gods. No kings.
There are no kings named in the genealogies of Genesis 1-11. Even when opportunities exist to name them, as when someone has a kingdom, for example, the name "king" itself is avoided. Ancient genealogies and history books traced history through the lives of kings, as modern history follows politics and war. It is notable that not only are kings not mentioned, they are avoided.
Also, the development of tool and art in other civilizations is usually attributed to gods, and handed down as gifts to humanity. In this genealogy, it is humans who discover and invent these instruments of culture.
Sons of God
Genesis 6:1-4
Who are the sons of God?
At first read, it sounds to us like some sort of cross breeding between gods or demons with human women are creating hybrid human/demon creatures that become giant heroes in the world. In fact, until 200 CE, it was the unanimous Christian and Jewish interpretation of recent history that they were fallen angels.
Jewish and Christian interpretations diverge
After 200 CE the Jewish and Christian interpretations diverged. Jewish interpretations called sons of God rulers and kings, while Christians called them descendants of Seth. Christians identified the daughters of men as descendants of Cain. This was Augustine's interpretation, and is still popular with many Christians and some conservative Bible teachers, like Hank Hanegraaff.
The classic Christian interpretation – sons of god are sons of Cain
(In Luke 24:39 Jesus said that spirits do not have flesh and blood. Genesis says that creatures multiply according to their kinds. If fallen angels could have children with humans, it would give them the ability to create, something only God can do. Jesus said that there is no marriage or giving in marriage after the resurrection, and there is likewise no indication in scripture that spiritual beings are sexual or have the ability to procreate. The hybrid interpretation of Genesis 6 simply cannot be harmonized with any other understanding in the rest of Genesis, or anywhere else in the Bible.)
In early Christian history, the new idea emerged that the story was condemning the intermarriage of the line of Cain, the murderer, and the line of Seth, the righteous who call on God’s name. The idea is compared to later stories in Genesis where the family of Abraham avoids marrying people from other nations because of the unique covenant they have with Yahweh.
The main problem with this interpretation is that it still doesn’t harmonize with the rest of scripture in purpose, theme, structure, or theology. Nowhere else in Genesis is this idea supported. It offers little theologically except to conveniently explain away the difficult mythical sounding interpretation.
The orthodox Jewish interpretation – sons of god are sons of nobility
Orthodox Jewish interpretations have also consistently taught against the idea of “sons of God” as divine beings, translating the text and teaching that the story refers to “sons of nobles”.
The strength of the Jewish interpretation is in its consistency with the Ancient Babylonian custom of "the right of the first night", an oppressive practice performed by rulers over subjects during this period and others. In the Ancient Babylonian Epic of Gilgamesh, the gods declare that Gilgamesh owns “all the hymens of the virgins of Uruk”, the kingdom he rules. The ancient kings could claim the first night of marriage with any woman in the kingdom, as a symbol of the union of the kingdom’s residents with the gods. This has since been practiced in other cultures as well. Gilgamesh was said to be the son of deity, as were many of the kings of Babylon, and all the pharaohs of Egypt.
As for the size or heroic deeds of the rulers and their children, it is easy to assume that if there were an oppressive and evil ruling class in this ancient culture, they would likely be made up of the people more physically able to assert their dominance. Gilgamesh and his best friend, Enkidu, were described as being over sixteen feet tall. We can assume this is hyperbolic, however it also gives us an example of how the image of great size and physical strength is paired with heroic deeds, kingship, and the ruling class. Gilgamesh is unashamedly described as an oppressive king to the people of Uruk, and this oppressive rule inspires great respect in his friend, Enkidu. Again, these stories reveal the cultural values that could lead to very oppressive and violent characters being lauded as heroic in the ancient world.
(The etymology of the word “Nephilim” also fits this interpretation. The Hebrew word has close connections to the words meaning “fall” and “ruin”. This may refer to their oppressive nature, or the fall from submission to the true justice of God. The word also has a close relation to “apostate”, suggesting that the Nephilim were men who had fully rejected God’s authority. )
This text may be giving a "truer" story of the evils of the kings of old. When the other nations would revere and even worship these kings, this account shows that they weren't great or worthy of worship, but rather evil and oppressive. It is notable that the Genesis 1-11 has not yet once explicitly spoken of kings or kingdoms. Similarly, the ancient deities are also conspicuously absent in these first eleven chapters of Genesis. Whether god or king, Yahweh accepts no opposition to his sovereignty, and recognizes no authority as legitimate that does not recognize and reflect his. If this is an explicit reference to kings, it is the first mention in Genesis. If it is only implying, it seems the text is still going out of its way not to mention kings.
The continued story of the Fall
This passage shows us institutionalized wickedness and oppression. Humanity’s ways have become corrupt - bent and perverse - not according to the purpose they were originally created. Humans are violent. This is how God defines them as evil.
Up until this point, the genealogical record shows people living for hundreds of years. After this point, the records quickly show the length of human life reduced to about one hundred twenty years or fewer within a few generations. Whether we take these numbers literally or not does not matter. What we know is that before this time, the potential for long oppressive and violent reigns are possible. By God’s judgment, he removes from mankind the possibility of a single ruler having power over people for more than a few decades.
In Genesis 3, Adam and Eve tried to possess for themselves the right to judge for themselves right and wrong, good and evil. They reject the sovereignty of God for the sovereignty of self. In their rebellion, they lose the continual presence of God in their lives, are cut off from the source of real eternal life, and begin to die. In Genesis 6, the most violent and oppressive of mankind have set themselves up as gods, with the right to judge what is right and wrong for all of society. They use their attempts at sovereign rule to oppress and violate others. They reject the sovereignty and righteous equal judgment of God over all for an unequal and unjust system that would allow judgment and oppression of the weak by the strong. In their rebellion, God removes from mankind the possibility of long life, reducing the opportunity for the oppression of long lived and powerful men to continue. With the death of each king, comes the hope of the return to righteousness and justice for all people.
Man’s Choice and God’s Response
Genesis 6:1-8
1. Humanity rejects God’s Sovereignty for Sovereignty of Self
(vv1-2 - Kings use their own physical power to claim authority over others and oppress them)
2. God deals justly with sin
(vv5-7 – God will remove humanity from the Earth)
3. God patiently describes the consequences of sin, and deals mercifully with humanity
(v3 – shortening life)
4. God opens a possible way of redemption
(v8 - Noah)
The Tower of Babel - Genesis 11
Genesis 11:1-9 - Babel
Baked bricks were the invention of the Babylonian Empire. Until then, bricks were made of clay left to dry in the sun. Babylonians baked them hard in ovens, greatly increasing their ability to build grand architecture. The context and language of the story of the tower of Babel describes a ziggurat, a piece of architecture built by the Babylonians as part of their polytheistic temple worship. A huge, solid building went straight up on all sides, packed with mud on the inside, and held in by brick on the exterior. Ziggurats were built to honour gods. Most cities had a few, with the largest main one representing the patron saint of the city. Ziggurats were described as reaching to the heavens.
The top of the ziggurat had a bed and a table laid. The temple was usually next to the ziggurat, or sometimes built into the structure itself. The ziggurat had a stairway around it or a ladder up it for the god to climb to move between heaven and earth. The word for this stairway is the same one used for Jacob's ladder.
Beautiful gardens would often adorn the edges of the ziggurat. These may have sometimes been the temple gardens where the priests of the temple tended the place of preparation and the food used for sacrifice. Ruins of the ziggurats can still be seen today in Iraq. These gardens are called one of the eight wonders of the ancient world.
Ziggurats were used as a method of gaining the favour of the deities. The bed and food was prepared to meet their carnal needs, and the ladder allowed them to easily come down to the earth and be among the people. Sacrifices of food and ritual cultic temple prostitution fulfilled the basic needs of the gods, as basic as the animalistic needs of the people who served them. Serving in the ziggurat or temple was to serve the god in their base of operations. Since the people were feeding the gods, fulfilling the gods sexually, and offering them hospitality, they were seen as indebted to the people. They had to hear the people’s prayers and answer them. In essence, this elevated the people to the power of gods, and gods to selfish impish creatures that could be manipulated to the people’s every whim.
In verse four the people declare that by their own power they will make their own names great, and be established in the land. This echoes the words of Gilgamesh almost exactly. In the ancient Babylonian Epic, Gilgamesh King of Uruk demands that he and his friend Enkidu go and kill a monster in the forest so that they will make names for themselves. Though Enkidu and all the gods oppose him, he goes and kills the monster anyway. As a consequence, Enkidu must die.
The offense of Babel is the final example of offense after the fall. The offense before this one was the sons of god incident, where leadership was corrupted. In Babel it is their view of God that has been corrupted. They believe that God is many gods, and that he is just like a human. If their view of a good and holy single God becomes corrupted, there is nothing that will stop them from becoming utterly depraved. Making gods into scoundrels gives humanity no excuse to be anything more.
Psalm 50:7-15
7 “Hear, O my people, and I will speak,
O Israel, and I will testify against you:
I am God, your God.
8 I do not rebuke you for your sacrifices
or your burnt offerings, which are ever before me.
9 I have no need of a bull from your stall
or of goats from your pens,
10 for every animal of the forest is mine,
and the cattle on a thousand hills.
11 I know every bird in the mountains,
and the creatures of the field are mine.
12 If I were hungry I would not tell you,
for the world is mine, and all that is in it.
13 Do I eat the flesh of bulls
or drink the blood of goats?
14 Sacrifice thank offerings to God,
fulfill your vows to the Most High,
15 and call upon me in the day of trouble;
I will deliver you, and you will honor me.”
Romans 1:21-25
21 For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened. 22 Although they claimed to be wise, they became fools 23 and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images made to look like mortal man and birds and animals and reptiles.
24 Therefore God gave them over in the sinful desires of their hearts to sexual impurity for the degrading of their bodies with one another. 25 They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator—who is forever praised. Amen.
Babel is the last straw. The story of the tower is the final stage of the fullness of the consequences of the fall. Sin has corrupted mankind utterly, and all of mankind has become perverse. All of creation is bent from God's original plan. Creation needs rescuing by its Creator. This is the turning point of the book. We need a Saviour. We need a covenant. For the rest of the book, God establishes his covenant with his people in order to save his creation.
GOD’S PROMISE TO ABRAHAM
Our Fall to Grace
1 The LORD had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.
2 “I will make you into a great nation,
and I will bless you;
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.”
At Babel people wanted to make their name great, and be established in a land by their power.
God promises to make Abram’s name great, and establish him in a land by his power.
In response to the all pervasive sin of all of mankind, God promises a blessing through a seed he plants in the midst of the void. He will direct his own people, and from his people he will give the Earth a new humanity through his own Son.
Jesus is the promise of redemption from sin and its consequences for all the peoples of the earth.
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