Food for Thought #4 Redemption - Part 1

The first book of the Old Testament is Genesis. Genesis is purported to have been written by Moses long after the accounts mentioned in Genesis had already happened. However the accounts of people mentioned in Genesis were handed down through tradition to the time of Moses and the accounts are considered to be the inspired word of God. God inspired Moses to write these accounts using his own creative writing abilities but ensuring, through his inspiration, that Moses would adhere to the basic truths of what God did through his care and inspiration to the characters mentioned in Genesis.

Genesis begins with the creation by God of the first man, Adam, and later the creation of Eve to be a companion for Adam. They were placed in a paradise called the Garden of Eden with all kinds of animals and plants created for their use. Adam and Eve were created in a perfect state of control over their emotions. they were naked but not ashamed. Everything was provided them in this garden. They did not need to work for their food. They did not experience discomfort from cold and heat in their environment.

When, through the deceit of Satan posing as a serpent,  Adam and Eve failed the test (not to eat of a certain fruit) given them to show their complete love and trust in God alone, and as a result, they lost all the gifts they had been given freely in paradise. They now were ashamed of their nakedness and God told them they would have to work hard for all the necessities of life and their emotions would be difficult to control. They are removed from Paradise, never to return.  But God did not desert them.  He would help them in their difficulties.  God revealed little about their future at this time except that He would be with them to help them.  One thing God did reveal: a future conflict between a woman and the serpent and the woman would crush the serpent's head.

There were many descendants of Adam and Eve and God helped them through many trials. Finally these descendants covered the earth of that time but God observed that they all did evil things and found comfort only in his servant Noah, who did what was right. His servant Noah, all his family and relatives, all the animals by pairs of male and female and plants of different kinds were put into a large boat or Ark.

Then God destroyed all the people and all the animals and plants outside the Ark through a great flood that covered the earth while Noah and all on the Ark were saved. When the flood receded, Noah and all his people with all the animals went out from the Ark. God made a covenant with Noah that he would never again destroy the earth and its people by a flood and that he would help the descendants of Noah and his family forever. Many descendants of Noah again covered the earth with God always present to help them.

Some time later, in the city of Ur in Babylonia, God called upon Abraham who was a good and just man to settle in a new land he would give to him and his descendants. Genesis continues with the accounts of Abraham's family in the new land. God made a covenant with Abraham that his chosen people, the Jews, through Abraham will be a numerous people with numbers as great as the number of stars in the sky and that God would be with these people forever.

The rest of Genesis introduces the immediate descendants of Abraham. God promises a son to Abraham through his wife Sarah who is old and barren.  When a son, Isaac, is born to Sarah as promised, God, in order to further test the faith of Abraham asks Abraham to offer his young son as a sacrifice to Him.  Abraham, in spite of his understanding that a sacrifice of Isaac would mean a loss of the promised descendants through his son, he put his trust in God who, just before Abraham is about to carry out the sacrifice, calls him to stop.

Thus Abraham becomes famous for his faith and trust in God; he is the father of believers.  Isaac has a son Jacob who fathers twelve sons with names that represent the twelve tribes of Israel, the new name for Jacob.  Notable among the sons of Israel is Judah, after whom the southern part of Palestine later becomes known, with the northern part named Israel.

The most notable of the sons of Jacob is Joseph who, because of jealousy of his brothers, is sold into slavery in Egypt.  In Egypt, Joseph's God-given ability to interpret dreams allows him to interpret a dream of  Pharaoh.  Joseph's interpretation of the dream is that God will provide a seven year period of plenty followed by a seven year period of famine.  He advises Pharaoh to choose someone to arrange the storing of grain during the first period so there would be plenty for all during the famine.  Pharaoh is so grateful that he appoints Joseph Governor of Egypt to organize the storing of grain.

During the famine his brothers and his father Israel are suffering so the brothers journey to Egypt to seek food.  They do not recognize Joseph but he recognizes them.  He wants to reveal himself to his brothers but he at first finds a way of putting them to shame for what they had done against their brother.

Finally the brothers are reconciled and the entire family of Israel is welcomed into Egypt where they and their descendants thrive for many years until Joseph and the Pharaoh are long dead and the new Pharaoh does not have knowledge of the contribution of Joseph to Egypt but only sees the great multitude of Jews as foreigners.  The Jews are enslaved and cry to God for help.

Thus ends the book of Genesis wherein God has established his people Israel.  He has helped them through many trials and sufferings but does not abandon them.  He has promised them they are to become a great people.  This is the first phase of God's plan to redeem His people.  The next phase is to establish His Law by which they are to live and through the prophets reveal more and more of His Plan to redeem them through His Messiah.

Next will be Food for Thought #5 Redemption - Part 2