September 14, 2022
Praying Friends,
Thank you for your prayers for revival and for our prodigals. As we continue to pray for God’s working in our lives and in the lives of others, we would like this devotional to be a source of encouragement for you.
This is the beginning of a new series, in which I will give a brief overview of each book of the Bible and provide some context, purpose, relevance, and at least one practical takeaway. While they may not all come in the order of their biblical placement, today we will start at the beginning and look at Genesis.
The Torah, the compilation of the first 5 books in our Bible, is the Hebrew word for law, and, until the 2nd century BC, was seen as one unit. The Torah was divided into 5 books called the Pentateuch, meaning 5 vessels.
Genesis is the first book of the Torah, and the word signifies generations or origins. It gives us the start of things. It is an appropriate name for the book that introduces the beginning of the universe, the human family, marriage, nations, sin, redemption, and relationship.
Among other wonders about God, we learn that He is relational. Each aspect of His creation reflects something of His awesome character. The making of our first parents, Adam and Eve, and the resulting human family, reveals His desire for relationship with us.
“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth” (Genesis 1:27-28 ESV).
We are Imago Dei, Latin for image of God. We reflect His glory. We represent His name, and we get to enjoy His presence. This is the beauty of true relationship.
You know the story well, how sin has broken that closeness, but the beauty of Genesis shows how God found a way to bring Adam and Eve back through sacrifice (Genesis 3:20-21). And not just Adam and Eve, but every believer!
The promise is profound. God speaks to the serpent and says, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel” (Genesis 3:15).
This promise from primeval times points to the coming of our Lord Jesus and His great work on the cross. It was there that the head of Satan was crushed and the heel of Jesus was bruised. The victor was wounded and the enemy was defeated.
The rest of Genesis gives the history of the next few thousand years, and shows how God pursues His people. From Adam and Eve to Abraham and Sarah, and on to Joseph and his wife Asenath, and into future generations, God diligently sought out relationship.
Today, as you pray, as you work, as you go about the activities of your day, bring Him fully into the center of your life. Hear His words spoken over you with joy, “I have loved you with an everlasting love, therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you” (Jeremiah 31:3).
Love in Christ,
Bryan and Rachel
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