The Beginning: Reflections on Creation and Covenant

Bible Passage: Genesis 1:1–6:8

Summary: This passage recounts the creation of the world, the establishment of humanity in God's image, and the escalation of sin leading to God's grief over mankind's wickedness.

Application: This sermon can help Christians understand their identity as God's creation and the serious consequences of sin, as well as the placement of a worldview in history including its origins and how Israel was called from Egypt to covenant with the God of Creation.

Teaching: The sermon teaches that God is the sovereign creator of all things, and it emphasizes the dignity of humanity made in His image as well as the destructive power of sin.

How this passage could point to Christ: This passage sets the stage for the need for redemption that culminates in Christ, who restores creation through His life, death, and resurrection, thus addressing the broken relationship between God and humanity. Perhaps, one could see Jesus as the “head crusher”?

Big Idea: Understanding creation and the fall helps us appreciate its historical setting, its polemic nature, its nation building attitude, as well as the need for redemption found in Christ and empowers us to live in light of our identity as God's image-bearers. We must take serious God’s desire for man and not deviate from it. Evil, is defined as such actions.

1. Divine Order Established

Genesis 1:1-25

2. Image and Identity Bestowed

Genesis 1:26-31

3. Harmonious Beginnings Unveiled

Genesis 2:1-25

4. Breaking Point of Sin

Genesis 3:1-24

5. Escalating Evil and Promise

Genesis 4:1-6:8

The fall High Holy Days have come and gone, and now we find ourselves at the beginning once again.

In the beginning, the Creator and His Spirit were present over the chaos and darkness. From the mind of the Creative One, order emerged. The dark was dispelled by the light. The three-tiered cosmos took shape, with the waters below, the land, and the waters above. Life teemed in the waters, while the land was filled with animals, creeping things, plants, and trees. The sun, moon, and stars were created, and all of this was declared good.

The Creator fashioned humanity from the land, giving dominion to the man and his helper, the woman, over the earth. They were commanded to be fruitful and multiply. Together, the man and woman, made in the image of the Creator, completed His creation, which was deemed very good.

The man and woman held a special place in creation, symbolizing a covenant made by God with the people He had formed. This is known as the “Adamic Covenant.” Additionally, they were given the gift of rest on the seventh day, the Sabbath—a decree that allowed them to be “like” God by working for six days and resting on the seventh. This time of rest expressed thankfulness and gratitude toward their Creator and provided an opportunity to teach their children about the wonders He had done for humanity. The Sabbath stands as a joyous and profound celebration, allowing us each week to emulate God and lead our children to do the same.

However, everything did not remain in the state God intended.

The man and woman were placed in a garden of abundance called Eden, nourished by four rivers and filled with all the food they could need. Most importantly, their God and King dwelled among them. They were to become one flesh—unified, just as God is One.

Having been made in His image and granted a bountiful home, the first man and woman were unique and capable—intellectual yet innocent. Yet, it was in this state that the woman was confronted by an enemy masquerading as a friend. This enemy was wise and knowledgeable.

In Eden, knowledge was available, yet a command was given to refrain from partaking of it. This suggests that, at the appropriate time, knowledge would be bestowed upon them. Wisdom advises patience, but the enemy convinced them that they need not wait; they could grasp this knowledge immediately and become like God. Yet, they were already “like” Him; they simply lacked the knowledge of good and evil—at least for the moment.

Ultimately, it was too late. They ate from the forbidden fruit, resulting in what we now recognize as the “Edenic Covenant.” In this decree, the serpent was condemned to eat dust and crawl on its belly; Eve would endure pain in childbirth and be subject to her husband; and Adam would toil for his sustenance and eventually face death.

Despite the severity of the Edenic Covenant, there is a glimmer of hope: the prophecy that the children of the serpent and the children of the woman would be in conflict until a Child of Eve would crush the serpent’s head. Although the venomous serpent would inflict death upon the heel of this prophetic child, that Child would ultimately be “like” God, possessing power the serpent could never attain.

As a result, shame entered the hearts of the once innocent couple, who had been naked without shame. Ateempting to hide from the Creactor they fashioned clothes from fig leaves but they could not hide. They were clothed in skin and expelled from their place of abundance by God Himself. This marked the beginning of human tragedy, as their first two children resulted in violence, with Cain murdering Abel. Cain was then cast out, settling to the east of Eden, where he married among the peoples there.

Cain’s lineage multiplied, marked by the sign God placed upon him, granting him the right to liVe. Adam and Eve had another son, Seth, who also became numerous. Enoch, a descendant of Adam through Seth, was taken to be with God, and Noah was chosen to be spared from impending catastrophe. No one from Cain’s lineage was seen as righteous by the Creator.

Humanity had strayed far from the abundance of Eden, introducing violence and corruption into the world. God observed the extreme violence on earth, which was never part of His design, and He resolved to act. While Noah found grace, many others would not.

The origin story in Genesis serves as a polemic against the creation narratives of Mesopotamia and Egypt. These ancient stories, prevalent throughout the Near East, highlight the purpose behind the telling and eventual writing of Genesis. This account was entrusted to the people of Israel as they fled Egypt, where they had lived under Pharaoh’s control for four hundred-thirty years. Its purpose was to teach Israel that they were not to trust or worship any god but the Creator, who made them in His image, as they looked in the direction of taking possession of the land of Canaan promised to Abram. Israel is the nation God chose. From slave to the throne!