The book of Genesis is a book of origins. In fact, the titled itself, “Genesis” is the Greek word meaning “origins”. The Hebrew title of the book of Genesis is “bereshith” (ברשית) which means “in the beginning” (although there’s still quite a bit of debate among Hebrew language scholars about how to translate this word). We get the word “Genesis” from the Latin Vulgate which simple transliterated the Septuagint’s Greek title for the book.
Anyway you look at it, in the book of Genesis we find origins. We find the origins for creation (the physical world), origins of humanity, origins of sin, and the origins of the people of Israel through Abraham. Ultimately, when we add all of these things together, what we have in Genesis are the origins for the story of redemption—God’s redemptive plan for the world through his chosen people.
Thinking about Abraham (as well as the other patriarchs), isn’t it interesting that God’s plan to save the world included using the very people that are the problem? We read in the story of Abraham and his family how they had all sorts of problems. They couldn’t have children, but when they did, their children and their grandchildren were a mess! Jacob was a liar, a thief, and even resisted God. Jacob lied to his own father and betrayed his brother! This Jacob is the one through whom God would use to redeem the world.
This isn’t only true of Abraham and Jacob in Genesis, and Israel in the Old Testament. This is also true of the church today. God’s World Renewal Plan involves using the problem people of the world to transform the world for his glory. God’s plan involves making the trouble-makers the solution.
This reminds me of a story about G.K. Chesterton. There was a newspaper article during Chesterton’s time that published an article titled, “What’s the Problem With the World?”. Chesterton, in response to the article, wrote this to the editor: “Dear Mr. Editor, I am. Sincerely, G.K. Chesterton.” What is fascinating (and quite ironic) about this is that Chesterton, while claiming to be the problem of the world had a writing ministry that had a tremendous transforming impact on society. Chesterton’s personal testimony of coming to faith, chronicled in Orthodoxy became a beacon to a dark world. The point is this, God uses the problem people to become the solution people.
This sounds a bit like the Cross doesn’t it? The problem of the world is violence, injustice, betrayal, murder, and the list goes on. God, through the Cross, uses these very things to bring redemption to the world.
If God shows a pattern throughout history of using the problems of the world to bring redemption to that very world, image what he can do with us. Image what he can do with our problems. We, the problem-people of the twenty-first century, God wishes to use to be the solution-people. Our problems are God’s opportunity to redeem the world.
