December 1931
B u s i n e s s
542
T h e
K i n g ' s
IN THE BEGINNING . . . By ROY TALMAGE BRUMBAUGH,* Tacoma,Wash.
B B H —
a n d T L ^ Ijtm v e rs a
into divine revelation until we come to the streams that “make glad the city of our God.” Jacob met God at Peniel. God conquered. “Jacob” was changed to “Israel,” “God rules.” We exercise influence over men from the moment that God dominates, us. Joseph led a pure and holy life. Persecution made him a better man. He humbled himself, and God exalted him in due season. Jehovah still lives. The central figure of the seven is Abraham. He was the greatest of them all. He is the father of the faithful. His earthly descendants are as the sand of the sea. His heavenly people are as the stars, without number. He was, indeed, a friend of God. S even P airs of N ames We notice seven pairs of names in Genesis. Adam and Eve picture Christ and the church. The two are one for ever. Cain and Abel represent religion and Christianity. Cain’s way is man’s way. It is the “way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.” Abel came to God by. the way of the blood and was accepted of Him. Abraham and Lot show the contrast, between walking by faith and walking by sight. Abraham pictures the spir itual Christian. The experiences of Lot are those of the worldly Christian. Ishmael and Isaac were sons of the same father, but one was a son of lust and the other a son of promise. Anti-Semitic feeling began in the day of Ishmael, and to this day Ishmael has persecuted Isaac. The ’Moham medans are Ishmaelites. Esau and Jacob were twins. Esau was the elder and, according to the laws of that time, should have received the inheritance. However, with God, the “first shall be last and the last first.” Jacob received the inheritance “that the purpose of God according to election might stand.” Joseph was in verity the ruler of Egypt. Pharaoh had the name of king, but his prime minister was the supreme dictator. The kingdoms of this earth shall become the king dom of our Lord and Christ. He shall be recognized among the peoples of the earth as “King of kings and Lord of lords.” ... D isl ik e for G enesis Men say they do not like Genesis. Some say they do not like it because the book is full of myth, yet these same persons read Greek, Roman, and Egyptian mythology with pleasure. Some say they do not like Genesis because it is history and therefore contains error. Prejudice and error pervade secular histories, yet men do not grow weary of the narratives concerning men and nations. Some say they do not like Genesis because it is full of contradictions. Any one who reads the newspapers feeds daily on contra dictions, yet people do not hate newspapers. Men do not like Genesis because it reveals the sinfulness of the natural heart, and because it pricks the pride of man. It is light,
“In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1). very age has had its great men. If there were philosophies to write, a Plato and a Socrates were present to unveil the intricacies of the mind. If there were thrones to occupy, a Nebuchadnezzar, a Charlemagne, a Peter the Great, or a Solomon stood forth to be crowned. If poetry had to be written, a Homer, a Shakespeare, or a Milton appeared with the pen of a ready writer. If the history of the human narrative had to be set forth in chronological sequence, there has ever been at hand a Herodotus, a Josephus, or, in the higher realm, a Luke or a Moses. When God wanted the “book of begin nings” written, He called Moses to the task. Genesis is a foundational book. The rest of the Bible is meaningless without it. However, it is understood only in the light of the rest of the Bible. This illustrates the unity of the Word of God. The Hebrew name for the first book is Beresheth, which is the first word in the Hebrew, meaning “in the beginning.” “Genesis” is the Greek equivalent and means “origination/’ “beginning,” “generation,” or “creation.” T h e B ook of O rigination The beginning of everything commanding human in terest is found herein. In Genesis, God records the begin ning of time. We see the first heavens and the first earth. Life appears at the fiat of God. Man, created in the image of God, looms on the horizon of history. The first home is set up, and the family is made the unit of society. The ugly face of sin appears. Crime produces its first victim. Civi lization begins and is developed by the ungodly line. Ar ticulation is heard. Language becomes the vehicle of thought. History starts on its long march. Prophecy is written. Nations appear on the face of the earth. Israelis called out from among the nations to be God’s separated people. S even G reat N ames Seven gigantic personalities appear in the “book of be ginnings.” Adam is the father of the human race. He sins, but he returns to God by faith in the blood of Christ. The natural man is fallen, but may be lifted up as was Adam. But “without faith it is impossible to please God.” Enoch walked with God. So may we. It is never too late to start. Noah built an ark to the saving of his house. Christ is our Ark, “Jesus, Lover of my soul, let me to Thy bosom fly-” . . . Abraham left polytheism and became the leading ex ponent of monotheism. Like him, we may go out at the command of God, not knowing where we are going. Isaac stooped and dug wells. We should “search the scriptures” because they testify of Christ. We need to dig
*Pastor of First Presbyterian Church, Tacoma, Wash.
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