Genesis, as has been said, is the introduction to the holy scriptures. And what an introduction! The very first verse is a revelation that contains infinitely more truth than all the writings of unaided human reason. It is the truth, all that God has been pleased to give, as to the original creation of the universe. “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.” Yes, in that past eternity God created the heaven and the earth. How many ages, or myriads of ages, may have passed away since the beginning we are not told. Poor puny man thinks he has found some contradiction to this in his stones and his coals. Is there not space in the past eternity for all the past epochs of time? or, if you please, for all the ages before our time began? This first verse stands alone. To connect it with what follows would be to make God the author of confusion. This cannot be: He is not the author of confusion. “He created it not in vain,” or in chaos. (Isa. 45:1818For thus saith the Lord that created the heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited: I am the Lord; and there is none else. (Isaiah 45:18).)
How the earth came to be in such a state of chaos and darkness as is described in verse 2, we are not told, and therefore do not know.
What we would call attention to is this: that this wonderful chapter is occupied with, and reveals, what God made for man. The work of these six days was for man. There is no account in this chapter, or in Genesis, of the creation of angels, of principalities, and powers in the heavenlies, or of what God created for those heavenly beings. Other scriptures give their creation. (Col. 1:1616For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: (Colossians 1:16).) God is revealed as having prepared this globe for man. “And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.” This world had thus become a place totally unfit for man. It was all confusion and darkness. “And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.” Yes, the Spirit of God moving to seek and prepare a place for man. “And God said, Let there be light; and there was light.” “And God saw the light that it was good.” All this for man. How could man have existed without light? Yes, light was good for man. It was good for man that there should be day and night. It was good for man that there should be a firmament, or atmosphere; without it he could neither see, hear, speak, nor move. In it the smallest insect can live and move, or fly. By its wondrous balancing in gravity the dew can rise or fall, or thousands of tons of water can float and rain on the earth. Oh, the wisdom and love of God in each day’s work for man!
Was it not good for man that the waters should be gathered together unto one place, and that the dry land should appear? And when God said, Let the earth bring forth, was it not for man, the grass, the herbs, the trees sprang forth? Every flower, and every blade of grass, tells out God’s loving care and thought for man. All was good, yes, good for man.
And, oh, how good for man were those two great lights, now made to shed their light on the earth! God saw it was good. And God did whatever was good for man.
Do mark, this is not an account of creation; it is only an account how He prepared this world for man, and made the sun and moon serve man’s happiness; and therefore little is said of those vast distant suns of the universe. They do shed their distant light on earth; and thus these few words are given, “He made the stars also.”
Now the waters are commanded to bring forth abundantly. And the earth must bring forth the living creatures, but all for man; all to be placed under man.
“And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,” &c. What a contrast to, “Let the earth bring forth.” The counsel of the Elohim, the work of the Persons of the Godhead—“Let us make man.” No other creature could stand in intelligent relation with God; but now man is formed, the relationship-name of God, Jehovah, Lord is used. It is therefore, “And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” How vast the distance of man thus formed from the creatures brought forth from water or from earth. Jehovah breathed into him, he became a living soul.
Now see this man, head and center of creation, placed in the garden planted by Jehovah. Center and source of blessing. From thence flowed the river that watered in its four streams, not only the garden, but the earth. What a scene of earthly delight, and man formed to receive the visits, and to hearken to the voice, of God.
All put under the man, one tree in the garden alone forbidden, thus to be a test of obedience. But the loving care of the Lord God fixed on the man. A companion is formed, according to counsel, every way fitted for him, yea, part of himself—his bone, his flesh. Thus was he loved, thus was he blest, in the garden of delight. Such is the divine, the perfect revelation of God in this work of placing the man in the world He had prepared for him.
High and heavenly truth is no doubt shadowed forth in all this. Adam was, as we are told, a figure of Him that was to come, and has come. And as Eve, a figure of the church, was formed and presented to him, before the history of sin and sorrow began, so we know the church was chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world. (Eph. 1)
We now come to the inspired history of the origin of all the sin and misery of the human race. The woman listens to the lying insinuations of the serpent. She distrusts God; she believes the serpent; she takes the forbidden fruit; she transgresses the only commandment, “and gave also to her husband with her, and he did eat.” Immediately the sentence of dying begins to take effect. Their eyes are opened. They are naked. They were seized with shame and guilt. They sew fig-leaves together to make aprons, to bind about their bodies. All in vain—the naked, guilty Adam could be seen through the fig-leaves. It is so to this day. How many are seeking to cover themselves with works of righteousness—fig-leaf binders. Ah, let the voice of the Lord God be heard. Our reader is only clothed with fig-leaves—what you have made, what you have done—would you not be afraid of God? Can your religious efforts hide your sin, and shame, and guilt? Impossible!
The Lord God has four questions to ask you—two as to Himself, and two as to your neighbor.
The first he put thus to Adam: “Where art thou?” What was the state of Adam at that moment? Afraid of God, and hiding himself from His presence. Where art thou, dear reader? What is thy state as to God? Is it as with Adam—guilt, and sin, and shame, afraid of God?
The second question was put to Eve—“What is this that thou hast done?” If God thus enters into judgment with you as to actual sins, what can you say? Could we answer one in a thousand? This, and this; what is this that thou hast done, sin against God? But this is not all.
The third question is put to Cain—“Where is Abel, thy brother?” He said, “I know not: am I my brother’s keeper?” Before we apply this question, let us look at the history for a moment Who was this Cain, first-born of Adam? What sort of a man was he? “Cain was a tiller of the ground”—as we might say, a decent, hard-working farmer, providing for his own needs, and something to spare for God. He also seems to have been a religious man. “And in process of time,” or the marginal reading says, “at the end of the days—“the end of the days; this might have been the seventh day, or some other day; at all events, whether he was a sabbath-day keeper, or not, he came to worship. “Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.” Was he not what many in our day would call a good man? Would you not say, a hard-working farmer, who pays his way—not only owes nobody anything, but has something to spare; and brings what he has, the fruit of his labor, an offering to the Lord. Works hard all the week, and at the end of the days keeps his sabbath. If that is not a good man, where will you find one? Well, such was Cain: and did the Lord accept his offering at the end of the days? No. Whatever we may say of Cain, or all good farmers like him, the scripture says, he “was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because His own works were evil, and his brother’s righteous.” (1 John 3:1212Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous. (1 John 3:12).) What was the root of the evil in Cain? He completely ignored sin and the curse. Not so Abel, he approached God through the death of another. The great sin-offering was thus recognized by faith. Yes, it is of Satan to seek to come to God in any other way than by the blood of the Lamb. Do not be surprised that Cain’s religion was, and is, of the devil. Was it not so with Saul of Tarsus, chief of Pharisees, yet chief of sinners—who was blameless as to the law, yet did he not hale the saints to prison and to death?
This reminds us, that what Adam could not do God did. Adam tried to cover Adam with fig-leaves, but “the Lord God made coats of skins, and clothed them.” Not a bit of Adam could be seen through the skins.
Is it not so, whilst man cannot by works of righteousness cover his sin, and guilt, and shame? yet, through the death of the Sin-bearer, does not the righteousness of God upon all that believe cover him; his sin, and sins, and shame, and guilt forever out of sight? Though there was no promise to Adam, yet, through the woman’s Seed, which is Christ, Adam is covered, yea, displaced, and “Christ is all.” Oh, dear reader, do you know this blessedness— “the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works”—iniquities forgiven, sins covered, sin not imputed? (Rom. 4:4-84Now to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. 5But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness. 6Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, 7Saying, Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. 8Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin. (Romans 4:4‑8).)
Yes, this religious Cain slew Abel. And now this third question—Where is Jesus? When the question was put to Cain, be gave the family answer, “I know not.” Where is Abel, thy brother? “I know not.” Oh, solemn truth, it was the religious Pharisees that gave Jesus to be put to death! Oh, the hatred of the priests to Jesus! Do you say, What have I to do with Jesus, or His death—am I His keeper? So said Cain. Eternity depends on how we stand in regard to Jesus. The Creator of all things become man, our neighbor! And as Cain slew Abel, so this world has put to death Jesus, the Son of God. How, then, do you stand in reference to Jesus? Every child of Cain says, “I know not.” Are your sins forgiven through Him? Do you say, “know not.” Do you think you will be saved, or lost, by keeping the law? “I know not.”
When you stand on the brink of the grave, may we ask, where will you be, and what have you beyond it? “I know not.” When Jesus comes in glory, where will you be? “I know not.” Yes, “I know not” is the language of ever ν unbeliever. All is dark uncertainty. Is not this terrible? Is it so with our reader?
Not so the believer. We ask him, Where is Jesus? “Where?” he says, “ at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and He is my righteousness ever in the presence of God.” “We know” is the language of faith. We know all sins forgiven, for God says so. (Acts 13:38, 3938Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: 39And by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses. (Acts 13:38‑39).) We know we have everlasting life, for God says so (John 5:2424Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. (John 5:24).) We can stand at the brink of the grave, and say, “We know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” 2 (Cor. 5:1.) And when He comes in glory, we know that we shall be with Him.
The fourth question is very solemn. Not only, Where is Jesus? but, “What hast thou done?” Have you despised and rejected Jesus, as Cain despised, hated, and slew Abel? Or have you accepted Him, your Sin-bearer and righteousness?
The Holy Ghost has come down from heaven to bear witness that Jesus has been cruelly put to death by men: do you, then, stand with that world guilty of the death of Jesus? Poor Cain, he went out of the presence of the Lord, a vagabond in the land of Nod, or the vagabond. Will you follow him in that land? Away from the presence of the Lord, man is a vagabond. A poor vagabond, or a rich vagabond-rich in cattle, well-tilled land, building a city, with its manufactures and music—such is man, trying to forget that he is a vagabond, out of the presence of God. Is God speaking to you now pardon and peace through the death and resurrection of Jesus from among the dead? For though Abel could not typify the complete gospel, yet Seth—another seed—completes the picture. If we had only the death of Abel, ii would be most sad, for Satan would have triumphed in the family of Cain. In like manner, if Jesus had only died, Satan would have triumphed, and the gospel be false. (1 Cor. 15:14-2014And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. 15Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. 16For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: 17And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. 18Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. 19If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miserable. 20But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. (1 Corinthians 15:14‑20).) But as in Seth, so in Christ, we have the seed promised, and the final overthrow of Satan in the new creation; Jesus, the first-born from among the dead.
The music, the arts, the world of Cain, await you in the land of the vagabond. Will you reject Christ once more, and go out? Oh, beware, it may be once too often—forever too late. Cain went out from the presence of the Lord. Oh, ponder the consequences of one more fatal step. Beware lest it be the last.