How do I understand the Book of Genesis?

Happy New Year 2015! Two years ago I made a New Year resolution - to write a blog on my spiritual discovery from my daily Bible reading at least once a week. So far I have not broken my promise and I can see God's blessings in this endeavor. This year I will try something different. Although I will still follow the "Bible in a Year" schedule on Our Daily Bread, I will write more on what I have learned from other Christian or non-Christian materials. I will learn from other faith and their perspectives on life. This will push me to do more reading outside the Bible. I hope the experience will draw me closer to God, to understand His love and His purpose for me better.

So to start I will share on a book I recently read. The book was written by a friend from church and is called "Reaching into Plato's Cave: Bringing the Bible into the 21st century". My friend Luke, who is an accomplished scientist and a professor in the same medical school of which I am also a faculty member, spent a large part of his book on his struggle and his discovery on the Book of Genesis. He explained quite clearly on many of the popular positions on creation and the origin of man:

• The Young Earth (YE) explanation of the creation story is based on the literal interpretation of Genesis chapters one and two, i.e. 1 day is literally 24 hours of the modern day clock. The earth is only between 6000 to 10,000 years old.
• The Theistic Evolution (or OE as in Old Earth) embraces the evolution theory to explain the origin of species and of man (it affirms evolution theory as a plausible theory as in gravitational theory). The interpretation of the Genesis story is based on metaphor, i.e. God tells us through stories that He is our creator and wants to have a special relationship with us.
• Intelligent Design (IE) argues for the existence of God from a philosophical and scientific point of view. God, being all powerful and creative, can do anything. This also explains what can not be explained scientifically at this time (the God-of-the-gaps).
• The atheists must know that they too depend on "Faith" when it comes to explaining the origin of life and of species (be it the Big Bang, the fossils, and the improbability of how evolution takes us from simple organism into something so complex and integrated).

This morning when I read once again the stories of Cain and Abel (Genesis 4) and Noah and the Flood (Genesis 6), the many old nagging questions came up again:

• The children of Adam and Eve obviously married each other (but only the names of the boys were mentioned). Then who were the people of whom Cain was afraid in Genesis 4:13-14 (“My punishment is more than I can bear. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”).
• Men used to live as old as 969 years (Methuselah, Genesis 5:27) and Noah didn't become a father until he was 500 years old. What was happening then that was so different from what is now?
• Who were the Nephilims and how wicked was the human race that God would wipe out the entire world because of it (Genesis 6:1-7)?

I find myself quite in agreement with Luke on his take on the Book of Genesis. When Moses (the assumed author) wrote the first five books of the Old Testament (see Gotquestions.org's explanation of the Pentateuch), he wrote it with his understanding of the world then and the context in which he found himself in. He wanted to tell us that God created the universe (and possible parallel universes) - out of nothing. God also created man in a special relationship. There was Satan and satanic forces. Man was free to choose good and evil but our inclination was towards evil. There were still men who sought after God. God restored that love relationship with such men (and women).

I believe that these books were chosen from godly men and women a long time ago, first the Jews (Old Testament) then the Christians (New Testament) soon after Jesus left earth. The Bible was put together to make sure we have a guide book for our faith journey. The Bible and its many authors were specially chosen even though they too were imperfect human beings but they were known to be men who sought after God. Their messages were true then as they are true today. I will try to understand the meaning of these messages with the help of the Holy Spirit and apply them to my life.

It was interesting to watch the movie Exodus: Gods and Kings in 3D on New Year's eve. Some Christians may find it displeasing because it is not entirely based on the Scripture. But I actually found it refreshing in the way the director Ridley Scott (likely a non-christian) interpreted the Book of Exodus. He attempted to explain the complex character of Moses and indeed, God Himself. Was God unreasonably cruel in the story (the killing of all Egyptian first born sons)? Why did God choose to love the Jewish people even though they did not deserve His love? I find it interesting in reading this morning the story of Joseph and Mary escaping to Egypt (Matthews 2:13-18). Isn't it ironic that God sent His Son back to the very place He had rescued the Jewish people many centuries before? And yes, the story also involved the killing of boys - but this time a wicked Roman client king (Harold the Great) ordered the killing of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity who were two years old and under, in an attempt to murder God's only Son!!

It makes me appreciate God's love for me even more. Yes, the world won't be at peace in 2015. But with the Prince of Peace (Jesus) I can be an agent of peace to this world. I will need His help - supernaturally, and yes, literally!