Images of God in Genesis - Essay Example

Task Images of God in Genesis God is a focal character in the lengthy narrative that is the book of Genesis; He is the most compelling character in the book. He is, in fact, the one figure whose presence ties it together from the beginning to end. From creation to the settlement of Joseph’s family in Egypt, God in one way or another is central as he interacts with other characters. This character, God, gives a coherence and structure to the extended narrative of Genesis that is often otherwise experienced as quite episodic. In the book of Genesis, all stories bring out God as the most central character thereby creating different images of Him throughout the book. This paper is about the various images of God as depicted in the stories of the creation of the world, the beginnings of history, Cain and Abel: the first murder, the flood, the tower of Babel, Abraham and Isaac, Joseph and brothers, and Moses and the exodus in the book of Genesis. The first image of God depicted in the book of Genesis is that of a creator and a sovereign designer. The book of Genesis opens with the words, ‘In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth’ (Paul, Gary & Johnson, 234). Before the creation, the earth is described as empty and void; God embarks on a series of activities that turn it into a finely structured cosmos. God is active in creating, but there is no struggle; he does not have to work at it but rather to command the existence of whatever he desires. Creation comes directly from his utterance and actions, as expressions of his will. On the first three days, spaces are created (the heavens, the seas, and dry land with vegetation) and or the next three days these spaces are populated (with the sun, moon and stars: the fish, other swarming creatures, and birds; mammals), and eventually humans. Judging from his creation God is absorbed on structures and taxonomies and hierarchy. After Adam consumes the forbidden fruit God expels him from the Garden of Eden. In genesis 3:22, God suggests that the results of combining the Knowledge of Good and Evil with the benefits offered by the tree are extremely severe (Paul, Gary & Johnson, 454). This leads to his prompt action of expelling Adam from the garden and thus from access to immortality. The struggle is brought out in that God’s prohibition soon proves on the face of it less than effective. Another image of God brought out is that of Him as a struggling parent. God molds an earthling from the dust on the ground and breaths into his nostrils a living breath creating Adam. This could suggest that God needs this earthling as a partner before he can go about the construction of his garden. After placing Adam in the Garden of Eden, rather than speaking, God commands him not to eat the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. The cycle in Genesis is generation, degeneration, and regeneration. Cain killed Abel, but God gave Seth to continue the godly line. The earth became violent and immoral, so God wiped out humanity but chose Noah and his family to carry his work. Isaac and Rebekah had two sons, Esau and Jacob, but God rejected Esau and chose Jacob to build the twelve tribes of Israel and inherit the covenant blessings (Paul, Gary & Johnson, 674, 786). All along in the book of Genesis, many individuals made mistakes and even tried to thwart God’s plans. The third image of God depicted in the book of Genesis is that as a destroyer and a sustainer. This image is clearly brought out in the story of Noah and his sons. It takes God’s extensive repeating and sustained reinforcing to assure Noah and his sons of His protection. God destroys all creations but sustains Noah, his sons, their families and a pair of all animal species. God the sustainer concludes the episode of the Great flood when he swears to preserve his creation. Genesis 1-11 is a manifestation of man’s letdown, but with the call of Abraham, Yahweh embarked on a novel beginning (Paul, Gary & Johnson, 774). Man’s sins had led to God’s curse, but God’s amiable covenant with Abraham brought sanctification to the entire creation. It is also evident that when man does his worst and reaches his lowest, God gives him a new beginning. Another image brought out in the book of genesis is God as a patron. Throughout Genesis 12-14, the relationship established by Yahweh with Abraham is cast in the mold of patron and client (Paul, Gary & Johnson, 834). The patron stands as sovereign in the life of his client. Yahweh does not hinder Abraham when he rescues Lot from the kings of the east (Paul, Gary & Johnson, 934). As Abraham’s patron Yahweh does renew his promise of land and seed sufficient to become a mighty nation. As Abraham acknowledges in his interactions with Melchizedek, in his eyes, his patron Yahweh is behind the success of his venture against the kings who capture Lot. By the conclusion of Genesis 14, God as the patron and Abraham as the client seem in full and firm relationship with each other. In conclusion, different stories in the book of genesis exhibit different images of God based on His actions and interactions with various characters. Some of the images depicted include God as of a creator and a sovereign designer, God as a struggling parent, God the destroyer and a sustainer and God as patron. Works Cited  Paul, Davis, Gary Harrison and David, Johnson. The Bedford Anthology of World Literature: The ancient world, beginnings-100 C. E. Bedford/St. Martin's, 2003  Read More