Book Of Genesis Essay

Genesis, the first book of the Old Testament, deals with the concept of Adam's original sin and the subsequent transgressions committed by his descendants. Furthermore, Genesis shows the way in which the Lord punishes those who defy His will. It is widely accepted among believers of the Christian faith that God deplores sin, yet truly loves sinners. By His immeasurable mercy and grace, the Lord lifts sinners out of the abyss of their wrongdoings and allows them another chance to set out on the path of righteousness. It is arguable that the commands of the Lord in the book of Genesis, such as exiling Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden and the Great Flood, contradict His forgiving disposition. However, the nature of God’s chastisements demonstrates

the exact opposite. God does not seek retribution when punishing His creations, nor does He hate humankind for sinning—His purpose is to enlighten humans of the consequences of their sinful actions.
God created a man, named Adam, and tasked him with tilling and maintaining the Garden of Eden/ God also created a woman, named Eve, whose purpose was to help and accompany Adam as his wife.

Adam and Eve were not ashamed of their nakedness in the eyes of each other and God because they knew nothing of sin or evil. God explicitly instructed Adam to abstain from eating the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil--doing so would not only make humankind self-aware, but also aware of evil and the propensity for sin. Adam and Eve ate the fruit and their sin was not only of disobedience but also entailed the underlying transgressions of sexual urge and desire. The Lord punishes Eve by cursing her with painful childbirth and subservience to her husband; He punished Adam by cursing him with painful and the reality of impending death. As further punishment, God exiles Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden. These castigations were severe, but served as just conditions to obtaining divine knowledge. The Lord could have easily killed Adam and Eve and remade humans that would conform to the image in which he initially created them. However, God casts Adam and Eve into the outside world, to allow them the chance to correct their sins and attempt to rectify their standing with the

Lord.
Eve bore two sons, Cain and Abel, and the boys grew up with faith in the Lord, striving to please Him with offerings. Cain grows envious of God’s perceived favoritism toward Abel, and kills his brother. The Lord deplores murder, proclaiming, “Whoever sheds the blood of a human, by a human shall that person’s blood be shed.” (The Cambridge Annotated Study Bible, Gen. 9.6) God curses Cain to be a “fugitive and a wanderer on the earth,” yet He adds the stipulation that no other human kill Cain, lest they wish to suffer vengeance sevenfold. (The Cambridge Annotated Study Bible, Gen. 4.12) The Lord does not kill Cain to avenge Abel’s death because He wishes Cain to learn the consequences of succumbing to the sin of envy and murder. Bearing a mark that alienates him from society, and simultaneously protects him from death, Cain understands the forgiving nature of His creator.
Although God made humans in His image, and therefore inherently good, men and women managed to become susceptible to wickedness—Adam’s original sin precipitated the downfall of humankind. God did not want humans to consume the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil because, in His omnipotence He knew that they would not be able to find the balance between good and evil. The humans living during the era of Noah succumbed to their wickedness, to the extent that their hearts were continuously inclined to sin. As a punishment for humans’ wicked intentions, the Lord brings a flood upon the earth with the intention that “everything that is on the earth…die.” (The Cambridge Annotated Study Bible, Gen. 6.17) However, God does not hate humanity because if he truly abhorred humans, then He would have obliterated everyone, Noah and his family. Moreover, the Lord grieves over the humans that have distanced themselves from His divine mercy and power. The Lord’s grief over his fallen creations, and compassion for his faithful followers, undermines the severity of the Great Flood.
The main purpose of God’s chastisements is to neither castigate, nor enact suffering upon His creations. Rather, God punishes humans in order to reveal the consequences that follow committing actions that fall out of accordance with His will.