The Image Maker E-Book

Brian Simmons

• Herausgeber: BroadStreet Publishing Group, LLC
• Kategorie: Religion und Spiritualität
• Serie: The Passion Translation Devotional Commentaries
• Sprache: Englisch
• Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2019

Seitenzahl: 222

Beschreibung

All things came to life through the Word of God.   Genesis is God's autobiography with the seal of perfection stamped upon every word contained within. The powerful Word of God put light in the darkness, land in the sea, and life on an uninhabited earth. Join Brian and Candice Simmons as they tell the fascinating story of human creation in The Image Maker, the first of three volumes that studies the book of Genesis,  the first book of the Bible, in depth. Journey through the first eleven chapters and gain fresh insight from rich footnotes that include commentary, word studies, cross references, and alternate translations. You are God's divine idea, and you were formed by his loving thoughts. Walk with him as he releases his glorious image into the universe.  

Leseprobe

BroadStreet Publishing® Group, LLC

Savage, Minnesota, USA

BroadStreetPublishing.com

The Image Maker: Dust and Glory

Copyright © 2019 by Brian Simmons and Candice Simmons

978-1-4245-5926-8 (softcover)

978-1-4245-5927-5 (e-book)

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form, except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without permission in writing from the publisher.

All Scripture quotations are from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017, 2018 by Passion & Fire Ministries, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com.

Stock or custom editions of BroadStreet Publishing titles may be purchased in bulk for educational, business, ministry, fundraising, or sales promotional use. For information, please email [email protected].

Cover and interior by Garborg Design at GarborgDesign.com

Printed in the United States of America

19 20 21 22 23 5 4 3 2 1

To our children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, and those to come.

You are precious and delightful.

You are our joy and God’s spiritual seed.

To each of you this book is affectionally dedicated.

“Don’t yield to fear for I am your Faithful Shield and your Abundant Reward!”

Genesis 15:1

CONTENTS

Introduction

1 In the Beginning

2 Creation Morning

3 The Super-Dome of the Sky

4 Let There Be Life!

5 Clothed in the Glory

6 The Seventh Day

7 The Creator’s Kiss

8 The Garden of Delight

9 The Rivers of Eden

10 Favor and Freedom

11 The Temptation and Fall

12 Forbidden Fruit

13 Fallen Image Bearers

14 Pain Enters the World

15 Eve

16 The Cherubim

17 Am I My Brother’s Shepherd?

18 Acceptable Worship

19 The Cry of Blood

20 The Descendants of Cain

21 The Line of Seth

22 Enoch and Methuselah

23 Noah and the Nephilim

24 Noah’s Ark

25 God the Judge

26 And the Waters Rose

27 God’s Covenant with Noah

28 The Rainbow Covenant

29 Nimrod

30 The Generations from the Flood to Abram

Endnotes

About the Authors

INTRODUCTION

The book of Genesis is God’s autobiography. The seal of perfection stamps every word and every page. If you were to combine the skill of all the greatest literary minds, you would never be able to design a composition that equals the splendor of this first chapter. It stands as a masterpiece in a class all by itself.

The whole purpose of creation is to display the wonderous glory of our God. For we see in the created order of our universe the awesome wonder and mystery found in the Maker of all the heaven. The entire universe is his advertisement, for through it, his glory is on full display (Psalm 19:1). The earth is not “mother earth” as it is often called, but instead it’s his footstool, and all of heaven is his throne.

This is what Yahweh says:

“The heavens are my throne

and the earth is my footstool.

Where is the house you will build for me?

Where is the place where I will rest?

My hand made these things

so they all belong to me,” declares Yahweh.

(Isaiah 66:1)

But it is not the earth or the cosmos that is God’s highest order. It is man and woman made after his kind—a Godkind of creation. God has created humankind to become a container for his glory. He longs to have the worship of those who love him, freely and with all their hearts. God wanted to create you. He made you as the masterpiece of his creative skill. Everything God created brings him pleasure, even you! He created you for his own pleasure, for you carry his image.

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,

to receive glory, honor, and power,

for you created all things,

and for your pleasure

they were created

and exist.”

(Revelation 4:11)

From the very beginning of time, we see that God is powerful, purposeful, wise, and full of glory. All he has to do is to speak the word of creation from his eternal dwelling place of light and everything comes into being from nothingness (Hebrews 11:3). And so, creation takes us into the mystery of worship where we have no answers to our curiosity; we can only worship. For man’s eternal purpose was not to be a scientist, astronomer, or philosopher but a worshipper (John 4:24). That’s made so obvious by the fact that we’ll never be able to take the mystery out of creation. For a God who is incomprehensible in his greatness accomplished the creation of all things!

Every book of the Bible contains God’s secrets. He unveils them to our hearts by the Holy Spirit. The book of Genesis is where God gives away his secrets to the hungry. There is a deep level of meaning embedded in every verse of the tremendous book. Look for Jesus on every page, and you find him, sometimes hidden in metaphor or symbolic speech, but he is there, reaching his arms out to you, his beloved.

The Christian world is somewhat indifferent when it comes to the deeper revelations of God. Some believers have been taught to stay away from them, to basically ignore symbolism and allegory. But I have a feeling that doesn’t describe who you are. You’re ready to go deep, to look past the letters and investigate the passion of God’s heart through the stories of Genesis. The Bible is much like a human being. We have an outward person and an inward person. To know the inward person is what we call relationship, intimacy, friendship, and comradery. So it is with the living Word of God. It requires that we take time and ponder, unveiling our hearts to the mysteries of the Bible. The wisdom hidden in the creation account itself is enough to keep the hungry-hearted ones searching and digging deeper into truth. Don’t yield to the thought that you already understand the text. Be alert for something new, something you’ve never thought of before, and enjoy the discovery that awaits.

I hope you’ll take the time to read through this book a chapter a day. It will give you insights into the first eleven chapters of Genesis. We have written this to be a devotional commentary, to give you a vibrant picture of God our Creator, and to discover his gracious love for you! So enjoy reading about the Image Maker himself and how he will shape you and me into the image of his glory.

Brian and Candice Simmons

1

IN THE BEGINNING

This is where it all begins—in the beginning. As far back as your mind can imagine, God was there, the only one who has no beginning. Imagine it with me. There was no space, yet his fullness was everywhere. Infinity surrounded him with limitless possibilities. God was able to do anything he desired. And he was fully satisfied with who he was—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the one and only true God, God transcendent and God alone. God lacked nothing, yet something was missing.

In time before time, he had determined to create a universe and a planet called earth so he could deposit his very image and likeness into his creation. In his eternal thoughts, he knew it was time to act. It was time to bring into being a universe for his glory. God imagined the cosmos with all its vast splendor. He imagined the spinning orbs of the innumerable stars, galaxies, and the universe. He thought deeply before creating earth with its deep valleys, high mountains, and lush landscape. Then he spoke, and it all began with an explosion of light streaming everywhere!

God’s thoughts had already imagined and shaped the largest galaxy and the smallest atom before he created them. With exquisite skill and creativity, God shaped all things by his word and spoke them into being with intricate detail and skill (Hebrews 11:3). God created a dimension separate from his own being. No detail was too small for God as he prepared to unveil his masterpiece of wisdom, his dream come true. God speaks order and goodness into his creation.

The book of Genesis provides the foundation of all theology. He was and is the one and only God, the God of beginnings who loved and loves to create beginnings and new beginnings. And the spirit of creativity was and is over all his works. In fact, we can probably translate Genesis 1:1 to say, “God created beginnings.” Father-God loves to start fresh and make all things new. Having many beginnings, the Creator-God continues to create.

I remember a special gift my father gave me as an eight-year-old, inquisitive boy. It was a telescope. Many were the nights I would slip outside after dark, set up my telescope on a tripod, and peer into space, gazing on fuzzy balls of light. I learned about constellations and the many wonders of our universe. It is difficult to imagine that anyone could not believe in our Creator God. He is good, all he has made is good, and he loves to bring delight to his sons and daughters.

WHO IS THIS ONE?

So, who is this God who speaks the galaxies into existence? Who is this one who gives birth to time? Who is this Eternal One who is so full of mystery and wonder? His Hebrew name is revealed as “ELOHIM,” which translates to “The Ancient One,” “The Mighty One,” “The God of power,” or in ancient Aramaic, “The One over the flames.” It is a title that emphasizes his sovereignty and power: “Mighty God.” Elohim is the plural of Eloah and occurs nearly 2,600 times in the Bible. Eloah comes from the word ahlah, which means “to worship, to adore” and presents God as the one worthy of worship and adoration. Amazingly, the first name of the deity in the Bible is a plural noun that suggests the Trinity. The Image Maker is a three-fold being who made man as a three-fold being—with a body, a soul, and a spirit. Every human being is a three-in-one just as God is three-in-one. We’ll discuss that more later in the book.

CREATION AND THE NEW CREATION

The word “beginning” is actually the Hebrew word for “first-fruits.” The Bible begins with firstfruits! God is birthing his firstfruits in creation, and his very life sprang forth from what he created. This was the beginning of beginnings. He poured himself into the creation as firstfruits of his eternal purpose for the universe.

In the six days of creation, we see a clear picture of the spiritual redemption of man, purchased for us by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ as he brought us to himself. The Father always had our redemption on his mind and in his heart. When the eyes of our heart are open, we can see in the seven days of creation the seven stages we pass through to become God’s Sabbath people, the people who find their completion in him and rest in his fullness. Let’s look at these seven stages of spiritual growth:

“Empty … Formless … dark”The Sinner (Ephesians 2:1–3)

“The Spirit of God … swept”Source of life (John 6:44)

Day 1 “Let there be light.”Spoken work (John 1:1–4; 2 Corinthians 4:6)

Day 2 “Let there be a dome (vault, expanse, atmosphere).”Separation and salvation (Colossians 3:1–3)

Day 3 “Let the land burst forth with growth.”Spirit of fruitfulness (Galatians 5:22–23)

Day 4 “Let there be bright lights.”Spirit of revelation (Ephesians 1:17)

Day 5 “Let the waters swarm [with sea life] … let the sky be filled with soaring birds of every kind.”Sweet worship (Song of Songs 2:12)

Day 6 “Let us make a man and woman in our image.”Sharing in God’s life (Hebrews 3:1, 14)

Day 7 “God had completed creating His masterpiece and rested.”Sabbath perfection (4:1–11)

God began his work in us in the darkness, in the chaotic mess of our lives before we came to know and love Jesus Christ. That beautiful work continues to this day, bringing you and me deeper into the image of God. You will never need to fear, for God will always bring to perfection everything he begins. You are heaven’s masterpiece, so don’t judge the canvas before the Master Artist has finished the last stroke.

LET’S PRAY

Father God, my Creator, Elohim, my wonderful God. I love you. I can see your beauty all around me. Today, I let go of my opinions of who you really are and what you are doing in my life. I trust in you and believe that your work in my heart will continue until the fullness of your image shines through my life. Thank you for not giving up on me! Amen.

2

CREATION MORNING

When God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was completely formless and empty, with nothing but darkness draped over the deep. God’s Spirit swept over the face of the waters.And then God announced: “Let there be light,” and light burst forth! And God saw the light as pleasing and beautiful; he used the light to dispel the darkness.God called the light “Day,” and the darkness “Night.”Evening gave way to morning—the first day.

GENESIS 1:1–5

Nothing can compare to these opening verses in the first chapter of Genesis. It is a poetic and literary masterpiece! We are so thankful for the inspired Word of God. Every time we read our Bibles, we feel the light of God drenching us. How grateful we are to have the life-giving Word of God.

Now let’s go back and look at the various stages of God’s creative acts. The first thing we see is the brooding Spirit of God hovering over the darkness of the surface of the waters. What a foreboding scene! Darkness and confusion cannot dwell in the presence of the Creator God. The wisdom and symmetry of the Spirit of God turned chaos into creation’s order (Proverbs 8; Hebrews 11:3). Before God spoke, all was void and formless—and the same can be said of our lives before the light of Christ broke forth into our hearts.

Chaos can never thwart God’s plans; chaos merely provides an opportunity for God to reveal his power and glory. The way God created the universe is the same way that he creates order in our lives and makes us over into the image of Christ. Systematically, with the creative Word of God, he brings the beauty of his life out of our dark chaos.

And this same Holy Spirit gently hovered over a virgin named Mary to bring his perfect Man into the world (Luke 1:35). The word swept can also be translated as “to brood” or “to flutter.” In Deuteronomy 32:11, this same word describes an eagle gently hovering over its young. In Genesis 8:8–12 and Matthew 3:16, the Holy Spirit is the Dove. Another form of this word in Daniel 7:2 can mean “winds of heaven,” reminding us of the mighty rushing wind that gave birth to the church at Pentecost. The Hebrew word for brooding is rachaph. It is the literal term used to describe the brooding of a bridegroom over his bride on their wedding night! Since we are his bride, he loves us with an everlasting love and gently hovers over us.

You will see that the progression of creation moves from the lower to the higher, from the darker to the brighter, from the evening to the morning, like the dawning of a new day. For the Word of God puts light into darkness, land in the midst of sea, air where there is only water, life on the surface of the uninhabited earth. God always starts with form then fills it with fullness! He has come to bring fullness into our darkness.

FIRST THE FORM

THEN THE FULLNESS

Day 1

Light & Dark

Day 4

Lights of Day / Night

Day 2

Sea & Sky

Day 5

Creatures of Water / Sky

Day 3

Fertile Earth

Day 6

Creatures of the Land

In nature, it’s first the bud, then the blossom, then the fruit. It’s first the baby, the adolescent, and then the mature adult. So also it is in grace. Step by step, God releases fullness into an incomplete form. Out of our immaturity, God’s grace births his perfection. He will put his finishing touch on you until he unveils the Lord Jesus Christ in you. He is the Philippians 1:6 God! Just as God saw the completion of creation before he finished it, God sees the image of Christ each time he looks at you, even in your immaturity. And God will speak into your life what he spoke on creation’s morning.

GOD SAID, “LET THERE BE LIGHT!”

All the planning was over. All the colors, the dimensions of space and matter, the intricacies of design and symmetry—all was prepared and ready to burst forth with creation glory. He could no longer hold back his imaginings. He would now put them on display for all to see. He spared no details, for no detail was too small for him as he prepared the unveiling of this masterpiece of wisdom. Then he spoke light into existence.

And as he released his word of power, the universe began to expand at the speed of light, and it’s been expanding ever since. Nothing can stop this light, for God’s kingdom operates according to the principle of an endless increase (Isaiah 9:6–7), not by a power that diminishes over time, but by a power that continues to increase as time passes.

Even in the very beginning, light was the first expression that God released in the earth. “God said, ’Let there be light.’ And light burst forth” (Genesis 1:3), and yet he didn’t create the sun until the fourth day. Just think about it—before the natural sun existed, there was light! And the light was God himself filling the earth with his presence and glory. It was the very essence of himself, a supernatural light going beyond what man has been able to capture in artificial light. It was the very core of light. It was the light to which no man could come close:

Yes, God will make his appearing in his own divine timing, for he is the exalted God, the only powerful One, the King over every king, and the Lord of power! He alone is the immortal God, living in the unapproachable light of divine glory! No one has ever seen his fullness, nor can they, for all the glory and endless authority of the universe belongs to him forever and ever. Amen! (1 Timothy 6:15–16)

Think about the power of the Omnipotent Word and the uncreated wisdom behind it. God spoke, and there was an explosion of light that is still racing through the darkness at the rate of 5.89 trillion miles per year! No man was there to hear his decree, yet darkness heard the word of his power and vanished. And that word is still proceeding out of the mouth of God. In fact, everything he speaks accomplishes his purpose. Not one of his words is an idle one.

The beauty of the universe magnifies the Creator. Imagine this: God’s thoughts had already shaped the largest galaxy and the smallest atom before he ever created them. With exquisite skill and ingenuity, he beautifully coordinated all things and spoke them into being (Hebrews 11:3).

When the Holy Spirit gives us spiritual light and opens our eyes to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we begin to see ourselves in our real position in him. It’s in his light that we see “light” (revelation). Spiritual light has many beams and prismatic colors: revelation, knowledge, joy, holiness, and life. And all of them are waiting for us to see them in and through his glorious light.

Since light is so good, we can ask our Creator for more of it, and in receiving light we receive more of him, for he is our true light, and he longs to give himself away to us. But there is a necessary division, for light and darkness have no communion. God has divided them so that there would be no confusion between the two. Sons of light must not have fellowship with the deeds, doctrines, or deceits of darkness. For in Scripture, we’re called children of the day, and we must be full of light. We must be able to discern between the precious and the vile to maintain the distinction that the Father placed between the two upon the creation of the world that first day.

This light God called “pleasing” or “beautiful” (Ecclesiastes 11:7). God’s plan is truly beautiful. He chose the light and separated it from darkness, calling the light “day” and the darkness “night.” This is a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ himself, the Light of the World. When Jesus came into the world, the Father said of him, “You are my greatest delight.” God called his true light his greatest delight!

THE NAME OF YAHWEH HIDDEN IN GENESIS

The Hebrew verbs used with “Let there be … and so it happened” are both related to the holy name Yahweh. Yehi means “Let there be,” and wayhi means “and so it happened.” When connected, they give us the name of God, Yahweh. In the very beginning of the Bible, Yahweh is mentioned. Yahweh is the “I am that I am,” the God who said, “Let there be … and so it happened.”

It’s not difficult for God to work where there is darkness, chaos, and confusion. Man wants to begin with light, but God begins with darkness. He will begin with evening and turn it into day. This is the way God operates.

LET’S PRAY

God, your light spills into my soul today, healing me and soothing me. I thank you that my darkness will not hinder you. You turn darkness into day, chaos into order. You have done so many miracles in my life. Keep working in me until you can flow effortlessly through me. I long for more of you, Father, Creator, my God. Amen.

3

THE SUPER-DOME OF THE SKY

And God said: “Let there be a dome between the waters to separate the water above from the water below.” He made the dome and called it “Sky,” and separated the water above the dome from the water below the dome. Evening gave way to morning—day two.

GENESIS 1:6–8

I have always been fascinated by the sky. I love watching clouds and can often imagine a shape or figure of an angel as I look at the wind-swept clouds above. Even the night sky seems to draw our gaze upward to the luminaries of the stars and the moon. I thank God for his creation and the breathtaking wonder of his glory in the heavens.

On this second day of creation, God separated the waters below from the waters above (Psalm 33:9; 148:4). He stretched out this “dome” (atmosphere) and named it “sky.” The Hebrew word translated “separated” is similar to “spreading a sheet” or “drawing out a curtain” (Psalm 104:2). The clouds wrapped up the waters above. God preserved above us great store-chambers of rain, snow, and hail (Job 28:22–23; Psalm 104:13).

The height of the heavens reminds us of God’s supremacy and the infinite distance between us. The brightness of the heavens reminds us of his purity and glory. The vastness of the heavens teaches us of the immensity and grandeur of his majesty. He is the God of the heavens who has stretched out this dome over us.

God loves to make a difference, to separate and put in order. He separated day and night, and here he separated waters above from the waters below. As creation proceeded, there was one separation after another, yet he can also take the parts and make the whole into one as needed (1 Corinthians 12:17–20).

THE THIRD DAY

And God said: “Let the water beneath the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And so it happened. God called the dry ground “Land,” and the gathered waters he called “Seas.” And God saw the beauty of his creation, and he was very pleased. Then God said, “Let the land burst forth with growth: plants that bear seeds of their own kind, and every variety of fruit tree, each with power to multiply from its own seed.” And so it happened. The land flourished with grasses, every variety of seed-bearing plants, and trees bearing fruit with its seed in it. And God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. Evening gave way to morning—day three. (Genesis 1:9–13)

Good stuff always happens on the third day! The earth began as a planet covered by a dark, uninterrupted ocean. Suddenly, the Lord spoke, and light shone as the atmosphere took its place. God parted the waters and formed the oceans, lakes, and rivers by the raising up of dry land (Psalm 104:9). On the third1 day, God created earth’s vegetation. For the third day represents the day of fruitfulness and maturity.

God raised the earth out of waters and clothed it with life. In a place of desolation and death, fertility is a God-created capacity. He is the author of life, fruitfulness, and reproduction. Life is in the seed. God’s fruits all multiply themselves. The Hebrew for “each with the power to multiply from its own seed” is actually “seeding seed.”2

Life sprang forth.3 And as God formed the earth, he brought into being a profusion of flora that could reproduce and cross-pollinate, “each with the power to multiply from its own seed.” The earth began to take on this innocent and distinctive character, “and God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful.”

The work of God at creation involved three separations. He separated the light from darkness. Then he separated the waters above from the waters beneath. And finally, he divided the water from the land. Out of this separated, resurrected land, God brought forth a variety of life—and that was just the third day!

THE FOURTH DAY