What We Learn from Genesis, Part 2: Morality
Jesus said, “Things that cause people to sin are bound to come, but woe to that person through whom they come.”
Luke 17:1
In Genesis we find specific behaviors that are clearly portrayed as wrong. They are against the character of God. They do harm to others and to the world God created. They also bring unpleasant and unhappy results. We also discover certain behaviors are good things to do — they are right, moral, ethical, and bring pleasant results to the world and to the lives of those who live by them. In reading this book, we find the same Author, the Holy Spirit, who inspired the remainder of the Bible, leaves His imprint upon it in terms of morality — what to do and what not to do.
This is a partial list at best, and we see that none of these works brought salvation — “Abraham believed the LORD and it was credited to him as righteousness” (Gen 15:6) — rather the morality we see evidenced in the story of Genesis was acted out by those who were already believers. In every age it is faith in God, as He has revealed Himself in that day and to that person, that brings salvation and redemption. Morality is the result of the person’s faith and salvation — not the means by which they were saved.
The cause of immoral behavior is the human heart that now, after the sin of Adam and Eve, carries this sin nature to each generation. Genesis 5 explains that God created humanity “in the likeness of God” but sin marred and scarred this creation. “The LORD saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time” (Gen. 6:5). So the principle of man’s sinfulness is clearly presented in Genesis. We need saving and the Savior will come in the way God had planned. He must provide our salvation, for we are incapable to save ourselves.
Live by the truth of God: The first responsibility of humanity is to live by the truth of God, to know it, to obey it — whether it is a command of something to do with our hands, or something to believe in our hearts, or something to say or not say with our mouths. The first obligation of Adam and Eve was to represent His commands accurately, to obey God in their lives. But this command extends to very other person throughout the book. Nowhere in Genesis does God command people to obey Him. Those matters arise in Exodus but not in Genesis. No one questions as Pharaoh did, “Who is the Lord that I should obey him?” (Exodus 5:2) and God never commanded obedience in Genesis as He did later (Exodus 15:26 and Deut. 6:1–9). His authority to command is assumed by those who walk with Him.
Do not lust after what is unlawful for you to have: This was part of the original sin of Adam and Eve — they wanted what God said they could not have. It is a matter of our faith in God to accept that certain things are beyond us to have — either in their nature or in the unethical means by which we must go to attain them. Be content with what you have and trust God to bless you. Jealousy and envy are terrible dangers to the inner soul of the individual, to relationships in families, and to society as a whole.
Do not do violence against another person: The Great Flood was God’s judgment against the violence that had spread throughout the earth (Gen. 6:11). Cain killed Abel, the brothers sold Joseph into slavery, Levi and Simeon attacked and killed the Shechemites, and violence causes harm to God’s creation. God made a covenant with Noah, “From each man … I will demand an accounting of the life of his fellow man. Whoever sheds the blood of man by man shall his blood be shed; for in the image of God has God made man” (Gen. 9:5–6). So authority was given to humanity to punish, even with death, those who take the life of another.
Early in the history of the earth we see that Abraham’s brave confrontation with the enemies of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 14) gives a justification of a just war — to protect the innocent, to deter aggression, to restore what was stolen, to provide freedom and safety to the vulnerable — but his refusal to accept the blatant profiteering offered by the king of Sodom, also instructs us of the danger of the liberator acting with the same spirit and motives of the aggressor. So society itself must always be careful with its moral right and even responsibility to punish the evil person, for it is a very easy thing for the one who acts to protect the innocent to morph into the same type of attitudes and actions as the ones who oppress the innocent.
Be honest in your dealings with others: It is an important moral characteristic of the patriarchs that they were honest and forthright in their dealings with their fellowman. They kept their word. They paid for the services of others. They did not take advantage of others. They became wealthy and powerful, but it was through honest dealings and not through dishonest.
Honor marriage: Sexual fidelity was clearly the intent of God from the Garden onward — that a man would leave his father and mother and cleave unto one wife, and be faithful to that woman as long as they both lived. The patriarchs added wives — especially Jacob — and God redeemed the circumstances, but it was clear that this was not God’s best plan. God blessed Jacob despite his sins of infidelity and not because of it. Joseph stands out in the story as a young believer even in a foreign land who did not sin against his new master, Potiphar, by sleeping with his wife.
Do not abuse alcohol: Thrice in Genesis alcohol plays a significant part — Noah (Gen. 9:20–26), Lot (Gen 19:30–38); and it is implied that wine was also used to dupe Jacob into marrying Leah (Gen 29:22–25). In all three situations, the abuse of alcohol led to sexual carelessness, so the words of Ephesians 5:18 — “Do not be drunk with wine which leads to debauchery” — are evidenced in Genesis.
Do not prostitute yourself: The story of Judah’s sexual relations with Tamar, his son Er’s wife and widow, reveal the clear understanding among the descendants of Abraham that prostitution was an evil. It was customary that when a son died, his brothers would bring his widow into their own family and have children with the widow, but the children would be considered sons and daughters of their deceased brother. Onan, Judah’s second son, slept with Tamar but spilled his semen on the ground, which the Bible described as wicked (Gen. 38:8–10). This may be taken two different ways — (1) that Onan had a duty to perform to his brother which he intentionally failed to do, seeing sexual relations with Tamar nothing more than a pleasurable experience, or (2) that this passage condemns any form of birth control as wicked. The Catholic church’s interpretation has been the second one, and Protestants and Evangelicals have tended toward the first interpretation. But in chapter 38 of Genesis Tamar pretends to be a prostitute to trick Judah, her father-in-law, into sexual relations. The story shows Judah’s immorality but also his capacity for repentance. The point of Genesis 6:2, about men choosing mates merely on physical appearance, and Genesis 38 is that sexual relations are intended for the marriage relationship only.
Live in peace with others: Abraham made treaties and sought to have good relations with all the people around him. He was welcomed, respected, and depended upon. Clearly he was more than a harmless force, and, as the liberation of Sodom showed, was willing to risk himself and his resources to help another.
Live responsibly: One of the moral lessons from Joseph’s life was how God gives wisdom to His people to survive in difficult times. Joseph was wise and discerning and led Egypt to save during the productive times and not to waste the bounty of the produce that came during the “fat years.”
Give to God: Another essential morality issue was the people’s giving to the work of God. It is remarkable that in those days of no churches, of no regular mission offerings, that the people found ways to honor God with their earnings. Abel’s offering of the “fat portions” from the “first born” of his flock revealed a profound understanding of this principle. Noah, immediately upon disembarking from the ark, offered some of the animals on the ark in a a sacrificial offering to God. Abraham gave one tenth of all that he owned to Melchizedek, the Priest of Salem, “priest of God Most High” (Gen 14:18–20).
We may add other moral matters — the importance of humility, the evil of pride, the sin of envy, the wrong done by veering from God’s plan, the evil of impatience, the importance of accountability and responsibility — so these above are only a partial list. What is clear is that from the beginning of the sacred record the same morality prevails, and it does so because the Book was inspired by and was written about the same God. When we come to the Ten Commandments recorded in Exodus 20, we already see their imprint in general moral principles upon the minds and hearts of people. And when we come to the New Testament, we find that the same Spirit of God inspires each believer to live according to the same moral principles. He bears His fruit in our lives by His Spirit.
