The Genesis Genealogies. Abraham Park

to learn about all the great works that He had accomplished for them.

      In the past, the Israelites and their kings either went to God directly or to His prophets for help when faced with difficult problems (1 Kgs 22:7; 2 Kgs 3:11; 22:13; 2 Chr 18:6). In 1 Kgs 22:7, King Jehoshaphat cried out in the midst of battle, “Is there not yet a prophet of the Lord here that we may inquire of him?” King David also looked to God countless times and in every moment of his life (1 Sam 23:2; 30:8; 2 Sam 5:19, 23; 1 Chr 14:10). God Himself answered each time that David sincerely inquired of Him. As a result, David tasted the glory of victory in all his battles. On the contrary, because Joshua did not seek God’s counsel, he made the grave mistake of agreeing to a peace covenant with the inhabitants of Gibeon who had come to him in disguise (Josh 9:14–15).

      3. He Will Inform You and They Will Tell You

      God assured the Israelites that when they ask their fathers and elders, that they will certainly provide an answer. He confirmed this in Deuteronomy 32:7: “Ask your father, and he will inform you, your elders, and they will tell you.” The fathers will diligently answer those who inquire of them, and the elders will explain in elaborate detail. The Hebrew verb for inform is and is derived from the word that means “to place an object on a high place for all to see.” The word is used when God reveals His will to the people. This word is used when God reveals His will in a dream (Gen 41:25), and when the prophets proclaim the Word of God that they have received (Deut 4:13).

      The Hebrew word for tell is meaning “to speak,” “to prove,” or “to answer.” This means that the leaders will not only tell, but will also explain the matter clearly when the people inquire. The people were to go to the fathers of faith, like Abraham, for issues concerning faith, and to their leaders with administrative duties or elders for issues concerning their communal or social lives.

      With the passage of time, these “fathers and elders” have faded into history. However, they are still alive, providing answers for their inquiring descendants. We must ask the numerous patriarchs of faith that appear in the Bible and learn about the divine administration of redemption that is hidden within their generations. Then, armed with these insights, we must go on to live out our lives by fulfilling God’s will in our generation.

      4. The Unchanging Word of God

      Everything in this world changes constantly, making it almost meaningless to try to distinguish the old from the new. However, the living Word of God is eternally unchanging; it is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 1:12; 13:8). It does not corrupt or rust away for it is living, active, and sharper than any two-edged sword (Heb 4:12). God’s Word is a new history in itself. Evil, defects, and profane2 works emerge in history when we lose the Word of God or have it taken away from us (Deut 32:5).

      As believers looking forward to the spiritual Canaan, our land of eternal Sabbath (the kingdom of God, heaven), we must open our ears to Moses’ earnest cry to the Israelites before their entry into Canaan and receive it as a message for us today. As we continue to study and delve into the genealogies and contemplate the “days of old” and the “years of all generations,” we will discover, through the help of the Holy Spirit, the great treasures hidden in God’s plan of salvation. However, the discovery must not be merely for ourselves; we must pass it on to the godly descendants who will remain on this earth until the day of the Lord’s return. This is God’s purpose for us on this earth. It is part of His sovereign plan to preserve the covenantal offspring until the end of the world (Gen 45:7). I am sure that those who understand God’s will and follow in the footsteps of the godly forefathers mentioned in the days of old and the years of all generations will enter into the Sabbath rest that remains for His people (Heb 4:1–11).

      PART TWO

      God’s Administration of Redemption and the Genesis Genealogies

      The Bible is not merely a historical account of the Israelites; it is a magnificent record that contains the grand theme of God’s work of redemption, starting with the account of creation (Gen 1–2) and concluding with the completion of the new heaven and the new earth (Rev 21–22).

      The word redemption has a similar meaning to the word liberation and also refers to salvation, which is freedom from the bondage of sin obtained through a ransom payment. Therefore, redemption entails a ransom payment for our sins since the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23). Jesus is the only one in heaven and on earth who has given up His own life as a ransom to redeem us from death (Matt 20:28). In 1 Timothy 2:6, Jesus is described as the one “who gave Himself as a ransom for all.” Matthew 20:28 states that Jesus came “to give His life a ransom for many.” Ephesians 1:7 states, “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses.” And 1 Peter 1:18–19 further explains, “knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.”

      God transferred all of the sins of mankind onto Jesus, who was without sin (Heb 4:14–15), and imparted His righteousness as a gift to those who believe in Jesus (Rom 4:25; 8:3–4; 2 Cor 5:21; Eph 2:8; Col 1:20–22; 1 Pet 3:18). God paid the ransom for our lives by sending His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, so that His Son may give up His life in order to fulfill the “requirement of the Law” (Rom 8:3–4). Colossians 1:21–22 states, “And although you were formerly alienated and hostile in mind, engaged in evil deeds, yet He has now reconciled you in His fleshly body through death [v. 20: the blood of His cross], in order to present you before God as holy, blameless and beyond reproach.”

      Thus, the “history of redemption” refers to the entire course of history in which God saves sinners through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. A broader definition of the “history of redemption” is God’s administration to renew mankind and all creation, thereby recovering the paradise that was lost through the fall of Adam and Eve (Rev 21:5).

      The history of this world is founded upon the history of God’s work of salvation because God is the origin of all history and sovereign over its development and changes (1 Chr 29:11–12; Job 12:23; Ps 103:19; Dan 4:25; Eph 1:11). The history of God’s redemptive work is not separate from the history of this world; God works with, through, and upon the foundations of secular history. Therefore, a careful study of the Bible will give us deeper insight into the truth regarding the past, the present, and the future of this world.

      Although we believe in God and have become His children, we easily overlook His greatness. We do not understand the enormity of His heart or the intricateness of His plan. It is my prayer that by studying of God’s administration for salvation from the very beginning in detail, we will gain the insight to discover His greatness and praise His works. Moreover, I pray that each one of us may come to realize where we stand in terms of the progression in God’s redemptive history as well as our respective duties and calling.

      Chapter 4

      God’s Administration of Redemption

      1. The History of Redemption as a Part of God’s Administration

      The history of mankind is the history of redemption, which unfolds according to God’s administration. It is the history that God the Father devised after the fall, which Jesus the Son fulfilled, and the Holy Spirit completed.

      (1) What is God’s administration?

      The word administration is in Greek and is used three times in the letter to the Ephesians (Eph 1:9–10; 3:2, 9). It also can be translated as “stewardship” (1 Cor 9:17), “divine administration” (Col 1:25), or “the mystery