We Don't Need Another Hero (Genesis 1-24)

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The first few chapters of Genesis have flown by, but they are incredibly important to the rest of the story. Like the opening credits to Star Wars, they set the stage for the action to follow.

What have we learned thus far?

First, we discovered that the world is here as a result of God’s loving design. It is not the by-product of a war between the gods (as per ancient Babylonian and Egyptian creation myths), nor is it merely an accident of nature (as per contemporary secular materialism).

No. By whatever means God chose to do it, it was God who formed day and night, the sky, the sea, and the land. It was God who filled these with planets and stars, with fish and fowl, and with plants and animals. And it was God who breathed life into humanity, giving us the privilege of caring for his creation as his image bearers on the earth.

Next, we have learned that the root of this world’s problems are found in humanity’s desire to live life on our own terms. Rather than relying on the God who made us and this world, we have taken matters into our own hands. The result has been catastrophic.

We saw this writ large in the lives of our ancient forebears: rebellious Adam and Eve in the garden, murderous Cain in the field, lecherous Lamech in the city, and drunken Noah in his tent. Things have clearly gone from bad to worse. 

The tipping point came when humanity sought "to make a name for [themselves]" by harnessing the power of technology to build a tower to the heavens. The downward spiral of upward ambition meant that it was time, once again, for God to come to the rescue.

God called a pagan named Abra[ha]m, saying “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house” (thus abandoning his entire cultural, religious, and family identity) “to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed."

“So Abram went,” the Bible says, and thus the next phase of God's rescue plan began.

Abra[ha]m’s journey was not without some serious failures. In order to save his own skin, he insisted his wife was his sister, exposing her to serious consequences. He did this twice! Later, he took Hagar, their maidservant, to bed in order to secure an heir for his family. 

As we read these stories, and the many which follow, we cannot help but be troubled by the realization that the people God called to rescue the world were in desperate need of rescue themselves. What are we to make of this?

For one thing, we see that God is committed to humanity despite our failures. Clearly, the hero of the story is neither Noah nor Abraham. Nor is it, as we shall soon see, deceitful Jacob (who cheated his family), promiscuous Judah (who fathered his own grandson), and virtually every other character in the sordid story of Jesus’ ancestors. They were not heroes, but God did not give up on them.  

What was true then is true today. We humans -- even the best of us -- are broken. But God is faithful. God does not give up on us. Despite our brokenness (and the damage this causes), God is committed to us, and allows us to participate in his redemption of the world. We all have a part to play in our little corner of the world.  We are not heroes, but God does not give up on us either.

Who is the true hero in scripture? It is Jesus himself. He is the true Adam, who despite his hunger, refused to take the fruit (bread) of temptation (Mt 4:1-4). He is the true Abraham, who refused to follow his own will, saying instead, "Thy will be done" (Luke 22:42). The entire Old Testament, Jesus said, points directly to him (Luke 24:27, 44; John 5:39, 46). 

So when it comes to heroes, we only have one. His name is Jesus. He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last, the Beginning and the End. We don't need another hero. 

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