God Blesses Again And Rewrites History

Every time I read Genesis 5:1-5, I feel a profound sense of gratitude for the merciful love of God. It says:

This is the book of the genealogy of Adam. In the day that God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. He created them male and female, and blessed them and called them Mankind in the day they were created. And Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth. After he begot Seth, the days of Adam were eight hundred years; and he had sons and daughters. So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died. – (Genesis 5:1-5 NKJV)

What interests me, in the text, is how God rewrites history. Mention is made that after creating Adam and Eve, male (Iss) and female (Issa), God “blessed them and called them Mankind.” Then we come to the next part of the story that “Adam lived one hundred and thirty years, and begot a son in his own likeness, after his image, and named him Seth.” No mention is made of the curse that is recorded in Genesis 3. No mention is made that Adam had two other sons and that the one called Cain killed his brother Able. Yes, God was trying to rewrite history, by naming a covenant line through Seth.

And it is of interest that what God was trying to do then would not be unusual as to how God has operated across the millennia of history. From what we read in the Bible, God has been doing all that is possible to remove the curse from humanity. In a first effort, God made an announcement to Adam and Eve, and a pronouncement on the Serpent “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” Genesis 3:15 (ESV). Then God follows in Genesis 5 with the setting up of a new covenant line.

Yes, in the midst of our sinfulness, in the midst of human violence, God has always been rewriting history. He has sought to carry forward his covenant of blessing to humanity, always trying to bring unity out of discord, harmony out of chaos.

This is why the Psalmist shouted:

I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever:

with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

For I have said, Mercy shall be built up forever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establishes in the very heavens. (Psalm 89:1, 2 KJV).

Yes, this is why I shout, “Praise the Lord.” It is truly a blessing that God constantly has sought to rewrite history. And, from what I read in the Bible, God is going to make this earth new (cf. Revelation 21). He is going to rewrite the history of this world.  He is going to give me a new name and write on my forehead the name of the city of God. I can’t wait.

Would you want God to rewrite your history? Blot out your transgressions and so forth?