Two Sides

Genesis 3:15 is the most important verse of the book's first toldoth, which runs from Genesis 2:4 to 4:26 (for more info on toldoth, see yesterday's post - 10/23/07). Genesis 3:15 is where God announces the beginning of an epic struggle between the serpent and the seed of the woman: "And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel."

A careful reading of the first toldoth in its entirety reveals how pivotal Genesis 3:15 is. In the beginning of the toldoth, we see nothing but perfection and unity in all of creation. Adam and Eve enjoyed a perfect relationship with God, with each other, and with their environment. After the Fall, imperfection and disharmony took hold in all three relationships. By the end of the toldoth, we clearly see an entrenchment of the two sides that God announced: the side of the serpent represented by Cain and his line, and the side of the promised seed of the woman represented by Adam's line through Seth and Enosh.

We also clearly see the moral character represented by each of the sides. The side of the serpent represented by Cain and his line is marked by self-will, rebellion against God, immorality and relational strife, even to the point of murder. The side of the promised seed of the woman represented by Adam's line through Seth and Enosh is marked by faith, worship, and obedience to God. The difference between the two sides in summary is the difference between evil and good.

The struggle between evil and good continues to this day, though it is not very popular to actually call evil "evil" or good "good." In one sense, this development shouldn't surprise us, since the Bible acknowledges that some even go as far as to claim that the one is the other: "Woe those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter" (Isaiah 5:20).

A good example of both the existence of the two sides (good and evil) and the unwillingness of some to call evil "evil" or good "good", even to the point of claiming the one as the other, comes from our country's current struggle with Islamofascism. In the book, World War IV: The Long Struggle Against Islamofascism, author Norman Podhoretz explains the political dynamics of the conflict between President Bush's leadership in the global war on terror and those who so vehemently oppose him. Podhoretz uses a number of the President's speeches and actions to show how his positions are based on the historic belief that the values associated with freedom and religious liberty are moral and good. The opponents of the President, on the other hand, are shown through their words and actions not only to reject such a notion, but also to characterize it as the real evil operating in the world.

Many of the opponents believe that freedom and religious liberty are just another option among many, none of which are particularly right or moral or good. Therefore, in their view, the US has no right to spread freedom and democracy to other parts of the world, such as the Middle East.

As the book unfolds, Podhoretz classifies the Presidents opponents into three groups: isolationists, liberal internationalists, and realists. Tomorrow, I'll write more about what each of these three think about good and evil. By the way, these three label people who believe in an absolute moral good as "idealists." I'll write about this too, along with how it all might impact end-times events. I'll also write about some of the parallels to these things we can see in modern-day Christianity.