Genesis 21:17-18 says, “The Angel of God [Elohim] called to Hagar out of heaven and said to her...God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. Rise up; lift up the boy...for I will make of him a great nation.” The Angel of God, who is the Angel of Jehovah, turned out to be God, Elohim. This implies the Trinity.
Genesis 22:11-12 says, “The Angel of Jehovah called to him from the heavens and said, Abraham...Now I know that you fear God [Elohim], since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.” Me at the end of these verses refers to God, to whom Isaac was offered (vv. 1-2). God’s reference to Himself not simply as Jehovah and God but also as the Angel of Jehovah and the Angel of God [Elohim] implies the Trinity. There was a need of the Trinity for God to work on man that man may participate in Him.
Genesis 31:11-13 says, “The Angel of God [Elohim] said to me in the dream, Jacob...I am the God [El] of Bethel.” The Angel of God turned out to be El, which is another form of Elohim. The speaker in this verse being the Angel of God instead of simply God implies that God deals with man as the Trinity. We need to learn to understand the Trinity according to the revelation of the Bible. God’s work on us that we may partake of Him is done through the Trinity. God’s trinity is for His economy, the dispensing of Himself into man.
Genesis 48:15-16 says, “He [Israel] blessed Joseph and said, / The God [Elohim] before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, / The God [Elohim] who has shepherded me all my life to this day, / The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys.” The Angel in verse 16 is in apposition to the God in verse 15. Thus, the Angel is the very Elohim, the Triune God of the three generations—Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Trinity is implied here because this portion concerns God’s shepherding of Jacob in order to preserve the race of Israel to bring forth Christ and work Himself into man and that man may participate in and enjoy God. The Trinity is always mentioned in relation to God’s economy. God’s being triune is for His economy. God’s trinity is not a matter of His essence but of His economy.
Genesis 16:10; 21:17-18; 22:11-12; 31:11-13; and 48:15-16 all indicate the Divine Trinity in relation, directly or indirectly, to the genealogy of Christ (Matt. 1:1-2). Hagar and her son Ishmael are indirectly related to Christ’s genealogy. Abraham and Jacob are directly related to the genealogy of Christ, who came to redeem man so that God could work Himself into man. This is all for God’s economy.
By studying the Trinity in Genesis, we can conclude that God’s trinity is for His economy, which is to dispense Himself into man so that man may enjoy Him and become His expression. In addition, according to the revelation in Genesis, there are two crucial points concerning the Trinity. First, the three of the Trinity are distinct but not separate. Second, in His essence God is one, but in His economy, His dispensing, God is three. God is essentially one and economically three.