The story in the garden of Eden was a repetition of Satan’s history. Satan wanted to uplift himself to be equal with God. He also tempted man to uplift himself to be equal with God. In the first paradise, the bright cherub rebelled. In the second paradise, man rebelled. Since that day man has been walking in the way of disobedience. Romans 5 says that through one offense, condemnation came to all men (v. 18), and through the disobedience of one man, the many were constituted sinners (v. 19). Please bear in mind that in God’s eyes, what happened in the garden of Eden was not only an offense but an act of disobedience. Do not think that there was only sin in the garden of Eden; there was disobedience as well. Sin entered the world through the disobedience of one man. Since that day, man has been living under the principle of disobedience.
At the time of the flood, God appointed men to be rulers. This was the beginning of human government. From the time of Adam to the time of the flood, there were families, not government. Government was instituted 1,656 years after the creation. After the emergence of government, we find authority resting not only with the family but also with government. “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed” (Gen. 9:6). This was the beginning of government.
After the flood, Ham rebelled against his father’s authority (Gen. 9:20-27). Then God established the nations. But the people of the nations united together and built the tower of Babel for themselves. Though they did not rebel against each other, they united to rebel against God. In the garden the individual and the family rebelled against God. But at the tower of Babel, the nations rebelled against Him. Man’s intention was to build a tower to go to heaven and to climb to the top to stand in God’s place. God prepared stones on earth. But man prepared bricks as a counterfeit of God’s stones. Mankind prepared bricks and built a tower for itself. Man tried to be like God. After the flood, the nations united to rebel against God.
God chose Abraham not only to be the father of faith but also to be a pattern of submission. In the midst of the rebellion of the nations and the confusion of the tower of Babel, God chose Abraham not only for his faith but also for his submission. God demands, expects, and desires to find a man of submission. He desires to find a man who will stand on the ground of submission in the day of rebellion.
Not only was Abraham a man of submission, even his wife was in submission. Not only were Abraham and Sarah submissive to God, Sarah was submissive to Abraham as well. Sarah submitted to God and accepted His direct authority. She also accepted Abraham as her deputy authority. Both the husband and the wife were submissive to God, and between the husband and wife, that is, between one human being and another human being, there was also submission. They maintained the principle of God’s authority on earth. As a result, God’s people came out of them. God’s people were chosen based upon His authority.
God told Abraham that his descendants would become slaves in Egypt, but that He would bring them out by the fourth generation. In the exodus from Egypt, Moses brought the Israelites out. First, God gained one man, Moses, who was submissive. After Moses learned authority, God commissioned him to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Among the Israelites, God established His direct authority. We see this in Exodus, when God’s presence was manifested by the pillar of cloud and the pillar of fire. The Lord also expressed His authority through the commandments. He also appointed Moses and Aaron to be His authority. Moses and Aaron were God’s appointed authority, His deputy authority, among the Israelites.