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41	42	43	44	45	46	47	48	49	50

Basics

BOOK: Genesis

Description: 1st book of the Pentateuch (meaning “five-volumed book”), the Law of Moses

Author: probably Moses

Date written: somewhere about 1400 BC (Latter part of Moses’ life)

Chapters: 50

Brief Synopsis

• Otherwise known as the book of beginnings:
  • Beginning of the world, beginning of mankind
  • Beginning of Sin, beginning of judgment, beginning of salvation
  • Beginning of the Hebrew people (who become the nation of Israel )
• Abram (renamed Abraham) is considered the father of the Hebrew, a man of faith
• Jacob (renamed Israel) starts out a twister, becomes a man of God
• The family of Israel eventually end up in Egypt where they settle.

Why Read Genesis 

In the ‘Contents’ that follows it is easy to assume that the book is all about people and in some senses, it is, but it is people interacting with God.

Creation

Modern people struggle with the first three chapters as to whether they are strict history or myths, or legends designed to convey principles. Without doubt there are question marks over the meaning of occasional verses, [which we point out in the notes with the text] but possibly not so many as other alternatives that the world offers, and such questions do not detract from the overall integrity and veracity of the book.

Sin & Separation 

The early chapters explain the concept and consequences of ‘sin’ as revealed in the Bible.

The key question throughout is, “What does this tell us about God?” and also, “What does this tell us about mankind?” Without these chapters we are left speculating how mankind has the characteristics it has, both good and bad. One of the amazing things to note, is that although God separates mankind (Adam and Eve) from Himself, after they have sinned, He is clearly there in the background, and, from time to time, interacting with specific individuals, for their blessing, and progressing a plan He clearly has from before the foundation of the world.

Relationships 

This revelation becomes clearer from chapter 12 onwards as we see God blessing the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, again and again, despite their stumbling approaches at faith.

KEY PEOPLE

Abraham is revealed as an Aramean nomad from Mesopotamia who steps out with an embryonic faith, often still showing more self-concern than faith, but who eventually comes to the position of realizing that God is in control and does mean what He says about his future and the promised land of Canaan. He is known as the father of faith and a friend of God (Jas 2:23).

Isaac follows in the same footsteps as his father, sometimes getting it right, sometimes not, but still holding to the fact that he is the outworking of the ongoing plan of God through this family in this land.

Jacob is named twister and shows through much of his early life how apt that name was. However, by the end he is transformed. Not only is he very wealthy, and also the father of a family of twelve sons and one daughter but is without question a godly man of faith whose name has been changed to Israel. What is most remarkable is that even though God knows him to be a twister, He chooses him over his slightly older brother, Esau, who turns out to be indifferent to God. God clearly knows our potential.

The final story of Joseph shows a spoilt brat who is given prophetic pictures by God and because he handles them in such an immature way, they only add to the hatred his ten brothers have for him. A horrendous story follows, of being sold into slavery in Egypt, and then cast into prison over a period of about thirteen or fourteen years but ends up with him being appointed to the right hand of the Pharaoh of Egypt and becoming saviour of at least what we would call the Middle East, courtesy of the gift of dream interpretation from God. By the end of the story, he is revealed as having an amazing understanding of the sovereignty and providence of God.

The book ends up with the family of Israel living in Egypt where we will find them some four hundred years later going through one of the greatest events of Israel’s history, the ‘Exodus’ from Egypt, to go and take and recover the Promised Land of Canaan. No one who wants to understand the Old Testament history of Israel can do it without Genesis. An amazing read for the person with an open heart of a learner.

Two other things to note: First, family trees appear from time to time showing the growing family. Second, the use of names with meanings again and again throughout the book.

Outline Contents

• Ch.1-11 Creation, The Fall, early peoples, the Flood, aftermath 
  • Ch.1 & 2 Creation 
  • Ch.3 The Fall 
  • Ch.4-6 Early Peoples  
  • Ch.6-8 The Flood 
  • Ch.8-11 The aftermath 
• Ch 11-50 The Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob (and Joseph) 

Detailed Contents

PART ONE: Creation, Fall & ongoing consequences: Gen 1-11

• Ch.1 –The ‘big picture’ of Creation
• Ch.2 – Focused creation, God lays down the ground rules for the use of Eden.
• Ch.3 – The Fall
• Ch.4 – Cain killing Abel
• Ch.5 – The family tree from Adam to Noah.
• Ch.6-9 – Decline of mankind and the Flood
• Ch.10 – The nations that are formed after the Flood
• Ch.11 – Building the tower of Babel; the family tree of Shem

PART TWO: Relationships: Gen 12-50

PART 2A: Gen 12-25: Abram’s Story

1) Opening

• Ch.12: The Call, going to Canaan and on to Egypt

2) Problems with Lot

• Ch.13: Abram & Lot separate
• Ch.14: Lot gets taken in a local conflict & Abram rescues him

3) The Lord’s Revelation, the Couple’s Failure

• Ch.15: The Lord’s Covenant with Abram
• Ch.16: Hagar has Ishmael

4) Interactions with God

• Ch.17: Reassurances & Circumcision
• Ch.18: Visitors, Reassurances & Intercession

5) Failures of this family

• Ch.19: Lot & the destruction of Sodom
• Ch.20: Abraham & his failure with Abimelek

6) Ongoing

• Ch.21: Isaac born
• Ch.22: Abraham tested through Isaac
• Ch.23: Death & burial of Sarah
• Ch.24: Abraham’s servant finds Rebekah for Isaac
• Ch.25: Abraham’s death

[Isaac appears in his own right from chapter 25 on, but appears in these earlier chapters in his early role as Abraham’s son, born as a miracle.]

PART 2B: Gen 25-28 – Isaac’s Story

• Ch.25: Esau & Jacob born to Isaac; Esau sells Jacob his birthright
• Ch.26: Isaac in the Land
• Ch.27: Isaac’s blessings of his sons

[Isaac & Jacob overlap in that much of Isaac’s story involves the early years of Jacob. Isaac’s death is found in chapter 36]

PART 2C: Gen 25,28-36 – Jacob’s Story

• Ch.27: Jacob steals Esau’s blessing
• Ch.28: Jacob leaves for Haran & has dreams of God
• Ch.29: Jacob tricked into marrying both Rachel and Leah
• Ch.30: A race for children and sheep & goats
• Ch.31: Jacob leaves & is caught by Laban
• Ch.32: Jacob prepares to meet Esau; wrestles with God
• Ch.33: Jacob meets Esau
• Ch.34: Dinah & the Shechemites [An aside]
• Ch.35: Moving through the Land
• Ch.36: Esau’s Descendants; death of Isaac

[We see more of Jacob in the latter part of Joseph’s story.]

PART 2D: Gen 37-50 – Joseph’s Story

• Ch.37-40 Joseph in tough times
  • Ch.37: Joseph sold into Slavery
  • Ch.38: Judah & Tamar [An aside]
  • Ch.39: Joseph & Potiphar
  • Ch.40: Joseph in Prison: Two dreams & interpretations
• Ch.41 Joseph saves the world
  • Ch.41: Joseph & Pharaoh: Joseph implements the rescue plan
• Ch.42-45 Joseph tests the brothers
  • Ch.42: Joseph meets his brothers
  • Ch.43: The Brothers’ Second Visit to Egypt
  • Ch.44: Judah takes responsibility
  • Ch.45: Joseph Revealed
• Ch.46-50 Settling in Egypt while holding the faith
  • Ch.46: Jacob & Family go to Egypt
  • Ch.47: Jacob settles the family in Egypt
  • Ch.48: Jacob blesses Ephraim & Manasseh
  • Ch.49: Jacob blesses all the sons; Jacob dies
  • Ch.50: Jacob buried in Canaan; Joseph eventually dies

Note: Chronological Flow

There is a steady chronological flow in the chapters of Genesis although the wise reader would be careful not to try to add specific time periods or time scales until the book moves further on. So, for example,

Gen 1 – provides the ‘big picture’ of Creation with the main emphasis being that it is God directed and thus no accident.

Gen 2 – reiterates creation with a quick overview which quickly moves on to focus on the location in Mesopotamia where God interacts with Adam and Eve, laying down the ground rules for its use.

Gen 3 – shows how the couple disobey God and their relationship with Him is fractured (usually referred to as ‘the Fall’) and they are banished from His presence. (Nevertheless, the ongoing text indicates God is still there in the background interacting with whoever is open to Him.

Gen 4 – shows Adam & Eve’s two sons interacting, with Cain killing Abel. God’s interaction with Cain, seeking to help him not sin and then protecting him in banishment after he does sin.

Gen 5 – adds context by showing the family tree from Adam to Noah.

Gen 6-9 – shows the decline in the state of mankind and God’s decision to intervene with a flood where Noah and his family are saved.

Gen 10 – tables the nations that are formed after the Flood

Gen 11 – shows godless, self-glorifying mankind building a tower at Babel, and then the family tree of Shem, one of Noah’s surviving sons

Gen 11 & 12 – we are introduced to Abram

Gen 12-25 – Abram’s (later renamed Abraham) interactions with God and eventually a son being miraculously born to him, named Isaac

Gen 25-28 – covers Isaac’s life

Gen 25,28-36 – covers Isaac’s younger son Jacob, later renamed Israel

Gen 37-50 – follows Joseph, one of Israel’s younger sons, who is sold into slavery in Egypt but ends up as second to the Pharaoh of Egypt and saves the whole area from famine by God’s revelation and wisdom. At the end of the book, the large family of Israel are living in Egypt as previously prophesied by God.

Dates

The New Bible Dictionary suggests rough BC dates as follows:

• Abraham: 2000 -1850
• Isaac: 1900 – 1750
• Jacob: 1800 – 1700
• Joseph: 1750 – 1650

Difficulties

Difficulties with the Creation story

• Some see the seven days of Creation as 7 24-hour periods
• Others see it as 7 eras or long periods
• Some see it as seven days when God revealed it to Moses
• Some believe in literal creation, within a short period of time
• Some believe in evolution
  • Mechanical evolution means a world without purpose or meaning
  • Guided evolution is perfectly feasible, ‘meaning’ coming from God’s purpose
  • Mechanical Evolution still has many ‘holes’ e.g. how can you account for sexual reproduction?
  • You are likely to opt according to your starting point – there is no God or there is a God – and often that has more to do with personal factors than scientific possibilities.     

Difficulties with the Fall

• Some see it as an analogy although it is written as history•  Without it there is no explanation why ‘sin’ appears in every single human being
• The effects shown exactly replicate the problems we have when we sin.
• The fact that they were not killed by God is an indication of His mercy and grace and a long-term plan (seen through the New Testament) whereby He knew this would happen and acted accordingly, bringing Israel into being as an environment into which to speak and reveal Himself and into which He would eventually send His Son, Jesus Christ.

Difficulties with the Flood

• Some believe the flood was worldwide – there are indicators around the world of such a catastrophe, yet genetic indicators in human races suggest an alternative.
• Some suggest the flood was limited to a large area of the Middle East.   

Difficulties with God asking Abraham to kill Isaac

• The truth was that God never wanted it to happen but just wanted Abraham to demonstrate his trust in the Lord.  

The Geography of Genesis

Geographically we see the Garden of Eden being in Mesopotamia, the area from which Abram was called by God, to go and settle in Canaan (what we now call Israel).

By the end of the book Jacob’s family has grown and ends up in Egypt.

 Recommended Reading in Genesis for beginners

Creation	– Gen 1 & 2
The Fall & its consequences	– Gen 3
Enoch – example of ‘walking with God	– Gen 5:18-24
Abram’s call to Canaan & God’s promises	– Gen 12:1-5
Abram – faith the basis of righteousness	– Gen 15:6
Isaac’s miraculous birth	– Gen 21:1-7
Providence – hidden hand of God – Rebekah	– Gen 24
Sovereignty – birth of Jacob & Esau	– Gen 25:19-26
Fulfilment of prophecy – Jacob & Esau	– Gen 25:27-34, 27:1-40
Jacob – God – Israel	– Gen 32:22-30
Joseph’s future foretold	– Gen 37:1-11
Prophecy fulfilled	– Gen 41
Understanding	– Gen 45:5-8, 50:19,20

New Testament Significance

• Abraham is a one of THE key Old Testament figures who is referred to in the New Testament:
  • revered by the Jews and often referred to by Jesus and the apostles – see Mt 3:9, Mt 8:11, Lk 1:55,73, Lk 13;16, Lk 16:23-30, Lk 19:9, Lk 20:37, Jn 8:39-58, Acts 3:13,25, Acts 7:2,5,8,16,17,32, Acts 13:26
  • seen as the example of faith and righteousness – see Rom 4, Gal 3, Heb 11:8,11,17,19, Jas 2:21,23
• Gen 1:27 is used by Jesus as the basis of family life and for refuting divorce (see Mt 19:4-6)
• Noah and the flood are used as historical instances by Jesus (see Mt 24:37-40) and Peter (2 Pet 2:5,9) in teaching.

Concluding Comments

• Genesis reveals God creating a perfect world
• Although some object to the idea of two new unique individuals (Adam and Eve), the reality is that although there are similarities with some animals, there are also distinct differences which reflect us being made “in the image of God” (See Gen 1:27). Somewhere in history there had to be a change to create a difference between animals and humans.
• (We might add that the idea of being made “in the image of God” [and different from animals] usually includes the abilities to communicate, think, plan, reason, invent, create, write, work, order, purpose and enter into the fullness of what they were designed to be. Put another way, God has given us self-consciousness, imagination and conscience, and ability to grow and develop.)
• It also shows us the introduction of Sin (NB. We define sin as ‘self-centred godlessness which results in unrighteousness (unrighteousness is destructive behavior contrary to the way God has designed us to work best)
• As noted above, the fact that God did not destroy Adam and Eve is an indication of a long-term plan to achieve an incredible outcome whereby sinful mankind can be won over (some at least) by God’s love and exercise their free will to return to Him and His design for them.
• Theologians suggest there is a glimpse of this long-term plan in God’s words of judgment on Satan (the serpent), “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.”(Gen 3:15) Their ‘offspring’ will include Jesus Christ who will destroy Satan’s power over us, through the Cross, which in itself was inspired by Satan working through individuals.
• God clearly chose to reveal Himself through interaction through individuals and then through a nation, Israel.
• Allowing Israel’s family to develop, into what was tantamount to a nation or different race in Egypt, established a scenario in which God would reveal Himself as their deliverer while at the same time revealing Himself as the all-powerful judge of the world who can bring judgment on those who clearly deserve it, and who will not change in any other way.

Genesis Ch 1