Genesis Genesis
Genesis
Introduction
At a Glance
Author: Moses the seer-prophet
Audience: Originally Israel, but this theological history speaks to everyone
Date: Sometime between 1520 and 1400 BC
Type of Literature: Theological history
Major Themes: Cosmic origins, God’s blessing, the people of God, faith, and redemptive history
Outline: There are ten sections in the book of Genesis after its prologue, and each one begins with the Hebrew word for “Generation,” or “The Family History”:
Prologue — 1:1–2:3
Generations of Heaven and Earth — 2:4–4:26
Generations of Adam — 5:1–6:8
Generations of Noah — 6:9–9:29
Generations of Noah’s Sons — 10:1–11:9
Generations of Shem — 11:10–26
Generations of Terah — 11:27–25:11
Generations of Ishmael — 25:12–18
Generations of Isaac — 25:19–35:29
Generations of Esau — 36:1–37:1
Generations of Jacob — 37:2–50:26
About Genesis
Genesis is God’s autobiography. The seal of perfection is stamped upon everything written in his Word. The combined skill of all the greatest literary minds could never design a composition that equals the splendor of the first chapter of Genesis. It stands in a class all by itself.
We see God at the very beginning as powerful, purposeful, wise, and full of glory. Speaking the word of creation from his eternal dwelling place of light, he created everything from nothing (Heb. 11:3). Creation takes us into the mystery of worship—we have no answers to our curiosity; we can only worship. Man was made by God not simply to analyze God as a scientist, astronomer, or philosopher. First and foremost, man was created to be a worshiper (John 4:24). We will never be able to take the mystery out of creation, for a God who is incomprehensible in his greatness accomplished it.
The purpose of creation is to display the glory of God. We are able to see in the created order of our universe the awesome wonder of the Maker of the heavens. The universe is God’s advertisement—the display of his glory (Ps. 19:1). The earth is not “mother earth”; it is his footstool, and heaven is his throne. All of creation is for his pleasure.
But it is not the earth or the cosmos that is God’s highest order; it is man and woman made after his image—creations in the likeness of God. God has created mankind to become a container for his glory. He longs to have the worship of those who love him, freely and with all their hearts!
Purpose
The purpose of Genesis is to give the origin of all things, both the cosmic order of the universe and the covenant relationship of God’s people—demonstrating that God is the Creator and Originator of redemption. Not only do we find the beginning of the heavens and the earth, but we also see that Genesis provides the origin of nations, with God’s choice of the Hebrews as the people through whom the Redeemer will come to the world.
Many have noted that Genesis is the “seed-plot” of the whole Bible, since every truth can be traced back to its source in this first book of God’s Word. Genesis is the foundation upon which all revelation rests. It is quoted over sixty times in the New Testament. One of the over-arching themes of Genesis is God’s blessing. We see the word “blessing” or “bless” eighty-eight times in this first book of the Bible. Does that not tell us that our Father God wants to bless us? If God blesses the fish and birds, how much more will he bless his beloved sons and daughters?
The primary way in which the Creator blessed created humanity was by bringing order to this disordered relationship. Through covenant, Yahweh lovingly sought after his beloved by choosing a people to be his very own, to steward and showcase his redemptive heart toward the world—a theme begun in Genesis and traced throughout the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures.
Author and Audience
The book of Genesis is set within the larger collection of books known as the Pentateuch. Moses is traditionally attributed as the author of the first five books of the Bible, called the Torah or “the law of Moses” (Luke 24:27, 44; Acts 28:23) and the “Book of Moses” (Mark 12:26). Moses was a seer and a prophet who wrote his inspired account of creation and the days of the patriarchs for God’s people between their leaving Egypt and reaching the promised land. Only God could have brought this level of revelation to Moses in order to offer revelation-insight into the formation and continuation of Israel’s covenant relationship with Yahweh.
Major Themes
Origin of God’s Creation. The first word of Genesis in Hebrew is beresheet and means “first,” “chief,” or “firstfruits.” While the New Testament takes us into the new creation life of Christ until all things are made new, Genesis gives us the firstfruits of God’s creation—from the heavens and the earth to the land and the seas; from stars, planets, and plants to birds, sea creatures, and land animals; and finally God’s crowning creative achievement, man and woman.
Many have noted how Gen. 1 is poetic in nature, showcasing the progress of creation from the lower to the higher, from the darker to the brighter, from the evening to the morning, from vessels to forms. Note that the Hebrew word for day is yom and can be translated in English into over fifty different words, such as “a twenty-four-hour day,” “today,” “time,” “forever,” “continually,” “age,” “life,” “season,” “perpetually,” or “a period of time.” The Hebraic mindset does not necessarily view yom as a twenty-four-hour period. The Scriptures speak frequently of the day of the Lord, which points to a time period of God’s divine activity, not a day with a sunrise and sunset. Both Moses and Peter spoke of a thousand years being like one day.
The opening chapters of Genesis make it clear who created the heavens and the earth and everything in it: the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—Yahweh. Not only that, we also see the origin of the God-man relationship: Eden, a bliss-filled paradise became the home of Adam and Eve. Eden’s very name reveals God’s nature of love and grace. Humanity was created to experience the pleasure of being loved by God and relating to his heart. However, all is not as it was intended. For we witness in this first book of the Bible the origins of sin and all of the ensuing fallout.
Because Adam and Eve ate what was forbidden, pain entered the world: there is conflict in the home; the man produces food to eat through painful toil and the woman endures painful childbirth; all creation now labors with painful contractions; and we seek to make a name for ourselves through self-worship. Yet all is not lost! From the very beginning, God had a plan to rescue humanity and put this world back together, promising the famous Head-crusher of Gen. 3:15. This is the Protoevangelium, God’s first announcement of a Savior, and presents a preview of Jesus Christ who would be wounded by the snake/sin on his heel but bring a death-blow to Satan by the power of his cross and resurrection—eventually restoring God’s creation to the way he intended it to be.
Blessed to Be a Blessing. Blessing is perhaps the most important theological “glue” that holds Genesis together and connects it to the rest of the Hebrew Scriptures. In Gen. 1, God blesses humans (1:22, 28), and then they lose that blessing (ch. 3). God returns to this theme again in Gen. 12, where he seeks to restore this blessing to humanity once more through choosing a couple, Abraham and Sarah, and their zera—their seed, their offspring, their “nation.” And this blessing is manifested in several lives, like Abraham’s and Joseph’s.
But what is this blessing? What does it mean to be “blessed” by Yahweh? A working definition is to “empower for abundant living in every sphere of life.” This abundant-life empowerment flows from a vibrant relationship with God. When God blesses you, your life will soar into his abundance! This blessed, abundant life includes being fruitful (reproduction) and multiplying (increasing in number) (1:25); equal empowerment for both men and women to live on this planet (1:28); an infusion of power and favor to succeed in life (5:1–2); a relationship with the God of the universe (17:6); prosperity, abundance, and success (39:2). And yet, Yahweh’s blessing was never an end in and of itself. We were always meant to leverage our abundant life for the sake of the world—we truly are blessed to be a blessing!
One of the clearest pictures Genesis offers of not only the meaning of blessing, but also the means of God’s blessing through his people, is Joseph’s story. Chapter 39 reveals “Yahweh’s presence was with Joseph and he became successful while living in the house of his Egyptian master” (39:2). The implication is that Joseph excelled in everything, which carried over into Potiphar’s household as well. And of course this blessing eventually flowed to Egypt and the surrounding nations when he assumed the role of second-in-command over Egypt. God blessed Joseph and in turn blessed the nations through him, opening the door for others to be fed. Joseph knew that God was in control and that he had been raised up by God to wear a yoke—the yoke of serving the will of God and nothing else, resulting in blessing over his life, the lives of his family, and the lives of the nations. As you read through Genesis, be sure to note every time you find the words “bless” and “blessing.”
Origin of God’s People. Coinciding with this renewed desire for God-empowered abundant living through an intimate, vibrant relationship with the Lord is his calling of a people to himself. One Old Testament scholar suggests this calling in Gen. 12 is a sort of second creation account, in which God’s holy people are “created” through an act of grace, inviting Abram, who became Abraham, into a loving covenant relationship in order to birth a nation. Abram means “exalted father.” Abraham means “father of a multitude.” A generational transfer is in the heart of God and is here revealed to Abraham. Yahweh confirmed this covenant relationship not only between him and Abraham but also with all of his descendants throughout their generations.
Later in the New Testament, we see that this nation of descendants extends not only to Abraham’s physical offspring, Israel and the Jewish people, but also to his spiritual “seed,” the church. As the apostle Paul wrote to the Ephesians: “Our reconciling ‘Peace’ is Jesus! He has made Jew and non-Jew one in Christ. By dying as our sacrifice, he has broken down every wall of prejudice that separated us” (Eph. 2:14). He continues in Galatians: “And since you’ve been united to Jesus the Messiah, you are now Abraham’s ‘child’ and inherit all the promises of the kingdom realm!” (Gal. 3:29). Non-Jewish believers are to be grateful for the Jewish roots of our faith. Our Messiah is Jewish and the Scriptures we read were given to the beloved Jewish people. We feast on the new-covenant riches, promises, and blessings that have been handed down to us through the “olive tree” of Judaism—the roots of which extend all the way back to Genesis!
Faith in God’s Promises. Nearly half of the names listed in the famous Hall of Faith chapter in the book of Hebrews (ch. 11) are drawn from the book of Genesis. Abel had his heart set on the coming Sacrifice, confessed his sin, and brought the first and best of his flock as a sacrifice in faith, and God was pleased. Enoch was a man who walked in faith and was translated from earth to heaven without dying (apotheosis). Noah was moved with faith and acted on the revelation given to him. Leaving all that is familiar would display an incredible act of faith on Abraham’s part, not to mention believing that barren Sarah would bear him a son that would multiply to descendants as numerous as the stars! Prompted by faith and contrary to his natural inclination, Isaac acted by faith in imparting his blessing to Jacob instead of Esau. In faith, Jacob asked to be buried near the spot where the Messiah would be crucified, knowing the fulfillment of the promise would be in Canaan, not Egypt. And Joseph’s faith in God and the fulfillment of his dreams kept him faithfully waiting for his day of promotion, believing and trusting in God’s perfect plans. We learn from these forebears of our faith that God really can be trusted, for he makes good on his promises!
Perhaps the greatest of all of these heroes of faith is Abraham, whom the apostle Paul offered as an example in explaining our own justification. Quoting Gen. 15:6, he wrote, “Because Abraham believed God’s words, his faith transferred God’s righteousness into his account” (Rom. 4:3). Abraham trusted every single word that Yahweh had spoken over his life. Paul goes on, extolling the virtues of Abraham’s example, especially in offering up his son Isaac: “Against all odds, when it looked hopeless, Abraham believed the promise and expected God to fulfill it. . . . He never stopped believing God’s promise, for he was made strong in his faith to father a child. And because he was mighty in faith and convinced that God had all the power needed to fulfill his promises, Abraham glorified God!” (Rom. 4:18, 20–21). Oh that we would follow in the footsteps of Abraham, truly the father of faith!
History of God’s Redemption. From the beginning, the Lord God wanted nothing more than to plant himself in the dust of Adam and become life within him. Both a tree planted in a garden and God planted in man are the pictures we see in Gen. 2. As the tree was to receive nourishment from the soil, so Adam was to draw life and sustenance from his Maker, as one “planted” by the Lord. Obviously, things didn’t turn out that way—and yet God didn’t give up on his beloved! Genesis launches Yahweh’s redemptive history.
The first question God asks in the Bible appears after our ancestors first sinned: “Adam, where are you?” (3:9). The question clearly shows that we belong to God, and that he longs for each of us to examine our own lives, be honest with him, and come out of hiding. It also launched God’s redemptive movement to rescue us and restore our world—beginning with Yahweh-God making garments from animal skins to clothe Adam and Eve. Father God did what any good father would do when a child fails. He wrapped his love around them and did not degrade them. Moved by love, he clothed them to cover their shame. For God to use blood-stained animal skins as royal robes to clothe his beloved meant that animals had to be sacrificed to provide their covering. These themes continue throughout the book of Genesis, foreshadowing God’s ultimate redemption in Jesus.
Noah’s ark is a beautiful picture of Christ: it was made from sturdy wood (the humanity of Christ, Isa. 53:2; Dan. 9:26) and is sealed with tar (blood atonement); it was a place of salvation and preservation (Jesus our Savior); humanity is invited into this ark to find a place of security from judgment, and so we are hidden in Christ (Col. 3:3). When Abraham sacrifices his only son, there is a hint that one day God would require a human sacrifice to take away the sin of the world. On Yahweh’s mountain, Moriah, where Abraham offered up Isaac, we see clearly the vision of God placing our sins upon his Son. Solomon’s Temple was later built on Moriah (2 Chron. 3:1), where Israel offered sacrifices of atonement for their sins. The book ends with the death of Jacob, who longed to be buried in the cave of Machpelah purchased by Abraham from the Hittites in Gen. 23. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were all buried near the ancient site of Jerusalem, where, many centuries later, Jesus would be crucified, buried, and raised from the dead.
Many have noted how Jesus Christ is seen in Genesis in different pictures:
The Creator (Gen. 1:1; Col. 1:16)
The Beginning (Rev. 1:8)
The Light (Gen. 1:3, 16; John 8:12)
The Tree of Life (Gen. 2:9; John 15:1–5)
The Seed of the Woman (Gen. 3:15; Matt. 1:23)
The Clothing for Adam and Eve (Gen. 2:21; Rom. 13:11–14)
The Fire-Sword (Gen. 3:24; Heb. 4:12)
The Sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22; John 3:16)
The Heavenly Stairway (Gen. 28:12; John 1:51; 1 Tim. 2:5)
The Anointed Stone (Gen. 28:18–19; Acts 10:38; 1 Peter 2:1–5)
The Midnight Wrestling Man (Gen. 32:24–32; Gal. 5:17)
The Savior, Joseph (Gen. 37–50; Matt. 3:17)
Genesis
Firstfruits
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